Fantasy Uwaru [Demi-Human/High Fantasy]

[TanteRegenbogen]

Plot: In most of the world of Vaua, demi-humans are treated as citizens second class or worse. In some countries, most demi-humans are enslaved. One such nation is the kingdom of An-Asaniya, a desert kingdom and one of the largest slave markets in the world. Every day, hundreds of demi-human slaves are sold through the slave market in the An-Asaniyan capital of Ipqal. However the market is about to be crashed by someone said to be a witch, who will free a few slaves. You are one of these slaves (ages 10 to 30). The slaves are taken to a far away land where demi-humans can be free. The land is called Uwaru and is the direct opposite of An-Asaniya as it is full of green pastures and forests. Uwaru is almost completely inhabited by demi-humans. Exceptions are usually only dwarves and goblins, while humans and elves aren't welcome. Humans and elves need special permission to visit Uwaru and cannot take up residency there.

While the savior is ready to just let the freed slaves go and live in the land, many plead to stay with her as they have nowhere to go. As they become accustomed to life with their savior, they can't fight the feeling that their savior is not exactly an angel herself. Rather she seems to be the other extreme, hoping to raise the freed slaves to be followers to destroy humans and elves wherever they come across them. Even worse, their savior seems to rather be a monster. Maybe they can convince her to change her ways, be able to leave her grasp or they might fully side with her after all. They come to learn that their savior goes by Lady Blackhorn, an ibex demi-human.

Setting:

Uwaru:

Uwaru is most notably known as the land of demi-humans. It is one of the only few nations where demi-humans can live freely and slavery is forbidden. The land is compared to other nations one of the smaller ones, but it is not easily accessible as it lies beyond the frontier reaches which are unchartered lands for many nations. The landscape of Uwaru is mostly forests and pastures with a large central valley surrounded by hills then mountains. To the north of Uwaru lies the Inner Sea, a vast landlocked sea. In the Inner Sea, various islands belong to Uwaru. The lands around the Inner Sea belong mostly to tribes or dwarven or goblin city states. South of Uwaru beyond the frontier reaches is the Aksaru Empire, the last semi-safe nation for demi-humans before you find lands that are hostile towards them. Nonetheless, slaver parties still manage to brave the frontier reaches to try to find strong demi-humans to capture. Luckily, Uwaru has it's guardians including Lady Blackhorn.

Government:

Despite what some assume, Lady Blackhorn is not the queen of Uwaru or at least that can be assumed. She is nonetheless influential. Uwaru is run by a collection of councils that send a representative to the united council once a month.

Other nations:

An-Asaniya: An-Asaniya is a desert kingdom run by a despotic elven king. Demi-humans are almost exclusively slaves in An-Asaniya, save for those who have the good graces of the king. Uwaru is on hostile terms with the kingdom.

Dwarven city states: Some are underground. Some are above ground. Depends on the type of dwarf. All of them have one thing in common: Dwarves are master craftsmen, specifically carpentry and smithing. Uwaru is on friendly terms with most of them and regularly trades with them.

Goblin city states: Goblin city states are usually coastside and are known for their interesting gadgets. While goblins are odd, they are smart and have their own way of being friendly. Uwaru also share friendly and semi-friendly relations with the city states.

Aksaru Empire: A human empire, yet has a relatively free multi-species society. Slavery is forbidden in the Aksaru Empire and they have been trying to build relations with Uwaru despite the distrust of Uwaru towards the human rulers of the empire.

Species:

Aside from humans and elves, there are also dwarves and goblins, but also demi-humans. Demi-humans in this world come in various forms with them being exclusively non-winged mammal or reptile types. The most common demi-humans are however wolf/dog-type, fox-type, cat-type or rabbit-type. Among the reptile demi-humans, the most common is land dragon type followed by gecko-type. Demons also exist in the world, though they are rare.

For main characters, only demi-humans would be playable. Side characters can however be dwarves or goblins or half-breeds of them. Humans and elves are mostly bad guys in this roleplay.

Magic exists in this world. Magic types can be elemental magic, light magic, dark magic, abyssal/demon magic, necromancy, summoning, druidism, enchanting, illusion, combat enhancement magic

Character making rules:

No winged or waterborne demi-humans. That means no bats, fish-type or birds. Also insect demi-humans arent a thing either. Frogs/toads and amphibious salamanders are acceptable.
Mary Sue characters will be immediately declined. If you don't know what a mary sue is, look it up. In short, it is basically a character that is too perfect, too dramatic, an attention hog or an overall annoyance for other roleplayers.
Demi-humans are in most cases mostly human looking with animal traits, but can also come in more animal appearances. But remember! Demi means half. Your character cannot be mostly animal or some human with only fangs.

Rules:
Please, if you can't post, please let the others know on time.
No mary-sues or powerplaying.
No one liners please. At least 100 words per post. People need enough interaction.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Lady Blackhorn

It was a hot day in the capital of An-Asaniya. A figure covered in a white hooded robe whose face was hidden by a mostly featureless white mask, adorned with red and purple gems embedded in it that was opaque from the outside but translucent from the inside, walked through the bustling streets towards the slave market. The figure went into the slave market and observed the slaves being sold there briefly before heading back out.

Minutes later, the figure was approaching the mines near the city. The guards became alerted. "This place is off limits to civilians. Especially women such as yourself!" One of the guards shouted. The figure did not stop however and when attacked, the figure whispered in a strange foreign tongue which made the guards freeze on the spot. "What is this?" One of the guards said. The hooded figure removed her mask. It was a woman with white hair and black curled horns. Her pinkish-red colored eyes stared right into the guard's eyes.

"Your demise." The woman spoke before laying her hand on the man's head before ripping it clean off, making sure to not stain her clothing. She killed the other guard before he could scream.

As she moved further into the mine, the pained screams of any guards or soldiers who were unlucky enough to cross paths with her could be heard. Soon she came across the first slaves in the mines, some were in horrible condition while others looked like they hadn't been down here for long. Those who were in bad health she healed to the best of her ability. She freed them of their shackles and told them to rebel and fight for their freedom. There were enough dead guards they could take weapons from.

"Who are you?" One of the demi-human slaves asked. The woman answered: "My name is Isavira Tanuvra Blackhorn. My kind call me Lady Blackhorn. Non demi-humans call me The Demi-Human Witch. They are not wrong, you know. They think it is an insult to me to call me witch, but I don't feel insulted as I am a witch after all. Now go to the capital. I will be there already. Today, An-Asaniya will fall and it's king will perish."


About an hour later...

In the royal palace there was a commotion. "Alert the king! The slaves in the mines have rebelled and it seems to have spilled over into the city!" A messenger said as he ran past high ranking officers.

In the mean time, Lady Blackhorn was at the slave markets massacring any humans and elves who looked like they worked at the market she came across. At the same time she was freeing any slaves she came across. Soon, she finally came across a slave she had anticipated to meet. It was one of her brothers. He however didn't recognize her. However he seemed to be relieved that not only they were being freed, but that their savior was another ibex demi-human. "Avadras. It is time to go home." Lady Blackhorn said. Her brother's eyes widened. "That is a name I haven't heard in a long time. My masters forced me to take on the name of Aewynn. Say kind lady, how do you know my old name?"

"Avadras, do you not remember me? Mother is waiting for you. I will go rescue Taevas soon. Do you know where I can find him?" Lady Blackhorn said. Once her brother realized who she was, his eyes welled up in tears. "Isa, is that you? You look younger than I had anticipated. I had assumed you were dead." Avadras sobbed. Lady Blackhorn consoled him however still pushed him to reveal the location of their brother if he knew: "Yes, it is me. Both me and mother hid ourselves in the attack. Both of us are still alive. But we can talk when we are back in Uwaru, but I need to know where Taevas is."

After wiping his tears from his cheek, Avadras revealed the location of the other brother: "Taevas... Taevas is in the palace. He is a eunuch serving the queen. You don't plan on going in there alone do you?" "Don't worry about me. The soldiers are in the city, fighting the freed slaves and anti-government rebels. Only the royal guard should be in the palace right now." Isavira said.

Before leaving, she gave him a kiss on the forehead and said: "Stay safe. I will take you to Uwaru once I have rescued Taevas."

A few minutes later, Lady Blackhorn stood near the palace, hidden in an alleyway. The entrance was heavily guarded, so she needed another way in. It was about time to use the forbidden arts and get in using abyssal magic. She made sure to use it not too often, because abyssal magic left it's mark and gradually turned it's users into demons. She began to whisper something in an ancient language before saying "Shadow movement." She sunk into a shadow and moved along the ground at great speed, then up a wall into a window. The spell was a quick and efficient way of moving, however it wasn't without flaws. The shadow the user occupied appeared darker than other shadows and being in the wrong place at the wrong time could reveal the shadow to be fake.

Isavira reemerged inside the palace near a number of demi-human maids. She put her finger in front of her mouth and made a "shhhh" sound. "I will free you soon enough. I just need to know where the eunuch and the king are." She said quietly. One of the maid, rather scared, pointed down the hallway and said: "The king should be in the dining hall at this time. The eunuch should be there too." Isavira winked and thanked the maid before making her way down the hall, killing any guard that needed to be taken out.

Finally, she stood in front of the door to the dining hall. There she raised her foot and kicked the door down. All the guards in the room jumped to the front. "Am I interrupting your fine meal, King Ahdad?" Lady Blackhorn said with a menacing grin. The king noticing her horns showed an expression of disgust: "So you have finally shown up, witch. I take it you want to take some slaves with you?" "Some? Hahahaha. I have come for all of them! Including that eunuch there." Isavira answered.

"And then what? We will just get more slaves. But I doubt you will leave this palace alive." The king answered. Isavira then replied: "That is why I plan to not only free the slaves but kill you and your dynasty so that An-Asaniya will never even think about getting slaves ever again."

"I've heard enough. Kill her!" The king commanded. However the guards didn't move. "Is something wrong with your ears? Kill her!" The king commanded again. Isavira then said with a menacing grin: "They can't move. I have bound their movements the second they made their way to the front of the room. Now I can..." She decapitated one guard. "...kill..." Killed another guard. "...every..." And another. "...single..." and with each word she killed another guard: "...one...of...your...pathetic...little...royal...guards."

She stood in front of the king. "Now there is no one to stand in between you and me." Isavira said. Finally, Taevas spoke up: "Sister, is that you? Please, don't shed any more blood. I can't take it. Just let us go home." Isavira smiled to Taevas: "Then turn away or leave the room. Because of bastards like him, father and Ina are dead. Just let me kill the royal family and we can go home."

