A World Without - Chapter Four
Name: A World Without
Fandom: SS501 (appearances by Super Junior)
Pairings: KyuMin, 2HJ, 2YS, friendship!KyuSaeng, friendship!MinSaeng
Total Word Count: 33, 000
Chapters: 4/7 + Epilogue
Rating: PG-16
Warnings: Post-Apocalyptic themes, violence
Genre: Adventure, Romance, and a bit of Crack stirred in
Prompt: "A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes superfluous."
Summary: 40 years after humankind was deemed to have lost one chance too many, the world is still struggling to recover from the effects of the Last War. With humans now exist after being systematically wiped out, and the powerful Order overlooking all, it looked like they would finally be able live in peace. That was before a small caravan of Healers discover something in the ruins that will turn their views on atonement and suffering for the sins of the past upside down.
A/N: This is for my bestie forever, ziippers <3 Originally a one-shot, that idea kinda...died. I'm so sorry, it hardly even relates to the prompt or anything anymore @.@;;; Hope you still like it anyways? <3 /sheepish/ Updates will be every two days. Thank you to the always amazing curionenene for betaing, ILYBB~~~ <3333
HyunJoong took the news of the visit with a grain of salt, sighing and getting ready for the arrival of the three other caravans. They decided to settle for the night in the open field east of the village, large enough for all of them and far enough away for them to do damage control if anything went wrong.
HyungJoon was a flustered mess, and spent the first ten minutes going over all the things they could do to keep KyuJong a secret and everything that could go wrong. Watching the human pale more and more beneath the moving galaxies, JungMin thwacked the halfling off the head to shut him up.
YoungSaeng was the most helpful, strengthening the illusion on KyuJong and setting up quietly. They ran through scenarios to avoid and things KyuJong could say, as well as practiced his Latin. By the time night was falling, the human was a little calmer and no longer looked like he might just pass out.
Before the large group was due to arrive, HyunJoong drew KyuJong aside to practice with his new weapon rather than watch the human pace around anxiously. Weilding one of the light, elven shields, HyunJoong faced the other man and told KyuJong to aim for him.
KyuJong's eyes widened. "What? What if I slice your head off or something?"
A laugh escaped HyunJoong. "Trust me, you won't. Just try not to disembowel yourself."
The other three watched from the caravan bench as KyuJong started to spin the long chain, getting a good momentum going. Aiming was the tricky part...he had been little the last time he'd used a slingshot, and the weight was different. He decided to try not launching it anywhere first and just lashed out with it.
HyunJoong easily stepped back away from the arc of the blade, and KyuJong yelped when the chain wrapped around his own body instead, the blade nicking his skin before he could stop it.
"See? You're the one you should worry about," the drow grinned. "Attacking is fine, but you have to be able to move your body along with the chain or else you're going to tie yourself up."
"I see," KyuJong muttered, disentangling himself from his weapon.
"Try spinning with it a little," HyungJoon piped up from the side. "Or bring the chain over your head on the rebound so that you can attack again right away."
"Maybe we should have invested in a helmet," JungMin mused.
"Or full body armor," YoungSaeng replied, eyeing the line of blood along KyuJong's arm from the blade.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," KyuJong called back at them.
The training continued on that way, KyuJong catching himself with the blade more than HyunJoong. The few times he actually managed to land a hit on the flightly drow, HyunJoong blocked it easily with the shield in his hand. Panting as he brushed his bangs out of his eyes, KyuJong lowered his weapon when their attention went elsewhere. A large group was exiting the village in their direction.
"Training's over," HyunJoong grinned, not even out of breath. KyuJong swallowed past the lump in his throat and went to put his weapon away.
He'd just tugged his hood back on when there was a gust of wind and something blew by them, crashing through the tall grass and disappearing. They all looked at each other before YoungSaeng burst out laughing, shaking his head and walking in the direction the blur had gone.
"Er...what was that?" KyuJong blinked owlishly, his wide eyes made even wider by the dreamwalker illusion.
"A crash landing," HyungJoon grinned. "JongWoon's good at them." Turning his attention towards where YoungSaeng had gone, KyuJong watched the hamadryad pull the featherfolk to his feet and hug him.
"Is he alright?" came a worried voice behind them. KyuJong jumped and spun around, the sudden movement making the small person they'd called RyeoWook yelp and tumble backwards; the skinnier man had been right behind him.
"Careful there," HyunJoong laughed, helping RyeoWook back to his feet. "And stop sneaking up on people." None of them had heard the other man approach.
The rest of the group reached them then, HeeChul clapping HyunJoong off the shoulder. There was suddenly a barrage of faces and names, everyone trying to introduce themselves to the new recruit at once, and KyuJong's head spun slightly.
JungMin stepped up beside him and the human took a deep breath, leaning against the redhead slightly as he focused on answering questions the best he could.
Thankfully no one seemed to expect the dreamwalker to do anything out of the ordinary; their area of specialization was as their name suggested...in dreams. As such he could act like a human while awake and no one would think twice about it.
The new group was...all right, he had to admit. Half of them were rowdy enough to give JungMin a run for his money, and soon pulled a large assortment of pranks on the others. The air elementalist named JungSu had to rescue KyuJong from drinking something KyuHyun had passed to him in the chaos, telling him he didn't want to know what KyuJong looked like inside out before hunting down the incubus who'd given it to him in the first place.
Thankfully most of the pranks targetted the hapless featherfolk JongWoon...until YoungSaeng made a section of grass grow to enormous proportions and trapped DongHae and HyukJae inside the green cage for a good hour. JongWoon was left alone after that.
