Chapter Thirteen
Thrown to the Hounds... More or Less.
Well, most people can't say that they've been inside a flying cage being pulled by griffins, but I can now. Although most people also don't meet Titan, get dragon powers, and meet princesses that can raise the sun and moon, either. So I suppose it's par for the course at this point.
Well, on the upside, I don't have to fly with my injured wing.
Breaking my gaze away from the armored griffins in front of me, I take a look at the wing in question. The hole seems to have widened a bit from when I was flying, much as I had assumed from the way it felt earlier. I'm actually moderately surprised by how much it had hurt, I wouldn't have thought the thin air catching portions of my wings would have that much feel to them. Rubbing my thumb along my uninjured wing I can definitely feel it, and when it isn't an arrow shooting through it, it felt pretty good to have my wings touched.
Well, this is a fetish just waiting to happen.
Shut up.
The guards flanking the cage's sides seem to cast a glance to me as they see me touching my wing. I decide it's not the best time to arouse suspicion, considering the whole "captured" thing. I take my hand away from my wing and simply lie back and pretend like this is some kind of magical griffin taxi service. Although admittedly, that's pretty difficult considering I can feel the chains clamped around my limbs. They were starting to chafe a bit considering that we've been flying long enough for the sun to completely clear the mountains, the guards seemed to be taking shifts on who's pulling the cage.
Part of me wants to try and make my wings disappear to see if that'll fix my injury, but I'd rather keep as many cards tucked up my sleeves as I can. You never know what might come in handy after all, this is the same reason I haven't demonstrated my fire-breathing to these guys, as much fun as it would be to see the looks on their faces if I did.
It's a bit serene as I look out into the mountains that tower over me on all sides, if it weren't for the fact these flying chickens were taking me to fight for their amusement it might actually even be nice. Unfortunately, the context of my travel does in fact dampen the mood a bit.
Well, on the upside I get to be a gladiator.
How the hell is that an upside? Gladiators die gruesome deaths like every other day. Heck, most were convicted criminals sentenced to death, that's how dangerous that crap is.
Buzz kill.
With these pleasant thoughts running through my mind I allow myself to drift off to sleep, not out of being tired. More so that the ride was long, and uneventful. Well, besides all the griffins that seemed to be flying around me and gawking, we seemed to be passing by some settlements while we're flying. I was especially unnerved when one griffin female, at least I hope it's female, wondered out loud how much I'd cost.
I do not want to know what she wants to buy me for. I'm going to assume manual labor... fuck... damn, I just keep digging myself deeper into this hole huh?
Yup.
Putting aside the griffin female who wants me for things, I see the beginnings of a large city built along the upper reaches of a mountain.
Being cramped up in this cage I'm feeling a little stiff and, I take the opportunity to crack my neck. The sound gets the attention of those around me, and most of them give me one degree or another of the stink eye.
"Geez, calm down. I'm just stiff."
"Whatever you are creature, feeling stiff will be the least of your worries." The one I assume to be an officer of some kind says.
"Well, being stiff also isn't my only complaint. My wing still hurts from when I was shot." He say, pointing towards the wing in question.
"Do you even know what you asked for when you said you'd fight in the Colosseum?" He says, bewildered by the way I'm acting.
"A very likely and very gruesome death? Yeah, I'm expecting that, but hopefully it'll be the other guy and not me."
"You are one strange creature." He responds, shaking his head and looking forward again.
"Buddy, you have no idea." I chuckle.
And so my luxury flight continues, complete with flat, uncomfortable floors and bars. It isn't much longer before we've reached the city in full. From the size of it, as well as the obvious palace towards the center, this is evidently the capital. I can't remember the name of it seeing as I never really investigated it that thoroughly on the map when I had the chance. The griffins guarding me took everything but the clothes on my back when they captured me.
Hopefully, I'll be able to get my things back.
Hopefully, you won't die.
Flying over the outer wall of the city I see the hustle and bustle one would expect of a major city. For once, I was even seeing it during the day and no one was even trying to stab me! Well, even if that's only because I'm already sentenced for the chopping block right now.
Eh, I'll take my victories where I can get 'em.
Among the griffins it seems as though flying above the city streets was as much of a normal means of conveyance as walking on them is. The odd dragon-winged monkey thing managed to garner even more attention as we flew, our destination was clearly the large circular building that was undoubtedly the Colosseum, and I could already hear those around us making personal wagers. The ones regarding maiming or dismemberment unnerved me the most.
Hey, at lest your 'member' will likely not be dis-membered by the end of this!
I fucking hate you.
Oh come on, that was funny.
"Well well, Tesserārius Redenar, what brings you back to Gryphos?" A regal looking griffin, wearing only what I can describe as a toga, rudely interrupts me mentally berating myself as we land on a circular platform. "I was under the impression you were assigned to the border."
"Senator Winvidar," The officer who had been escorting my entourage and myself responds, I can note a slight strain in his voice as he speaks to the Senator. Obviously, there is little love lost between the two of them, "We captured this creature attempting to cross the border, when it was cornered it offered to fight in the Colosseum."
The griffin senator known as Winvidar takes a good look at me for the first time, his expression showing mild interest and some degree of surprise. "Well now, I've never seen something like this before. It kind of looks like somefeather took a strange monkey and threw dragon bits on it." Looking back towards the Tesserārius he asks, "You said it volunteered for the Colosseum, so that means it can speak?"
"Yes your grace, it spoke very fluently in fact."
"Well, get it to say something."
"Pardon me your grace?" Redanar says, looking fairly surprised at the request.
"Get it to talk, it has peaked my curiosity."
Oh I'm going to milk this for all it's worth.
You're going to get us killed.