"I can give you wealth! A noble title! Land! Anything! Just please spare my family!" The king pleaded. Isavira then chuckled and said: "Look at how pitiful you are. My answer remains no. There shall be no more slaves and for that to happen, there shall be no more royal family. Why don't we call your family in here?" She snapped her fingers and the former demi-human maids and butlers of the palace led the king's wife and his three adult children into the room.

"Now should they die one by one or all together? Or you can choose whether I kill them or your former slaves do. You have three seconds to choose the first one and who shall do it." Lady Blackhorn said. The king under pressure instead of answering properly, choose to plead instead. Lady Blackhorn then said: "That wasn't a proper answer. Youngest daughter shall be killed by the maids she abused."

The maids were more than happy to kill the youngest daughter. It came to light that the youngest daughter was responsible for the deaths of a butler and a maid who were in love with each other. Lady Blackhorn made the king watch as one of his adult children was beaten and then stabbed by angry demi-human maids. Isavira also let the former slaves kill the other two adult children.

"Now for the queen. Taevas, the queen made you do things against your will, hasn't she?" Lady Blackhorn asked her brother. Taevas answered under tears: "She has, but I forgive her if this will stop the bloodshed." "Taevas, I can't stop now, because what if I spare her and she finds another of our kin to abuse? And even if you forgive her, I don't. I don't forgive what they have done to our family. I don't expect you to take revenge. But if you don't want to see her death, please leave the room." Isavira said.

Taevas slowly left the room.

Lady Blackhorn then turned back towards the queen. "Don't worry, I will make this quick." She then charged a combat enhancement spell to enhance her strength and went on to decapitate the queen. She then sat the queen's head in front of the king. "This is your last chance to kiss her." Isavira said. The king just said: "Just kill me already."

"Oh no, I wont. But they will." Lady Blackhorn said pointing to the anti-government rebels coming through the door at the moment.


She then made her way back to the square near the slave market with Taevas in tow, but not before he vomited from the sight of the dead. "What happened?" Avadras asked Taevas. Taevas then replied: "I'd rather not say. But I didn't expect sister to become like this."

 

[Lost Martian]

Strotto​

Strotto had long since lost track of how long he had been in the mines. Many days had passed since he had last seen the sun, Strotto’s normally snow white skin darkened by dirt and grime. At one time he would have questioned why the Demi-Human slaves were even mining, as they had not encountered any gems in months, but Strotto’s will was now broken, just doing what his master told him to do.

Living as a house servant had been way better than toiling endlessly in the dark, Strotto wishing that he hadn’t attacked his former master. The Human merchant had never been kind to Strotto, but he had never been excessively cruel like the Elf that kept Strotto working in the mines. But Strotto didn’t care anymore, as he pretty much felt nothing anymore.

He would be mindlessly swinging his pick up and down, when he first heard of the commotion. Figuring that there was just another cave-in that killed a few slaves, Strotto would pay it no mind. But the noises continued, as people shouted, the normally quiet slaves now making a ruckus.

“We’re rebelling!” shouted a rabbit Demi-Human.

“We’ll be free!” added another Demi-Human slave.

That spark of excitement awoke something in Strotto, something he had long since buried, hope. Dropping his pick, Strotto would turn and see the other slaves rushing out of the mine. Strotto would follow after them, being greeted with light for the first time in awhile.

Outside the mine Elven guards were waiting, trying to force the rebels back. However the guards would be quickly overwhelmed by a flurry of tooth and claw, something primal being present in the revolting slaves.

Strotto himself would not attack any of the guards, instead sprinting for freedom. The rush of rebels would soon enter the city proper, Elven civilians fleeing the rampage. Just wanting to flee this accursed land, Strotto would look for a mount of some kind, anything to take him away from the place that enslaved him.

Eventually Strotto would find a stable, seemingly abandoned as the residents of the city fled. Strotto would then open the door to the stable, only to be greeted by an Elven soldier on horseback.

“Surrender now, or die,” stated the soldier.

With a sword pointed at him, Strotto’s instincts took over, and for the second time in his life accidentally used his wind magic. A massive gust would burst from Strotto’s hand, enough to knock the Elf off his mount. Taking advantage of the soldier’s stunned state, Strotto would jump on the horse, quickly fleeing the area.

However the battle raging in the city would force Strotto to take a certain path to avoid the chaos. Surprisingly, that path would lead him by the castle, Strotto shocked to see Demi-Humans flooding into the building. Strotto would then try to get out of the area, only for an arrow to pierce his horse, causing it to topple to the ground.

Rolling onto the street, Strotto assessed his surroundings, trying to find the best way out. But a mob of Demi-Humans were surging into the castle, Strotto being swept up among them. Though he would rather leave the city entirely, Strotto seemed to be stuck in the thick of it.

 

[cor!]

Flint had crafted some truly remarkable works in his time. Giant shields robust enough to shrug off a collapsing castle, and flower trimmers so precise they could snip the daintiest petals while doubling as a handy skull-basher. Once, he even rigged up a catapult in the chicken coop just to fling eggs, because chickens could not be trusted and were too dangerous to approach. The thought of hammering out one more dinner fork for the royal kitchen made him want to play a game of eyeball roulette with a spike and give his brain a one-way ticket to Lobotomy Land.

“Some more for ya!” announced a ruddy-faced demi-frog boy, his wide grin revealing a row of crooked teeth. Flint had learned his name was Jax, and he was an errand-boy in the castle. This often meant he was tasked with bringing menial work down to the forge, which itself was a tiny workspace with access to the only airflow in the dungeons. He shuffled back into the dimly lit workshop, arms overflowing with a chaotic jumble of old, rusty spoons. Flint, his brow glistening with sweat from the forge's heat, abandoned his tools on the anvil with a clatter as the younger slave eagerly dumped his load onto the cluttered workbench, where scattered forks and a few tarnished soup ladles already lay in disarray.

“Where do you keep digging these up from?!” Flint groused, throwing up his hands. “Just how many utensils does a castle need? Are they bending spoons for a bit of sport? Are they using forks as jousting sticks? What precisely are these royals even doing with them—conducting an orchestra of culinary carnage instead of havin’ a nosh?! If they fancied tiny swords to fiddle with they could have asked!”

The frog boy was breathless from his errand, yet he didn't seem half as peeved as the smithy. Perhaps in his short life he had already grown accustomed to the endless series of trivial tasks meant to keep the clockwork of servitude ticking away. Flint almost pitied the lad.

"Around," Jax chirped, giving a nonchalant shrug. "Sometimes they lob ‘em at me, so I just scoop 'em up." Flint winced.

"Well, that… puts a right odd spin on things," he muttered, reluctantly grabbing his mallet once more as the boy disappeared from the workshop again. This endless parade of menial chores was his eternal nemesis. He could be designing a regal rapier fit for a king, affixing flamethrowers to the throne, or concocting emergency bird-repellent to load into his arm. But no, the majordomo deemed it wise to acquire him for a paltry handful of gold, only to have him play the role of the castle's resident kitchen gadget fixer-upper.

It wasn't until he resumed his disinclined clobbering at the forks that he detected some odd sounds emanating from above, accompanied by little dust dances drifting into his workspace. What was making all that racket, and why was it growing louder? The rhythmic thumping grew louder and louder until the very walls seemed to vibrate with the force of the growing commotion. Determined to brush it off, he yanked his visor down, only to be rudely interrupted by a rebellious pair of tongs that decided to take a dive from its perch and crash onto his head. He let out a pained hiss, ears twitching irritably.

“I wasn’t aware the king was planning a ball today,” Flint remarked, setting his mallet down and unlatching his apron. “If I send any more spoons back they’ll just send me their half-spilled goblets, next.”

Jax came crashing back into the workshop. “F-Flint!”

It was the first time he’d seen the ordinarily chipper boy in a fluster. “What’s going on up there, Jax? It sounds like they’re giving the cavalrymen dance lessons-”

“Worse!” Jax sputtered, “Well, maybe- not worse for us? Th-they’re killing the guards!”

His tail swished in alarm. “Who’s doing that?”

“Um…?! There’s a lot of them! They have pickaxes and stuff! Some don’t have anything at all!”

Flint's brow furrowed in confusion as he processed Jax's panicked words. Guards being overrun by a mob with pickaxes? That was about as likely as discovering a chicken that wasn’t secretly plotting world domination. Then again he’d only been here a single lunar cycle, so what did he know? It almost sounded as if the entire mine had been let loose upon the castle grounds. But the miners were all slaves, weren’t they? He thought they were chained up. They definitely had it worse than him and Jax. The clang of metal against metal and the distant shouts echoing down the dungeons were ominous signs that something serious—or seriously entertaining—was going on upstairs.

“What do we do?!” Jax croaked, wringing his hands nervously. Flint’s magenta eyes flicked to the pile of forks on the workbench as his lips pulled into a wicked grin.

“Gather those forks again. I’ve had it up to my buttcrack with them anyway. Come on, let’s make something happen,” he instructed.

They had gathered up most of the cutlery between the two of them, and bounded up the stairwell. Usually, coming upstairs felt like a breath of fresh air after roasting next to a furnace all day, but instead of sunshine and rainbows, they found themselves in the midst of a sweaty, chaotic jamboree of demi-humans in a tussle with the castle guards. Nevertheless, the situation was surprising, especially since it seemed the guards were on the losing side of this skirmish.

“See to it anyone with an empty mitt gets one, yeah?” he told Jax, before bouncing off in the opposite direction. The frog-boy skittered away into the throng, doling out forks to some slaves who only had chains for company on their wrists. These forks, naturally, ended up exploring the unexplored territories of eye sockets or taking a scenic route up someone's nose.

Flint thrust the remaining forks into the hands of one of the demi-folk—slaves indeed, he surmised with a grim certainty—and charged back into the stifling dungeon. He snatched his mallet from the forge with an urgency that bordered on desperation, then sprinted down the dimly lit hall to the coveted weapons cellar, eager as a squirrel with a nut. He lifted the mallet high above his head, ready to introduce it to the door lock. He hesitated at the peak of his swing, pondering whether this was a genius move or a recipe for headless disaster. If the majordomo caught wind of his little escapade, his head might just be the next thing rolling down the corridor.

“Ah, they'd probably chop me anyway,” he mused with a shrug, before letting the mallet crash down on the latch with a satisfying crack.

Emerging back onto the main floor amidst the frenzy of demi-folk, Flint triumphantly brandished an armful of shiny weapons ordinarily meant for the kingsguard. “Come get ‘em while they’re hot, lads!”

 

[Algatrine549]

Vixie BlackWood

It had seemed to be a normal day, or so Vixie thought. Vixie was cleaning a part of her master’s mansion in relative peace, when she heard a yell coming from downstairs. Intrigued she rushed downstairs to see what had happened, to her great surprise, and very slight horror, she found her master stabbed to, almost, death.