KyuJong was shocked to hear there were two other half-humans in their midst aside from HyungJoon...well, if you could count the lycan YoungWoon as a half-human considering he'd been bitten, and not born as a lycan. The other half-human was RyeoWook, who explained that his mother had been a yuki-onna and his father a lost traveler right before the Last War.
Apparently it was common for halflings to join the Healers; it was an issue of redemption for those with human blood, to prove they were able to live in the new world despite the insanity in their blood. Hearing this from KyuHyun, KyuJong felt a nauseating twist in his stomach at being called insane. He subtly glanced at HyungJoon, who was carefully avoiding everyone's eyes. The halfling's hands were curled into loose fists. YoungWoon eyed KyuHyun darkly and RyeoWook sunk a little further into his seat.
JungSu was quick to move the subject on to something less touchy.
Before KyuJong knew it, the sun was peeking over the horizon. Somehow caught up in a game of red light, green light, with the illusionist SungMin actually creating the image of red and green stoplights in the air, he was almost sad to see JungSu rounding up their three caravans and getting ready to leave.
"We'll see you again soon anyways," the elementalist said, smiling as he ushered a sleepy Henli into the waiting caravan. "There's our orders to check out this radioactive spot in Seoul you guys found, but you guys are heading up north, right? For another dead zone? We're going that way after to cross into China, so we'll see you all soon. Probably within a week or two."
"Send a messenger bird when you get close then," HyunJoong chuckled.
"We'll send JongWoon," JungSu replied with a laugh.
The drow turned and watched with a small smile as YoungSaeng helped JongWoon into the caravan. They had been glued together the entire visit. "I don't think we'd mind that at all."
Finally all 15 of their visitors were either in the caravans knocked out or driving them. The group waved as they pulled away, JungMin holding a shouted argument with HeeChul until they were too far to hear each other anymore. KyuJong lowered his hand slowly, feeling lighter than he had in a while.
Then the illusion on his wavered and fell apart, exposing the human underneath, and HyunJoong chuckled. "All right, time to move out. I'll get us going while you four sleep off all the excitement. Next stop, the dead zone of Pyongyang."
KyuJong followed HyungJoon and JungMin into the caravan, so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. When no one followed behind him though, he paused, looking back.
YoungSaeng stood in the same spot, watching the caravans fading into the distance with both hands at his sides. He remained there until HyunJoong clicked his tongue for the horses, the hamadryad sighing and climbing into the caravan as well.
Once they were moving and YoungSaeng had fallen asleep, KyuJong poked JungMin with his foot. The redhead opened his eyes and peered at him questioningly.
"Are...YoungSaeng and JongWoon sshi..." KyuJong hesitated. "Are they together?"
JungMin's eyes went to the sleeping hamadryad, before he quirked a bitter smile. "They used to be."
"...Oh." KyuJong swallowed and looked at YoungSaeng again. Suddenly the hamadryad looked so sad in his corner, curled up around his tree with one arm draped over his eyes as though to hide silent tears.
******************************
"Hey!" HyungJoon dissolved into shadows as silver flashed by the spot where he'd stood, and reappeared at a safer distance. "Watch it!"
"Sorry!" KyuJong called, and completed the motion to sink the sharp blade of his weapon into HyunJoong's shield. JungMin and YoungSaeng cheered from the side.
The drow pulled it out and tossed that end of the chain back to him. "Again!"
"He's like a drill sergeant," YoungSaeng chuckled, then laughed at HyungJoon, who was still rubbing his stomach where he'd nearly been disemboweled ruefully. "Your own fault for standing so close, Joonie."
"I think I saw my life flash before my eyes," the magnae groaned, flopping onto the grass beside them.
None of them could deny the fact that KyuJong was getting better. He was wrapping himself up in the chains less and hitting his targets more. They were even able to set him up with slingshot targets now.
And though he was still unable to catch HyunJoong off guard, he'd nearly killed their halfling magnae several times.
They had officially passed over what used to be the border between North and South Korea. Nothing had changed in scenery, but it was impossible not to notice the added tension in their shoulders...as well as the increase in practice sessions leading up to the border.
KyuJong had never seen any of them wield weapons before, but in the days after they left the village he watched with awe as HyunJoong and YoungSaeng shot arrows into haystacks they could barely see, HyungJoon lashed out with a sword the human would have trouble even holding straight, and JungMin gorged deep marks into the ground with his clawed gauntlets whenever he missed his target. They attacked each other with practiced ease, and it was almost like a strange dance to watch them, each move graceful deadly and yet...they never hurt each other even once.
Finally, once he was too exhausted to even move his arms anymore and HyunJoong called a break, KyuJong asked what had them so worried they were practicing non-stop.
"Let's just say...North Korea is known for its lack of cooperation even without humans ruling it," YoungSaeng said quietly, watching the trees around them. "There are unfriendly creatures here who don't answer to the Order, and don't heed reason. It will be a fight to get to Pyongyang."
Swallowing, KyuJong nodded slowly and gripped his chain tighter.
"Relax, you'll be fine," JungMin rolled his eyes and clapped him off the shoulder. "We've put so much effort into keeping you safe we aren't going to let some troll smash you into the ground."
"You have a weird way of cheering people up," KyuJong said with a wince as he tried not to visualize becoming a human pancake.
"What he means to say is that we'll look after you," HyunJoong said, hands behind his head and eyes closed as he relaxed. "Not that you'll need it...you're getting pretty good with that blade."
