Young Writers Society

Even before Mage straightened and stared at the newcomer, Knight already knew that his boyfriend would launch right into questioning the first opportunity he got. But Knight could only focus on that for so long - his attention quickly wandered to Cornyx.

Cornyx had admitted that he had dragon blood.

Knight couldn't predict how the group would react to the revelation. It almost reminded him of how Janos had introduced himself in the past - he brought up the truth, but said it in a way that made it seem less impactful. Mage had told him about how often Janos had claimed to have demon blood in his veins; he never proclaimed it as his heritage.

It was always a side note, a little detail to explain something else.

But Knight could never do that.

"My name is Knight," he said, turning back to Jin and giving a little bit of a strained, nervous smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Mage," his boyfriend added, giving a much more confident smile. "I'm his boyfriend."

He paused.

Three, two, one...

"I've never heard of Colbajians before," Mage said, eyes probably alight underneath his cloak. "Where do you come from? Are you from Seraphinity, or somewhere else? I'm sorry if this sounds a little rude - I'm just really interested in learning about other people, and I rarely meet people I haven't already heard about in my travels."

Megara tilted her head, examining Cornyx in a new light.

Dragons were rare where she came from. Sacred creatures, worshiped as gods by some, they were hardly ever seen in the open.

Perhaps that was different in his world, but it still brought into question what manner of creature he was and by what scale she should estimate his physical prowess. He was nothing impressive by human standards, that was for sure. She imagined that killing him would be easy if he were human. But he wasn't. That was the only thing she knew about him for sure.

Granted, the others in the group didn't appear harmless. Well, most of them. A few would qualify as less than intimidating in her book, but the point was that none of them possessed the diplomatic fluidity with which Cornyx conducted himself, and that, she didn't trust.

Perhaps it was that he reminded her of how her father acted in public, but that was all the more reason not to trust him.

Her father was always composed and courteous, but that didn't change the amount of violence he was willing to inflict to get his way.

"What are the dragons like where you're from?" she asked him curiously, taking advantage of the fact that she looked many years younger than she was for once.

His gaze fell back on the one who hadn't given her name as she spoke, and he studied her for a couple moments before replying. "I wouldn't know," he finally said, turning his attention back to the newcomer and Mage. "I'm the only one." His father had, of course, also been of such lineage, but he'd killed Sathanus within a year of meeting him and the two had never been close in any sense of the word. Cornyx resented him for abandoning him, and found him to be anything but personable; Sathanus found his son distant, and never bothered to try to change it. They'd lived in peace until the day they hadn't and that had been enough. That being said, the former Prince of Wrath had taught his son to read, write, and speak the ancient tongue of their kind before he'd fallen to Cornyx's ice, so he'd served a use.

His tone was, as always, somewhat detached and cool, if not hostile. There wasn't any sign to betray a sense of melancholy with the words. He probably felt it, somewhere deep down, but he was far too gone for that to affect him much anymore.

Perhaps telling someone about the shape-shifting curse would prove to be fruitful, but Raymind didn't want to take any chances quite yet. Without a clear path to what had to happen so that everyone can leave, he wanted to stay away from anything that would be a distraction or make him and Donel suspicious. Dragons, though, man. That was certainly cooler than some oversized crab.

He did feel pretty useless compared to some of the other people here, especially Jin, as she seemed quite capable of gathering resources. Raymind, on the other hand, could make a mean Moscow Mule, but never even went camping before. He was really ruing not going to the darn summer camp during high school but his parents let him go to the summer concerts his junior year instead.

Raymind looked for a place to sit, holding onto Donel to guide him to a large chunk of rubble that held enough space for the two of them. He did want to help in whatever way he could, but the sense of insecurity rang strong through his bones, taking in the rather terrifying appearances of the majority of the crowd near him. Why couldn't he have been put in a land full of cute rabbits instead of possible assassins and desecrated lands?

