FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Written by Choice Cuts Deli

Commission for Anonymous | February 2022 | 7184 Words

Avalanches are most expected to form in the craggiest, snow-swept mountains. The highest peaks, home to the most remote and desolate of dragon holds, where one mighty roar elicited from an icy behemoth could send a cascade of snow tumbling, the force of which could bury men, mer and even the largest forests under its powdery weight. One might not expect such a torrential flood to occur in the back room of a quaint little tavern.

"Wh- Oh gods what-?" was all the brass-scaled proprietor could yelp, the little kobold having disturbed a cloth pouch they found resting upon a high shelf in the spacious rear kitchen. In a moment, the little lizard found themselves awash in a tumbling mass of brittle bones and shimmering scales, the contents of the loosely tied bag falling about them in an almost comical fashion. "Ow! Ack! Ce- CERI!" The brass kobold growled, shimmering blue highlights glimmering on their scales as they stamped a clawed foot upon the ground, calling forth the mighty 'ice dragon' from his slumber in the back room.

Yawning wide, and rubbing his eyes to stave off sleep, a striking, white-scaled kobold stepped out from the tavern's common room, blinking as he saw his fellow critter surrounded by his slew of trophies and prizes. Before he could open his mouth, one last item finally gained enough momentum to roll out the bag's open neck; a meaty, red-and-grey animal's heart tumbled through the air before striking the brass kobold between the horns with a wet plap. "Give those back, Arix!" the little, white-scaled critter snarled, furrowing his brow as he slipped down to all fours, darting forwards to pick up the pieces. "I chopped those! The shiny-bits are my horde!"

Still in shock, the gooey heart - ostensibly that of a dragon - resting in their hands, Arix almost let their fellow kobold get away with scooping up his trinkets. Almost. A heavy footpaw stamped down on one of the longer bones, curling his clawed toes about the knobby femur head. "Ceri, this is not your personal chop shop!"

"I got hired here to chop dragons," Ceri replied defensively, reptilian face contorting in a half-hearted snarl. "I can take what I want from them!" By now, an array of curious snouts had begun to poke out from various spots in the tavern; a few peeping in from the common area, some nosing their way from outdoors at the well and stables. A growing audience of multi-colored kobolds, drawn to this place from far and wide, seemed curious about the latest bickering between their leadership. "Ice kobolds claim and use the dead. It honors them."

Arix did not let up lightly, but as they removed their paw from the little trophy bone, Arix decided to put a touch of his brass lineage and charm to use. Scampering up onto a stool, they pointed to the beautiful watercolor mural that lined the walls of the back room. "You knew what you signed up for. Kobolds live to serve dragonkind, do we not?" The room erupted into a cacophony of squeaks and nods as Ceri grumpily collected the last of his trinkets. "Dragons have always homed and housed our people. And as dragons settled down into the world, did they not need service still?" Gesturing to the stylized draconic words upon the wall, reading, 'The Last Swill Tavern,' Arix continued, "We have an important job! We are a place for dragons who cannot ever be true dragons. Dragons guilty of crime, of failing dragonkind, and who will never truly be strong and powerful predators."

Arix did not notice the transfixed crowd of kobolds had begun to turn their gaze away, one by one seeming to let out a gentle squeak or a nervous little shiver as the little speech continued. "We give honor, pleasure, and respect to those dragons who must perish." Standing upon their tip-toes, and giving their best impression of the menacing, rampant black dragon on the wall mural. "If we don't do it, then we'll all be on the menu! Raaaawr!" Normally such an outburst would frighten some of the younger kobolds. But today, nobody seemed to move, eyes turned towards the doorway as a heavy-taloned beast lumbered in on all fours.

"I promise," the creature said, the blue-scaled dragon smirking as she bowed with reverence to the kobold in charge. "You won't ever anger me enough to put such a lovely clan of kobolds on my menu." In a flash, a baker's dozen of the little lizards crowded about the bright-eyed dragoness, some bouncing up and down, others trying to address her directly. Their scrabbling for attention was cut short as Arix approached, followed close behind by a humbled Ceri.

"Good evening, oh great one," Arix began with a smile, still a little blush on their face after being caught acting. "We would love to serve you. Though the kitchen is not quite open yet, we would be happy to show you to the pleasure hall!"

"That is most kind, little one," the dragoness smiled, the edges of her muzzle upturned softly as she added, "I- I suppose that is alright, considering I am not here to eat." The smile gave way to a tint of blush under her cheeks as she added, "I was told you accept volunteers?"

