ggggggggggg

wriitng. lol.

[ashtrayants]

overcast concept

summary: it really sucks, huh? when the others are dreaming but you’re stuck. when they have everything, and you can’t even remember your own damn name. at least these people are willing to put up with you... for now.

note: im just mcfucking around... also hah... you think i proofread...? that i edit? hah... such naivety will cost you dearly...

Her eidolon had been inspecting his face in the mirror for roughly five minutes now, muttering incomplete sentences. His voice became white noise that Tamara tuned out in favour for her tablet, visiting one of her favourite blogging websites.

Things were… definitely weird. Not only was a damn eidolon under her roof, but so was a dragon, and not an ordinary one either. He was Morindus, Guardian of Time, who instructed her on getting the eidolon for a time related reason that Tamara intentionally forgot about as she scrolled down her dash.

Her dash was filled with pictures of pretty flowers and cityscapes, as well as videos of cats and dogs doing cute things, along with the usual humour and meme posts. The current meme seemed to be about the infamous Warrior Heart series. One post especially got her attention.

Take Her To Your Place To Help Her With Homework And Then Pour Ice Down Her Back. #wastehertime1850

Tamara grinned to herself and smashed that reblog button. She approved of this meme. She continued the journey down her dash, liking and reblogging more things until she came across her friends misadventures in Noctis.

Martha, one of Tamara’s best friends had recently been invited to Noctis per some Pandora business. Tamara didn’t know much about that, but she knew going to Noctis is a once in a life time opportunity. She could only dream of spending a day, or well, night under Noctis’s star-filled sky.

That Martha got the opportunity to do that made Tamara a bit jealous, yet happy for her all the same. She blogged about her experiences in Noctis, talking about how she met Duke Nightsong  (Tamara dared her to flip him off, looks like she chickened out though) and his son. She also took photos of city’s scenery, along with selfies with another Pandora member named Eliot.

Martha was living the life, living her dreams. It made Tamara look away from her tablet, and at her eidolon.

Maybe he can help me achieve my dreams too.

He was still investigating his face. She couldn’t help but feel a little bit bad for him. If Morindus’s calculations were right, the eidolon had been trapped in some mysterious void known as the Abyss for 420 years. She freed him, yes, but to what? He came out lacking memories, a name, and unable able to form coherent sentences (according to Morindus, it was a temporary thing, a problem that resulted from him not speaking for far too long.)

It didn’t help that he got in an altercation with some jerk earlier on, who was threatening a girl. Said jerk called him a monster and ran off upon looking at his face.

She peered over to Morindus, who leaned over his chair, forgetting about the newspaper in his hands. He watched the eidolon, interest evident in his silver eyes. At least the eidolon was no longer investigating his fangs, he seemed to be focusing on his eyes now. They stood out more than his fangs did; burning a brilliant green similar to malachite. Anyone who looked at them could tell he wasn’t human.

‘Horrible…’ he said, speaking slowly as if there was a massive delay between his thoughts and mouth. ‘Power… font… cursed… Basker….ville? No… Green…’

Tamara was hopelessly lost. She looked to Morindus for answers. He did not provide. Well okay I guess.

‘Could you repeat that?’ Morindus asked. The eidolon turned his head to the dragon, his brows furrowed in confusion. ‘The name you just said.’

‘Basker…ville…’ the eidolon said. ‘Disgusting…’

‘Indeed,’ Morindus replied. ‘But it is proof you remember something.’

His eyes widened at that realisation, his mouth forming into the goofiest grin Tamara had ever seen. ‘Yes! Memory…’

‘Can you remember any of their names?’

That grin turned into the grumpiest scowl Tamara had ever seen. ‘Hate… Baskervilles…’

‘If you can remember their names, that means there’s hope for you yet,’ Morindus said. ‘Go on. See if you can.’

Tamara opened her tablet again and began writing up a post.

Hey are Baskervilles real I want to know I may have saw one once but it may have been a lettuce but are they.

Gods know where that came from, but she was sure this post would gain thousands of notes. She hit send.

As for the eidolon, he fell silent as he tried to recall to mind their names. His face visibly worked, but his mind chugged at an incredibly slow pace.

