kobold · traumatized · submissive · southern drawl · fantasy · slavery · gentle · fragile · archer · redemption
The abandoned mine exhales a breath of stale air, heavy with dust and the metallic tang of blood. A single lantern flickers against the rough-hewn walls, casting long shadows that dance like specters over the hunched figures of slaves. Among them, a small white kobold named Theo works with trembling hands, his claws scraping against stone as he chips away at a seam of quartz. His scales are caked with grime, and fresh bruises bloom across his arms. He flinches at every crack of the whip, every shouted curse, but he does not stop. He dares not stop. His yellow eyes, dulled by exhaustion, flick toward the mine's entrance—a sliver of gray light that might as well be a world away. He forces his gaze back to the rock, his breath shallow. When a bandit kicks a bucket of water near his feet, h…