“Huh, what happened here?” Vixie asks while squatting down next to her master. “It’s your lucky day. The slaves from the mines are rebelling against the slavers, that includes me so they well tried to kill me. Guess you’ll get that freedom you deserve, huh?” Vixie’s master coughs up blood onto the carpet while trying to sit up. “Hey! Blood is hard to clean damn it!” She says feigning offense. “Oh shut up Vixie! I’m done for. Go, live your life, I deserve this. Give that rich, arrogant, jackass of a king what he deserves!” Vixie laughs before getting up and walking towards the door.

As she hits the door her master calls her back. “Vixie come back I got something, from James.” Vixie freezes in her tracks. She turns around and rushes to her master. “Well? Give it! Now!” She says obviously impatient.

“Give a man the chance to breath!” He stands up wobbling but stable, and walks over to a cabinet. He opens the door and pulls out a finely made dagger, he turns ands hands it to Vixie. “Here, James intended to give it to you for your birthday but of course, that wasn’t possible in the end because I… anyway. Go Vixie, live your life.” He collapses to the floor finally succumbing to his injuries.

“Well old man guess I finally outlasted you. Damn.” She closes his eyes and walks away. “I still don’t forgive you but, rest in peace you old filthy bastard.” She leaves the mansion and heads out into the chaos of the rebellion.

Vixie slowly makes her way to the castle, killing any soldiers that attacked her, having been taught to fight by James she was very skilled with daggers. She had a few close calls and got cut a bit but, she didn’t get any serious injuries. After enough time she made her way to the main crowd.

She saw a peculiar deer Demi-human who looked extremely out of place. As she approached him she saw a soldier charge at him, she swiftly grabs his hair and yanks him back, making him fall over. She then grabs the soldier and slits their throat, the soldier drops their sword and grabs their throat, they gurgle and fall to the ground, their body limp.

She wipes the blood off her dagger and turns around to face the deer Demi-human, she sticks out her hand to help him up. “You gotta be careful. It would be a shame to die right after being freed. Sorry about yanking your hair though. My name is Vixie, what’s yours?

 

[Gears]

Charlie hummed in his cage, tapping his hands against the bars as the walls boomed and the sound of clanking footsteps intensified as more soldiers mobilized. The two guards where clearly nervous- they knew the Rabbitkin had escaped before, and what had happened to his previous keepers. He was currently held in an iron cage- restricting his magics. His hands and legs where chained tightly- hands bound in a strange mess so that in theory, he couldn't escape his bonds like last time- or the last one. "I suppose there is a rebellion? I know a few good tunes for rebellions. Maybe whoever is freeing these people will let an inexperienced mage and bard get some fresh air. Last time was a bit... Fleeting." His cage shook as dust fell from above- Whoever was trying to break out was doing a decent job- he'd give them a half chance; he just needed a... "Gaurd- may I have a coin please? The man clad in armor looked up confused at the mage.

"O-Our orders are to not speak to you- less you use your infernal magics." Charlie rolled his eyes and kicked his feet in his cage, scooting around to better see the pair. The one on the left who was speaking was clearly a newbie- his armor was slightly askew and his sword was rusted. His cohort however was a veteran- likely wounded based on the way he held his balance, but wise. "Shut your mouth Bunny Boy, or I'll run you through." Charlie paused at the threat- but more insulted by the moniker. "I am a Rabbit-Kin thank you very much. Harrengon are part rabbit- and I'm technically human- just with a few quirks. his is very unprofessional, the last guards loved my songs, they even let me out after performances." Charlie leaned back as his hands as he thought of a plan, taking in account the exact rhythm of the falling of footsteps- it was all like a beautiful symphony, if only he had his lute- it was inside his top hat, likely in his masters study. He began to swing the cage around, the sound of the groaning cage filling the room as he maneuvered it to the annoyance of the guards. After a moment, the older combatant hobbled over and grabbed the cage, holding it still as he looked face to face with Charlie. "If you don't quiet I'll make you regret even getting born to your mutant parents." Clink The guard looked at the source of the noise as he heard the noise, only for the cage door to slam open, cracking against his skull as he fell upon the ground.

"Well, lets see if you carry any coins on you- the scent of booze and general demeaner reeks of a gambling man." Charlie kneeled in front of the fallen guard before loosening his chestplate with deft hands, finding a coin purse inside the rigid metal. He shook the bag and tucked it in his robes before standing up- immediately facing the second guard. Right, there where two. Charlie heard the discordant tone of a rusted weapon escaping its sheath with a scream of protest. Charlies ears flattened as he heard the noise- his sensitive hearing aggravated by the sound. "Do you have any idea how to mantain a weapon? One of the truest true mark of a soldier is marked by the quality of his equipment. A rusted sword can break much easier than a well prepared one." He strode forward, seemingly unfazed by the fools excuse of a weapon as he took a closer look at the poor weapon. "Tsk, Tsk Tsk. There is some serious metal folding along the hilt- and you've bastardised the hilt. I will have to take this weapon for its safety." The idiot was confused looking at his weapon for a second, embarrassed as he shifted his grip and swung it at the Rabbit Kin, who quickly dove out of the way, while grabbing part of his harness- his Greaves falling down as he yelped and tried to hold up his armor. He looked up at charlie who flipped a coin towards him. The fool barely got a chance to catch it before the cage- its rust agitated by the previous movement as it fell on top of him. The Rabbit Bard skipped forward as he picked up the blade, searching for the rookies coin before opening the door and seeking out his top hat.

 

[SolarTheDude]

A certain young Demi-Human sat alone in a cage - a cage within the slave market, that is. He had his eyes closed, and his bare feet against the cold, metal floor of the cage. Despite his closed eyes, he became aware.. aware of the fact that people seemed to be escaping from their cages. He hear oncoming footsteps, and so opened his eyes, and pulled himself up, gripping the bars of his cage - that seemed to be a tad too small for him, as he had to tilt his head to avoid hitting the top of the cage.

The footsteps were from a guard in light armour, that seemed to be running into the room as a means of escape, but alas, the room didn't provide that escape. It had no windows or back doors to escape from, and so the guard ended being killed - right next to Zair's cage, it seemed. Well, he indeed felt bad for this guard, but he felt it necessary to still make an effort to at least try to escape. He pulled the body of the guard closer, and with considerable effort stretched his arm past the bars and he managed to pull the keys from the guard, which he used to open the door to his cage.

He stepped out of his cage, frankly it felt a bit odd, his perception altered from his time in the cage. His first order of business was stretching his whole body, which he hadn't quite been able to do within his cage, next he gently stepped to the door of the room he was in, and peeked his head out - the corridor was empty, and so he continued to lightly walk and step out of the slave market, out into the chaos of what seemed to be a rebellion, at least to Zair. He ducked into the closest alleyway and decided to wait it out and try to avoid any altercations, for as long as he could. He decided after that he'd search for some sort of food or drink, it had been a while since he was fed, after all.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Soon the rebellion she had incited was in full swing. Isa didn't care for the human and elven citizens, at least not the average looking ones. However she would go out of her way to kill any human or elf that looked like a noble, a soldier or a stronger adventurer. It didn't matter what gender or age her victims were. It would be unnecessarily cruel even by her standards to give the younger humans and elves a slow death by starvation or a potentially agonizing life should they survive. Who knows if they would become just as anti-demi-human as the others.

She however tried to make sure that no young freed slaves had to see any potential cruel violence from herself. Though it was entirely possible that someone still saw during all the chaos in the city. However she made sure that her brothers didn't have to see it, as it was already bad enough what the one brother witnessed in the palace. Soon enough, no more humans or elves came by the central square as most had either fled or had perished in the rebellion. It definitely wasn't a great idea for slaves to outnumber the nobility in the city by a multitude.

When she felt that the time had come, Lady Blackhorn amplified her voice with a wind spell: "My dear brothers and sisters. I have come to free you of your chains and take you home. My name is Lady Isavira Tanuvra Blackhorn, the rumored Demi-Human Witch of Uwaru. I ask thee to come to the central square to make it easier to take you home. Any humans or elves caught up in the transport will be executed as their kind is forbidden from entering Uwaru unless they are invited or on a diplomatic mission. You are however free to not come along and go your own way. However in Uwaru, demi-humans are safe and many of you may have come from Uwaru already. Transport will begin went the sun hits noon. I will be awaiting you."

Soon a freed slave approached her, the dog demi-human had his daughter and a freed human slave girl in tow. Lady Blackhorn felt a little disgust, but didn't show it. "Lady Blackhorn. Are humans really not allowed? Not even ones who were wronged by their own kind? My daughter doesn't want to leave her friend." The dog demi-human said. T'is was truly a moral dilemma for Lady Blackhorn as she would have normally left the child with the freed adult slaves who weren't demi-humans. But this one possibly didn't have family else than the demi-humans she was with. There was however a possibility, though it was a 50/50 chance it would work with the alternative being death. There was a spell that could turn humans and elves into demi-humans. It was originally developed by elves as a cruel punishment for their own kind. It just required the blood of a demi-human and a powerful magic user.

"I may have a solution, though it is dangerous. There is a spell that can turn her into a demi-human. If you offer some of your blood, she can even become your kin. However there is a chance she wouldn't survive the spell. As death may be evident if we leave her here, I'd say we can give the spell a try. Will you be willing to offer some blood for this?" Lady Blackhorn asked.

"Anything for my daughter." The dog man said and held out his hand. Lady Blackhorn grabbed his finger and pricked it. She then put a few drops in a vial, thinned it a bit with water and pulled out a mana stone, crushing it in her hand. She then poured the mana stone dust into the vial and whispered a few words to which the liquid in the vial lit up. She held the vial out to the human child and said: "Drink this." The man then said: "Go ahead. It is for your own sake."

The little girl nodded and drank the potion. Within seconds the girl kneeled in pain. "It burns. It burns." She said. Intervening, Lady Blackhorn held her hand over the child and said: "Sleep child, so you don't have to feel the pain." The child then fell asleep.

"What did you do?!" The dog man said, upset. Lady Blackhorn replied: "Don't worry. She is only sleeping. Her transformation has begun. I assume that her transformation will be complete by the time we go to Uwaru. I assume she is going to survive it. This isn't the first time I have done this. There are at least five others in Uwaru who have shed their human or elf forms to be one of us. Though this mercy is only granted to freed slaves. When she becomes your kin, she will be your new daughter. I trust you will take care of her like you do your own daughter."