‘Dolce… she…’

‘Is the one who looked the Shadowmother in the face and walked backwards into hell.’

Morindus nodded. ‘Continue.’

Tamara refreshed the page. The notes and reblogs began rolling in. Hell yeah anymore of this clever thinking and she’ll get famous.

The eidolon listed off names in a slow manner. Kelly, Eleanor, Glen and after that it looked like he hit a brick wall in his memory. Morindus provided information about the people he listed off.

According to him, Kelly was a pretty nice guy, very reliant and sensible. He was the voice of reason in their family. Eleanor was far too serious for her own good and it cost her her life. Glen didn’t do anything special, only that he was tricked into thinking his name was short for Glenjamin.

And it dawned on Tamara. She never understood the joke ‘Glen is short for Glenjamin’. Now she finally did.

‘There are much more, of course,’ Morindus continued, ‘but it is good you remember some. Your memories are there, we need only unlock them.’

‘Great… news… yes…’

A small smile crept onto Morindus’s face. ‘And know this, you are not like a Baskerville, far from it, actually. But a blessing is not a curse. The Baskervilles gained favour from their goddess. Not many get that privilege, you know.’

The eidolon glowered at Morindus. He didn’t know where this conversation was going, and neither did he like it.

‘That is to say, you are blessed. Don’t ever say otherwise.’

‘So… not… like… them?’

Morindus nodded.

‘Eyes… no… power?’

‘I should hope not.’

He seemed pleased with that answer and looked at the mirror again. ‘Yes… blessed…’

Morindus sat back in the chair again, re-opening the paper. Tamara stayed silent for a few, observing on what happened. As they spoke, she noticed his sentences getting coherent. Morindus didn’t seem to pick up on it though, which amused her slightly.

‘You didn’t notice?’ she asked. ‘His speech is getting better.’

‘Oh?’ Morindus said, sounding genuinely surprised. ‘Hah, maybe I’m getting a bit old.’

She shrugged and turned her tablet off after looking at her dash one more time. Nothing interesting was happening, so why not.

‘Deimos.’ Morindus said suddenly. ‘That’s it.’

Tamara perked a brow up. The eidolon seemed equally as confused. ‘…Deimos?’

‘Yes,’ Morindus said, looking at him. ‘Deimos, son of the warrior god, Ares. The way you handled that guy earlier reminded me of a warrior.’

The eidolon crossed his arms. ‘Explain…’

‘It can be your name. At least until we know your real one.’

He didn’t reply.

Tamara piped in. ‘Deimos does sound nice, actually.’

‘I… suppose… yes…’

[ashtrayants]

Court of Dragons (chapter five)

what’s a story without an annoyingly edgy character? 

‘What weaknesses do you see?’ the massive liger walked around in circles so Lewis could see its weak points.

Not that there were many. The guns on its front legs couldn’t rotate, and although he hadn’t seen the Liger in battle, that didn’t stop the bad feeling that the lack of rotation wasn’t a weakness at all. Thanks to those guns trying to take out its front legs was a no go. He’d be shredded in seconds. The hind legs seemed like an easier target if he could avoid the gunfire, but those blades… or were they wings? They looked like blades. If they were, targeting the hind legs would be a stupid move as well.

That left those strange cylinders on its nape. Lewis didn’t know what they were, only that tubes ran out of them and into its back and weaponry. It had to be important.

‘Those cylinder things look important.’ Lewis said.

‘The energy charger?’ said Knight, ‘so you’d attack my energy charger?’

‘Yeah?’ he said, a little unsure.

‘Damage that and we both die horribly in an explosion,’ Knight said in a sardonic manner, ‘don’t know about you, but if I’m going to die, I’d like to be in one piece.’

‘Oh, uh…’

Why the hell did a zoid have such a dangerous part like that? Couldn’t this “energy charger” be internal rather than external? It sounded so hazardous. Especially since it looked easy to break.

‘Fortunately,’ said Knight, ‘it takes a special kind of zoid to damage the charger.’

A special kind of zoid? What kind of zoid out there could match Knight’s? His liger looked invincible. To think there’s a zoid out there that can stand toe-to-toe with Knight’s liger. He shuddered at the thought of such monstrosity.

