Uncaged [Sequel to Forever Caged]

The sky began to turn the fiery orange of dusk. The color reflected off of Lesara's blue scales, enhancing their color. He snored softly, turning in his sleep. Arna sat there with the journal Kyran had handed him, struggling with the strange new characters he was being taught. The captain's voice suddenly blared over the intercom: "WE WILL BE REACHING PORT IN FIVE MINUTES!"

Kyran about flew off his bed at the voice crackling through the intercom. He huffed and settled himself down, then put his journal away and slid a clean shirt on. "Wake Lesara, will you?" he asked Arna. He bent down and repacked his bag again because Shinda had done a lousy job, and began pulling everything else together, searching the room to make sure nothing was forgotten.

Arna gave Kyran a pleading look, then nudged Lesara, then dove to the other side of the room just as the naga started and whipped his tail about. "Sheesh! You'll wake up for a poke, but not the loud speaker?"

Lesara stretched. "Oh my! Is it time to get off this wretched boat already?" He watched Kyran flit around the room, and then asked, "Where is Shinda?"

"Probably still on deck," Arna replied.

Just then, Shinda opened the door and leaned in. "Come on ladies, move your butts. We do not want to be the ass of this crowd." He grinned, and waited for Kyran to grab everything.

Kyran frowned at Shinda. "You know, I still haven't figured out whether you have great timing, or terrible timing."

"I have perfect timing." Shinda took the heaviest bag and slung it over his shoulder, leaving Kyran with the smaller ones. "We're going to get you a bottomless bag when we get there. Don't need to be hauling all this extra stuff when we don't need to."

Arna's head popped up. "Is that where you bought them? Master mentioned he got it from a vendor at a port." He looked to his master, who shrugged coyly. He helped Kyran with some of the bags, and Lesara followed behind him, singing, "We're getting off this Feythis-machine, we're getting off this Feythis-machine!"

Once they were off the ship and away from the departing crowd, Shinda drew everyone to a secluded section of the street. "Ok, shopping first, hotel second. Watch out for pickpockets, they're rampant." He grabbed Kyran and Arna's wrists and pulled them closer. "You two stay between me and Lesara so you don't get lost. We all set?"

Arna clung to Lesara. This place was much more crowded than the market at home. "Calm down, boy. It's no different from our market, it's just bigger," Lesara said in a soothing voice. "Alright, let's go."

Kyran slid his hand into Arna's, offering a small smile. He looked about as they walked, completely enthralled. This city had so many different smells, types of buildings, merchandise, even the people were more varied. Eleshad were common here, unlike on Yera which consisted mainly of verans and darker things. There were what he recognized as felhumas, louphumas, as well as nagas and even a few other reptilian people. The buildings shot high overhead, beautifully and painstakingly carved from stone and wood. Even the ground was cobbled stone, not like the dirt roads they had back home.

Shinda paused at a stall that sold all sorts of bags. He exchanged a few words with the eleshad shopkeeper that Kyran couldn't understand, and the merchant pulled out a large wooden box. Shinda waved him over.

Kyran went forward and glanced at the box, then at the other man. Shinda grinned at him. "These are those bottomless bags. I'd suggest picking one you can stash in a place not easily picked."

Kyran gave a half-smile and looked into the box, searching with his eyes rather than hands. He made a curious face, and reached in to pick up a long, slim black leather pouch that shut with a brass zipper. It was plain, and didn't look very expensive, which is why he thought it was a good idea. The shopkeeper leaned forward a little, smiling as he brushed back a few loose strands of deep blonde hair. "Keah lu ehn, miteh."

Kyran returned the smile, unsure of what was said. He looked to Shinda. "He said, 'A good choice, friend.' Is this the one you want? He doesn't do returns." Kyran nodded and Shinda turned to face the shopkeeper, speaking a few more words in what Kyran now understood was the eleshad tongue. Money passed between them and the eleshad slid the box back under his stall, and Shinda led them further through the streets.

"Alright boys, now we get you some decent protection. Hey Lesara, you any good with a bow?"

Lesara smirked again. "I handled a bow in my younger days, yes." He raised an eyebrow at Shinda. "Why do you ask?"

"Because we'll probably need an archer at some point. Rescue missions require all sorts of skills. I guess this means you didn't think to bring one with you?"

Lesara shook his head. "Oddly enough, I don't own one at this point." He saw a weapon stand, and decided to rectify this. His tail shot straight out, then coiled back up, the tip wagging wildly. If people weren't so used to nagas here, many might have tripped. The naga's eyes were wide, and his lips curled tight in a grin. Before him was a bow with a blue enamel coating and gold inlays shaped like crashing waves.

"Oh my goodness, it's so pretty!" Lesara was practically drooling over the ornamental bow.