Jin briefly turned towards the one called Mage. "Colbaj, somewhere else, it's certainly not rude, just pushy, and your interest is very much shared, just not at the moment." she smiled. "I'll be back for you later." she then directed her eyes to the pale man and what appeared to be his much less well-dressed servant/bodyguard. She couldn't help but wonder if this Cornyx person had somehow had the time to change clothes specifically to appeal to Colbajianz, especially with the silver-colored suit and pale skin. It was obviously not the case though, so she kept the silly thought to herself to properly giggle at it later.

Hmm, looks pretty regal. she thought. Should be diplomatic with this one. "Pleased to meet you, Sir Blackthorne," Jin replied on a formal tone, grabbing Cornyx's hand for a warm handshake. He didn't bother with titles, so that should be enough, right? she gave a quick nod to Apophis. "A shame that your-" Bloody BUGS, don't say servant! "companion does not speak Unils well, but I suppose it can't be helped for now. In regards to your proposal, I suppose it would be best if Apophis rode Inoltra with me. She makes a lot of noise, so if hunting is necessary, you can easily swoop in and take out whatever comes out. As for the rest..."

...eeeh, could be a good inspiration for a winged summoned creature! Jin smiled. "I suppose we have much to discuss on the way. Oh! One thing, though." Her antennae rose over her head. "I shall use these every time you speak in another language while I'm present. I do hope that you're fine with me reading through every aspect of your body language? Provided that you're allowing yourself to speak in a way that only you and Apophis can understand, of course."

Well. Not every aspect; not that they or any other member of the group needed to know that.

Both Megara and Queenie stiffened at that.

Megara couldn't speak for Queenie, but she knew she hated the idea of anyone being able to read her like that, especially when she was known for telegraphing her emotions like nothing else. It was often theorized that her emotional nature was what made her so much less deadly than her sister. She had to, on some level, agree.

"I don't suppose you could be persuaded to refrain from reading me like that?" Megara requested. If she had been on a job, she would have just adjusted her behavior to compensate and avoided a situation where that could be used against her. But she wasn't on a job, and these people might be around her for a long while. She'd learned the hard way that sometimes people's unusual abilities could be used far more invasively than one would immediately assume them capable of. Sure, the ability to read minds wasn't full-on possession, but she wasn't going to underestimate it.

...Mage was starting to suspect that this group wasn't nearly as friendly as the ones he had previously ended up with. He had his secrets; those secrets were mostly underneath his cloak, while the others were in his full name. And Knight had far more secrets than he ever would - secrets that no one would ever be able to guess from just a few conversations. But those secrets were relatively tame ones. Both were pretending to be human because it was safer to be human than other things in previous experiences. Knight's past was always something that made him feel bad.

And Mage still hadn't figured out the right way to explain his past without getting incredibly embarrassed.

But Cornyx was talking in another language to Apophis, and the twin-like girls both had an aversion to having their body language read. The man making the fire seemed distant and foreboding. The only ones who seemed different were Jin, Raymind and Donel, and the former was currently talking with all of the people Mage knew had to be bad news.

Mage grabbed onto Knight's hand.

"Let's go talk to Raymind and Donel," he suggested, giving Knight a reassuring smile underneath his hood.

"...They're wearing clothes from Earth," Knight quietly commented as they approached - an offhanded remark that wasn't really meant for Mage's ears.

Mage blinked and stopped.

"...They're from Earth?" he nervously repeated. "Where Rekune and Blanx are from?"

Knight nodded. "They have the same strange pants and colorful designs to their shirts," he pointed out. He glanced over at Mage - who's face was thankfully hidden, or else it would have been very obvious how terrified he was of that realization.

"Let's, uh, not talk to them, then," Mage quickly corrected. When Knight just stared, Mage whispered, "They're Earth humans. Remember what Magic said? Humans from Earth can be more judgemental than humans from other worlds - and I'm a demon. I don't have anything magic to hide my appearance. I just have a cloak, and that won't do anything if they decide to look at my face."

"...We can't walk away now," Knight finally said.

"...Why?"

"We're standing ten feet away from them," Knight said. "If we leave now, we'll look suspicious."