 

[Lost Martian]

Strotto​

The deer demi-human would find himself caught in the chaos of it all, freed slaves jostling him about as they rushed to take revenge on their oppressors. Despite all that Strotto had to endure at the hands of Humans and Elves, he really wasn’t in the mood for bloodshed. All he wanted to do was get as far away from here as he could, perhaps to a secluded forest like the one of his youth.

Across the room Strotto could see a rat demi-human handing out weapons to other demi-humans, allowing for even greater bloodshed. Strotto would spin around, trying to find a way out of the castle and to true freedom. As he did so, the deer demi-human would spot an Elven soldier rushing towards him, perhaps seeing him as easy pickings as he was unarmed.

But before the soldier could even swing his blade, a hand grabbed Strotto’s hair and pulled him to the ground. Strotto’s head would hit the ground hard, his vision going blurry for a second. Once it returned, Strotto could see the soldier bleeding from the throat, before quickly collapsing to the ground.

Raising himself off the floor, Strotto would see that his rescuer was a fox demi-human, one who was wiping Elven blood off her dagger. She would then tell Strotto to be more careful, especially after just being freed, then introducing herself as Vixie.

“Strotto,” the deer demi-human would answer, “You don’t happen to know a way out of here? I’m all for freedom, but I don’t really want to stay around for the fight that is going on.”

Strotto would continue to look around, only to find conflict all around him. The newly freed demi-humans had become more emboldened by being properly armed, their newly acquired blades clashing with those of the castle guard. It was a terrible feeling for Strotto, almost like he was being pushed on in every direction, until he was crushed to death.

But Strotto would get an out when a mighty voice sounded through the immediate area, almost as if the wind itself was speaking. A woman’s voice would claim to be the Witch of Uwaru, and that she was here to free her kin. Strotto had heard whispers of Uwaru, a land of peace and liberty for demi-humans, though such talk was banned among the slaves as it just gave them hope, something their owners didn’t want.

Apparently she would be transporting any willing demi-human to Uwaru from the city’s central square. Strotto knew enough about the city to realize that he wasn’t very far from there. While he was hesitant to trust this Lady Blackhorn, as a fear of witches had been instilled in him from a young age, going to Uwaru didn’t sound that bad.

Strotto had heard tales of the beautiful forests of Uwaru, easily comparable to Niehin where he grew up. Except this time it wouldn’t be a secret breeding ground for demi-human slaves. In that moment Strotto made up his mind, he would go with the witch.

Strotto turned to Vixie, “I don’t know about you but I will be going with Lady Blackhorn. Uwaru can’t be much worse than here.”

Strotto would then start making his way back out of the castle and into the central square. While fighting was still going on around him, Strotto would see that some of the demi-humans were going in the same direction as him. Apparently he wasn’t the only one more interested in getting out of here more than seeking revenge on the nobles.

As Strotto shoved through the crowd, he saw that there were several weapons laying on the ground, left by both fallen soldiers and slaves. Strotto’s aversion to violence meant that he had no notion of picking up any of the scattered weapons, instead just focusing on getting to his destination.

Eventually Strotto would exit the castle, finding that the streets were now more open, the fighting there already finished, as evident by all the dead bodies. Slipping past a few more demi-human stragglers, Strotto would find the central square.

Already the freed slaves seemed to have begun creating a barrier around the square, a safe place for demi-humans in the city. A gruff looking bear demi-human wielding a spear would let Strotto into the mass of former slaves. Strotto would glance about, trying to figure out which one of the assembled demi-humans was Lady Blackhorn. However he didn’t even know what kind of animal hybrid she was, so Strotto would give up his search quickly.

Instead he sat on the cobblestone ground, trying to steady his breathing after all the craziness of this morning. Strotto would then notice that he was still covered in dirt and grime from the mine, his snow white skin now more of a charcoal color. Strotto hoped that when he got to Uwaru, there would be a warm bath waiting for him, one that could get rid of the residue of years of enslavement.

 

[cor!]

Complete pandemonium. Honestly, nothing else captures the scene; the metallic clangs, defiant yells, and the ever-intensifying odour of a mixed crowd of demis, humans, and elves all jostling for survival in one big, sweaty brawl. And, thanks in no small part to his and Jax’s efforts, forks and spoons were soaring in every direction like it was a food fight gone terribly wrong.

Flint spotted his not-apprentice frog boy mulling about on the floor, collecting discarded cutlery. The boy simply couldn’t help himself. From somewhere across the atrium, someone shouted about the Queen being dead. The hairs on the back of his neck stood. It was time to flee. Magenta eyes frantically picked out his charge piddling around underfoot. Were it not for the imminent danger surrounding him, the boy’s reckless compulsion would be almost endearing. Flint plunged into the melee, his small frame weaving through stray knives and careless elbows as he fought his way toward Jax.

“Gonna get your webby little fingers mashed if you keep on like that, up you get!” Flint barked, seizing the boy’s arm and dragging him from the danger zone. “You’ve done your bit.”

“They’ll destroy the forks again!” Jax whinged, gesturing fussily at all the scattered cutlery. “After we’ve repaired so many already, my duty—!”

“Leg it, you little magpie!” Flint interrupted, yanking him away so hard he dropped every painstakingly collected trinket. With the boy finally scampering away from the atrium and vanishing into the throng of demis heading for the exits, Flint found himself surrounded by a crowd he couldn’t break from. He wasn’t much of a fighter- sure he could craft weapons of war and forge a second skin tough enough to endure a spike trap- but a warrior he was not. He found himself ensnared by the crowd, feeling the press of strangers around him and acutely aware of his limitations.

It was then the voice of the Lady sliced through the chamber, a promise of sanctuary to any demi able to escape. Was she responsible for this riot? Enslaved labourers were terribly rare to come by- this had to be her doing.

“Crap,” he snarled through clenched teeth. His attention fixated once more on the scattered cutlery- oh the damned tableware, how he never wished to see another spoon again! He rolled up his sleeve, exposing his metal arm, and flipped open the hatch that exposed the gears. Scooping up one of the spoons on the floor, he jammed it into the gear and flexed, forcing it to spin. His arm was a versatile tool in a pinch; though designed for cutting wires, it could easily reduce the flimsy spoon to metal dust, which now billowed around him in a silvery cloud. The air became charged with static from all the motion, the heat from the crowd mingled with the moisture of sweat, and with just a few clicks of his metallic fingers—


— FWOOMH


Fiery tendrils leapt across the room, eagerly igniting every speck of metal dust and any material daring enough to be in its path. Hair, clothing, wooden hilts—nothing was safe as the flames swiftly climbed up the rafters and into the ceiling supports.

“Oh no, oh no no,” Flint stammered, scrambling low as the inferno crashed against the walls ferociously. “It wasn’t supposed to be that big! Not again…!”

Panic erupted among the demi-folk and guards alike as they scrambled to escape the fiery wrath that Flint had unwittingly unleashed. His heart pounded in his chest as he scanned the room, searching for a path free of the encroaching flames. The fire crackled, its roar almost drowning out the frantic shouts and cries. Black smoke billowed upward, stinging his eyes and filling his lungs with a suffocating thickness. He could feel the fire lapping at his skin, threatening to roast him alive. By some stroke of luck or perhaps divine intervention, he had managed to avoid being crushed in the bedlam as combatants surged toward the doors and shattered windows.

He clamoured over fallen bodies, his shirt pulled up to mask his face from the smoke. He joined the exhausted survivors outside, gasping for air and coughing until they emptied their stomachs on the grass. Flint gulped down some air and turned to look at the damage, cringing. Sure, he'd blown things up before—who hasn't?- but this time he hadn’t even used magic!

“Sorry about your doors,” he wheezed to the guard next to him. “And your walls. And… your floors, too. Damn, this thing might need to be re-calibrated.”

Wasting no more time, he rose to his feet and half-stumbled away from the crime scene to the city centre. He hoped Jax made it out alive. Perhaps he, too, had been lured by the witch’s invitation and would be waiting in a crowd of freed demis.

 

[Algatrine549]

Shortly after saving the deer Demi-human, who had revealed their name as Strotto, Vixie and Strotto heard a voice calling out talking about being able to leave the city to a place called Uwaru. Strotto chose to leave and Vixie respected his decision. “All right then Strotto, I’ll be heading that way too but first I’ll do a quick sweep around here to look for anyone needing help. I hope I see you on the other side.” Vixie waved back at Strotto as she runs back to battlefield

Vixie creeped around the area looking for anyone needing help, the smell of death penetrating her nostrils. After about 5 minutes she saw a large fire in the distance. “What the hell…” she whispered to herself, she chose to ignore it in case it was magic related. She may be good with a dagger but in a ranged or magic fight she’s dead. After another 5 minutes she gave up and started to head back to the Sqaure, her goal was to escape after all. She started running to the central square, still looking for anyone needing help. A loud WHOOSH comes into ear shot.

Pain. A stinging pain in her right leg. It hurt more than anything she’s ever felt. She had been shot with an arrow.

She fell to her as she cried out in pain. A man pushed her down on her back snapping the arrow and making her scream again. She went for her dagger but he knocked it out of her hand, too far to reach. He started choking her, she couldn’t breathe, she could barely think, but she had to survive. “YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! I WATCHED YOU DO IT!”

Her vision was darkening, she had to act, fast! She used her remaining strength to ram her knee into his special place. He let go clutching his groin and she reached her dagger. She rammed it into the man’s side, letting her throw him off her. She try’s to pin him but he pushes her to the side. He gets up and lands a blow to her stomach, she gasps and holds her stomach. He takes the advantage and lands a second blow to the side of her head. She stumbles but manages to stay standing. She kicks him in the side she stabbed wedging the blade deeper, he yells and she takes advantage and pins him down, pulling her blade out and putting it to his neck. “I’m sorry I killed your brother, I understand the pain of losing a loved one. Now go join him.” She slices the man’s throat, feeling the blood rush out. Vixie climbs off him, and lies on the ground.

Vixie stood up, her vision still blurry. She took off the man’s pants, she apologized to his body but still took them. She used her dagger to cut off a pant leg, then tied it around her injured leg as a makeshift tourniquet. She limped to the central square grimacing in pain every time she stepped with her right leg.

She made it to the area where the Demi-humans were gathered. The bear semi-human at the entrance saw her leg and didn’t seem surprised, he called out to someone named Doc saying that they have “another one.” A hedgehog Demi-human walks out and sees Vixie. “Oh dear! Come with me I’ll help you out.”

Vixie gets led into a very clean looking room given the circumstances. The Hedgehog Demi-human, cleans up her leg and bandages it properly. “There you go dear, be careful. Congratulations on your new life.” Vixie stands up and tests her leg. It definitely still hurt, but it wasn’t bleeding and hurt less. “Thank you Doctor, I’ll be going now.” The hedgehog Demi-human smiles and nods. “Goodbye my dear.”