At least he knew the charger wasn’t so fragile at all. They’d be fine, just as long as they don’t run into that “special kind” of zoid.

Because that would suck a lot.

‘But enough chatting, have you spotted a weakness?’

…

‘No…’ Lewis stuttered. He heard a loud ‘ha!’ from the other.

‘Well, I don’t blame you,’ Knight sounded so unbelievably smug, ‘Energy Liger is perfection, after all. Not many can contend with her.’

Energy Liger. So that’s its name. It must be a new liger model, seeing as he never heard of it at all, and Lewis knew everything when it came to ligers. He’d always wanted to pilot one. That was only natural: ligers made popular zoids. They had a regal look to them, are amazingly strong, with quite the history attached to them as well.

If zoids had royalty, Lewis thought, then ligers would be monarchy. And Knight’s Energy Liger looked like a queen amongst queens.

‘How do you feel about fighting a Unenlagia? You know the basics now, you just have to apply them.’ said Knight.

Oh yeah, apply the basics. On a live target. That’s a snappy, gun-happy Unenlagia. On one hand, he wanted to nope out of this so hard, but on the other, this was going to happen eventually. He needed to learn how to fight for himself. If he can’t handle one Unenlagia, how is he going to handle retrieving the Book?

‘I guess.’ Lewis said, his voice shaky. Damn it. It’s just a Unenlagia. They’re just like Rev Raptors. All by themselves; absolutely useless. Together with a pack; even a Genosaurer would struggle.

The liger pivoted around, peering its head over. It looked so unfortunate with its lack of a neck. ‘You’ll be fine. You can do this.’

Lewis let out a ‘yeah’ and watched the liger disappear into the foliage. Great, now he was all alone with the long shadows, the creeping mists and the foreboding, grey clouds threatening to swallow the sky.

Was this place cursed? It felt like it.

He had nothing to do, so he looked over his zoids stats again whilst waiting for Knight to return. So he could get his ass kicked by a Unenlagia. It’s so hard being Lewis sometimes. Just when things couldn’t get any better…

…a white Konig Wolf burst forth from the bushes, electricity dancing around its claws as it lunged at him. Lewis screamed and pushed back, barely avoiding the attack. The wolf whipped around, lashing its claws out at the raptor. Lewis managed to jump back before the claws struck, gaining some distance between the two.

He noticed something on the wolf’s shoulder. A yellow wyrm coiled around a sword. A symbol of sorts. One he’d never seen. The Konig Wolf charged at him, electricity now cackling in its jaws.

Lewis pulled on his controls, twisted them inwards before pulling back further. The counter scythes unsheathed, aglow now in a silver energy. Raven roared as he rushed forward to meet with his enemy.

The jaws came down. Lewis swerved out the way, and in one swift strike cut clean through the Konig Wolf’s right leg. Putting some distance between the two again, he watched as the wolf backed away, looking at what remained of its leg.

‘Holy shit.’ Lewis couldn’t believe it. Did he actually do that? Sever its leg off? It was nice knowing there were pilots worse than him.

The wolf whipped its head back and let out a howl. Oh, fuck. Of course it had backup. Where the hell was Knight? Ugh. Forget him. He had to go, and now. Raven growled at the wolf before taking off. Lewis had no idea where to go, his best bet was to go deeper into the woods.

What about Knight though? His heart sank at the thought of being alone. He reminded himself he was in danger, there was no time for sentimentalism. Not at this moment. Not until he was safe. Whatever safe may be.

A morning star smashed into Raven’s back, knocking the raptor zoid. Lewis winced as the crash shook his body. Regaining his senses, he looked up at his attacker. An ebony Bamburian crouched over him.

‘Finally found ya, Alice.’ a rough, masculine voice emitted from its cockpit.

Another person who knows Alice. Great. Lewis wouldn’t be surprised if the whole world knew of her at this point.

‘I’m not Alice.’ Lewis retorted. Raven slowly hauled himself back onto his feet.

‘What the fuck. Why the fuck you got her zoid?’

Then he saw the same symbol on the Bamburian’s neck armour. ‘Seriously, what the fuck. Why’ve you got her zoid.’

‘Well,’ said Lewis, half-heartedly, ‘wouldn’t you like to know?’