"Just try not to decapitate me along with them," HyungJoon grumbled.
Feeling warmth bubble up inside him, KyuJong smiled at the four men who, strangely enough, he'd become attached to. He hadn't thought it possible, given his status as a human...but they were almost like family.
Glancing over to JungMin, who was looking up at the sky with an almost wistful expression, he felt something else tighten in his chest and smiled a little wider.
Maybe more than family.
***********************************
The caravan was rolling through the forest when YoungSaeng suddenly let out a short whistle and the horses skidded to a stop, nearly sending poor HyungJoon flying off the driver's seat.
"What gives?" the halfling whined as he sat up, and shut up as the hamadryad held up a hand for quiet. HyunJoong poked his head out of the caravan, all conversation inside ceased.
They both listened for a long moment. After a few minutes, HyunJoong turned to HyungJoon and YoungSaeng. "Muffle the caravan's passage," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "And be quiet."
HyungJoon looked at YoungSaeng with wide eyes as the hamadryad started spelling the horses hooves and the caravan's wheels.
Feeling a light touch on his shoulder, a hand shaking him, KyuJong reluctantly pulled himself from sleep. Opening his eyes gradually, his lips parted in surprise to see JungMin looking down at him. The blush that he could feel taking over faded when he noticed the redhead had a finger to his lips for silence, and his eyes were serious.
KyuJong slowly sat up, and watched as HyunJoong gathered their weapons to place them out in easy reach.
"What's going on?" he whispered.
"Ogres," HyunJoong replied, mouth barely moving. "A herd of them, not far from here. We have to be quiet until we pass them by."
The human swallowed thickly. Ogres. Great.
"As long as we stay on the path, we're okay, right?" KyuJong asked slowly. It wasn't as if the caravan could go anywhere else, hampered by the trees.
"Actually...as long as we stay on the path, we're heading right towards them."
The bottom of his stomach fell out. Hopefully the ogres weren't actually...on the path.
Luck wasn't with them.
YoungSaeng called for another stop as silently as he could, but from the way HyunJoong cursed, their presence had already been noticed. "Everyone out of the caravan, now. YoungSaeng, spell your tree," their leader ordered sharply, grabbing his bow and a quiver full of arrows before jumping outside.
JungMin was quick to follow him, but when KyuJong tried to follow, the redhead turned around and blocked his exit. "Stay in here and make sure nothing damages YoungSaeng's tree," he said, even as KyuJong opened his mouth to protest.
"But I-"
"No, you're not ready yet, stay in here."
Any other time KyuJong would have been thankful for JungMin's concern, but right now all he could feel was annoyance and an anxious twisting feeling in his stomach as he watched the redhead pull on his gauntlets. The feeling only drew when he saw HyunJoong pull JungMin aside sharply, dragging him behind the caravan.
The human scrambled to the back of the caravan and pressed his ear against the wall to hear properly.
"JungMin, you should fight as yourself."
"No."
"You can't even balance in this form sometimes, how a-"
"I said no!" JungMin's angry hiss made KyuJong flinch. "I've been practicing too, I can fight. Don't even think I can't."
"Min," HyunJoong started tiredly, but JungMin was already walking away. "Aish...that brat..."
"What are you doing, Kyu yah?"
KyuJong jumped and nearly hit his head on one of the pots at the voice behind him. Turning around to meet YoungSaeng's sharp eyes, he shifted guiltily. "I...I was just..."
"Eavesdropping," the hamadryad replied flatly, and KyuJong winced again.
"I didn't mean-"
"Oh my God," came HyungJoon's voice from outside, and the shock and horror in the magnae's tone made them both freeze. YoungSaeng glanced at him again before throwing a blanket spell over his tree, grabbing his bow and quiver, and jumping back outside. Despite JungMin's instructions to stay hidden, KyuJong ran to the door with him and peered out.
They were definitely not ogres.
KyuJong stared at the black shapes that separated themselves from the shadows like HyungJoon did all the time, his heart jumping into his throat. Those red eyes were definitely not friendly...they were too big to be normal dogs, easily up to their waists, wild with snarling teeth and saliva dripping down their jaws. There were seven in all, stalking the caravan from all sides.
"Hellhounds," YoungSaeng whispered.
At once they all sprang, jaws snapping as they came up against an invisible barrier. HyunJoong pushed out with his hands and the spell sent all seven crashing into the trees. YoungSaeng followed up with a yell and the trees wrapped thick branches around the dogs, trying to restrain them. Three were trapped, but the other four got free easily, the hamadryad flinching with each snap of the branches.
HyungJoon ran to protect the horses, and was slammed into from the side. Disappearing before he could hit the ground, the halfling reappeared behind the hellhound and brought his sword down, narrowly missing as the hellhound was the one to disappear.
Snarling from the other side caught KyuJong's attention, and he watched JungMin grapple with a hellhound trying to sink its fangs into his shoulder. Clenching his teeth, JungMin threw the creature off and lashed out with his clawed gauntlets, the hellhound howling as three stripes of blood appeared across its stomach.
Suddenly there was fighting everywhere, KyuJong not knowing where to go first, who to help. HyungJoon was tied in a fight that was half tangible, half shadows, YoungSaeng both trying to keep the three hellhounds to the trees and fighting off the one who'd come after him. HyunJoong fired an arrow into a hellhound's shoulder and had to dodge quickly as its jaws snapped shut where his hand had been. JungMin and his hellhound were moving blurs of red and black, and KyuJong wasn't all too sure he could help there without getting the redhead by mistake.
