Young Writers Society

Megara kept up a friendly expression despite her disinterest. The only situation she could think of in which knowing that those two were a couple would be helpful was if she needed to take one hostage. Unfortunately, her future was looking far too dull for that to be a possibility.

Her eyes landed on Cornyx. He was looking resigned, like a man accepting his sorry fate.

She acknowledged the couple before turning to him, "You're looking rather anxious," she commented, knowing it wasn't quite the accurate descriptor.

Queenie, meanwhile, continued to talk to the couple. "Two years?" she raised an eyebrow, "That's easily longer than any relationship I've even been in. I was beginning to doubt it was possible," she joked.

Megara cast a wary glance at her. She couldn't know for sure, but the way that Queenie was conducting her conversation was oddly familiar. It resembled the way Megara would chat up a mark, or those close to a mark, to build a false friendship.

While Megara had no plans to interrupt, she filed that under 'things to be wary of'.

Had he just been addressed? By the one who hadn't even the manners to introduce herself?

Cornyx's dark gaze threaded with silver-blue as he looked the woman up and down with a predatory sort of sizing-up. What his intentions were was unclear, merely that he was thoroughly analyzing the situation before taking action. A smirk played across Apophis' lips as he saw the look. It was the same one that he'd seen grace the Winter King's features before he'd sunk a spike of ice through the heart of his father. Nothing played across the man's features, however, as he watched the spectacle unfold.

The dragon had half a mind to tell her to go work on her skills of observation on someone else to and to stop bothering him, because she was both incorrect and wasting both their time. It was, however, not in his nature to be so blunt. Not that he didn't have his moments of such frankness, but it wasn't a proper way to conduct himself, and with the titles he held, he'd learned to be far more cordial and diplomatic in his approach. Such things had meant the difference between his empire crumbling or expanding just because of a few words spoken.

So, instead of telling her to mind her own business, a smile graced his lips to reveal the eerily-pointed teeth there. Had anyone been under the false impression that he was human, that likely dispelled it instantly, for no man had such incisors. He strode towards Megara until he stood a couple feet away from her, gazing down upon her from his height.

"Hello, miss. I don't believe that we've been properly introduced." Everything in his demeanor and his tone were perfectly polite. Almost friendly, even. It wasn't even entirely a facade: it was, after all, something he'd learned to do since a young age. Be polite, cordial, and respectful, and maybe, just maybe, you'll wake up in the morning. "I don't know if you heard--" he knew she did, but it'd hardly be diplomatic to say so, "--but my name is Cornyx."

"I've heard," she said cooly, pretending not to notice the look he was giving her. She half expected him to kill her. She half hoped he would. It was a better alternative to what her boss would do to her should this little misadventure cause her to fail in the mission he had sent her on before this.

She still made no attempt to give her name, though she knew it was incredibly impolite not to. One of the best ways to judge someone's character, she found, was to see how they reacted when faced with any small measure of disrespect.

Raymind blinked at the actual armor some people wore compared to his work outfit of a nice shirt and jean shorts. His boss really did let him get away with a lot. He looked amusedly up at Donel who replied by wagging his eyebrows. Neither of them quite knew what to expect, but this surely wasn’t it.

As they had done when meeting Juniper and Levi, Raymind stayed off to the side with his boss, listening carefully to the conversations around him. Clearly Cornyx believed himself to be this supreme ruler, as aided by the quiet also scary guard by his side. Something told him that this encounter could fare a lot worse than when everyone met at the bar. He did hope those kids were doing well.

He sure did like some drama, which the not-twins seemed to promise if they were going to get everyone else riled up. Raymind followed Donel’s trained gaze to the couple that were awfully cute together. Maybe they could be an easier route to learn more about what was going on, and not get stabbed by someone’s sword.

Raymind nudged Donel to follow him, then hesitantly shuffled to where the hooded figure and his significant figure all dressed in black stood. They made a striking image, with the ruins near them, as if they could have been the ones to destroy the world with a flick of their fingers.

But he hoped they didn’t notice he was nervous. Gearing himself up, he coughs, nearly choking by accident on suddenly thick air. “Uh, hi, excuse me. I’m Raymind, and this is Donel,” he waved to the side where his boss stood. “I was wondering if you knew anything about this place? And why we all of people would be here?”

Azi could hardly focus on what conversations were going on. He had his arms crossed in the facade of a relatively relaxed position, but it wouldn't take a keen observer to see that he was anything but relaxed. He had since removed the piece of metal from his belt and placed his flintlock in its holster; the former was clutched in his right hand, digging into his palm, and the latter he knew must be saved for when he was returned. If he was returned. By the gods, did he hope he was returned; he had come so close-

His thoughts shifted away from the past, returning to the present as he cast a glance at the not-twins. The one with the fur-lined cloak; he trusted that twin more than the other. The other's overall appearance, the subtle hints of gold, they made him think of nobility, wealth; and he had a long standing distrust towards those. She did not earn as much distrust as someone else, however.

