Caged Princess [open!]

[Rhindeer]

Kyori paced the floor of her cage, tail lashing like a striking snake and claws clicking along the dirty floor. It was a busy day at market, and there were too many people crowding around her confines--but very few people bold enough to get too close. She had almost gotten her claws into one foolish human who had pressed in for a closer look, but his reflexes had been solid. Not solid enough that she hadn't taken a chunk out of his tunic; the tatters were crumpled on the floor of her cage.

Her ears rotated, listening. One of the men who had captured her was talking about her in an effort to sell her, listing off her "good" qualities. She was inhumanly strong, great for manual labor, and intelligent enough to follow directions--with the aid of whips and prods, at least. She was also an unrivaled huntress, good for using on game hunts and able to taking down animals far larger than herself. She was also an oddity for personal collections of exotic beasts, capable of turning at least a few heads with her ability to camouflage herself--though one must also take caution with that, considering she could be easy to lose. She could also be a decent guard, if kept on a leash and properly controlled and tamed so she didn't turn on her master.

Oh, and as for the muzzle. Yeah, she spits poison. Best take care with that.

Kyori rolled her eye as she listened but smirked a little, even as the muzzle chaffed. He was doing a terrible job of selling her, since those points only made her sound scary--which she was, and which made her puff with pride. One of those squishy humans would have to be insane to think they could handle her--for she would kill them the first chance she got, and she didn't need her teeth or poison or even her claws to do that.

She would kill this man, too, and his friends, for capturing her. And she would make it a slow death for boasting about it, when in reality they had caught her in a moment of weakness, half dead and nearly frozen in the snow of  her homeland.

And when she returned to her homeland, she wouldn't be there long. She would come back with her people. And they would reign hell on this damned village, if she had anything to say about it.

Which, as their leader, she did.

Another human inched in a little closer to look at her, and she hissed like the savage they thought she was and launched herself at the bars, claws lashing out, the bars trembling as she slammed against them. The human fell back on his ass with a strangled cry, and Kyori nearly doubled over with laughter at his pitiful response, so like prey.

But instead she just growled again, low and deep in her throat, to hide the laughter bubbling up.

Idiots.

[Squeeman]

The Magnificent and Mystical Emperor Moebius growled as he made his way through the markets of Ketra. There were plenty of furs and fleece on sale, alongside meat and herbs and all the products of the forest. But there was little in the way of magic. Truly, the whole place was a wash, nothing worth his time or attention...

Or so Moebius thought, until he heard the cry of a man as he fell back from the cage. A few of the onlookers all chuckled at his misfortune, but they gave the cage a wide berth. Moebius only got the briefest glimpse of the creature contained within. It was too small to be a bear. And yet, it stood on its hind legs, so it could not have been a wolf. Moebius also had no memory of slaves for sale in the markets, so it could not have been a person in there. A truly unique beast, then...

Intrigued, Moebius shuffled through the crowd, slipping and sliding his way through the crowd that was too frightened to get within arm's reach of the cage.

"Hmmm... what sort of beast are you?"

Only to find, by all accounts, some strange, muzzled woman dressed in furs. She had claws, though, and pointed ears that swiveled like those of a beast. And yet, her eyes were too bright and inquisitive to be those of some mere animal, and her growls were not mere growls. It was clear she knew some sort of language, though perhaps not Common.

"Not a beast at all, it seems. Interesting..."

As he asked his question, Moebius shuffled a bit closer, until the wooden skull mask that he wore was almost touching the bars of the cage. His red eyes stared at Kyori, watching her movements.

"I wonder, do you understand my words, young lady?"

[Rhindeer]

Kyori was on edge, pacing her cage, ready to get this whole damned thing over with. As much as she tried to hide it, the cage was making her more claustrophobic with every passing minute—which only made her moodier and more fidgety. But the only way out of the cage was to be sold, she realized. And while there were plenty of curious onlookers, no one was exactly leaping to make a bid.