‘Hey, it’s no sweat off my back. I’ll just take your skull instead.’

‘You’ll do no such thing.’

Lewis felt his body light up as that voice rang through the comm. Knight! The two zoids looked behind them. Standing tall and proud was Knight’s Energy Liger.

‘Ah, if it isn’t my cool pal J---’

‘What the hell is it you want, Roz.’

‘Many things,’ Roz replied. ‘Cash, admirers, blood and guts. Your skull. All things Isla promised me.’

‘Isla,’ Knight snorted, ‘a name I’d hope never to hear again.’

‘Isla,’ said Roz. ‘Isla, Isla, Isla---’

‘Shut the fuck up.’

Lewis blinked. Whatever was happening in front of him, he had nothing to do with it.

‘Well, now that we’re all here,’ said Roz, their voice now menacing, ‘the Red Knight? Is that what you’re calling yourself now? Anyways, would you mind just dying. I’d like to trash your pretty liger and ruin your body myself.’

What the fuck is this person’s problem? Lewis thought.

‘To think Isla would associate with dregs like you, he must be having it tough.’ said Knight.

‘Both Kainan and Isla agreed to send the Court on your ass,’ Roz replied, ‘but Isla grew impatient so he hired me to kill you. Speaking of killing, let’s stop talking and get to the killing.’

‘You consider yourself a mercenary?’ Knight said, his voice full of scorn. His liger approached Raven, growling lowly. ‘You say mercenary, but that symbol gives you away as a zoid core hunter.’

‘And?’ said Roz nonchalantly, ‘zoid core hunting makes good coin actually.’

‘You really are scum,’ said Knight, his voice lacking inflection, ‘get out of the fucking way.’

‘Make me.’

Before he knew what happened, the Bamburian was pinned down by the liger. Lewis blinked again. How fast can that damn zoid move?

‘Lewis!’ Knight called out to him. ‘Run to the mountains.’

Lewis nodded and took off, switching his boosters on for good measure. An explosion crashed through the forest. Lewis turned back. A small pocket of smoke hung in the sky.

His radar began pinging. Red dots were everywhere on it. More from Roz’s group? Crap. This day was going so well.

Not.

He looked away from the radar and continued onward.  

‘Could you fucking hurry up?’

Lewis couldn’t help but smile as Knight’s voice entered the comm. He didn’t need to look back to know he was catching up. That liger was stupidly fast.

‘You said your liger is perfection. Poor Raven here match perfection.’ Lewis quipped.

‘So I did,’ replied Knight, ‘Roz’s group are on our tail though. Stay close to me. I can defend you better that way.’

Lewis drew Raven closer to the liger. Having Knight with him, he felt they could make it through this fiasco in one piece. All those names though. Isla. Kainan. Roz. Knight better explain once they’re safe.

[ashtrayants]

Court of Dragons (chapter four)

contains a bit of Gender so heads up... it’s not too bad though, i think.

The cabin was mostly made of dark wood and brick, with a stony chimney breast which the accommodated the fireplace. The floor consisted of laminated oak flooring.  Simple, brown curtains hid the windows, whilst ochre chairs and small tables littered the place.

He thought it was going to be a night, considering he was spending it with Knight. He was wrong. It wasn’t a night at all. Knight told him he could sleep on the sofa, then buggered off upstairs.

At least the sofa, a rustic grey, was by the fireplace. He settled down quickly, placing one plush cushion under his head, whilst pressing the other to his chest. It was soft and warm. Like mash potatoes. Lewis had so much to think about. About the Book. About Alice. About his zoid.

And yet all his thoughts turned towards Knight instead. He hadn’t been with him for a day, but he couldn’t help it. He felt like he knew a lot about Knight already, even though they barely knew each other. Hell, Knight hadn’t asked for his name. Strange enough, it didn’t bother Lewis at all.

The Red Knight was an intriguing man… made all the more interesting by the fact the Asgardians wanted him.

Enough to send the Court of Dragons after him.

Again, he wondered who the hell it was he was dealing with here. With a pretty face like that though, Lewis found it a bit hard to care whether Knight was a mass murderer or not.

---

‘Oi. Wake the fuck up.’ Knight said, pushing the curtains open. Light seeped into the building, hitting harshly against his face. Lewis opened his eyes and squinted, waiting for them to adjust to the sunlight before opening them again.