"A- Always, oh great one!" Ceri blurted out, his eyes blinking in warmth.

"We do, it is our duty to serve," Arix confirmed, reaching out to take the dragoness by the paw and lead her forwards in the kitchen.

"Thank you, little ones," the dragoness huffed a sigh of relief. "My name is Pazzur."

"A fine name for a stormbringer," Ceri chirped, his voice betraying a touch of smitten-ness.

"You need not tell us your reasons," Arix added. "But we will happily perform your wishes, no matter what they be."

"Well, you see..." Pazzur's smiling blush faded only momentarily as she found herself led towards what looked like a heavy wooden scaffold situated on the opposite side of the kitchen, set up near the hearth that two scurrying kobolds were busy trying to reignite. "I've uh, I've never really been one for all the power trip that a lot of dragons share. I've always been kinda soft and squishy and-"

"A bottom?" Ceri added with a wry giggle, joined by a few others despite Arix shooting him an icy look.

"Heh, I suppose you could say that," Pazzur smirked at the insinuation. "I always knew I wasn't cut out for greatness. Not to own a hold, nor claim a horde. And my family always said they would love me for who I am. So, they encouraged me to do what felt right." Swallowing softly, Pazzur glanced left and right, the throng of little kobolds surrounding her towering form, nearly all twenty feet of her length.

"And you've always been interested in serving your draconic brethren a different way?" Arix asked, smiling as they gave a gentle caress to the dragoness's paw.

"I have. I... I had a lover once, but they were uncomfortable when I said I wanted to... well..."

"What was it you wanted?"

"Well... I always wanted to be part of a feast." Pazzur's muzzle twisted in a soft wriggle as she spoke. "Mmm... to be savored by so many, enjoyed by all who came and cherished by those who... grilled and roasted my flesh."

"A feast? So you wish to be butchered apart, oh great one?"

"Mmmm... Butchered, broken down knowing I will serve so many. Which is why I was so excited when I learned of The Last Swill Tavern."

Pazzur hardly seemed to notice the bustle about the room while she described her chosen end in detail, unaware that every last kobold present was perfectly attentive to her needs. It was easier when there weren't other dragons to care for, of course. The full team of chefs, butchers and artisans could attend her every need. "Ahhh, well, allow me to explain a few things," Arix said with a grin, cupping a clawed paw under the dragoness's chin. "Perhaps you may already know, but it is our duty, as a..." They paused to think up the proper word, deciding on, "Found kobold clan. Our unique position, beholden to no master but dragonkind, means all who walk through our doors receive reverence and worship. It is our duty to worship and treat you like a goddess." Pazzur gasped at the sudden strange sensation of two hempen knots slipping around her lower legs, the snares snuck on mid-gait by deft and tricky kobold paws.

"Wh- What?" Before she could realize what happened, her hind legs were yanked out from under her body, a pulley system sunk into an overhead rafter allowing several of the smaller lizardfolk to yank and tug until the much heavier dragoness hung by her ankles. A second set of ropes were quickly secured around her fore-limbs, the kobolds' efficiency making it impossible for her to struggle as she suddenly found herself hanging spread-eagle, dangling belly-down and precariously from the multiple tie points set into in the ceiling.

"It is our duty to serve you till your end," Arix continued, their smile turning toothsome as they spoke. "Our revered dragon to worship as we carry out your last wishes... or should it be ordered, the wishes of dragonkind... but you came to us voluntarily! You will be treated exactly how you requested."

Pazzur swallowed hard as she looked about the room, gleaming rows of teeth smiling up at her, as if she were the center of a kobold tribe's sacrifice. In a sense, she was; a sacrifice she had asked for. As she settled into her position within easy reach of the kobolds, hanging about four feet off the ground, Pazzur shuddered as she realized her dream was about to come true. "Mmmm... Oh gods," the dragoness huffed out her snout as she swayed gently in her sling-like restraints. "Y- you really are... you're not just playing a- are you?" Ceri, who had stepped away to gather his tools, being the tavern's lead butcher, gave a happily wicked nod of assent, sending shivers down Pazzur's spine. "Then- Then as your goddess, I order you to... to do..." Taking a deep breath she huffed. "To butcher me to death. To enjoy it. And to make sure I enjoy it.