Jin glanced at the two similar-looking humanoids. "I don't read you, I read movements." she clarified. "So, basically, if you have nothing hostile in mind, I will have no reason to assume anything, like... negative, if you will. But don't worry, you weren't a part of this side of the conversation anyway!" Jin lifted a finger. "It's impolite for Colbajians to read each other's movements without proper reason because it makes one look pretty paranoid. But you're no Colbajian, and if you start talking in another language, you could be plotting something behind my back — which I'd like about as much as you like me reading your movements." her focus came back to Cornyx. "That would be the reason behind my proposal, Sir Blackthorne."

Sir Blackthorne. Well, he did, admittedly, like the sound of that. He also appreciated her reasoning and the fact she asked before using her antennae, because it showed that she was not only using her head, but also planned on having some courtesy about it. He couldn't very well decline--not without bringing a lot of suspicion upon himself--even though it could put a wrench in his plans if he chose to start working against the group, or independently from it. His best interests all too often didn't align with those of his companions.

He would, however, enjoy the challenge that Jin brought. He'd been idle for too long in his rule, waiting for Raven to complete her monsters before taking the next step. Rebellions were quelled, citizens were terrified into obedience, his armies continued to grow, and overall he had very little to do--and what few things he did have to do upkeep on were just boring. The same things, again and again. So, despite the danger, he found this entire situation stimulating. "Fun" might've been a word one could use.

He smiled, and this time, it wasn't that superficial smile he'd used up until this moment. It wasn't a friendly one, but it revealed a certain, visceral excitement. "Of course, Miss Jin. It's only appropriate and it is, after all, not our intention to be secretive." That wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't wholly a lie, either. "Speaking of which, allow me for but a moment to relay instruction to my companion regards to Inoltra."

He turned to Apophis, switching tongues with ease. "Ride with her, on the Inoltra," he said. "I'll fly. How are you adjusting with your new vessel? Will you be able to perform at your maximum capacity or is it...being problematic?"

"His will is weak," the demon answered with a shrug. "It will take time to adjust fully to engage in combat with our full prowess, but if it came down to it, I always have my own form. None will be Sarah, but this is certainly sufficient."

Cornyx nodded. "Good. You know the drill."

"Of course, my lord." He bowed, a gesture that made Cornyx's rank blatantly obvious due to how low he bent. Be he Prince, King, or Emperor, it made it glaring evident that this was no mere rich merchant or lesser nobleman.

The dragon turned back to Jin. "He has agreed to ride Inoltra with you, miss, and I'd like to relay his gratitude for the offer. I shall take my wings, as to not impose myself as an extra burden on her, however."

Queenie suddenly appeared beside Mage. Well ‘suddenly’ would only be the correct description from his perspective. From her point of view, she’d been eavesdropping, with some difficulty considering how quietly they were talking, for a while by then. She’d gathered enough out of that eavesdropping session to know their reservations about humans from earth, though the reason why had sounded like little more than a mumble to her as the speaker turned away.