Slowly, he lifted himself up. His muscles moaned. Oh, right. He was still sore thanks to Knight roughing him up yesterday. At least it wasn’t so bad today. Groggily, he wiped the sleep out his tawny eyes.

Knight pivoted around, folding his arms in front of him. ‘We have much to discuss. But first, I prepared you some clothes upstairs. Don’t take too long. I hate to wait.’

Was I having nice thoughts about him last night? Because never mind now. This guy’s a total dick. Lewis thought. He hauled himself off the chair, grabbed his supplies and climbed the stairs. Entering Knight’s room, he saw, sure enough, in the middle of what looked like a king-sized bed, a set of clothes all neatly folded up.

Plopping the bag of supplies down, he sat himself on the bed’s corner and unzipped the bag. Since he meant to climb the mountains, he had to buy himself appropriate clothing.

And there was the whole being trans thing. Not a real problem, however, he was going to be away from civilisation for a few, he might as well stock up. Better that than stink.

Ruffling through the bag for a few seconds, he grabbed what he was looking for: a white sports bra. Binders were no good in his line of work. Hell, binders were no good full stop if you were a zoid pilot.

Obviously, a sports bra didn’t hide his chest well like a binder would. It did it’s job though, and that’s all that mattered.

It took him five minutes to get changed. Knight picked him some well made clothes. A pair of royal blue trousers, made from the finest cottons, with a royal blue frock coat, which was slung over his shoulder. He was given a simple white dress shirt, now partially hidden by a vest cut from black fabric, with a collar accented in black velvet.

Looking at himself in the mirror he felt… too gentlemanly. It didn’t suit him at all. He was Lewis. A nobody from nowhere. He didn‘t think the royal blue matched with his tawny skin, either. Oh well. Knight tried. Or maybe not.

He procured a brush from his bag and swiftly brushed it through his wispy, dark brown hair, streaked with gold.

‘Do you intend to keep me waiting?’ Knight shouted. ‘I told you, I don’t like to wait.’

Lewis rolled his eyes and grumbled. ‘What a tit.’

Once he was done, he put the coat on and travelled back downstairs. Knight sat on the sofa, his hands neatly folded in front of him with his legs crossed over. ‘I told you to hurry.’

‘Whatever,’ said Lewis, joining him, ’what is it you wanted to discuss?’

Knight‘s eyes narrowed. ‘What is your relationship with Alice?’

Oh, right. Duh. Of course he’d want to discuss Alice.

‘I don’t have one.’ Lewis replied. ‘We met in the desert. I was being attacked. She came and saved my hide, that’s when I got her zoid..’

‘But why?’ Knight continued. ‘I need know.’

It took not even a microsecond for Knight to realise his mistake. ‘Oh, merde. I meant I must know. Whatever. You understand?’

‘Yeah, I understand it’s just…’ Lewis couldn’t help but chuckle at Knight’s blunder. This made him sneer, allowing him to see Knight’s fang-like upper left canine. In a strange way, it was cute. He’s surprised he just noticed it now

‘Aw,’ said Lewis. ‘Your fang is cute.’

Knight sputtered, quickly growing flustered. He tried to spit out rebuttals, but nothing came, so he hid his face in his hands instead. Lewis grinned. This ornery shithead could be adorable when he wanted to.

‘And you’re cute when you’re flustered.’

‘Me?! Cute?!’ Knight growled, then he jabbed a finger at Lewis. ‘Do not change the topic! Why did Alice give you her Raven Raptor?’

Wow. Way to be boring.

‘I’m afraid I can’t say. I don’t think she’d want me sharing that info.’

Knight let his hands fall back into his lap, quickly regaining composure. ‘I see. Something she wouldn’t even want me knowing.’

The “Book of Secrets”, she called it. What was this book? Alice said something about making history as well. Could she really do it with one stupidly named book?

‘I’m sure there’s a good reason why she doesn’t want you to know,‘ said Lewis, ‘perhaps it’s for your own good. Or something like that.’