"It is our pleasure, oh great one," Ceri growled, licking his chops as he carefully drew a thin bladed knife from the rolled pack that he brought. "I must say I find your scales beautiful... Your scales and your body..." He growled softly, examining his selection as he stepped up to the hanging dragoness, her body quivering as she could no longer support herself, allowing her stomach and chest to sag down. "Tell me, may I please keep your- Ooof!" Ceri grunted as his companion stepped in to give a swift punch to the kobold's arm. Grimacing through the pain, he resolved to ask later and decided to begin his work. "Ahh, such a beautiful pelt," he whispered, running his clawed fingers down the dragoness's body, tickling her flesh until he reached her loins.

"A- Ahhh..." Pazzur swallowed softly as Ceri's sharp clawtips slowly spread her slit open. Yet unlike her ex-lover's gentle attention, the kobold seemed far less interested in slipping his fingers inside her holes. Craning her neck underneath her body, Pazzur tried to get a good look as Ceri tented open her hole with his claws, only to be stopped by Arix's guiding paw.

"My Queen," he whispered, coaxing her to look him in the face. "If it should get too much-" Before he could explain what 'too much' meant, a sharp, searing pain struck, Pazzur's loins, her already exhausted legs feebly trying to clench shut as Ceri carefully carved a slice around the edge of her slit. Cautiously peeling back the supple pubic scales and dragon flesh, the little kobold flensed the dragoness's most intimate spot, open before drawing the knife up the length of her body in a swift movement. The blade furrowed a shallow line, like a plow tilling the earth. Starting at her now bloody slit, it dragged all the way up past her belly and chest, ending at the dragoness's collarbones. "You can always ask for us to end it," Arix assured, or perhaps they only wanted the dragoness to think she was in control.

"A- ahhhh..." Her eyes clenched tight, she found herself trying to breathe through the pain as a half dozen kobold claws followed in the wake of Ceri's knife, peeling the supple skin back from the meat underneath. "N- No, not- not yet..."

"Everything you dreamt of?" Arix prodded, smiling as they held Pazzur's head softly. "That is your pelt you feel, meters upon meters of you, to be preserved and enjoyed.

"M- More. than I could ever dream of," she gasped, clenching her jaw tight as the butchering kobolds began to stretch her flayed skin, running stitches of thin wire through her flesh before pulling it taught to eye-hooks sunk into the walls all around her. In time, Pazzur felt her own belly flesh pressing up against her limp and fluttering wings, the dragoness's body half-skinned as she hung like a bloody tarp over the industrious kobolds. Every touch of their claws upon her exposed meat sent shocks of pain through her body, the agony-wracked dragoness dripping soft tears into the crook of Arix's arm as Ceri prepared the next step. A heavier chef's knife was selected, forced firmly into her bowels just underneath the ribcage, a fetid hiss soon followed as he opened the dragoness's stomach cavity like a zipper, dragging the knife slowly down the length of her body until it sliced straight through her slit. Even as some of the skinning kobolds were working through her legs and forelimbs, Ceri set to work with the disemboweling process.

Carefully reaching inside, the little kobold fished about, his paws squishing in the hot entrails as he searched for his prize. It was a terribly foreign sensation for Pazzur, but she could hardly do anything to stop him as he found what he was looking for at the base of her hips. A thin length of twine, which he'd held tight in his jaws, was quickly grabbed and slipped up inside her body, cinched tight about her sigmoid colon, to ensure there would be no accidents tainting the meat. Taking the knife, Ceri was cautious not to damage the slippery jewels of her organs as he carefully cut free the gooey intestines. The slimy ropes of gut had already begun to snake out the incision he made. Without her muscles bale to provide support, the whole set of entrails slopped forwards in her belly cavity, caught by the waiting paws of the attending kobolds. The little lizardfolk chattered and yipped while fondling her fleshy coils, two of the more senior attendants digging their arms in deep to hunt for her stomach and esophagus midway up her body. As he prepared to take her oviduct, Ceri noticed a gentle warmth against his forearm and body, a piddle of urine dribbling out her slit as he worked. The growing pain, no matter how ecstatic, must have gotten the better of her bodily functions.

Arix could feel Pazzur's consciousness beginning to fade, the pain becoming overwhelming for the eager dragoness. Resting her head upon the floor, they began to walk back down the length of her body, surveying the hard work. As a tribe might lust for their horde of gems or jewels, the kobolds reverently prized each organ as they removed it from her body. They were seemingly everywhere all at once. One greenscaled critter carefully slit the blood vessels holding the spleen. A red tinted kobold tied off her stomach from both ends. A third little one was busy fondling Pazzur's bumpy pancreas while two ornery kobolds fought over a kidney (forgetting that there were two to share). Ceri, of course, was having his own fun, squeezing the dragoness's bladder, and watching the flood of dribbling piss exit her slit in a feeble little torrent, before diverting to flow as he sliced his knife into the girl's oviduct, allowing it to drool out from the incision he made in her abdomen. In time the preparation table was stacked not only with a perfect anatomical array of organs, but also with the first slabs of easily processed meat - particularly the dragoness's belly flesh and tenderloins, leaving only a sinewy bundle of bone and gristle to hold her spine together.