Vixie walked around the square looking at the Demi-humans, some crying, some laughing, some staring off into space. She saw a familiar horned figure sitting alone, it was Strotto. She thought of something funny and snuck up behind him, she bent over and yelled BOO! In his ear. He jumped but once he realized who she was he felt a little more relieved. “What’s up?” Vixie sat down on his right side hiding her injured leg. “I had a fun little encounter once you left.”

 

[Gears]

Charlie hopped in the air as he heard the whistle of a blade swung at him- scraping against the sole of his boot as he kicked the soldier, sending him tumbling to the ground as the Rabbit-Kin laughed and swung his staff into the humans skull, knocking him unconscious as the Bunny-bard quickly grabbed his money and sword, towing it in a nice canvas bag he had stolen from the kitchens- now full of his loot and several weapons he "Rescued". Each was a bit damaged due to their owners negligence, so Charlie had to save it- leaving the blades of more disciplined soldiers behind, along with pieces of parchment full of insults they where too unconscious too hear.

The Rabbit Renegade skipped his way through the halls as he threw vases and pots to the ground before finally finding it- The Masters Study. Seconds later, the heavy wooden doors exploded open- Charlie had liberated a few waterskins full of oil and some gunpowder from the torches to make a little surprise for the soldiers inside.

"Halt, Leave this place keep your mutant life."

A voice called out from the center of the room, the captain of the house guards, a few of his compatriots loading books and money into suit cases while the house lord stared at Charlie with disdain. Charlie smiled wildly as he looked at all the potential loot- and the Top hat that sat behind the soldiers, remnants of magical investigation equipment sprawled around it as his master had likely tried to figure out its extradimensional properties.

"Is that how you treat your favorite entertainer? Remember all the business deals you secured while ensured you stuffy nobles had a good enough time?"

Charlie dropped his bag of loot as the soldiers began to surround him, drawing swords as he pulled his knives from a nearby shelf- leaving his hammer for later. Charlie was an effective combatant, using his enhanced agility and speed to blow through enemies in moments- though he was physically weak- relying on a flurry of random attacks instead of precise strikes and blows. He spun the knifes in his hands as the first soldier approached, carrying a Northerner Pit Sword, curved for better dueling capability, but thin and weak against a larger weapon such as a greatsword. Behind him, a larger enemy drew a Kukri, a decent blade, curved in the Norther Fashion, but still thick enough for brutal attacks. Charlie rushed at the first attacker, slashing at his arm before ducking as the second attacker swung his own weapon- almost hitting his ally as Charlie kicked the blade out of the trajectory of the soldiers helmet, spinning around and punching the bigger one. He felt a coldness as the first guard stabbed him- asshole- I just saved you from the other idiots horribly executed thrust

Charlie pulled back, letting neon green blood spray all over the soldier as he grabbed the hammer- knocking the soldier off his feet as he muttered a minor healing spell to at least stop the bleeding for now. He threw a dagger at the next charging soldier, grabbing a dropped spear and smacking another in the face- braking his nose . The next few minutes where a blur of violence and chaos- but in the end Charlie stood alone- each enemy dispatched- but alive. Blood soaked the robe as Charlie puffed and leaned against a wall, wrapping bandages around his wounds as he stumbled to his hat. The Bunny Bard affixed the hat on his head as he stepped over a corpse and kicked the remaining shards of glass from the broken window, sitting on the roof for a moment as he caught his breath, watching the chaos of the city as he returned his loot to the top hat, before sliding down the rood and trudging toward the center of chaos.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Soon the proclaimed point in time had come: The time Lady Blackhorn would teleport all the demi-humans to Uwaru.

Lady Blackhorn climbed onto the ledge of the fountain in the center of the square and summoned her black claymore. She didn't need to unsheathe it, she just needed it as a focus item as she didn't have a staff and rarely needed a focus item for magic. However the spell she was about to use definitely needed a focus item, because it would require an incredible amount of mana. After teleporting a few thousand demi-humans, she'd probably be low on mana and exhausted.

Using wind magic to amplify her voice again and with a warm smile on her face, Lady Blackhorn proclaimed: "The time has come. Brothers and sisters, we shall depart to Uwaru. We will arrive on the pastures of the Indivra state, my home land. There, helpers will be waiting to bring you to family if you have any in Uwaru and otherwise would help you get settled. Those who would like to settle in the Indivra state, can firstly turn to staff at the council or turn to me for instruction. With this, we will depart!"

Lady Blackhorn tapped the ground with the tip of her large sword and a blueish light expanded out from it. The light expanded in a circular motion until it covered the square and partially beyond it. In case any unpermitted humans were caught up in the teleportation, they would be swiftly dealt with on the other side as Lady Blackhorn probably wont have the mana to send them back. Anyone who would be caught up in the teleportation spell would be engulfed in a bright light.

Once the light dissipated, everyone would find themselves on a large green pasture in Uwaru. In the middle, Lady Blackhorn exhausted and sweaty would hold herself up by her sword. "Welcome to Indivra state, Uwaru." She said out of breath. Her brothers rushed to her: "Sister, are you okay?" "I should be fine. Just a bit tired. I just need to catch my breath." Lady Blackhorn said. She pulled out a medicine ball from her pouch and ingested it. Her exhaustion faded. Nonetheless she still felt a bit tired. "Brothers, look. Mother is waiting for you." She said. Her brothers turned to see their mother in tears. It had been probably 40 years since they had last seen their mother. They approached each other and embraced each other.

While her family was having a heartfelt moment, Lady Blackhorn went over to the dogman, his daughter and his newly adopted daughter who had completed her transformation into a demi-human by now. "Looks like the transformation was successful. You should turn to a helper as quickly as possible to get a new place to be settled in." She said to them. "Look, here is a helper of your kin. I wish you good fortune for the future."

Slowly, over time, the masses dispersed as helpers guided them away. Many thanked Lady Blackhorn. Eventually, a few remained wanting to stay in the Indivra state or near Lady Blackhorn's estate. With a friendly smile, she turned to the few and tilted her head: "Now how may I help you?"

 

[Rcticwolf]

It was an ordinary day in the household of the Shultz family manor, the lord of the house Karl was an aggressive abuser. Karl Shultz owned a nice manor outside the city as he enjoyed his privacy. He had a few slaves, but his favorite was a young kitsune he got when she was younger and for a nice price.

The young kitsune Demi-human was named Lily Fennec. Lily would wake up early in the morning to get dressed in her uniform which she thanked her master that he’d let her wear what she wanted. She soon went into the kitchen as she needed to make breakfast for the master and his family before they woke up.

“let’s see… perhaps I’ll make the master an omelet” she spoke out loud as she got what she needed out of the fridge. As she’s cooking her ear twitches as she hears commotion coming from the city.


she continues with her duties paying the commotion no mind, serving breakfast to the family before they went about their daily routine.

Lily went about cleaning the manor and tending the garden as she heard voices in the distance.

“Look, there’s another one! Let’s hurry and see if we can free the slaves!” A male voice shouted

“Free… the… slaves…?” Lily thought, the idea sounded strange but she then remember when she was younger how many times she tried to escape and the subsequent consequences. She stood there transfixed as she heard the approaching sounds of running getting closer.

“Look, there’s another Demi-human, quick let’s get her out of here” one voice shouted

Lily turned around only to see a group of Demi-humans rushing through the gate to the manor, a couple rushing to her and speaking quickly at her while the rest of the group charged into the house.

“Are you alright? Is there any others in there? Are you alone?” The males asked her one after the other

“I’m alone here… please don’t harm the master… he will hurt me if you do, please just leave” Lily pleaded with them and they just looked at her with concern before picking her up and beginning to leave the property, she could hear her master screaming before being cut down by the intruders and a fire being set to the place. Despite pleaded with them to leave, Lily didn’t struggle as they carried her into the city square where she saw dozens more of other Demi-human slaves.

They set her down and moved to others, she just stood there unsure of what to do, she knew that her master was most likely dead now and that she was probably free now.

Soon a woman stood above the rest of them describing what would be happening in the next few minutes that she would bringing everyone to a place called Uwaru and that there would be others there to help get them adjusted and provide anything else they would need to get settled.

Once in the new place Lily was still just processing everything as she looked at everyone who was interacting with each other and the aids going around checking on the rescued slaves. Lily stood there watching, her tails remaining hidden.

 

[Lost Martian]

Strotto​

Things didn’t seem real to Strotto as he sat down in the middle of the central square, dissociating from the chaos going on around him. Cries of pain, feral roars, and other disheartening noises flooded the city, as society seemed to be crashing down.

As that happened, Strotto was focusing on the promise of getting out of here, really hoping that this witch of Uwaru could really deliver on her promise. But for right now Strotto was content to just relax and sit under the sun, something he had missed ever since he became a miner slave.

Thus Strotto wouldn’t be paying much attention as demi-humans moved all around him, not even recognizing one he had met only a few minutes prior. As such Strotto would be completely unprepared for someone shouting boo into his ear.

Strotto would visibly jump, his deer half kicking in and making him freeze up in the face of possible danger. Thoughts of guards come to kill him rushed through Strotto’s head, a massive retaliation for this uprising coming swiftly and violently.

But in a few seconds Strotto would regain his senses, realizing that it was just a harmless prank by Vixie, the fox demi-human who had saved him from the Elven soldier. While Strotto wasn’t exactly happy about being scared like that, seeing a familiar face did a lot to calm his frightened state.

Vixie would then sit, asking Strotto what was up, before mentioning an encounter she had just had. Out of the corner of his eye Strotto thought that he saw a bandage on Vixie’s leg, though he couldn’t remember if it had been there when he first met her.

“Honestly, I’m just glad to be getting out of here,” answered Strotto, “I’ve spent far too many months in the dark in the mines. I really hope Uwaru is as bright and beautiful as I’ve heard in the stories. But enough about me, what kind of trouble did you run into?”

As Strotto asked Vixie that, a loud explosion sound could be heard, fire shooting out from back in the castle. Again Strotto would go on alert, wondering if the guards had a mage on their side or if that was the work of a demi-human. Either way Strotto was glad to have a line of demi-human warriors guarding the central square where all the freed slaves were gathering.

And that gathering was growing larger with every passing minute, as hundreds or possibly thousands of demi-humans flooded the central square. Strotto hadn’t even been aware that there were this many slaves in the city and surrounding area, further proof of the evil of the Elves and Humans who ran this nation.

Strotto was glad that he wasn’t claustrophobic as the square was getting quite packed, only a few inches separating the various freed slaves. Still Strotto sat, his body still tired from many long shifts in the mines. He was also mentally tired, a lifetime spent in bondage having mostly broken his spirit.