Shinda sighed, shaking his head with a grin. "Lesara, you can't even shoot that thing without it breaking. Here." He reached forward, pulling a longbow off the display rack. It was a thick and solid dark wooden recurve, with the tips ending in graceful swirls. The grip was wrapped in deep blue leather, with the hand guards made of brass. A simple, delicate pattern was shallowly carved into the front of the bow, with the maker's signature elegantly carved on the inside as the finishing touch. "It's nice and pretty, and it'll last forever."

Lesara didn't even look at Shinda, eyes still glued to the blue bow. "Uh-huh," he said. Arna got behind Shinda and said, "He won't hear you till he either comes to terms with the fact that he won't own it, or he does buy it." He then tapped his master on his shoulder, and watched the naga turn around, sky blue eyes wide with wonder.

"Uh, Master, Shinda has a pretty nice bow too. You should take a look," Arna said, trying to coax his attention away.

"But... this one is the perfect one!"

"Master, it can't be used in a fight."

"So pretty." Lesara returned to ignoring the outside world.

Arna took the bow from Shinda and stuck it in front of Lesara. Lesara jumped back in surprise. "Oh my!" he said. "This is cute." He examined the bow, still looking at the gold wave inlays out of the corner of his eye.

Shinda raised a brow. "Cute? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kyran couldn't help but laugh. "We should probably get Arna a weapon too since we're here."

Arna looked at Kyran, somewhat surprised, then back to Shinda. "What do you think I'd be best with?" He pondered on all the weapons he had seen. "Maybe an axe?"

Meanwhile, Lesara was handing over some money, and quickly stashed one of his two parcels in his purse.

Kyran pulled Arna into the shop behind the stall, looking at the assortment of weapons. There were at least two dozen types of swords, some bigger than himself. Some purely decorative, and some so vicious and sharp that they looked like they could bite you all by themselves. There were various types of pole arms and staffs, an assortment of daggers and throwing blades, several axes, and a set of war hammers. He examined the pole arms, and ran his fingers along the shaft of one. It was long, solid and a little plain, but had a deadly curved blade on one end.

Shinda stepped up behind them, looking at the one Kyran had pointed out. "Ah, a glaive." He looked to Arna with a smirk. "I think it'd suit you well, unless you want something stout. An axe is too heavy though. If not this then perhaps a falchion?"

Arna's cheeks puffed. "I'm not done growing yet." He looked at the weapon Kyran was toying with. He didn't need a weapon he couldn't use, he thought. Maybe they could pick up an axe when he was finished growing. His eyes slid over the other weapons, judging them and how they would look on him. He decided he wanted something that wasn't too fancy, in case he broke it. He wanted something kind of short, in case combat got close.

He examined the halberds, and decided that the poles were too long. The battle axes did look like they weighed a ton. The maces didn't look like the easiest thing to handle. He looked at the short pole axes till one caught his eye. The handle was a bit longer than his arm and sturdy, made of a dense, dark wood, and wrapped with a black leather strip to make the handle. The blade was a simple curve with a design etched into it, attached to the pole at its middle and the top, leaving a long, sharp curve of metal pointing at the handle. Arna couldn't figure out what it was, and he really did like the weapon. He went to Shinda to show him, and asked, "What's this?" while pointing at the blade.

Shinda eyed it, and nodded in approval. "It's called a bardiche. It has most of the power of an axe with the advantage of swing. Takes a good amount of strength to swing, but once you get going the momentum just lets you cleave through anything. Well, almost anything." He looked a little closer at the symbols etched into the heavy steel blade. "Ah, this is of eleshad make. Those are their symbols. It's supposed to make it easier for the owner to wield. I'm sure the shopkeeper here can activate it for you. This what you want?"

An axe he could wield! Arna grew excited. "Yeah! This would be perfect. It's even kind of light." He looked up at Shinda. "Will not activating it be a bad thing? And would it cost too much more? I don't wanna dent Master's cash stash too much."

Shinda shrugged. "It'll also make it harder for anyone else to try and steal, but it's not necessary. I'll talk to the guy here and see what the price is." He then strode away to do just that.

Kyran came up behind Arna and placed a hand on his shoulder, looking down at the deadly blade. "I hope a sheath comes with that. I'm not sure we could fit it in any of our magick bags."

Shinda came back a few moments later, Lesara in tow. "Here, Lesara, take a look. Think four-hundred for all of it is fair?"

Lesara scrunched up his face. "It's fair enough, but I'll see if I can't haggle it a little lower." He grinned. "I have to keep my haggling skills well-oiled."

Arna hugged it close to him, like a child who found the perfect teddy bear. "I'll work really really hard to earn it, I promise."

Despite the fact that he looked old enough to buy his own liquor, his eyes reminded Lesara of a begging toddler. "Oh alright," he caved in.

Arna's face threatened to crack with how fast and how wide his smile grew. "Yay! Thank you!"