"Oh, great one," Arix said from alongside the dragon, directing their voice loudly towards Pazzur's flagging head. "Thank you for your sacrifice to The Last Swill Tavern... If you can hear me... I offer you loving travel wherever you go after your last breath..." Snatching up one of Ceri's blades, Arix pierced the knife into Pazzur's diaphragm, a rush of air flooding her chest cavity with a sickening sucking noise. Reaching a paw inside, the very act causing one of Pazzur's lungs to deflate, they huffed as they palmed their queen's melon-sized heart, the organ beating with thready rapidity. Slowly, Arix squeezed down upon the fleshy organ, giving it less and less space to move, the beats deforming as they fought to continue. Soon the struggling pulse turned erratic, the frantic synapses fighting desperately to keep her conscious. The last thing Pazzur would hear was the sound of searing meat, someone having laid a few dragoness steaks upon the hearth to grill. At least Arix hoped that she heard it, her feast fast approaching as the dragoness's heart quivered and finally went still.

"Another round, my loving servant!" A powerful voice boomed as a looming black dragon called over his shoulder to one of the scurrying kobolds attending the grand feast in the tavern's pleasure hall. "More stormdragon meat and a round of ale, for me and my clade!" the beast continued, happily gesturing to the red-scaled dragon at the table next to him, and the heavy basaliskine serpent whose length sat deceptively coiled up the table's leg.

"R- Right away, oh great one!" the little kobold chirped, happily scurrying off to the kitchens, only to be distracted by a sight that it had never seen before. While the kitchen saw its fair share of strange creatures through its doors, a massive cage sat in the middle of the room today, filled with a rather sullen-looking, prismatic purple dragon. Its scales were almost milky-white in complexion, veined with iridescent ridges that gave it depth in the torchlight. Wholly distracted by its beauty, the kobold stepped up closer, among the throng of ooh'ing and aah'ing lizardsfolk, some scrabbling through the bars to try and swipe a scale if they could reach one.

"Hey! Hey! Shoo, shoo!" A familiar voice yipped, Arix putting on their meanest face as they ordered their tribe to get back to work.

"This is a feast for dragonkind!" Ceri barked from behind his brass scaled compatriot, adding to the scolding. "That means take care of the dragons in our tavern!" With a grumpy look plastered across his face, he crossed his arms in a huff before turning his attention back to the forlorn looking critter.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer more indignity than necessary, Vizi," Arix blushed, looking a little disappointed at his own staff. "You deserve better for your last hours, even if they are not how you pictured them."

"Yeah," Ceri grimaced, unable to help but add, "I've never seen an amethyst dragon before... could I keep one of y- Ooof!" The sudden elbow to the ribs left Ceri whining, grumbling at the fact Arix knew exactly where to aim their strikes.

"It's as alright as it will be," the dragon huffed, swallowing softly at the realization that nothing it could say would change the situation. "I... I have brought shame to dragonkind, it is my honor to face the death decided for me." Honor was not exactly the term Arix would use to describe it. This particular dragon did its best to play by the rules. Perhaps they should have known when they were in over their head, Arix wondered to themselves when they were first told of Vizi's crimes. They were no fighter; amethyst dragons were dreamers, their heads always in the clouds, wishing to transcend the planes to their home realm. Yet the rights of dragonkind required them to take a hold, build a horde and a power base. Their life would have been simpler if they just decided to come to The Last Swill Tavern. In the end, they lost it all, unable to hold back some brave adventurers. And now, forced to face the result of their actions, the amethyst dragon could only accept their fate, if only out of what little honor they had. "I am thankful you have provided me with..." A soft smile cracked across the lanky dragon's face, their eyes seeming to half-lid as they finished. "Some comfort in my last hours."

Arix nodded softly, craning their neck over their shoulder as they heard someone calling out from the pleasure hall that they should bring forth the night's feast. "I am glad I can provide to you, oh great one." Leaning a paw through the cage, the brass kobold sighed as they gave a soft pat to the dragon's flank, even as two of their attendants began to throw the lock on the cage door. "If it is any consolation, I hope that you can see this as the beginning of something better? Something right for you." As the dragon felt attending paws begin to slip knots about their wrists and forelimbs, working to restrain the beast as they coaxed them out of the cage, Vizi found themselves staring at the kindly brass kobold as they explained. "We will do our best to give you the plainwalk your kind so deeply desire. Your final wish is always our command."