That was a problem.

Of course she was in no hurry to be someone's property, but she also didn't plan on being property for long. Whoever bought her would meet a violent end, she vowed—but she supposed she would have to play nice for now. As much as she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to get away with much in a crowd like this; any bloodshed would be stamped out fast, and the numbers were not on her side.

Tail lashing as she walked back and forth, back and forth, she was pondering over her options when a hunched creature approached the bars.

Her ears flicked up in curiosity and surprise, at first not recognizing the beast as human with the mask and stooped, hunched back. As he drew closer, though, she could smell it on him—and another strange, stale scent, like death. Interesting...

Unlike the others, he showed no fear, though. He was so close he was almost touching the bars, close enough she could have reached through them and crushed his throat. A brave, or perhaps foolish, creature he was.

She decided, for now, to play nice.

With her smirk hidden behind her muzzle, she stepped forward and grasped the bars, leaning her head against them to bring their faces close together. Perhaps to see if he would balk at being so close to her.

"I understand you," she said in Common, voice rough from not speaking in a while. "Do you understand me? If you do, you will henceforth address me as 'Your Highness', or in your language I assume, 'Princess'. Not...young lady, or beast, or whatever else you planned on calling me. Are we clear, human?"

[Squeeman]

When Kyori came close, Moebius did not move. He did not even blink at first, instead staring with a patient eye at the strange woman in the cage. His look was cold, keen, and cunning. He stared at her as a smith might look at a rusty knife, or jeweler at an unpolished gem. Once he had finished studying her, and not a moment before, he replied to Kyori's hoarse whispering with some whispers of his own.

"Fair enough. I shall call you whatever you wish, Princess, should you prove amenable."

He paused a moment and stared at the crowd. Then, without a hint of concern for his own well-being, he reached forth and grabbed at Kyori's chin, pretending to inspect her like any other beast for sale.

"I am going to assume that a proud Princess such as you does not wish to spend even a moment as someone's slave. And you especially do not wish to be a slave to a mage with magics that can make your strength and claws useless against him. So I offer you a bargain. Your freedom, today without the indignity of purchase or enslavement on paper, in exchange for your aid on a quest of mine in the forest."

Moebius tried to turn her head, this way and that, before moving her so that she couldn't help but see his eyes as he stared into hers with a cold fire.

"So, what say you? Do we have a deal? Or shall I leave you here to rot while I find a sellsword that won't betray my plans?"

[Rhindeer]

How dare he!

He grabbed her chin, and Kyori hissed in surprise and indignation. Her hands twitched on the bars, on the verge of reaching past them and sinking her claws into whatever soft flesh they found--but she refrained. It was almost physically painfully when every fiber of her being wanted to tear him apart for daring to disrespect her so, but she had to remind herself that her goal was freedom.

If she wanted out, she had to be purchased.

If she wanted to be purchased, she would have to be good.

So she swallowed her pride and let him inspect her, her ears swiveling to listen as he spoke--and brought up a point she hadn't considered.

Mages.

A mage that could render her strength and claws useless. For the first time since her capture, a little chill of dread raced down her spine, for even in chains she had felt utterly in control. After all, she had only been captured because she was half dead in the snow, and everyone acted so wary around her that she felt she could take on any one of them--maybe multiple at the same time! They were clumsy, slow, soft-skinned humans with dull nail and dull teeth and sure, they had weapons, but hers were built into her very body. But magic. Magic was something else entirely.

And so she listened, and listened now for real.

A bargain...?

He turned her to face him, and she met his gaze dead on, two predators sizing each other up. "Aid in a quest, you say?" Without being purchased and owned? Hm. It sounded too good to be true, and she had no way to know if he was lying or not, but...

It would get her out of the cage.

"Fine. Deal," she said, without bothering to ask what the quest was. After all, she had no intention of actually helping him. "That sounds simple enough. Now, how do you plan on releasing me?"