Then one of the hellhounds broke free of the confining trees and lunged at HyunJoong from behind, KyuJong's heart nearly stopping as he leapt out of the caravan and sent his chained weapon flying.
The blade slammed through the hellhound's body and it released a loud cry of pain, struggling against the weapon imbedded inside it. Clenching his teeth and digging his feet in to stop himself from being dragged, the human pulled back, wishing he had the strength to send it flying. As it was he couldn't get the blade free again, the hellhound snapping at the weapon before turning blood red eyes to him instead.
KyuJong gasped and dodged out of the way as it lunged for him, black blood trailing after it. The chain in his hands was yanked hard and he fell onto his stomach, the blade finally separating from the hellhound.
Coughing, KyuJong pushed himself onto his hands and knees and looked up to see dark red eyes and snarling, saliva-dripping teeth.
"KYUJONG!"
Suddenly the hellhound was gone. Gasping for breath as his heart jumped from fright, KyuJong whirled around and felt his eyes widen as JungMin pinned the creature down only to choke back a scream as fangs sank into his arm.
"Min!" he yelled, picking up his weapon and lashing out with it. The blade swung in a clean arc and the hellhound's head separated from its neck, rolling to the ground as its body twitched in JungMin's grip before stilling.
Panting, JungMin glanced down at his arm before rounding on KyuJong. "I told you to stay in the caravan!" he yelled.
"I'm not just going to leave you out h-"
"DUCK!"
Suddenly he was being pulled against JungMin and to the ground as an arrow whizzed over them both. There was a dying keen, and they both looked to see a hellhound on the ground with the arrow pierced through its skull.
YoungSaeng breathed unevenly as he fitted another arrow to the string, looking around.
"Get back in the caravan," JungMin growled.
"No," KyuJong snapped, knuckles white as he clutched the chains tightly.
A scream tore through the air, and they turned in horror to see HyungJoon pinned to the ground, sword piercing through the hellhound above him like a toothpick through a pickle. That wasn't stopping the crazed, dying beast from tearing at the halfling trapped below it, red splashing everywhere.
HyunJoong blasted the hellhound straight into a tree, where it crumbled, dead. Not even stopping for an instant, he ran to HyungJoon and pulled the injured, screaming man into his arms.
Swallowing past the bile in his throat, KyuJong looked towards the trees and paled.
The two hellhounds that had been captive there were missing.
Snarling from his side was the only warning he had before suddenly JungMin was pushed away from him, the missing two coming between them. Staggering back, KyuJong lashed out with his weapon and felt it being yanked out of his hands.
He barely had time to react before he was on his back, staring up at death.
"Don't touch him!"
The words blasted not through his ears, but straight from his mind, loud and clear in the chaos. But he didn't have time to ponder it as rotten breath swamped him, stained fangs flashed, and KyuJong instinctively shut his eyes.
And then suddenly, the weight about him was gone.
A loud screech tore through the air and KyuJong cried out, clamping his hands over his ears as they rang painfully. Wind blew at him and the ground shook as something landed beside him, pained howls growing desperate until there was a sickening crunch of bone and the rip of flesh tearing open and the howls were cut off sharply.
Panting for breath, KyuJong slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp beak ripped one part of the hellhound from the other and let both halves fall. Feathers ruffling in anger, the griffin crouched like a lion ready to spring and shrieked at the remaining hellhounds, wings unfurling to their full length and hiding KyuJong from view. Staring up at the wing above him, KyuJong swallowed and lifted a shaking hand as though to touch the soft-looking feathers before snatching it back at the howls from the hellhounds.
They were...fading?
Pushing himself down onto his stomach, KyuJong was able to peer out from under the wing to see the shadows the hellhounds trailed disappearing, those who were still alive fleeing in the face of an enraged griffin. A few seconds later, the only things he could hear was the rustling of feather, a deep hissing from the creature above him, and a quiet sobbing that had to be from HyungJoon.
HyungJoon.
Remembering the red pool that had surrounded the halfling, KyuJong's heart leapt into his throat and he crawled out from under the wing, looking around frantically. HyungJoon lay nearby, HyunJoong hovering over him and casting healing spell after healing spell, the air humming with the drow's power as he knit back together the torn flesh of HyungJoon's chest and stomach. The sobbing slowly died down until HyungJoon seemed to lose consciousness completely.
Or KyuJong hoped he had just passed out and wasn't dead.
Movement beside him snapped his attention back to the creature that had saved him, and KyuJong whirled around, only to fall backwards with a shout when he found the griffin much closer than he thought and looking right at him.
The half lion, half eagle shrank back the same time he did, wings folding up as it backed away. After a short pause, during which they both stared at each other, the griffin came forward again, placing one paw on the ground next to KyuJong's foot.
KyuJong flinched.
Pain flooded the golden eyes and the griffin backed up quickly, a low keening coming from it's throat. It looked...scared almost, the position it took surely defensive. Why would it be scared of him? KyuJong wouldn't last one second against that beak...
Then, staring at the creature, the human realized its eyes looked familiar.
Too familiar.
KyuJong's eyes trailed away from it's face until his gaze landed on a bite mark on one of the griffin's front legs. He gave a start, eyes widening. Then he quickly looked where a certain redhead had been standing not that long ago.
The only thing there were a few drops of blood, deep gorges in the ground from sharp claws, and the remains of shredded clothing.
That settled it. Slowly he returned his gaze to the griffin, who had continued backing up even when KyuJong looked away.
