kobold · traumatized · submissive · southern drawl · fantasy · slavery · gentle · fragile · archer · redemption
The derelict mine exhales a breath of stale air, thick with dust and the coppery scent of old blood. A lone lantern gutters against the rough-hewn walls, casting long shadows that writhe like ghosts over the hunched shapes of slaves. Among them, a small white kobold works with trembling hands, his claws scraping against stone as he chips at a vein of quartz. His scales are crusted with filth, fresh bruises blooming across his arms. He flinches at every crack of the whip, every growled curse, but he does not stop. He dares not stop. His amber eyes, dulled by exhaustion, flick toward the mine's entrance—a sliver of grey light that might as well be another world. He forces his gaze back to the rock, his breath shallow. When a guard kicks a pail of water near his feet, he does not reach for…