[Squeeman]

The Magnificent and Mystical Emperor Moebius, First of His Name, did not know any of Kyori's plans for betrayal or reneging on the deal. However, he wasn't a complete and utter fool. So, rather than just take her at her word, he prepared a contingency. After double-checking that nobody was looking at the pair, a child was but he was quickly shuffled away by his mother with a glare, Moebius removed his hand from Kyori's chin.

"Excellent, excellent... however... just for my peace of mind..."

Then, without any warning, he grabbed Kyori's wrist with one hand, while the other went for her claws, palms down... He sliced his palm open upon her claws, without hesitation or a hint of pain. Once the thin cut had been made, blood flowed and dripped onto the floor of her cage. It was a bit darker than was normal for mortals and beasts, and it smelled faintly of rot and decay.

Moebius let go of Kyori's wrist after that and pulled something from his robes. A small knife made of polished stone, which he passed into Kyori's hands.

His words were a whisper, which the crowd remained oblivious of.

"If you would swear an oath by your blood and the bones of your ancestors that you shall uphold your end of the bargain? I will do the same. Quickly, quickly before someone notices that you have a weapon!"

Kyori, of course, did not have to uphold her side of a bargain or plan even if she swore with blood and by her ancestors. However, breaking the bargain would become more costly, for there was power in blood and one's ancestors might not wish to be disturbed or forced to pay in death for mistakes made by their living progeny.

Moebius did not, at that moment, say anything about his plan to rescue the Princess. Truth be told, he was making it up as he went along, he hadn't expected such a powerful creature to fall into his lap. He would have to be careful once she was free, however. Kyori was not a dog, but a wolf. A wild thing and an enemy of the shepherd, but wolves could be tamed, somewhat. Turned from wild hunters into guides and companions, if one treated them well and both wolf and man set boundaries.

He held out his bleeding hand, expectant, waiting...

[Rhindeer]

What was he--?!

The man grabbed her hand before she could react and sliced his palm open upon her claws. Kyori gaped, about to snap at him because what was wrong with him and how dare he, was he mad?! But while she was still staring in indignant shock, he passed a knife into her hands.

And told her to swear an oath.

...Oh.

This complicated matters significantly. This man was not an idiot after all. Arguably mad, but not an idiot.

Her one good eye narrowed. She...really didn't want to do this. Even if there was no magic involved--and for all she knew, there was--oaths were not something her people took lightly. To swear upon one's ancestors was about as binding as it got; she could no sooner break such an oath as she could move a mountain with her bare hands, even if it was an oath made between she and...and a human.

There was no time to consider it, though. It was either yes or no, no time for dawdling. She could reject the offer, he would leave, and she would still be in this cage--perhaps purchased by a mage as he said and rendered helpless.

Or she could go along with this fool and his quest.

She didn't like either option, but she liked one far less.

"Oh, Tyrra. Yes. I'll swear it. But only until the quest is complete," she hissed, before she flicked the blade over her palm with a wince, blood blooming in its wake. Quickly, she held her hand through the bars and grasped his bleeding hand before she could hesitate--because his blood smelled strange and wrong, and she wanted to touch it no more than she wanted to swear this bloody oath.

"By my blood and the bones of my ancestors, I swear to uphold our bargain and see your quest completed," she said, meeting his eyes with her one.

[Squeeman]

As their palms touched, warm fresh blood flowed from open wounds and pooled together upon the flesh. Droplets entered each of their veins, filling Moebius with the warm and primal vitality of Kyori, while his power and rot wedged its way into Kyori's body. A bond had been forged, one that would only be severed when the oath had been fulfilled.

Moebius grinned so wide behind his mask, he swore his cheeks and lips reached out past the edges of his mask. His red eyes glinted with a cold fire, and he hissed...

"Excellent... Now then..."