Tears welling in Vizi's eyes, they could only nod at the realization that their executioners truly only wished the best for them. Not so from the dragons that filled the pleasure hall, the pounding whoops and cat calls of the restless crowd growing louder as they were led nervously out towards the main hall by an escort of no less than a dozen of the little kobolds.

Representatives of every clade and clan filled The Last Swill Tavern. The eyes of the draconic world seemed to fall upon Vizi as they were led out of the kitchen, their body locked in a hunched forwards position as their attending kobolds led them in towards their death. The tables which remained, lining the massive room's outer walls, were positioned with a perfect view to the center of the room. The tavern's main pleasure hall was somewhat open-air; not only was one wall designed to facilitate ease of entry and exit for oversized guests wishing to use the veranda, the center of the main dining hall had a large, exposed skylight. Its purpose was twofold, not only offering visiting dragons the opportunity to stare at the stars above, but also allowing smoke to filter upwards from the large hearth dug out in the center of the room. Big enough to roast several horses at once, or one dragon, the hearth today was dwarfed by a massive black cauldron, the heavy iron pot shimmering with a bright amber fluid that filled most of the way up the inside.

"Ahhh, there is the guest of the hour," a towering beast rumbled with enough force to clatter table settings, tender draconic steaks and chops dancing upon their platters as the menacing iron dragon spoke.

"Oh, great Taarak, leader of dragonkind," Arix yipped, bowing low and reverently as their attending kobolds forced Vizi to kneel, draped forwards over one of the long tables situated next to the heavy cast iron pot. "We, the humble clan of The Last Swill Tavern present to you the amethyst dragon Vizi, whose actions brought shame and affront to our lands and holdings." Arix could not help but open an eye, peeking upwards at the massive beast that towered over them. Speaking to the leader of the dragon clade was an honor reserved for Arix, yet the experience was no less frightening, even if they had the opportunity to speak regularly.

"Mmmm..." Taarak seemed busy eyeing up Vizi's body, watching as the ropes were fastened off in a sort of spread-eagle, the resigned victim's thighs tied off to either of the table's legs. "Vizi has disgraced dragonkind. Lost their hold, and their horde. The deaths of their kobolds, at the hands of the onslaught of adventurers, as well as the great dragon Cadmus the Wise, who came to the aid of Vizi's hold. For that affront," he rumbled, lowering his gaze upon Vizi's tired form, "you are sentenced to death." Turning his attention back to Arix, and noticing the approach of the white-scaled Ceri brandishing a heavy iron axe, he nodded his assent to the little kobold. "Effective immediately."

Ceri swallowed softly, the crowd of onlooking dragons making him shiver as he tried not to get stage fright. Placing a paw upon the amethyst dragon's flank, he swallowed softly as he whispered, "forgive me, oh great one." Vizi breathed in slowly as the touch left, perhaps doing their best to forgive their own personal Charon, before a sudden, sharp shock struck the dragon's hip. Ceri slammed the axe blade hard into Vizi's hip just below the rump. The strike was incomplete, just enough to shatter the dragon's thigh, forcing Ceri to plant a foot upon the dragon to help wrench the axe back out. A second cleave finally did the job, severing Vizi's thigh from their body, the lifeless meat thudding on the ground.

Yet strangely, Vizi seemed oddly quiet. The raucous partying all about the room dulled to a low rumble as they realized that the amethyst dragon was barely making a noise; they were whimpering through teary eyes but certainly not screaming the blood-curdling cries of someone in intense agony. Perhaps it was Vizi's sense of honor, but they seemed determined to meet death with pride. That is, until they felt their remaining thigh cleaved by the axe. A perfect swing, Ceri managed to shatter through Vizi's thigh, causing the dragon to finally lose their nerve, a scream roaring out from their mouth as Ceri finished slicing through the remnant meat, freeing the limb at last.

Brutally efficient, Vizi could already feel the paws of so many attending kobolds rubbing their fingers against their supple scales, some carefully tying off the bloody stumps while others massaged a strange and gooey mixture against their body. In the throes of agony, the dragon could hardly think to focus on that odd sensation, not until they opened their eyes to see Arix massaging a squishy mixture of flour and egg upon their face. "Shhh, it won't be long, great one," Arix whispered, only for the pain to return as Ceri cleaved clean Vizi's arm, the fleshy limb twitching twice before falling to the floor. The brass kobold tightened their grip around Vizi's cheeks, shushing as they continued working. "Relax," Arix whispered, their grip disappearing for a moment before returning with the looped end of a hempen noose, the length of rope hanging from a rafter situated just over the glowing amber pot.