“Being from earth myself, or some version of it,” she interjected, knowing full well that her input was unsolicited, “I have to say I’m a little offended. I mean, you’re not wrong, people can be judgmental as all hell, but I think you’ll find that those of us with experience being dragged out of our own world to live through problems on others, as they have mentioned they have,” she gestured to the topic of this previously private conversation, “are a little more open minded.” She shrugged, “Your shyness is unwarranted is what I’m saying. Probably. I’m not wrong about these things often, but whatever, go on standing around and judging people based solely on their race and world of origin. I don’t particularly care.”


~~~~~~~


Megara was still watching Cornyx, a little more cautiously now. She’d taken an unconscious step back the moment he’d hinted at his rank, then cursed herself for doing so. She killed kings and queens all the time, effortlessly and without regret, so why was the idea of him being of higher rank than she initially thought so off-putting?

“You’re clearly of noble status,” she commented without emotion, “What precisely is your rank?” She decided it was better to ask outright in a rather Briar-like move that she prayed never got back to her sister. She wasn’t willing to be lectured over this singular action.

Jin couldn't help but let out a confused blink as she stared at Cornyx. His attitude had changed the moment he smiled, and his imperceptible movements were... tightened. Did he not listen when she said she'd be able to read his movements the moment she used her antennae? And why- why did he seem like he wanted to fight?
Yeah, I think maybe we don't use this ability all the time 'cause some people are a bit weird. Jin concluded in her mind.

"Sorry for the short silence, Sir Blackthorne — your movements surprise me. But um, you're welcome! And don't worry, you wouldn't have been much of a burden anyway. We can go, now. Inoltra?"

Immediately, the giant caterpillar came back next to her mistress, walking in a fashion that made her pro-legs appear closer to moving wings than actual legs. With a swift tap of her foot, Jin propelled herself on Inoltra's back. "We'll be back later, people!" she announced to the group. "Three of us are gonna scout the place to check if there's food, other people or anything else of use for all of us." She gazed down at Cornyx. "Well, after your conversation's over, anyway." She wasn't really interested in his rank as well, but she wasn't going to interrupt any more than necessary.

For someone who wouldn’t go so far as to reveal her name, this woman certainly asked a lot of questions. He didn’t allow the agitation to show on his features, however, merely answering her inquiry with his usual, cool demeanor. “I hold a variety of titles, the most prominent of which would technically be emperor. Nonetheless, the majority of individuals of my worlds recognize me as the Winter King.”

As he spoke, Apophis approached Inoltra. He studied the creature for a brief moment before crouching and leaping atop the caterpillar’s back behind Jin with a light-footed agility that came from centuries of practice in the martial arts. He was silent as he listened to his master’s conversation. The man withheld a slight chuckle as he heard the words ‘my worlds.’ What an offhand way to hint at his power, for the implications of those two, simple words were great.

With that said, Cornyx Blackthorne unfurled his wings. They seemed to fold out of nowhere and appear at his back in all their shimmering glory. His wingspan was gargantuan, although the shape of his wings was more rounded than long, and they were primarily batlike in form. What would’ve been scales in most varieties of dragon were feather-like in appearance and in function despite the fingered, webbed shape of the wings themselves. Streaks of brilliant, near-luminescent silver-blue thickened in his eyes until the formerly almost-black irises were the azure hue of sea ice and his pupils were elongated and vertical, true to his draconian heritage. Freezing air rolled off the membranes of his wings and the thin sheet of frost that coated them made him seem to be almost glowing in the sunlight. It was, in that moment, made clear why he was known as the Winter King and why, despite his titles, he wore no crown. The sheer power evident in the simple motions were obvious enough that he needed no scepter nor crown to make his prominence, rank, and majesty exceedingly obvious.

Wind that could’ve come from the highest mountain peaks themselves billowed out from under him as he took to the air, the beating of his wings audible in the sky while he ascended. It took but a few strokes before he was several yards above Jin, Apophis, and Inoltra, and there he set his wings and maintained altitude in preparation for following them.

Hearing footsteps, Donel looked up to see the introduced Mage and Knight standing a few feet apart of him and Raymind. One of the not-twin blond women approached the couple now, having a brief conversation. It would be interesting to be able to talk with people so clearly different than their own, but he couldn't help but be a bit nervous if the others do approach him.

He hadn't tried to turn back into a snake for a few months now, nor did he think Raymind had tried either. But then Cornyx grew actual wings and oh gosh he looked awesome! And terrifying, but mostly awe-inspiring and looking like that no wonder he was the leader of some-kind on his actual world.

"Say, Raymind, you think they'd be interested in the animal transformations?" Donel asked his coworker, glancing at him from the side. "Especially from that guy changing and all."

The younger man shrugged. "I dunno, really. Clearly, some people look like they could be from Earth, but who knows where the rest of them are from."

"Maybe we can leave that for later in case anyone's interested," Donel replied, curious about what others would think. "I'm sure someone else has got some sorta wizard in other worlds."

He sure was a bit nervous that anyone would find actual supplies here. The land seemed pretty destroyed and old, in the sense that an uninhabited room would seem after a few years. Donel hoped there would be something, or someone can pull out some water-making or food-bearing skills since he hadn't eaten since before his shift started.