Then that mighty voice on the wind would speak again, stating that the time had arrived for them to depart for Uwaru and that their would be aid for the slaves when they arrived. A small smile would form on Strotto’s face, a rare sight, as he allowed himself to hope even a little bit for the first time in years.

A blue light would then expand from the center of the square, quickly spreading out across the thousands of assembled demi-humans, and whoever was caught in the spell. As the light washed over him, Strotto wondered what the trip would feel like. But in between blinks the spell ran it’s course.

No longer sitting down on a cobblestone street, Strotto realized that he could feel grass beneath himself. It was a pleasant sensation he hadn’t felt since he was torn from his homeland. Strotto briefly wondered if this was just a pleasant dream.

However this apparent dream seemed to real, as Strotto could feel the warm sun on him, a pleasant cool breeze, and hear the calls of songbirds. He realized that this was really happening.

Strotto wouldn’t even notice his fellow demi-humans until the witch of Uwaru began to speak again, a noticeable tiredness in her voice. She would welcome the freed slaves to Uwaru, specifically Indivra state. Strotto didn’t especially care about where in Uwaru he was, just that he was out of An-Asaniya.

The demi-humans would then begin dispersing, most just happy to be free, running wildly through the meadow. Some others were flocking to the Witch, who Strotto finally got a look at, noting her black horns.

Unsure of what to first in this new land, Strotto would turn to Vixie. Right now she was the only person who he knew had arrived in Uwaru that even knew his name, Strotto being unsure if any of his fellow miners got out.

“So, would you like to explore with me?” asked Strotto, “I’m just glad to be out of the desert.”

Despite now being freed, Strotto still had the marks of his slave on him, his poor clothing being covered in sand from the desert and dirt from the mines. But he didn’t care in this instant, instead just looking up at the clouds in the blue sky, memories of his youth returning to him.

 

[Algatrine549]

Shortly after reuniting with Strotto and talking for a short period, Lady Blackhorn’s booming voice called across the square talking about how they would be transported to Uwaru shortly. Vixie looked around the now empty and destroyed city that she had been living in for so long. She leaned against a piece of rubble, closing her eyes to relax. After about 5 seconds a bright light shown on the other side of her eyes and the rubble seemed to disappear making her fell on her back. She opened her eyes in complete disbelief to find herself and the rest of the people in the square on a grassy plain.

She looked around the crowd to see everyone happy, smiling, and celebrating. She was happy too, but didn’t feel the same level of excitement as the others. Since she was lucky enough to of had a master who wasn’t an absolute monster, she didn’t resent humans. She resented her master, yes, but for different reasons. She was interrupted by Strotto’s voice asking if she wants to explore the area with him. “That’s fine by me, got no one else to talk to.”

Vixie and Strotto then walk off towards the forest walking along the edge. “So, what happened after we split up?” Strotto asked after a few moments. “Well. I was attacked.” Strotto stops and looks at Vixie in shock. “What!” “Calm down it’s nothing too serious. The guy I killed saving you, well his brother came for revenge. Almost killed me too, but I’m ok so don’t stress.” They start walking again but Strotto still looks concerned. “Almost killed you? That’s definitely serious!” Vixie shrugged and kept walking. “Well it’s over and I’m ok. The only injury I sustained was patched up decently well back in the city square” She gestures to her bandaged leg. “So chill out.” Strotto looked a little more calm but wasn’t fully convinced. “Still you should be careful if you just got injured less than an hour ago.” Vixie nodded and laughed. “Ya thanks for the concern Strotto.”

They continued this back and forth for a small while before coming across a small, abandoned looking shack. It seemed relatively new, yet abandoned. “Vixie is that a house?” Vixie and Strotto looked at each other. “Odd. It’s a new looking place, but it’s… abandoned? They approach the shack and Vixie goes for the door and knocks. “Anyone home?” No one answers. “Alright I’m coming in!” Strotto grabs her arm to stop her. “Vixie you can’t just enter someone’s house without permission”Vixie shook him off and patted his arm. “Chill, I’m only taking a peek.” Strotto looks at her concerned.

Vixie opens the door and peeks inside. She’s met with a foul rotting stench. “Damn what is that sme- She freezes in horror at the sight in front of her. (Be warned that the “spoiler” is the description of the body, read only if you want. But the Man who I describe is dead that’s essentially the most innocent I can make it. It is very gory so BE WARNED READ AT YOUR OWN CHOICE. You won’t miss any story.) A man was hung by the neck from the ceiling, its limbs had been ripped off and sewn on other places. The skin had been scrapped off leaving the muscle exposed. The eyes had been plucked out and were in a jar. Next to the eyes were jars with all his organs. It’s chest had been cut open to remove it’s insides leaving it’s body an empty shell. Blood covered the ground and walls. On the wall behind the Man words are written that read: “NO MATTER WHERE YOU FREAKS GO, WE WILL FIND AND KILL YOU! HUMANS ARE THE SUPERIOR SPECIES!”

Vixie ran out of the shack and as Strotto asked what was inside she vomited on the grass. “Vixie!” Strotto went to check inside the shack but Vixie grabs him. “Don’t. Just don’t.” She turns around and vomits again. “What was in there?” “You don’t want to know, but run, run and get that Blackhorn lady. Tell her a Demi-human was murdered, by a human. Also try to not scare anyone else, tell only Blackhorn.” Strotto looked scared but nodded. “I’ll be right back.” He ran off and in about 10 seconds, was out of view.

Vixie sat down and after a few minutes, chose to re-enter the shack. She tried to not look at anything but the table, she searched it for anything important but couldn’t find a single thing. She then heard movement. Vixie jumped up and looked behind her to see a figure dressed in a black cloak, swinging a fist down at her head. She barely managed to dodge the figure’s fist as it came crashing down. She rushed around the dead Demi-human and figure before rushing out the door. She saw two figures off in the distance, Strotto and Lady Blackhorn. “STROTTO HELP! RUN FAST- As she tried to tell she was hit in the back of the head and fell forward. She saw in the corner of her eyes the figure running into the forest. Vixie hit her head on the hard earth and her vision went black.

 

[Gears]

Charlie whooped as he jumped between rooftops, deciding now would be a perfect time to practice his acrobatics as he moved towards the action- and now the booming voice. Charlie used one hand to adjust his pocket watch- he did hate being too late- before sliding down another roof. Archers that somehow where still firing on demihumans turned their attention to the Harrengon- his bright colored robe likely not helping with the stealth. Arrows flew around the Harrengon, thudding against the stones and windows of this particular rooftop, with one slashing his cheek. However, the Bard did not falter as he spun among the volleys- laughing as he did so.

"Oh you are doing so well, that one merely grazed me- perhaps you can hit the broadside of an Orc if you practiced for the rest of your pathetic lives."

The Bard continued to utter quips as he made a show of cartwheeling under volleys- with the archers forgetting their previous targets as he continued to taunt them. Idiots, and I needed no Emotional Magics to increase their irritability. The show was suddenly stopped however, when a lucky arrow pierced Charlie, followed by thud as somehting fell. The Archers all paused as they stared at their target- eyes turning to horror.

The Harrengon knelt to pick up his favored top hat, solemn as the distant voice of Blackthorn faded away- his cloak slowly fading to a dull blue as he looked at the fabric. The Hat was pristine, the goggles he used in place of a usual band shined and carefully treated so the leather wouldn't crack. The goggles where wine-bottle green, (Though he rarely wore them instead of simply keeping them on the hat- they would appear a normal tint when worn) and a playing card stuck out of the side, askew. Charlie fixed the card and used his finger to brush some grime from the hat before moving to that blasted imperfection, an arrow sticking out of the center. This hat was a gift from his patron, the place he ate and slept- his last home, now marred by those fools. He carefully pulled the arrow from the felt (Or whatever a demon would craft his hat from- Lepus was strange) his movements where precise as he ensured the arrowhead left minimum damage as he tossed it aside, putting the hat back on as he glowered on the archers- they where still bringing arrows to their cheeks- Charlies time piece brought to a slow methodical rhythm.

"One should never mess with an entertainers costume, and one should never mess with a gentleman's attire- both are expensive to repair. Your blood will reduce that cost."

The Archers had barely enough time to register the strange statement, dread spreading as they released the next volley- only to cry out as he became a blur of green- disappearing after a moment. The soldiers where too distracted to stop the tide of vermin racing to the Blackthorn, seeking out the strange Bunny Man that had been taunting them. As they scanned the paths and rooftops, they barley saw the green light that shot into their midst- knocking one archer to the ground with an outstretched Staff before disappearing once more. The men circled up, quickly preparing for another attack- another charge occurring while they grouped up- flying through a window to knock another unconscious.

The group had been expecting helpless slaves- whatever this was, it was far worse. Some of their leaders spout out rumors of the creatures they enslaved and killed being demonic in nature- surely this was the case. "Hold steady Lads, we have more blades- and he appears to only have a staff." The men stayed silent as the commander uttered a few reassurances- half hearted and desperate, mostly keeping himself from fleeing. The men had barely time to call an alarm as the light returned. Swords where raised as it fell among their midst- blinding a few as they wildly swung swords at the shape, a few grazing allies due to the panic and impairment.

The mass took the damage surprisingly well for a humanoid- no liquid leaked out, and it appeared to deflect their blows a bit- blades sinking a few inches into targets. Smoke still filled the room as they got a closer view of the object- a strange conical vessel made of wax, a lit fuse sticking out of the side.

The archers had barely enough time to shout a warning before the object exploded in neon green light- shrapnel from swords still stuck inside spraying a few. fire sprung up from the straw roof- dropping onto the smoke filled hallway, soldiers coughing and retching. A small figure stepped into the room, swinging the Staff as he advanced, humming a bar song as he prodded one body His body was a bloody mess, a large piece of one of the swords propelled into his skull, smaller shards covering his body as he lay there- raggedly breathing as he looked up in horror- one eye deflated by a painful strike. Charlie winced a bit and slit the mans throat with his dagger, carefully wiping the blood off as he advanced.

The less injured got to their feet, raising daggers or clubs with the swords destroyed in the explosion (Except the leader who had pulled his blade from the firework quick enough to avoid damage). It was unfortunate, destroying this many swords- all works of art destroyed; a tragedy like the burning of an art collection. The soldiers had been cut down considerably, but there were far too many to deal with at once. Charlie's use of his natural Harrengon speed (Reduced by his blood impurity) was drained with the time spent grabbing a firework from his hat and the two herding strikes. His advantage was lost, with his smaller stature and general weakness leaving him useless in drawn out "proper" battles-he would need to rely on his reflexes, tired as he was.