As Vizi's last limb and tail were severed, leaving them a helpless torso, the dragon could only watch helplessly as their lifeless appendages were massaged in the same doughy goo before being placed into the seething hot pot, the boiling oil suddenly erupting into gouts of simmering bubbles as the breaded limbs sunk to the bottom and began to fry. It was surreal, terrifying, especially as Vizi realized that they would never see the embrace of death before they met the same fate. Even as the chill of shock began to settle into their body, they knew that they too were being slathered with the same gooey breading that coated their frying arms and legs.

Vizi would have no time to contemplate this horror as a half-dozen little kobolds gave a swift yank upon the noose, the prismatic dragon sputtering as its neck was drawn taught and body lifted off the table, swaying like a pendulum as their massive weight was coaxed to settle just above the roiling oil. Arix could only wish they could hold the dangling creature a bit longer, ushering them to death before the heat of the oil consumed them. But their fate was decided. And Arix could tell Taarak's smirk was both amused and impatient as he watched. Raising their paw, Arix gave the command, watching nervously as Vizi slowly lowered into the bubbling oil. Their body quivered the moment their unprotected rump touched the surface, oil spitting and spattering up the length of their body as they were slowly settled into their agonizing fate.

The little kobolds were bucked about as Vizi's helpless body rocked with all its might, despite the choking noose taking much of the fight out of them. As the dragon settled rump-down in the cauldron of roiling oil, Vizi let out a bellowing roar, the pain overwhelming as they began to buck and thrash with all their might. It was riotous, the stoic dragon finally losing their fight with pain and giving in to their base need for survival. All the while watched by the assembled dragons, whose laughter and cheers only egged on the horrid show. In the end, Arix would take pity on the shamed dragon, quickly motioning for the attending kobolds when Taarak's head was turned. In a final act of mercy, a pile of the little lizardfolk grabbed for the rope, lunging to put their weight upon it.

Vizi's eyes, darkened from the tense noose wrapped about their neck, shot open as the slack in the rope suddenly tightened. A sick pop rang out through the pleasure hall, followed by a terrible RIP. Vizi's mouth gaped like a fish as suddenly their world began to tumble. The last thing they saw was the noose flinging bloody spatter upwards above the pot. The hempen cord decapitated the dragon in a single swift yank, leaving them to mercifully fade as their head sunk down through the boiling oil and everything went black. At long, long last.

"You're going to get sick eating that," Arix scolded playfully, smirking as they caught Ceri in the act of picking at a tender slice of breaded cheek meat. It was not even a full day since Vizi took a dip in the hot oil, and their hollow and lifeless skull was among the last things to be cleaned up from the riotous party. Ceri did not seem to believe Arix's warning, having spent much of the morning picking at the golden-brown flesh and crisp breading like one might pick at the leftovers of fried chicken wings. They still tasted good, even if by now they had reached the end of their freshness.

"Nuh-uh," Ceri scoffed, the white-scaled kobold growling as they teased off a strip of flesh from the dragon's face, peeling out a few of the softened scales before popping it into his mouth. "The meat is still good!"

"Pfft, whatever you say," Arix sighed, rolling their eyes. "But that soot-dragon we got in the back is gonna be much fresher. Let the others fight over how they want to use Vizi's head."

The words carried just far enough to catch the ear of a bound and gagged creature resting in the back room, its charcoal-black scales polished to a reflective sheen, like a block of graphite. He did not take too kindly to being called a soot-dragon, the smoke drake snarling as he tried to twist and turn in his bonds. But the kobolds had bound the creature tight, including his snout, making it nearly impossible to escape. Failing to make progress, the creature rumbled in his chest before a thick and sooty huff of smoke exited his nostrils, the curling whisps of cinder and ash rising up from its nose and pooling on the ceiling. Thankfully, both Ceri and Arix could see the flood of creeping embers that curled out from the kitchen door. "Hey! Hey hey," Ceri growled, nearly dropping the dragon skull as he rushed towards the flood of smoke, followed closely by Arix on his heels.