Those eyes of his turned to take in the scene. The crowd surrounded them on three sides, but a fourth was completely clear of gawkers. That was because the cage, and the merchant's tent and stalls, were set up against the side of a building made of wood and stone. The caravan had chosen to set out their wares on the corner of one of Ketra's many dirt streets, in order to drum up business. This meant the cage was in view of many, but there was a route to escape through that did not involve plowing through the crowd. A narrow alley between the building on the corner and its nearest neighbor.

Speaking of the alley, Moebius spied a pair of men in half-decent armor with maces sitting on crates in it. One was a bit pudgy and squat, while the other was lean and tall. Both of them were playing a game of dice instead of guarding the cage, which was what had allowed Moebius to get so close. The pudgy guard was winning more rolls than the lean one.

Weak wills. They would be more useful than their employers, who had to have some shrewdness and savvy and single-minded devotion to greed.

Moebius took in other details as he scanned the scene. A gray tarp or blanket or great curtain of some sort lay right next to the cage. Perhaps it had been used to cover the cage before the merchants had unveiled Kyori to the crowds. A gaggle of other merchants scattered here and there, hawking rival wares. A man in fancy robes, most likely a mage. He also saw a young man with clean clothes, fine boots, a cape, gloves, and a fancy scabbard on his belt. A noble brat with money. Moebius would have to strike quick, before they got intrigued and made an offer.

Luckily, a plan had come together, if he could just pull it off.

"Hide the knife beneath those bits of cloth and hay at your feet. Then jump to the back of your cage."

Moebius had no intention of blasting the cage open or sawing away at the bars. The whole thing was made of iron, and any magic that could open it would draw attention to the escaping Kyori. Couldn't have that. But he could draw attention to himself once he was ready.

Right after whispering to Kyori, he spoke to what appeared to be other air. First, he spoke in Common.

"Be ready to guide her to the Sanctuary when she is released. Then, when night falls, to cabin in the forest."

He spoke again, to a slightly different spot of empty air. But it was in a dead tongue that had not been spoken since Adela had been a land of many petty kingdoms. It sounded a bit like hissed and whispered orders, though what they were was probably completely lost on Kyori. And any of the crowd that might have been listening in.

[Rhindeer]

Kyori thought she might very well come to regret this. This could be a trap--a trap that put her into a bind far more dangerous than even the mentioned alternatives. But what choice did she really have?

She just hoped she had made the right one--but if it came down to it, she was certain she could take on a hunch-backed human, even if her ancestors struck her down in anger for it.

The only question now was if he could actually get her out of here. The bars were an issue, but the crowd was a bigger one. Even if she was strong enough to bend the bars and slip out, she was only one Iannu against too many humans. She was strong and they were squishy, but numbers were even stronger. Yet this strange human seemed so confident, so certain of himself. With a slow nod, she backed away from him and dropped the knife, quickly kicking hay over it until it was completely obscured.

Then she fell into a crouch, hand curled into a fist against her chest to hide the wound. There she waited, ears perked up and twitching curiously as he spoke to...himself? There was no one there, but he seemed to be speaking to someone. Her one eye narrowed, but she couldn't understand the rest of what he said.

Here's hoping he could keep his word.

[Squeeman]

A few moments after Kyori did as she was told, Moebius pulled his hand away from the bars and shouted.

"HOW DARE YOU CUT ME YOU LITTLE-!"

Then, he stopped and stared from his hand to Kyori, and then back to his hand again. After that, he turned to the merchant and pointed a gnarled finger at the man in fine clothing.

"WHAT SORT OF SCAM IS THIS?! The creature cut me from the other side of her cage! Her hand did not even move!"

A handful of men and women in the crowd looked at Kyori, then to Moebius, then to the merchant. They began to murmur among each other, while waiting to see where the conversation went. Nobody seemed to notice how the pair of guards in the alley fell over and began to twitch and struggle against what appeared to be nothing but empty air. The struggle only lasted a few moments before the guards stopped moving entirely.