Once it'd been paid for, Shinda dragged everyone into the shop right across the street. "Ok, it's starting to get late so don't take too long. Now you get to pick out armor! Preferably something you can hide under your clothes, and no metal breastplates."

Kyran sighed, then started scanning over the wide arrangement of armor. All sorts of treated leather, studded leather, scale mail, chain mail, solid metal...He paused, and went back to the leather. He eyed the gauntlets, thinking some of them were kind of pretty. He knew he'd be needing something practical, so kept his choices limited to the sturdier looking equipment. He came across a heavy black vest with thick flat metal studs hammered all over it, considering it for a moment.

Shinda joined him. "Nope, something lighter. Here." He touched a thick, stiff, shiny black vest that had some extra padding in the chest and shoulders, defining the male shape. "And you can wear it over a shirt without drawing a lot of attention. Also, these will be useful." He picked up a pair of stiff leather arm guards, grabbed Kyran's wrist and slipped one over his forearm. He snapped it shut, and examined it for a moment. "Fit all right?"

Kyran pulled his arm back, twisting and flexing it a bit. "A little tight, but it feels like it'll wear to fit."

Shinda smiled, then took it off. "That's what any good leather does. All right, so definitely these, and try the vest on." He pulled the vest off its hanger and handed it over.

Kyran made a face, then took it and slid it on. He snapped up the front, and tested its mobility by bending and twisting. "A little bit bulky, and really stiff."

"That means it'll keep you from getting killed so easily. It'll conform to you the more you wear it." Shinda smiled, and took the vest back from Kyran and took the things over to the counter to pay for it. "Arna," he called, "your turn. It has to be practical."

Arna was smirking at the leather studded thongs when Shinda called him over. He scooted away, and started browsing the more battle-appropriate garments. He found a chain mail tunic, and tested it. It was light, and could be worn under most of his shirts inconspicuously. There were stiff leather leg guards and bracers displayed with the tunic. "What'cha think?" he asked Shinda.

Shinda eyed it over. "It's all fine, except for the steel. The chain mail isn't gonna do any good where we're going."

Arna tried again. He found a stiff, dark tan chest plate with matching bracers. The plate buckled on the shoulders for adjusting and laced up both sides. The front sported a simple hammered diamond design. The bracers had smaller diamonds running up the length, and were lined in a soft fur to keep one from chafing too bad. He decided he liked the leg guards on the other display, even though neither would match, but his first concern was not being pretty. "How 'bout this? Am I less likely to die?"

Shinda and Kyran both tilted their heads to one side. Shinda raised a brow. "Yes, actually. It's good." Kyran nodded his approval. "I like it."

Lesara came up sporting a figure-accentuating leather piece himself. "Look what I found! I'm in love!" It was a light brown tunic that laced down both sides and the front with a set of fingerless gloves that went to just under the armpit. The gloves fastened to the tunic by multiple leather braids that went over and around the shoulder. He knocked his chest, which, to Arna's surprise, clacked. "It has a stiff lining on the inside. You'd never tell just by looking at it." He then knocked the arms of his garment, which also produced the same wooden clacking.

Shinda handed Kyran his things. "Well, Lesara, it's your money. I think it looks good on you." He grinned, letting his eyes roam.

Lesara did a little turn around. "You really like it? Oh wonderful! And it seems Arna has picked up my sense of good taste!" He examined Arna as he adjusted the chest plate. Arna swayed and bent a little this way and that, then exclaimed. "You're right, these really are stiff!"

Lesara laughed and scooped everything up. "Wait till it chafes your nipples. I'm glad I brought that linen shirt of mine." He went to the counter, paid for everything, and stuffed it all in his bag.

Kyran took all his things from Shinda, and was amazed at how the bulky armor fit through the narrow opening of his own bag. He saw a faint blue glowing ring around the opening whenever he put something in that was larger than the hole, and it just swallowed everything. To test it, he stuck his hand in the bag, and kept going. There was no physical bottom to it. He reached in further until the bag was up to his shoulder, a little scared that it looked like it was eating his arm. He frowned, still not feeling anything.

Shinda laughed, watching him. "The trick is to think about what you want to pull out. It should come right to you."

Kyran thought about it for a moment, and suddenly his vest was in his hand. He pulled it up, and the top half appeared over the bag. If one didn't know what to look for, they'd think it was only half a vest dangling over a pouch. He pulled it up a little further, and more materialized. He smiled, then dropped it back in. "This is amazing! I never realized how ingenious it was until now."

Shinda patted Kyran on the shoulder. "Well now that you've had your thrill for the night, why don't we go find a hotel?"




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A/N: A bit of Eleshad for you!

"Keah lu ehn, miteh," actually literally directly translates to "Choice is good, friend." Shinda, being so fluent with the language, re-translates it as "A good choice, friend."

Yeah, I'm trying to develop a real language rather than just random words. And hey, if any readers are total linguistic nuts and love making languages, I would love the help~ Send me an email if you're interested. :3