"JungMin?" the human whispered.
Fandom: SS501 (appearances by Super Junior)
Pairings: KyuMin, 2HJ, 2YS, friendship!KyuSaeng, friendship!MinSaeng
Total Word Count: 33, 000
Chapters: 4/7 + Epilogue
Rating: PG-16
Warnings: Post-Apocalyptic themes, violence
Genre: Adventure, Romance, and a bit of Crack stirred in
Prompt: "A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes superfluous."
Summary: 40 years after humankind was deemed to have lost one chance too many, the world is still struggling to recover from the effects of the Last War. With humans now exist after being systematically wiped out, and the powerful Order overlooking all, it looked like they would finally be able live in peace. That was before a small caravan of Healers discover something in the ruins that will turn their views on atonement and suffering for the sins of the past upside down.
A/N: This is for my bestie forever, ziippers <3 Originally a one-shot, that idea kinda...died. I'm so sorry, it hardly even relates to the prompt or anything anymore @.@;;; Hope you still like it anyways? <3 /sheepish/ Updates will be every two days. Thank you to the always amazing curionenene for betaing, ILYBB~~~ <3333
HyunJoong took the news of the visit with a grain of salt, sighing and getting ready for the arrival of the three other caravans. They decided to settle for the night in the open field east of the village, large enough for all of them and far enough away for them to do damage control if anything went wrong.
HyungJoon was a flustered mess, and spent the first ten minutes going over all the things they could do to keep KyuJong a secret and everything that could go wrong. Watching the human pale more and more beneath the moving galaxies, JungMin thwacked the halfling off the head to shut him up.
YoungSaeng was the most helpful, strengthening the illusion on KyuJong and setting up quietly. They ran through scenarios to avoid and things KyuJong could say, as well as practiced his Latin. By the time night was falling, the human was a little calmer and no longer looked like he might just pass out.
Before the large group was due to arrive, HyunJoong drew KyuJong aside to practice with his new weapon rather than watch the human pace around anxiously. Weilding one of the light, elven shields, HyunJoong faced the other man and told KyuJong to aim for him.
KyuJong's eyes widened. "What? What if I slice your head off or something?"
A laugh escaped HyunJoong. "Trust me, you won't. Just try not to disembowel yourself."
The other three watched from the caravan bench as KyuJong started to spin the long chain, getting a good momentum going. Aiming was the tricky part...he had been little the last time he'd used a slingshot, and the weight was different. He decided to try not launching it anywhere first and just lashed out with it.
HyunJoong easily stepped back away from the arc of the blade, and KyuJong yelped when the chain wrapped around his own body instead, the blade nicking his skin before he could stop it.
"See? You're the one you should worry about," the drow grinned. "Attacking is fine, but you have to be able to move your body along with the chain or else you're going to tie yourself up."
"I see," KyuJong muttered, disentangling himself from his weapon.
"Try spinning with it a little," HyungJoon piped up from the side. "Or bring the chain over your head on the rebound so that you can attack again right away."
"Maybe we should have invested in a helmet," JungMin mused.
"Or full body armor," YoungSaeng replied, eyeing the line of blood along KyuJong's arm from the blade.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," KyuJong called back at them.
The training continued on that way, KyuJong catching himself with the blade more than HyunJoong. The few times he actually managed to land a hit on the flightly drow, HyunJoong blocked it easily with the shield in his hand. Panting as he brushed his bangs out of his eyes, KyuJong lowered his weapon when their attention went elsewhere. A large group was exiting the village in their direction.
"Training's over," HyunJoong grinned, not even out of breath. KyuJong swallowed past the lump in his throat and went to put his weapon away.
He'd just tugged his hood back on when there was a gust of wind and something blew by them, crashing through the tall grass and disappearing. They all looked at each other before YoungSaeng burst out laughing, shaking his head and walking in the direction the blur had gone.
"Er...what was that?" KyuJong blinked owlishly, his wide eyes made even wider by the dreamwalker illusion.
"A crash landing," HyungJoon grinned. "JongWoon's good at them." Turning his attention towards where YoungSaeng had gone, KyuJong watched the hamadryad pull the featherfolk to his feet and hug him.
"Is he alright?" came a worried voice behind them. KyuJong jumped and spun around, the sudden movement making the small person they'd called RyeoWook yelp and tumble backwards; the skinnier man had been right behind him.
"Careful there," HyunJoong laughed, helping RyeoWook back to his feet. "And stop sneaking up on people." None of them had heard the other man approach.
The rest of the group reached them then, HeeChul clapping HyunJoong off the shoulder. There was suddenly a barrage of faces and names, everyone trying to introduce themselves to the new recruit at once, and KyuJong's head spun slightly.
JungMin stepped up beside him and the human took a deep breath, leaning against the redhead slightly as he focused on answering questions the best he could.
Thankfully no one seemed to expect the dreamwalker to do anything out of the ordinary; their area of specialization was as their name suggested...in dreams. As such he could act like a human while awake and no one would think twice about it.
The new group was...all right, he had to admit. Half of them were rowdy enough to give JungMin a run for his money, and soon pulled a large assortment of pranks on the others. The air elementalist named JungSu had to rescue KyuJong from drinking something KyuHyun had passed to him in the chaos, telling him he didn't want to know what KyuJong looked like inside out before hunting down the incubus who'd given it to him in the first place.
Thankfully most of the pranks targetted the hapless featherfolk JongWoon...until YoungSaeng made a section of grass grow to enormous proportions and trapped DongHae and HyukJae inside the green cage for a good hour. JongWoon was left alone after that.