His eyes passed over the couple and the two men speaking to them. He felt as though he could trust them; two of the men didn't look to be dangerous, and the couple, while armed, seemed like they were too pleasant to do any harm. Perhaps both assumptions were dead wrong, but nonetheless, he paid them little attention.

No, his eyes went to the final two The man in the suit, and his guard. They were the reason that the metal piece was in his hand, digging into his flesh. They reminded him the most of his goal. Despite the fact that they likely didn't come from where he had, they still reminded him of where he had been before he had been pulled here. The flintlock felt heavier as the fresh memories came flooding back.

"I'm going to make a fire." He suddenly announced, turning away to clear his head, think about what had happened, why he was here with these people.

This was sure to be a very long trip if these were the people he was stuck with. Or, more accurately, if he was stuck with this woman. And possibly her twin, although Queenie had at least introduced herself. The others had made no distinct impressions on the man--except Magestorrow and Knightare, of course, and despite the annoyance he inexplicably felt with the existence of the former, the man was at least a civil one. And Knight wasn't bad company, either.

The single individual with a firearm, who Cornyx hadn't caught the name of, even if it'd been given, turned away before he had a chance to reply to Megara and slipped away to make a fire. He doubted they'd be staying there long enough for it to matter, but he had the courtesy not to mention it, and merely turned his attention back to the blonde in front of him. What went through his head--and what almost certainly went through Apophis'--was anything but gracious. Nonetheless, his tone was, as always, polite and even.

"Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss," he concluded, and Apophis glanced over at him.

"My liege, may I have a word?" The tongue he spoke was not the one they all spoke. His sentences were long and fluid, with little pause and an ease that revealed it'd been spoken for a long time. To Cornyx, it was known as Demonic, the language of the denizens of Hell and the roots of which were in Draconian.

The dragon's gaze flickered back to Megara and he dipped his head. "I beg your pardon, miss, but I must take my leave to explain to my comrade here. He...is not so fluent in this tongue." There was nothing in Cornyx's demeanor to betray that it was a lie. For most, this came from practice. For Cornyx, it came from the simple fact that most 'ticks' were rooted in nervousness, fear, anxiety, or some similar sensation. There'd been a time when the demon couldn't form a standard sentence because of those things. Now, however, those things hardly registered. It wasn't out of hubris nor overconfidence; rather, it was derived from the simple fact that his life, as all things, seemed to be nothing more than a tool to him. An important tool, but a tool nonetheless, and he harbored little attachment to such things.

Megara nodded and turned away, indicating that she was also done with their conversation. No, it wasn't the polite way of doing that, but she didn't much care. He was nice enough, with all the right manners and all that, but so was every trainer she ever had growing up. There were at least half a dozen kidnapping and murder attempts in her past that proved that manners weren't everything.

Still, for now, she trusted him not to do anything stupid.

Now without a conversation to keep her occupied, Megara was bored within twenty seconds. There were two other members of the group in clothes like Queenie's. Not exactly the same, but of similar style, as though by the same tailor. If talking to them could give her more information about her odd double, then it was worth the effort to keep a friendly smile.

She approached them with a wave, "Hi," she said, "I haven't really introduced myself, I'm Megara." They were clearly from a different world than she was, so her name wasn't likely to ring any bells with them. Besides, it was her last name that bore the weight of wealth, and her title that bore the weight of her kills. She was safe to give away her first name, a meaningless thing amongst strangers to her world.

She was still breaking a rule, but she ignored that. She was breaking a lot of rules by not having her knife between a certain noble's ribs right now, she didn't imagine her punishment could get worse. But then, her boss's imagination did tend to stretch beyond the limits of hers.

"Hi," Mage said, both to Megara and the two men. From the way she was angled, he guessed that it was Raymind and Donel that she wanted to talk to, but there was no reason to be rude to her. He gave a smile no one could see underneath his cloak - friendly and showing off his fangs. "I'm Mage, and my boyfriend Knight is right next to me."

"Hello," Knight politely said. Mage watched with amusement; it was at moments like these that he remembered just who his boyfriend had once been. But then that image faded, and he was left with the current Knight - a Knight that he would always love much more.

Knight turned to Raymind. "Neither of us know where we are, or why we're here. We were going to see a friend in a completely different forest."

"One moment, we were walking in that forest, and, the next, we were here," Mage added. Then, remembering that he had heard someone else in the growing group mention making a fire, he said a little louder, "If you need help making the fire, I have fire Sin."

"You said Sin again," Knight said. Mage felt heat rush to his cheeks as he heard a small little laugh escape Knight's lips. "That's the second time this week."