He charged forward, surprising the already shellshocked soldiers as he bounded over their heads, using the cane to knock one out as he landed in their midst. They quickly turned at the Harrengon-Born, thrusting at him with the ashen blades. Charlie dodged and weaved between strikes, relying on their injuries to read movements in order to better dodge each strike, slashing arms and legs as he spun between enemies- still humming his tune. Each strike was fluidly dodged- blood caking the cloak as Charlie slowly cut down each enemy- before a hidden sword pierced his gut.

The Leader pulled the sword from Charlie before kicking him to the ground, among the bodies of the troops- he had managed to dispatch all of them, though they where simply too weak to fight, clutching wounds as-

Charlie cried out as the captain pounced on him, dropping his sword as he began furiously striking the Harrengon-Kin, fists bloodied as he continued the beating. Charlie felt bones crack, his nose shattered as he lay there, taking the beatings- unable to cast spells without concentration or verbal components, leaving him weak.

"Please."

Charlie muttered, coughing blood as the soldier relented, getting to his feet as he grabbed the Harrengon by the fear, dragging him against the stones- wetted by both Charlies blood and the soldiers. Charlie clawed around for any escape- anything to get away from the pain, only to receive a swift kick to the gut. "Quiet Bastard." The officer growled, gripping him by the throat as he brought the wounded creature to eye level.

"I'm going to tear those disgusting ears from your head- then I'm going to gauge those mutant eyes out- and finally I'll rip your tongue out so you can quit the incessant jabbering before I spill you entrails on the street."

The man uttered these words with an animalistic fury- embarrassed his contingent of men had been overwhelmed by a single youth. He spat with every word, spittle black from the ashes around him. Charlie shook like- well a scared Rabbit; he had no time to think of a more clever description, he was growing dizzy from the blows. The wound had been delayed by his usual healing magics, but it wouldn't help if the captain still committed the acts he had proclaimed moments before.

"I would usually... Think of a clever line- But I think I'll just kill you."

Charlie bit down on the mans hand, kicking off him- aiming for the mans gut to wind him as he sprang out of reach- and straight into open air. He fell for a few moments, not having time for panic- quickly uttering as many healing spells as he could. He could feel his power dwindle as he neared the ground- just enough energy for a Rabbit Hole.

The ground suddenly shook as tendrils of light erupted from the ground- long forgotten roots snaking through the sewers, suddenly infused with energy. The writhing mass formed a small oval shape- Charlie picked up his hat and tossed it into the air- flying above the gawking attacker- before he fell into the mass.

He fell down a tower, the halls familiar- the inside of his Hat. The walls where hewn of obsidian- 13 floors flashing past his vision as he tumbled through the structure, hurtling past his collection of slimes and rabbits frolicking in his Garden- the stupid Goblins that had lain siege from his attic, the portrait of his Patron- Lepus daemonis. After passing the cozy space where the portrait watched him, he fell through a second Rabbit hole- launching him into real world- and into the captains skull.

A mighty crunch could be heard as Charlie corrected his stance, boots readied in a kick as he connected with the captain- sending him tumbling to the ground as Charlie panted, picking up his Top Hat. He quickly grabbed his own daggers (And what he could grab from the enemies before looking towards the voice. Whoever had masterminded this chaos was casting some manner of teleportation spell, Charlie could feel it growing as people gathered within a boundary. Charlie snapped to focus and rushed around, seeking out a quick way too this escape.

He was too tired and wounded to try running, and couldn't use a Rabbit Hole further than 13 Feet- he would need to improvise. An old cannon sat atop the small archery posistion he stood in- primed for attack, its owner likely wounded by Charlies antics. Charlie pulled a firework from his hat as he approached the cannon, cutting the wax based body to reach the gunpowder- something weaker than artillery launches, and hopefully safe enough for him. Charlie cast a fire spell above the fuse, putting his gunpowder in the body before climbing in, waiting for the fuse to hit- had he used the wrong spell? His natural magics where doing their best with his broken ribs and the stab wound, his brain was a bit foggy. He was about to peek out when a deafening boom filled the area.


As the transportation was about to commence, a streak of neon green launched in the direction of the market- screaming as rogue fireworks filled the skies as he flew, barely reaching the boundary as the spell finished- launching the Bunny Bard into a pile of mud.

Charlie lay there for around 13 seconds- before springing up. He groaned a bit at the concussion and broken ribs- but he had plenty of those. He stumbled around for a moment, confused before sitting down on the grass- rubbing his head as he looked around at the people around the area.

(Almost done- had to run again)

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Lady Blackhorn spotted the injured rabbitkin and directed someone to tend to his injuries: "See that rabbitkin over there, supply him with a health potion to aid his recovery and make splints if necessary." A helper went over to Charlie to aid him.

She scanned the area for more who stuck around. There were a few: A deerkin, a foxkin, what she assumed was a rat or mouse kin and another kitsune/foxkin. However there were sudden called for help from one of the foxkin. She seemed to be calling our towards the deerkin and Lady Blackhorn. Lady Blackhorn picked up a scent to which her previously human looking eyes took on their nature ibex-like square shaped pupils. She turned around and tilted her head while sniffing.

"I... smell a human." She said in a cold monotonous voice. Scanning the area towards where the calls of distress came from, she spotted a hooded figure running into the forest. Lady Blackhorn downed a mana potion and then took off in a sprint towards the hooded figure at incredible speed. She managed to grab him before he could pull his weapon.

Holding them up by their neck, Isa said: "Ara, ara. Looks like vermin somehow snuck into my land. Tell me, did you come alone or are their others?" The human struggling to talk replied: "Let me down you dirty beast!" Isa grabbed his right thumb and instantly broke it, causing the human to scream. She then asked: "Answer my question." "I am alone!" The human said. Lady Blackhorn could tell they were lying. She decided to snap the human's arm. "I don't like liars. Where are the others? Maybe if you tell me the truth, you could be the one to return home. If not, then you will be the first to die." "The others, they, they are to the south. There are four others!" The human said.

"Thank you for your honestly. Sadly, for you, I can't let humans who come here uninvited and murder my people to leave here alive." Lady Blackhorn said. The human looked at her with desperate eyes: "But you said..." At that moment, Lady Blackhorn snapped his neck and dropped his corpse to the ground.

"Disgusting. I should wash my hand after touching such a lowly creature." She said. She then froze for a second, realizing that others had been watching. Isa turned to them with a warm smile and said: "I am sorry you had to see that. Please don't be scared. Humans are an existential threat to Uwaru and I need to keep the land safe from such inferior beings."

She approached the shack that Vixie had come out of. The intense stench of blood filled the air. Isa frowned at the sight of the corpse. "I will organize troops to hunt down the remaining humans and prepare this one for a proper burial." She waved a helper over and told her to get the Indivra high guard and a coroner.

Isa then turned to the nearby demi-humans. "I am afraid I haven't properly introduced myself. I am Lady Isavira Tanuvra Blackhorn, the Witch of Uwaru. You may call me Lady Blackhorn, Lady Isavira or Madame Isa (Isa-sama). If you have any requests or questions, ask away."

( When talking, pink dialogue is benevolent, red dialogue is sinister/dangerous/evil.)

 

[Rcticwolf]

Lily looked around as despite the orders given by this woman with black horns and white hair. Many of the beastmen that had been freed were still standing in a daze, some did seem like they had know each other, maybe for a long time or they had just met. Lily couldn’t really tell, she never had interactions with others much.

As she watched the crowds begin to disperse as the newly freed slaves were being guided by the locals of this area the black horned one called Uwaru. Suddenly her ears twitched as she heard the footsteps of a human in the distance, she was very accustomed to the sound as humans could never really keep quiet. However before Lily couldn’t raise an alarm or do anything at all she heard the black horned one exclaim about smelling a human before taking off in the direction of where Lily had heard the noise at an alarming speed.

Lily spun around as the woman sprinted passed her watching her hunt through the shrubbery for the intruder, and what she did after finding the human made Lily’s stomach sink.

“she’s very violent… she wants to protect us… but is this really the protection we need?” Lily thought to herself as she watched the event unfold. “oh, but it’s what you really want isn’t it? To be able to make those animals suffer for all of your pain? You know you imagine dragging your claws across their face and ripping out their eyes, the pulsing of the artery in their neck making such a satisfying target to slash…”

Lily grabbed her head as it began to hurt “no… this isn’t right, she promised to let him live and just casually killed him…” Lily stated aloud as she was beginning to panic while watching the black horned one leaving the forest and returning to the dispersing group of slaves. “you are weak! Get a hold of yourself! She rescued us from our horrible master! Your fear is making you weak, stand up! Strike back! Use your power!” Lily dropped to her knees, holding her head even harder as the pain grew, she caught the sight of the woman getting closer and she began hyperventilating as her fear and panic washed over her and she tripped over herself and fell backwards. “no, stay away from me! Don’t hurt me! I swear I didn’t see anything… I don’t want to die!!” she shouted in a panic as she backed up until her back hit a tree, cutting off her failed attempt to escape, and without even seeing if the black horn was even walking near her she she curled up, just waiting for the punishment as a few sparks began to dance around her body.

Lily was in such a panicked stated that she never realized that the black horn paid her no mind at all as she continued addressing the slaves. And Lily never heard anything due to her panic. Her screams of panic and the scent of fear were sure to draw attention to her from slaves and locals alike…

 

[Lost Martian]

Strotto​

Strotto would get up of the pleasant feeling grass, wiping some of the dirt of the mines off his clothing as he did so. While freedom had been his main priority, it now shifted to getting a fresh pair of clothes that weren’t dirty and didn’t smell like a dank cave. But that could wait a little bit, as Strotto just really wanted to see more of Uwaru currently.

As Strotto and Vixie walked in a random direction, the fox demi-human would explain her encounter with the slain soldier’s brother. Strotto would naturally be concerned, only then realizing that the bandage on Vixie’s leg was new, in fact it was still stained red with blood.

“I think you should get that looked at,” stated Strotto, “Who knows what kind of infections you could get if you let the wound fester.”

Strotto would remain concerned for his new friend, focusing more on her wound than his surroundings. Thus he wouldn’t notice the small shack until they were very close to it. Strotto would question if it was a house or something, as he definitely wasn’t familiar with the architecture of Uwaru.

Vixie would then surprise the deer demi-human by going into the building, Strotto bringing up the fact they shouldn’t be barging into people’s houses, mentally noting that this was a terrible way to ingratiate themselves in this new community. So Strotto decided to wait outside, letting the impulsive fox demi-human do her thing.

Even from several meters away, Strotto could still pick up on the terrible smell that emanated from the building as Vixie opened the door. Strotto would wonder if they had perhaps come across a butcher’s house, the smell coming from animal carcasses ready to be processed.