KyuJong was shocked to hear there were two other half-humans in their midst aside from HyungJoon...well, if you could count the lycan YoungWoon as a half-human considering he'd been bitten, and not born as a lycan. The other half-human was RyeoWook, who explained that his mother had been a yuki-onna and his father a lost traveler right before the Last War.
Apparently it was common for halflings to join the Healers; it was an issue of redemption for those with human blood, to prove they were able to live in the new world despite the insanity in their blood. Hearing this from KyuHyun, KyuJong felt a nauseating twist in his stomach at being called insane. He subtly glanced at HyungJoon, who was carefully avoiding everyone's eyes. The halfling's hands were curled into loose fists. YoungWoon eyed KyuHyun darkly and RyeoWook sunk a little further into his seat.
JungSu was quick to move the subject on to something less touchy.
Before KyuJong knew it, the sun was peeking over the horizon. Somehow caught up in a game of red light, green light, with the illusionist SungMin actually creating the image of red and green stoplights in the air, he was almost sad to see JungSu rounding up their three caravans and getting ready to leave.
"We'll see you again soon anyways," the elementalist said, smiling as he ushered a sleepy Henli into the waiting caravan. "There's our orders to check out this radioactive spot in Seoul you guys found, but you guys are heading up north, right? For another dead zone? We're going that way after to cross into China, so we'll see you all soon. Probably within a week or two."
"Send a messenger bird when you get close then," HyunJoong chuckled.
"We'll send JongWoon," JungSu replied with a laugh.
The drow turned and watched with a small smile as YoungSaeng helped JongWoon into the caravan. They had been glued together the entire visit. "I don't think we'd mind that at all."
Finally all 15 of their visitors were either in the caravans knocked out or driving them. The group waved as they pulled away, JungMin holding a shouted argument with HeeChul until they were too far to hear each other anymore. KyuJong lowered his hand slowly, feeling lighter than he had in a while.
Then the illusion on his wavered and fell apart, exposing the human underneath, and HyunJoong chuckled. "All right, time to move out. I'll get us going while you four sleep off all the excitement. Next stop, the dead zone of Pyongyang."
KyuJong followed HyungJoon and JungMin into the caravan, so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. When no one followed behind him though, he paused, looking back.
YoungSaeng stood in the same spot, watching the caravans fading into the distance with both hands at his sides. He remained there until HyunJoong clicked his tongue for the horses, the hamadryad sighing and climbing into the caravan as well.
Once they were moving and YoungSaeng had fallen asleep, KyuJong poked JungMin with his foot. The redhead opened his eyes and peered at him questioningly.
"Are...YoungSaeng and JongWoon sshi..." KyuJong hesitated. "Are they together?"
JungMin's eyes went to the sleeping hamadryad, before he quirked a bitter smile. "They used to be."
"...Oh." KyuJong swallowed and looked at YoungSaeng again. Suddenly the hamadryad looked so sad in his corner, curled up around his tree with one arm draped over his eyes as though to hide silent tears.
******************************
"Hey!" HyungJoon dissolved into shadows as silver flashed by the spot where he'd stood, and reappeared at a safer distance. "Watch it!"
"Sorry!" KyuJong called, and completed the motion to sink the sharp blade of his weapon into HyunJoong's shield. JungMin and YoungSaeng cheered from the side.
The drow pulled it out and tossed that end of the chain back to him. "Again!"
"He's like a drill sergeant," YoungSaeng chuckled, then laughed at HyungJoon, who was still rubbing his stomach where he'd nearly been disemboweled ruefully. "Your own fault for standing so close, Joonie."
"I think I saw my life flash before my eyes," the magnae groaned, flopping onto the grass beside them.
None of them could deny the fact that KyuJong was getting better. He was wrapping himself up in the chains less and hitting his targets more. They were even able to set him up with slingshot targets now.
And though he was still unable to catch HyunJoong off guard, he'd nearly killed their halfling magnae several times.
They had officially passed over what used to be the border between North and South Korea. Nothing had changed in scenery, but it was impossible not to notice the added tension in their shoulders...as well as the increase in practice sessions leading up to the border.
KyuJong had never seen any of them wield weapons before, but in the days after they left the village he watched with awe as HyunJoong and YoungSaeng shot arrows into haystacks they could barely see, HyungJoon lashed out with a sword the human would have trouble even holding straight, and JungMin gorged deep marks into the ground with his clawed gauntlets whenever he missed his target. They attacked each other with practiced ease, and it was almost like a strange dance to watch them, each move graceful deadly and yet...they never hurt each other even once.
Finally, once he was too exhausted to even move his arms anymore and HyunJoong called a break, KyuJong asked what had them so worried they were practicing non-stop.
"Let's just say...North Korea is known for its lack of cooperation even without humans ruling it," YoungSaeng said quietly, watching the trees around them. "There are unfriendly creatures here who don't answer to the Order, and don't heed reason. It will be a fight to get to Pyongyang."
Swallowing, KyuJong nodded slowly and gripped his chain tighter.
"Relax, you'll be fine," JungMin rolled his eyes and clapped him off the shoulder. "We've put so much effort into keeping you safe we aren't going to let some troll smash you into the ground."
"You have a weird way of cheering people up," KyuJong said with a wince as he tried not to visualize becoming a human pancake.
"What he means to say is that we'll look after you," HyunJoong said, hands behind his head and eyes closed as he relaxed. "Not that you'll need it...you're getting pretty good with that blade."