The show of defiance would not last long. Two thick corks, taken from a few discarded bottles of wine, were pressed into service, shoved down the smoke drake's nostrils before he could bellow another breath. "Nice try, Eirieg," Arix growled, chuckling under their breath as they fanned out the smoke. "You try that again, you're going to regret it." Eirieg, of course, was more concerned with the realization that he was suffocating, the lungful of air beginning to burn in his chest. "We're already under orders to make your death an example. After what you've done to relations with the non-dragons in the region, you should be thankful your end won't be drawn out." Almost an after-thought, Arix added, "Oh great one," in a far more patronizing tone than usual.

"Should we take care of him now?" Ceri growled, his thumb teasing the cork in Eirieg's left nostril, playfully pushing it back in as his lungs tried feebly to expel the blockage.

"I'd be alright with that," Arix replied. "He'll last awhile at least." Dragging the smoke drake up off the table, the pair carried the twelve-foot-long creature (with some difficulty) out into the pleasure hall. There were far fewer kobolds out and about today, most still exhausted after their evening of catering the dragons' many, many needs. This gave Arix and Ceri an opportunity to have some fun with their captive. And they decided his end should be a little more inventive than usual. As Eirieg began to see spots, the drake realized he was being brought out to the center of the pleasure hall where a strange set of stockades were set up next to the central fire pit. Rather than the usual upright stocks, two halves of a wooden table stood next to the fire pit, a roughly neck-sized hole situated in the center. It took some work to goad Eirieg to settle in, his head thrashing about in a vain attempt to stave off the inevitable. But with practiced hands, Ceri got his grip about the struggling drake's neck, allowing Arix the chance to slide closed the stockade with a slam, throwing the locking mechanism to ensure the bound and struggling dragon could not break free.

Not that Eirieg could if he wanted to; his woozy head was struggling to keep upright as the exhaustion of suffocation kicked in. The drake's only reprieve came when he felt Ceri plant his foot upon the smoke drake's gut, pressing down till both corks popped out far enough that the white-scaled kobold could pluck them out once more. "There we go, isn't that better, oh great one?"

"Mmmm- Mmmmpfh..." Eirieg grunted as he snorted through his snout, the dragon casting a gaze on the little kobold that smoldered hotter than his lungs. That is, until a clatter of metal brought Eirieg to a sudden halt. A thick iron saw bounced off the table in front of him, landing with a metallic thud right in front of the drake's snout. "Erf? Mmmpfh! MMM-MMM!" The bound and gagged drake shook his head in a panic, legs scrabbling and kicking in a vain attempt to escape, or at the very least to hook Ceri. Except the little, white-scaled kobold was no longer there, instead having busied himself bringing a boiling hot kettle from the kitchen. Settling the scalding hot water pot down upon the central fire pit, Ceri could not help but make a show of stirring the contents.

"Ohhh don't you worry," Ceri crooned. "Nothing too special for your fate. Just a simple bone broth from a few of our previous guests."

"Shhhh, just relax. You might even like it," Arix soothed, smirking as he tapped the saw blade against Eirieg's skull, the teeth digging softly into his flesh before the brass kobold drew the tool slowly backwards.

"MMMMMM!" Straining against his restraints and gag, Eirieg screamed with all his might as the saw tooths carefully bit into flesh first, and then bone. It would take some effort, slowly working their way around the dragon's skull. But they were careful, making sure to keep a firm grip on the smoke drake's head and neck while sawing. Terror was certainly worse than pain, with the torture abating to a dull, throbbing sensation as Arix slipped their claws underneath the skullcap, prying upwards until the fleshy fascia gave way with a ripping pop, revealing a heavy mass of dull pink matter. "NNNGhhh..." Pleading, the dragon whimpered as he watched Ceri slowly lift a ladle-full of hot bone broth from the steaming kettle, the edges still simmering softly as he brought it closer and closer to the smoke drake's exposed head.

"May I?" He asked with a smile, nudging Arix to step back before slowly up-tipping the edge of the ladle, the seething hot fluids rolling over knobby brain matter, pooling in the folds and rolling down the dragon's face like beads of sweat. For a moment he struggled, tears intermixing with hot soup broth that dribbled down his face, staining his charcoal scales with a wet, matte sheen. But instead of pain, Eirieg felt almost... relaxed?

"There we go, oh great one," Arix whispered, watching the drake's eyes lid a little as a second steaming spoonful rolled over his brain, the meaty flesh beginning to turn ever so slightly white as the kobolds fucked with his sensory perception. Reaching out to untie his muzzle, Arix shushed, "Do you want to talk, oh great one?"