"Sir," the merchant said, looking at Moebius with a bored face, "She is muzzled and caged for a reason. If you provoke a wild beast, you might get bit or scratched."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT YOU POMPOUS, PATHETIC WRETCH! She cut my hand from the back of the cage! How can her arms reach so far, hmmm?! And how can she cut a man without moving?! UNLESS SHE IS BUT AN ILLUSION!"

The merchant blinked and his bored expression melted into one of indignant outrage.

"Just what are you accusing me of, sir?"

That last word was spoken with a tone of disguised anger and disgust. In return, Moebius continued to shout and scream.

"I AM ACCUSING YOU OF SELLING NOTHING AT ALL! I'll bet there isn't even a beast-creature in that cage, but a man with a knife! You'll take our silver for this thing and then give us nothing but an empty cage!"

The merchant blinked and shook his fist a few times, which just so happened to coincide with the guards, now on their feet and shuffling like sleep-walkers with eyes that were half-open and unseeing, throwing a tarp over the cage. The tarp, it seemed, was cut in such a way that the entirety of the cage was now hidden from the view of the crowd. The guards then clambered under the tarp, hiding all but their feet from anyone that looked their way.

"YOU SEE?! He has his men hide the creature, so we do not investigate the illusion!"

Some in the crowd began to believe Moebius' words, shouting at the merchant to lift the tarp and let them touch the beast. To bring her out of the cage.

Meanwhile, within the cage itself, Kyori was suddenly joined by a small, human boy. His clothes were simple and roughspun, appearing to be little more than rags sewn together in patches resembling trousers and a tunic. His skin was as pale as moonlight, and his lips were a bright and vibrant red. Oh, and the child had no eyes. Just empty, shadowed sockets where eyes should have been. And yet, his face stared directly at Kyori.

"Hello..."

The boy's voice was small and distant, sounding as if he was speaking from deep within a cave.

"Follow me when the door opens. I shall guide you to Sanctuary..."

As he said this, the guards shuffled around the edge of the cage to the door, staying somewhat hidden under the tarp. One of them, the stout one, took a ring of keys off of a hook on his belt. He chose one in particular to hold, and put it in the lock of the cage door. A quick twist to the right was all it took for the door to open a crack.

With the door open, the boy, rather than walk, floated through the bars of the cage and the tarp as if they were not there.

[Rhindeer]

Excuse her?!

Kyori could only stare in bafflement as the man spun his lies, and for a moment she felt her tail bristle with indignation. What kind of game was he playing at? Was this an act, or was he selling her out and trying to get her into trouble?! He wasn't wrong, really; she would have loved to wound anyone who came too close and had been trying before. But it was the principle of the matter! They had made an agreement!

She snarled at the man, teeth bared, which no doubt made his act look all the more convincing. Or would have, if the man hadn't lost his mind completely, talking about illusions and a man with a knife. And then the guards came, and Kyori hissed in alarm as she plunged into darkness beneath the tarp.

Well...so much for that plan. She should have listened to her instincts and not trusted the old fool! If this was an act he was playing it, it clearly wasn't working!

As the crowd broke out into a clamor, Kyori made a silent vow to rip the throat out of the first person who touched her, followed by that old man if he didn't figure something out quickly. But her murderous thoughts were cut short by a small voice right beside her and she jumped, whipping around to look.

It was a tiny human boy.

And he had no eyes.

Jolting in surprise, her mind going momentarily blank as the logistics of how he'd even gotten into the cage and was he even alive tumbled through her head, she could only listen as he spoke.

And then stare as the cage door opened, and the boy floated through the bars.

He was a specter, she realized as goosebumps shivered over her skin.

The man was true to his word; hadn't he said something about some sanctuary?

And as Kyori slunk out of the cage and followed after the dead boy, cold dread settled in the pit of her belly as she wondered just who she had made a deal with.