"Just try not to decapitate me along with them," HyungJoon grumbled.
Feeling warmth bubble up inside him, KyuJong smiled at the four men who, strangely enough, he'd become attached to. He hadn't thought it possible, given his status as a human...but they were almost like family.
Glancing over to JungMin, who was looking up at the sky with an almost wistful expression, he felt something else tighten in his chest and smiled a little wider.
Maybe more than family.
***********************************
The caravan was rolling through the forest when YoungSaeng suddenly let out a short whistle and the horses skidded to a stop, nearly sending poor HyungJoon flying off the driver's seat.
"What gives?" the halfling whined as he sat up, and shut up as the hamadryad held up a hand for quiet. HyunJoong poked his head out of the caravan, all conversation inside ceased.
They both listened for a long moment. After a few minutes, HyunJoong turned to HyungJoon and YoungSaeng. "Muffle the caravan's passage," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "And be quiet."
HyungJoon looked at YoungSaeng with wide eyes as the hamadryad started spelling the horses hooves and the caravan's wheels.
Feeling a light touch on his shoulder, a hand shaking him, KyuJong reluctantly pulled himself from sleep. Opening his eyes gradually, his lips parted in surprise to see JungMin looking down at him. The blush that he could feel taking over faded when he noticed the redhead had a finger to his lips for silence, and his eyes were serious.
KyuJong slowly sat up, and watched as HyunJoong gathered their weapons to place them out in easy reach.
"What's going on?" he whispered.
"Ogres," HyunJoong replied, mouth barely moving. "A herd of them, not far from here. We have to be quiet until we pass them by."
The human swallowed thickly. Ogres. Great.
"As long as we stay on the path, we're okay, right?" KyuJong asked slowly. It wasn't as if the caravan could go anywhere else, hampered by the trees.
"Actually...as long as we stay on the path, we're heading right towards them."
The bottom of his stomach fell out. Hopefully the ogres weren't actually...on the path.
Luck wasn't with them.
YoungSaeng called for another stop as silently as he could, but from the way HyunJoong cursed, their presence had already been noticed. "Everyone out of the caravan, now. YoungSaeng, spell your tree," their leader ordered sharply, grabbing his bow and a quiver full of arrows before jumping outside.
JungMin was quick to follow him, but when KyuJong tried to follow, the redhead turned around and blocked his exit. "Stay in here and make sure nothing damages YoungSaeng's tree," he said, even as KyuJong opened his mouth to protest.
"But I-"
"No, you're not ready yet, stay in here."
Any other time KyuJong would have been thankful for JungMin's concern, but right now all he could feel was annoyance and an anxious twisting feeling in his stomach as he watched the redhead pull on his gauntlets. The feeling only drew when he saw HyunJoong pull JungMin aside sharply, dragging him behind the caravan.
The human scrambled to the back of the caravan and pressed his ear against the wall to hear properly.
"JungMin, you should fight as yourself."
"No."
"You can't even balance in this form sometimes, how a-"
"I said no!" JungMin's angry hiss made KyuJong flinch. "I've been practicing too, I can fight. Don't even think I can't."
"Min," HyunJoong started tiredly, but JungMin was already walking away. "Aish...that brat..."
"What are you doing, Kyu yah?"
KyuJong jumped and nearly hit his head on one of the pots at the voice behind him. Turning around to meet YoungSaeng's sharp eyes, he shifted guiltily. "I...I was just..."
"Eavesdropping," the hamadryad replied flatly, and KyuJong winced again.
"I didn't mean-"
"Oh my God," came HyungJoon's voice from outside, and the shock and horror in the magnae's tone made them both freeze. YoungSaeng glanced at him again before throwing a blanket spell over his tree, grabbing his bow and quiver, and jumping back outside. Despite JungMin's instructions to stay hidden, KyuJong ran to the door with him and peered out.
They were definitely not ogres.
KyuJong stared at the black shapes that separated themselves from the shadows like HyungJoon did all the time, his heart jumping into his throat. Those red eyes were definitely not friendly...they were too big to be normal dogs, easily up to their waists, wild with snarling teeth and saliva dripping down their jaws. There were seven in all, stalking the caravan from all sides.
"Hellhounds," YoungSaeng whispered.
At once they all sprang, jaws snapping as they came up against an invisible barrier. HyunJoong pushed out with his hands and the spell sent all seven crashing into the trees. YoungSaeng followed up with a yell and the trees wrapped thick branches around the dogs, trying to restrain them. Three were trapped, but the other four got free easily, the hamadryad flinching with each snap of the branches.
HyungJoon ran to protect the horses, and was slammed into from the side. Disappearing before he could hit the ground, the halfling reappeared behind the hellhound and brought his sword down, narrowly missing as the hellhound was the one to disappear.
Snarling from the other side caught KyuJong's attention, and he watched JungMin grapple with a hellhound trying to sink its fangs into his shoulder. Clenching his teeth, JungMin threw the creature off and lashed out with his clawed gauntlets, the hellhound howling as three stripes of blood appeared across its stomach.
Suddenly there was fighting everywhere, KyuJong not knowing where to go first, who to help. HyungJoon was tied in a fight that was half tangible, half shadows, YoungSaeng both trying to keep the three hellhounds to the trees and fighting off the one who'd come after him. HyunJoong fired an arrow into a hellhound's shoulder and had to dodge quickly as its jaws snapped shut where his hand had been. JungMin and his hellhound were moving blurs of red and black, and KyuJong wasn't all too sure he could help there without getting the redhead by mistake.