"I know it's magic," Mage said, glad he had his hood to hide how embarrassed he was. "I just keep forgetting the only place that calls it Sin is where I come from."

“...And with this system in hand, the idea would be to further support our current.” Jin said, succeeding — though with difficulty — at not looking at the detailed notes written on the paper in his hands. “The Tolshana are, after all, the main base behind our newest summoned creatures. But just because they are, doesn’t mean that we should always go with the same exact shape when creating artificial ones; that is only a convenient habit, born simply because it’s more convenient to keep.”

“But only for transportation, is that what you mean?”

Jin offered a brief smile to her audience. “Precisely!” she exclaimed. “But if we’re to diversify our arsenal, if you can excuse the violent-sounding expression, it would be best to do so with Tolshanas that can naturally perform… other tasks. Allow me to elaborate. If you’d kindly direct your attention towards-” Jin’s smile disappeared, and her face turned into a frown. “Um...”
The screen with which she had been managing her presentation had simply… vanished, and been replaced with the view of some kind of forest littered with broken ruins, and strangely twisted-looking trees. Not a bad view, but… Not the one she needed.

“...Well, that isn’t normal. Can anyone here tell me if they can also-” Jin stopped herself again. She had turned back towards her audience for confirmation that she wasn’t insane, but in front of her stood the exact same view as what was behind. “...Fair enough,” she whispered to herself. Then, she let out a sigh and sat on a rock, burying her head on her notes.

A Jump. A sudden, unpredictable, impossible Jump towards a foreign place. She was in the middle of one of the single most important presentation of her very uncertain career as an industrial Summoner, and somehow, it had vanished out of existence as if it were some sort of bad dream.
Fan. Freaking. Tastic.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Jin whispered. “It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t bother me, it bothers me, IT BOTHERS ME A LOT.” Frustrated, she folded her notes in half and hid them away in her coat’s inner pocket, then began scanning the area. No tracks, no concrete; an unsuitable place for most of her summons, at least until she decided to screw everything and maul down the stupid forest. For now, she was still reasonable enough to remember her reflexes.

“‘Kay, so, check if you’re alone or not.” Jin’s antennae sprung up above her head as she closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for her to detect nine humanoid figures in the far distance, north-east from her position. At least two of them moved with an appendage somewhere behind their back, which suggested that they had tails. Which suggested that they weren’t the same type of humanoids she knew.

“Okay!” Jin exclaimed. “Smiles up, Jinny. Rise and shine. Don’t worry. Be happy.” Recomposing herself, Jin realized that she didn’t have to stress about her meeting and its result anymore, which made her feel much better. She then pulled out her staff and let a bright light cover her free hand.

“...Y’know what, I don’t care, I’ll just go back to the roots for that one. Inoltra!” a luminous circle appeared next to Jin, and from it came out a gigantic, green-colored caterpillar, advancing with surprising speed using its pro-legs. Jin jumped atop its head and, with a swift movement, planted her staff on it. “Eeeeasy, girl,” Jin whispered, as her familiar sniffed the air. “I’m confused too. We’ve got guests to greet, apparently, so let’s not squash them. You’re allowed to eat, though. Just not, y’know, them. Let's go!"




By the time she reached the group of people, Jin was in a much better mood. Inoltra had happily eaten as many rocks and destroyed trees as she could while she advanced, which had equipped her body with a wonderful rocky armor with the same worn-out grey as the ruins themselves, which made Inoltra appear like a living golem. Then, Jin's antennae allowed her to get a good read of her targets' reactions to her arrival. When she did arrive, several stares placed themselves on her and Inoltra, which the latter returned with six, curious eyes.

A silence fell, which Jin rapidly broke by sliding down the back of her pet and tapping twice on her side: a signal that she could eat a bit more rocky structures she came across. As Inoltra went on her way, Jin gazed at the group of humanoids that still seemed on their guard. Her antennae slowly fell down her back.

"Greetings!" Jin greeted with a warm smile. "My name is Jin! I'm a Colbajian, though my official, um, area of expertise is taming and summoning creatures for indus-" Wait, she thought, I see swords and maybe they're from other places too. Maybe they don't know what that is. "To take care of lands and people living on them." ...I mean yeah, basically that. "The giant thingy thing there is Inoltra. We call it a Tolshana. Please don't harm her and she won't harm you. I was in the middle of a... conversation, with... important people, and then I disappeared. It wasn't fun. Where I come from, people — as in, other Colbajians — can sense movements very easily, so I found you and decided to come to you the best way I know. Also, it felt good to ride Inoltra again." Jin paused to think. "...If anything else, and assuming you need it, I can provide easy and moderately secure transportation in exchange for information about this place. If you have any of that, I really, really need it right now. And if not, I can be the one to go fetch it for you."