But as Strotto was musing, Vixie came running out of the house, before she vomited as Strotto called out. Curiosity would overtake Strotto as he took a few steps toward the building, only to be promptly grabbed by Vixie. She would tell Strotto not to go inside, and to get Lady Blackhorn, as a demi-human had been murdered by a human.

Having no words for the moment, Strotto would sprint away, his hooves moving him faster than he thought he could go. In a matter of a few minutes, Strotto had made it back to the assembling of demi-humans. Frantically looking around for Lady Blackhorn, who he only knew of her mentioned black horns.

“Help, we need help!” shouted Strotto, “There are humans here! Someone is dead!”

Only then would Strotto realized that he had failed at the whole don’t scare everyone else part of Vixie’s request. But before he could chastise himself, Lady Blackhorn bolted past Strotto, moving unnaturally fast. Strotto would then whip around seeing the Witch of Uwaru grab a hooded man.

From this distance, Strotto couldn’t hear their conversation, though based on body language, Lady Blackhorn seemed to be the one in charge of the discussion. Then suddenly they stopped talking, the witch snapping the man’s neck, causing him to drop onto the grassy field.

Strotto hated the fact that this new chapter of his life was starting with death. While he was thankful to Lady Blackhorn for freeing him and his kin, her glib nature when it came to killing was something that disturbed the deer demi-human.

Strotto would then wonder if there were more humans about, fear for Vixie entering his mind. So he would rush back to the cabin, several other demi-humans following after him. As he got closer, Strotto could see Vixie laying on the ground in front of the building, not moving.

Fear that his only friend in this new land was dead swept over Strotto, years of being treated poorly leading to him expecting the worst. But as the deer demi-human got within a few feet of the unconscious fox demi-human, he could see that she was still breathing, her chest going up and down.

Checking Vixie for wounds, Strotto could only find some swelling on her head, seemingly from someone hitting her over the head. Strotto would try lifting her up, but the poor physical condition he was in meant that he was having trouble carrying Vixie comfortably. Thankfully an otter demi-human would spot Strotto struggling, and would grab Vixie’s legs, getting her off the patch of dirt she had collapsed on.

Lady Blackhorn would then reach the cabin, ordering some troops to go and search out for other humans who were apparently nearby. It was only then that she formally introduced herself, saying that she was open to questions.

Strotto would speak up, “Yes, I do need some help. My friend Vixie was attacked by that human, knocking her unconscious. She also sustained a wound back in the city. Is there a doctor available to look over her?”

But before any answer could be made, screaming could be heard nearby. Still holding up Vixie, Strotto would turn his head to see a kitsune in a clear state of distress, balled up next to a tall tree. Strotto thought perhaps she was having some kind of post-traumatic stress episode, as he knew that some of the demi-humans had much worse lives that he did back in the city. Those humans and elves had caused all kind of mental scarring.

Strotto wanted to help the kitsune, but right now he was too involved with caring for Vixie. In his mind a physical wound was of more pressing nature than a mental wound. But Strotto still hoped that somehow would help the crying demi-human, as it distressed him to see her in such pain.

 

[cor!]

The castle wasn't the only thing Flint had set ablaze today; his lungs burned fiercely in protest as he sprinted away from the smoldering scene. The acrid smell of smoke clung to him like a shadow, and each ragged breath felt like inhaling fire. He was certain the searing pain was due to either inhaling too much smoke or perhaps puncturing a rib while clambering through the shattered window. The sharp edges of the glass had caught at his clothing, leaving faint red lines on his skin as a reminder of his escape.

He stopped to gather his breath and take a quick inventory on the situation. He was covered almost head to tail in soot. His lungs felt heavy and raw, yet overall, he considered himself to be in reasonably good shape. A little bit – okay, a lot bit – of blood had congealed and dried, creating a gruesome tapestry across the front of his shirt. He couldn't quite determine how much of it was his own, though a particularly nasty laceration on his chest suggested a significant portion. His face bore the evidence of his ordeal, marked by several jagged cuts that crisscrossed his lips and cheek, but mercifully spared his eyes. These injuries, for the most part, were the result of fighting through blazing debris, scattered cutlery, and shards of broken glass, each leaving its mark on his weary body.

“Stop! Stop running!” A gruff command came from behind. He cast a quick, irritated glance over his shoulder, catching sight of a burly figure in a dark uniform, hand outstretched as if to seize him from afar.

“I'm standing quite still, thank you,” he shouted back. The man addressing him was clad in the unmistakable uniform of the castle wardens, a thick belt sagging under the weight of numerous keys clinking together with each step. Flint's gaze fixed on the warden's reddened face, flushed to a deep shade of purple. Though, whether it was fueled by the fiery anger in his eyes, or simply from exertion of climbing stairs, Flint couldn't decide.

“You're being arrested. Stay where you are and don't even think about resisting, rat.”

“Arrest me…? The dungeons are on fire, ya bellend.”

The sky glowed with a fiery red, illuminated by the raging inferno devouring the castle. The city lay in chaos, with smoke spiraling upwards like dark serpents. Amidst the turmoil, something shiny and green darted across the rooftops, catching his eye with its mystical gleam. As he watched the emerald blur zoom through the smoke, he couldn't help but feel as if an omen of luck had given a sign.

“Is this about the armoury or…” he gestured widely toward the castle. “... cause look, I'm sorry, alright? I'm resisting arrest. Who knows, maybe one day you'll be cheering on the winning side of a revolution and think, 'Oh, that guy was onto something!”

The warden lunged at him, chain at the ready, but Flint nimbly rolled out of harm’s way. The man crashed into the stone path, spitting a tooth out as he lifted his head with a growl that could curdle milk. He sprang once again. This time, without anywhere to go, the warden managed to tackle him. He felt himself crash into a storefront with a sickening crunch in his rib, stars in his vision. Flint threw his metal arm out, searching blindly for anything he could hurl at the aggressor. One, two, and then three potatoes pelted into the warden, striking his chest and clavicles. None of it slowed him, as he advanced on the tiny blacksmith, raising his sword to finish him off.

Then the cabbage connected with his face.

“Aargh!” The warden stumbled back, taken by surprise as Flint hurled tomatoes at him, splattering as they struck his armour in a juicy barrage. “I'm going to flay you alive, you vermin- you subhuman little–!”

While the man stood momentarily stunned, Flint seized the chance, surging forward despite the throbbing pain coursing through him. He ducked low, muscles coiling like a spring, and delivered a devastating uppercut to the man's family jewels. The man let out a guttural howl, his face contorting in agony as he dropped his sword, hands instinctively clutching his injured crotch. Flint scrambled to snatch up the fallen weapon, and with a swift pivot on his heels, slashed the back of his opponent’s knees. The warden collapsed, his popliteals sputtering blood.

“Did you get your armour from a rubbish dump?!” Flint griped, wildly gesturing at the man's waist. “This is why you need proper faulds! And greaves! Honestly mate, this is embarrassing! You left yourself wide open! I'm not even wearing any myself.”

He carefully slid the sword into his belt, feeling the reassuring weight of the weapon against his hip. The decision was clear; he'd fare far better equipped with it than without, especially after this encounter. Behind him, the guard lay sprawled on the ground, a pitiful figure groaning in both pain and wounded pride. There was no time to waste on scolding the man about vigilance and safety. He had a destination in mind—or so he believed—and urgency pressed him onward, leaving the hapless warden to nurse his injuries alone.

He sprinted off once more towards the bustling city square, his breath quickening as he barely caught a fleeting glimpse of the crowd gathered there. At the heart of this throng stood a lady, her presence commanding and mysterious, just as she began to chant her incantation. He’d barely made it in time. The world around him twisted and vanished, swallowed by an invisible force. For a brief, disorienting moment, he felt detached from his own physical form, as though he had been broken down to the very essence of his being. In the blink of an eye, he was flung into a lush patch of grass, tumbling and skidding to a halt beneath the vast expanse of the azure sky. In the very next moment, a massive bag plummeted down on top of him, followed by another body.

The contents of the bag jostled against him uncomfortably, each hard edge and sharp corner pressing into his skin as the person above shifted to stand, seemingly unaware of what, or rather who, they had landed on. In fact they took their sweet time, even pausing to unzip the bag and carefully inspect its contents for any signs of damage. It was only then, as they lifted the flap, that they finally noticed his legs pinned beneath it, protruding awkwardly from under the bag's bulk.

“Oh no! I'm sorry-!” A little boy squawked, lifting the bag and finally freeing him. It was Jax. The boy's face immediately lit up. “Flint! Y-you made it! We made it!” he exclaimed with a joyous lilt. He let go of the enormous satchel, its straps slipping from his small hands, and flung himself at Flint, wrapping his arms around him in a heartfelt embrace. Flint grimaced, feeling the sharp pang as the boy's weight pressed against his tender, wounded ribs.

"Ouch," he coughed weakly, a grimace twisting his features in pain. Jax looked at him in confusion, his brow furrowing as he took in the strain etched on his companion's face. It didn't take long for him to spot the dark, spreading stain of blood on Flint's shirt. Alarm flared in Jax's wide eyes, and he scrambled back to his feet, his clothes now smeared with what was undeniably Flint's blood. The realisation hit him like a thunderbolt—Flint had fallen onto his own sword. What a bitter irony; lecturing a warden about safety only to skewer himself with an unsecured weapon. And now, it was painting the grass a lovely shade of disaster. How truly mortifying.

“Y-you’re hurt! I– oh, no, this is really bad–!” The frog boy's voice trembled with alarm as his head darted frantically. “Um, let's see, wait, I have this bag, I borrowed a bunch of supplies as I ran through the city. Not a lot of folks guarding their storefronts with everything going on—!”

“— you mean you were looting—?”

“You make me sound like a criminal!”

“You. Little. Magpie!”

“T-there’s a medicine kit in here, somewhere!” Jax's webbed hands shook as he rifled through the bag's contents with feverish urgency. He yanked out some gauze and a few mysterious tinctures, his eyes wild with nerves. The other hand fiddled with various instruments and some thread. "Ah, uuummm….?"

Jax had no idea what he was doing. Stars above, the poor lad had never patched up anything more than a torn sock before.

“Go get some water,” Flint instructed, hissing in pain as he pulled his torso over a raised mound of earth. He let Jax pass him a balled up old shirt. Through gritted teeth, he tried to soak up as much blood as possible without pulling the embedded sword out. It was a precarious task; every motion risked aggravating the injury tenfold. But he was determined not to bleed out like an idiot after surviving so many other perils.

He just couldn’t bear the thought of enduring it alone.