Then one of the hellhounds broke free of the confining trees and lunged at HyunJoong from behind, KyuJong's heart nearly stopping as he leapt out of the caravan and sent his chained weapon flying.
The blade slammed through the hellhound's body and it released a loud cry of pain, struggling against the weapon imbedded inside it. Clenching his teeth and digging his feet in to stop himself from being dragged, the human pulled back, wishing he had the strength to send it flying. As it was he couldn't get the blade free again, the hellhound snapping at the weapon before turning blood red eyes to him instead.
KyuJong gasped and dodged out of the way as it lunged for him, black blood trailing after it. The chain in his hands was yanked hard and he fell onto his stomach, the blade finally separating from the hellhound.
Coughing, KyuJong pushed himself onto his hands and knees and looked up to see dark red eyes and snarling, saliva-dripping teeth.
"KYUJONG!"
Suddenly the hellhound was gone. Gasping for breath as his heart jumped from fright, KyuJong whirled around and felt his eyes widen as JungMin pinned the creature down only to choke back a scream as fangs sank into his arm.
"Min!" he yelled, picking up his weapon and lashing out with it. The blade swung in a clean arc and the hellhound's head separated from its neck, rolling to the ground as its body twitched in JungMin's grip before stilling.
Panting, JungMin glanced down at his arm before rounding on KyuJong. "I told you to stay in the caravan!" he yelled.
"I'm not just going to leave you out h-"
"DUCK!"
Suddenly he was being pulled against JungMin and to the ground as an arrow whizzed over them both. There was a dying keen, and they both looked to see a hellhound on the ground with the arrow pierced through its skull.
YoungSaeng breathed unevenly as he fitted another arrow to the string, looking around.
"Get back in the caravan," JungMin growled.
"No," KyuJong snapped, knuckles white as he clutched the chains tightly.
A scream tore through the air, and they turned in horror to see HyungJoon pinned to the ground, sword piercing through the hellhound above him like a toothpick through a pickle. That wasn't stopping the crazed, dying beast from tearing at the halfling trapped below it, red splashing everywhere.
HyunJoong blasted the hellhound straight into a tree, where it crumbled, dead. Not even stopping for an instant, he ran to HyungJoon and pulled the injured, screaming man into his arms.
Swallowing past the bile in his throat, KyuJong looked towards the trees and paled.
The two hellhounds that had been captive there were missing.
Snarling from his side was the only warning he had before suddenly JungMin was pushed away from him, the missing two coming between them. Staggering back, KyuJong lashed out with his weapon and felt it being yanked out of his hands.
He barely had time to react before he was on his back, staring up at death.
"Don't touch him!"
The words blasted not through his ears, but straight from his mind, loud and clear in the chaos. But he didn't have time to ponder it as rotten breath swamped him, stained fangs flashed, and KyuJong instinctively shut his eyes.
And then suddenly, the weight about him was gone.
A loud screech tore through the air and KyuJong cried out, clamping his hands over his ears as they rang painfully. Wind blew at him and the ground shook as something landed beside him, pained howls growing desperate until there was a sickening crunch of bone and the rip of flesh tearing open and the howls were cut off sharply.
Panting for breath, KyuJong slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp beak ripped one part of the hellhound from the other and let both halves fall. Feathers ruffling in anger, the griffin crouched like a lion ready to spring and shrieked at the remaining hellhounds, wings unfurling to their full length and hiding KyuJong from view. Staring up at the wing above him, KyuJong swallowed and lifted a shaking hand as though to touch the soft-looking feathers before snatching it back at the howls from the hellhounds.
They were...fading?
Pushing himself down onto his stomach, KyuJong was able to peer out from under the wing to see the shadows the hellhounds trailed disappearing, those who were still alive fleeing in the face of an enraged griffin. A few seconds later, the only things he could hear was the rustling of feather, a deep hissing from the creature above him, and a quiet sobbing that had to be from HyungJoon.
HyungJoon.
Remembering the red pool that had surrounded the halfling, KyuJong's heart leapt into his throat and he crawled out from under the wing, looking around frantically. HyungJoon lay nearby, HyunJoong hovering over him and casting healing spell after healing spell, the air humming with the drow's power as he knit back together the torn flesh of HyungJoon's chest and stomach. The sobbing slowly died down until HyungJoon seemed to lose consciousness completely.
Or KyuJong hoped he had just passed out and wasn't dead.
Movement beside him snapped his attention back to the creature that had saved him, and KyuJong whirled around, only to fall backwards with a shout when he found the griffin much closer than he thought and looking right at him.
The half lion, half eagle shrank back the same time he did, wings folding up as it backed away. After a short pause, during which they both stared at each other, the griffin came forward again, placing one paw on the ground next to KyuJong's foot.
KyuJong flinched.
Pain flooded the golden eyes and the griffin backed up quickly, a low keening coming from it's throat. It looked...scared almost, the position it took surely defensive. Why would it be scared of him? KyuJong wouldn't last one second against that beak...
Then, staring at the creature, the human realized its eyes looked familiar.
Too familiar.
KyuJong's eyes trailed away from it's face until his gaze landed on a bite mark on one of the griffin's front legs. He gave a start, eyes widening. Then he quickly looked where a certain redhead had been standing not that long ago.
The only thing there were a few drops of blood, deep gorges in the ground from sharp claws, and the remains of shredded clothing.
That settled it. Slowly he returned his gaze to the griffin, who had continued backing up even when KyuJong looked away.
"JungMin?" the human whispered.