Redanar moves up to the bars of my cage as the Senator, and the other guards watch with interest. "Creature, speak."
Oh he's going to have to try harder than that.
In response to his command, I adopt a bewildered expression and tilt my head in false confusion. I even go so far as to raise an eyebrow, because I'm a cheeky bastard.
In response to my playful antics Redanar scowls and says, "Creature I don't know what you're playing at, but say something before I put a hole in your good wing."
While normally I'd avoid calling him on his bluff, for my current charade to work I have to play the ignorant dimwit. So in keeping with that role I looking around uneasily to the rest off those gathered and give a little shrug.
"Redanar, I sincerely hope you aren't foolish enough to try lying to me." Winvidar says with irritation growing in his voice.
"I'm not, it talked when we caught it, it was talking just before we reached the city!" He says, growing uncomfortable with the situation I'm putting him in. I decide the poor guy... er, griffin, has had enough and drop my confused look and clear my throat.
I put on my best old timey Englishman voice and say, "My sincerest apologies, I simply find it terribly rude to be addressed as an 'it' when I am most certainly a dashingly handsome male. Furthermore, I do not speak on command in a way one would expect from a dog,"
Man, I wish I could pull a monocle and top hat out of thin air right now.
I really wish you'd stop pulling this stupid crap, ya crazy bastard.
"Ah, so it can speak." Winvidar says, completely disregarding my claim to dashingly handsome male-hood, "Well, either it's a very good mimic, or it's somewhat intelligent. It should prove to be interesting to watch it fight, even if it does only have one claw and an injured wing."
"It had a weapon as well your grace, should we provide it when it fights?" Redanar asks, continuing with the new trend of calling me an 'it.'
"Yes yes, it would hardly be sporting to throw this creature in with no hope of surviving now wouldn't it?" Winvidar says to no one in particular, his tone letting everyone know he could care less about being sporting to the monkey thing in the cage. "Take it away to the pens, it can fight later today." The regal griffin says with finality, and begins to stroll away from my chariot.
With that, I'm finally let out of my luxury ride, at the end of pointy objects of course.
It wouldn't be fun if I wasn't being given new holes to leak from after all.
And so I find myself being escorted towards a side entrance of the looming structure, unfortunately, I can note that the large door had no small amount of blood staining it. At least I assume it's all blood, some of it has some... interesting coloration.
I definitely don't want to meet the thing that has green blood.
Hell it'd probably be more normal than you are at this point.
Oh come on, I'm not that weird.
You're an alien that has wings and a claw that doesn't match the rest of it's body, can make said body parts fade into mist, and is moderately insane. You're pretty fucking weird.
You're a figment of my imagination, what do you know anyway?
Just as much as you do in fact, if not more so because I tell you about the crap about yourself that you don't accept.
So what, you're my conscience?
Oh no, far from it in fact. You've been correct on several occasions by calling me an asshole, because I most definitely am.
I dimly note during my mental conversation that I'm being led underground past a large number of cages, some occupied, some not, all of them having some kind of blood stain. I feel as though I'm beginning to notice a pattern here. I notice all manner of griffins in many of the cells, even a pony here or there...
Was that a dragon? Oh no, it doesn't have wings, so not a dragon but still as big as a house, awesome.
Eventually I'm taken to a surprisingly blood stain free cell and roughly thrown inside. If I wasn't sturdier thanks to my magic-dragon-whatever powers, courtesy of my favorite Titan, it might have actually hurt a bit. I eventually get off of my hindquarters and look around the cell I'm currently residing in. Evidently, while I'm interesting, I'm not interesting enough to be given my own personal cell, because looking around the cell I see three hunched over bi-pedal dogs.
They seem to be decently built, and if what I'm told of their diet is any indication their teeth could probably bite my arm clean off. All three of them regard me with interest, one of them was even sniffing the air around me. Thankfully though, he didn't seem inclined to investigate my behind as some dogs tend to do.
As I look at them I remember two important things about diamond dogs, for that was what they most certainly are. Is that the last half-dragon waged a bloody revolution against their kind, and two is that they tend to hold grudges.
Well, I hope that these guys aren't avid enthusiasts of ancient history.
Oh please, I don't think the universe can hate anyone that much. I mean it happened thousands of years ago and most don't even remember it happened. There's no way in hell one of these guys knows about it.
Just then, the universe, never one to be outdone, decides to remind me how thoroughly it can screw my life over on a whim. For a light of understanding develops in the place of one dog's previously thoughtful expression.
... You just fucking had to go and jinx it.
---
Greysnout was a smart dog, he knew he was a smart dog, his whole clan knew he was a smart dog. Unfortunately, that meant the bigger dogs always liked to pick on the runt. So he had to get stronger, because his brain couldn't save him from an angry dog all of the time.
He grew as strong as he could, and he was able to take care of himself. However, the alpha did not like him, "Too smart for his own good" he'd say. he left the clan a long time ago, and most dogs didn't care for him much after that. It didn't matter much because most seemed to not care much for him either way.
While other dogs were annoying to deal with, he loved books. There were precious few in the diamond labyrinth to be sure, but that just made them all the more special to Greysnout.
When this strange thing was thrown in the cell by the griffins he was reminded of a book, but at first he couldn't remember why. Most of it was unlike anydog had ever seen, it wore clothes over most of it and it's face had no fur. What caught his attention though was the claw and wing, but why did they? There was more to it, and it was nagging at the back of his skull.
Greysnout felt his eyes widen when it came to him. The claws and wings caught his attention because they looked out of place, like it was part dragon and part something else. Something not anything entirely whole, but it had once been.
It was a Half-Dragon.
And they said books weren't good for anything.