It took a moment, the smoke drake's tongue lolling out as yet another ladle of fresh broth drooled down his exposed brain, but the beastly creature gave a tentative groan. "Everything..." he stumbled, a smile rolling across his face as he stared off into some unseen world of strange visuals that formed in his mind. "Is so beautiful."

"It feels right, does it not, oh great one?" Arix smiled, spooning a little more over the slowly whitening meat as he whispered, "What do you see?"

"H- Home," Eirieg huffed, a sooty snort escaping his jaws as his eyes glistened with a strange warmth. "This is... This is dying? How it feels?" Eirieg's facial muscles twitched, eye wincing softly as Ceri took a spoon in his paws, prodding at the fleshy matter until two of the folds separated, allowing the boiling broth to seep deeper inside of the living brain soup. Eirieg, despite the facial tic developing, seemed to still keep his speech together, "I- I don't know why... how I could... have ever been scared..."

"Every dragon has their place," Arix whispered, watching with bated breath as Ceri carefully removed a spoonful of the fresh poached brain, blowing on the little dumpling of meat before taking a bite, broth and all. "Even those who have wronged, or those who do not belong, always have their place."

"S- Spesh- Sppp- chil..." Eirieg sputtered as he finally lost his cohesive speech, his pupils already beginning to dilate as Ceri grabbed another spoonful of brains, allowing the next ladleful of broth to pool in the hole he created. As tears filled Eirieg's eyes, the smoke drake began to wince and stammer, his eyes rolling in his head as he tried desperately to grasp on to the reality that his boiling brain created. The delicate blood vessels in his skull had already begun to conduct the heat deep within his body, the creature's heart fluttering from increased heat as the pair of kobolds continued their special recipe for the beastly dragon. Sharing bites back and forth, the pair of kobolds watched as the drake spattered garbled and confused words, unable to express whether he experienced beauty or terror, or some wholly unknown emotion. In the end, Arix leaned in to listen as Eirieg whispered, "Cold," the only intelligible noise escaping his jaws just as a cacophony of clatters came from underneath the table.

Ceri had to step back as he felt Eirieg's body seize, the drake kicking and thrashing with uncontrolled languor. Arix felt it right to help him along, the brass kobold calmly ladling another boiling spoonful of broth over the dragon's brain. "Rest, oh great one," he hushed, only to blink as he heard the continued patter of fluids. It was only when they felt warmth on their clawed foot that Arix realized the dragon had lost control of his bodily functions, a slow rivulet of piss wetting down his groin and flowing over his twitching thighs, the fetid puddle on the ground the last testament to his body shutting down forever.

Unlike Vizi's death, nor even the (relatively) pleasant end of Pazzur, Eirieg was not to be celebrated. A simple dish for a simple drake's end, his head came to rest in a large tureen upon the pleasure hall's table, vegetables bouncing off his snout whenever one of the hungover kobolds came by to serve up a helping of Drake Brain Soup. It was a rather humble end for the seat of his soul, but it felt right that his eyes should gaze forever up through the murky broth as the doting kobolds showed their appreciation with each bite.

Back in the kitchen, Ceri had busied himself working on Eirieg's body, the long drake's form having taken some time to wash and clean after fully removing his head. The dragon's innards too were carefully removed, laid out in rows upon the preparation table with a sort of reverence often reserved for those live-butchered. But just as Ceri had begun to massage the limbs of the open-chested beast, rubbing and massaging the musculature until the supple flesh could move with ease, the white-scaled kobold took pause as he saw Arix standing in the entryway.

"I'm surprised, Ceri," Arix smirked, the brass kobold eyeing up the hard-working butcher. "You didn't once ask Eirieg if you could keep a part of his body."

"You never let me build my horde," Ceri muttered, a little displeased that the conversation was headed in this direction.

"It's got nothing to do with building your horde," Arix said with a smile, stepping forwards to the prep table. "We honor our dragons by giving them a-"

"A death they can be proud of, I got it," Ceri growled, only to feel his frustration melt as Arix placed Eirieg's skullcap upon the table. Resting inside the bowl-like bone was a prismatic pink scale, as well as two thin talons ostensibly taken from Pazzur.

"You didn't ask this time. I'm proud of you."

Squinting, Ceri stared down at the little gift before turning his head to meet Arix's gaze. "I wanted a blue scale for my horde!" he yipped in response.

"Ceri! You- I- We..." A broad grin crept across Ceri's face as he scooped up the trophies to add to his horde, the little kobold quickly chased by the Arix as he stole off towards his private stash. "You get back here you little-!"

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