Queenie was the first to respond, having adopted a 'this might as well happen' attitude toward this whole situation.

"Hi, I'm Queenie, from Earth. I'm afraid I don't have any more information about this place as anyone else here. Meg over there and I appeared in roughly the same place before we joined this here group," she gestured to a suddenly ticked off Megara, "so I can tell you for sure that neither of us know much. If anyone else knows something I reckon they would have said something by now."

She looked around, making sure she didn't miss anyone, "And...yeah. We're all generally clueless."

Megara spoke up, a hand resting casually on her sword, "Call me that again," she said, her voice like sugar-coated cyanide, "and I'll rip out your throat."

Queenie raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she retorted, "I'd like to see ya try darlin'."

Megara was temped. Very, very tempted. But she held back. Now, among strangers in an unknown world, was not the time for violence. Even if the little prick deserved it.

"Consider this a warning," she said and relaxed her stance, prepared to go back to her conversation.

Queenie rolled her eyes, "Whatever ya say, Meg."

Megara flinched, her hand going briefly back to her sword, and she relaxed again. Just ignore her.

Donel couldn’t help but look confused between Queenie and Megara. They seemed quite similar, past their shared blond hair, but their outfits spoke of two very different worlds.

“Hi,” he managed, quickly reintroducing himself and Raymind who stood awkwardly to his side. “We were just at the bar, our workplace,” he pointed over his uniform, “but then we somehow landed here.”

And he really didn’t know where “here” was. But Donel needed to adopt his “ready-for-anything” persona that he used to intimidate drunk patrons into calling an Uber. This should hopefully not be too difficult of a challenge, to at least keep everyone calm-ish.

Or not bleeding. Not bleeding seems like a more achievable goal. There hadn’t been a bar fight for six months under his watch. Though he had thrown a few punches in the past.

Never mind that, though. His and Raymind’s survival depended on all these people not hurting each other.

He clapped his hands together, drawing a few gazes. “So, if someone’s making a fire, should we start looking for food? Or water?”

Megara nodded. She decided she liked Donel. Anyone with their priorities in order could enjoy a temporary spot on her 'no-kill' list.

"There are enough of us to split into groups," Megara offered, "I'm trained to survive in places like this, finding food and water shouldn't be too much of a problem for me."

She imagined the others would have the good sense to keep her and Queenie separate. If her double were grouped up with her someone was going to get very, very hurt.

Jin tapped her foot in a rhythmical fashion, ignoring the death threats from one of the two similar-looking humanoids, as she briefly lost herself in her thoughts. So, not much information, meaning they were all forced into a Jump as well. This was new. But, if the rules and functions of summoning were similar to what existed in Colbaj...

"Bloody bugs." she exclaimed under her breath. "This could be bad. Okay!" she exclaimed a bit louder. "I suppose I could also take care of water and/or food..." she briefly gazed at Inoltra. "...Well. suitable food. But, I'd rather check the perimeter before that. I say this because it looks like we were all summoned by someone with similar abilities to my people's, and used them either accidentally, or deliberately. So! Inoltra and I will go check things out. Ah, um, but if most of you could... stay in one place, that would be nice! Would make it easier for me to find you all again."

It was a giant caterpillar. Being ridden by a being with silver skin, yellow pupils, and blue hair.

The momentary widening of Cornyx's eyes wasn't something he intended to allow to reach his face, but he was only mortal. A glance back at Apophis told him that he wasn't the only one to be taken aback by such a sight. Both demons quickly recovered, however, and that flash of shock was almost instantly replaced by more neutral expressions.

"I have never seen the likes of this, not in all my millennia," Apophis murmured, his gaze studying the being before them. "I would advise you watch closely, sire. It would be of benefit to learn everything we can from observation if nothing more."

The man merely dipped his head in reply. "For now, we work together. It is unfortunate, but it is necessary, and there is safety in numbers."

"Very well, your Majesty."

With his orders issued and the situation clarified, Cornyx gestured for Apophis to fall in behind him as he strode forward to greet the newcomer. When he approached, they were discussing both perimeters and food.

"Excuse me," he interjected, "but seeing as we're likely to be stuck together for quite a while, I thought I might introduce myself. My name is Cornyx Blackthorne, and this is Apophis," he said, extending his hand to the blue-haired woman and glancing about the rest of the group as he addressed them as a whole,"and I believe we can be of assistance in the current endeavours. Due to draconian lineage, I possess wings, and would be willing to utilize them to assist with foraging, hunting, or establishing a perimeter. Apophis will also offer his services in whatever way he may assist but he knows little of this tongue."

Pretending ignorance was an excellent way to gather information, Cornyx had found, and Apophis didn't speak often anyways. He didn't appear to have any objections to the lie, either, so the demon wasn't worried about stepping on toes.