Knight crossed his arms. ‘Be that as it may, I am a knight. It is my duty to protect. Throwing myself into danger is what I’m suppose to do,’ his expression softened, ‘but this charge of mine is capricious and ever evasive. Bad men out there exist…’

‘I thought you two were brother and sister?’

‘We are,’ replied Knight, taking in a deep breath, he continued. ‘Not by blood of course, but we were raised together. They wanted me to be her knight, and her my liege. We never saw each other as such though. Only as siblings.

Regardless, I am her knight. I am honour-bound to carry out her will.’

Woah. Lewis thought. This guy is totally on a different league then I am.

He gazed at him again, his focus sharp and intense. ‘That’s why I must know. So I can help. I don’t care what it is, as long as I can help Alice. Please, tell me.’

Putting it like that… could he really keep the secret from him? The knowledge that Knight could help made it seem all the more reason why he should speak up.

Ah, fuck it. Might as well. These things have a way of coming out, anyways.

‘She wanted me to find the Book of Secrets.’

‘The what.’

‘Yeah,’ Lewis shrugged. ‘I dunno what it is, either.’

‘Hmm...’ Knight’s face began working. ‘Unless she meant the Book of Dead Names?’

‘The what.’

‘The Book of Dead Names. It’s said to contain all of Zi’s history.’

‘Why does a badly named book have something like that.’

‘More importantly, why does Alice want something like that?’ Knight mused. ‘What could she gain from that book?’

‘She did say something about making history.’

Knight let out another ‘hmmm’ as he closed his eyes and thought about it. They snapped open as realisation dawned on him. ‘She intends to stop Asgard with it.’

Lewis was hopelessly lost. How can you use a book to stop a nation? He realised he said his thoughts out loud when Knight cast him a funny look.

‘You forget already? The book contains all of Zi’s history. With that information, you could achieve anything.’

‘That’s scary.’ Lewis remarked. ‘That one book can do that…’

‘And for that reason,’ Knight said, ‘the Midgardians hid it. No one knows where it is.’

Lewis looked down, staring into his lap. He’d realised both the impossibility of the situation, and the great weight Alice placed on him bearing on his shoulders now. He knew he should’ve called it quits when he had the chance.

‘But if Alice desires the book,’ Knight’s voice brought him out of his doldrums, ‘then I will tear up the earth if that’s what it take to find it.’

‘You’d go that far for her?’

‘I am a knight.’

Such a stubborn idiot. Lewis couldn’t help but smile. Somehow, as long as Knight was with him, he felt like he could do anything. Even if it is finding a book that’s god knows where.

‘She did tell me to look beyond the mountains.’

‘Then beyond the mountains we will go,’ said Knight, standing up. He held a hand out for Lewis, ‘but first we must see to your training.’

Oh shit.

‘Wait…’ Lewis said, trying to change the topic, ‘if we’re going to work together, you need to know my name, right? You never did ask, so. I’m Lewis.’

‘I already know,’ Knight said with a grin, ‘a commoner like you must have a boring name like that.’

‘What the fuck actually.’

[ashtrayants]

Court of Dragons (chapter 3)

‘Right!’ said the knight. ‘So, here you are, having a good time travelling alone when…’

The Liger trotted up to Raven. ‘A Liger appears! And it wants to fight! And all you’ve got is a crappy Rev Raptor. What do you do?’

‘I dunno,’ Lewis quipped sardonically. ‘What do I do?’

‘Identify its weak spots, and target them.’

‘Well uh… That’s nice and all but it’s as you said. All I’ve got is a crappy Raven Raptor. I don‘t really have much chance of winning anyways.’

‘You’re not very confident, are you?’ the Red Knight said. ‘If you lack confidence, your zoid will lack it too. A zoid is only as good as its pilot.’

There was merit to what he was saying, but Rev Raptors didn’t exist to be successful zoids. They were cannon fodder, and nothing less. Alone, they were as meagre and useless as a Godos against a Zaber Fang. In packs, they could well, take down a Shield Liger. But nothing better then that.

His might’ve been a Raven Raptor, but what difference was there besides a new paint job?

‘Can a mountain of Molgas take down a Deathsaurer?’ the Knight asked.

‘Are you seriously---’

‘The answer is yes. Can a Redler fend off a Decalto Dragon? The answer is yes.’

‘Well if you wanna get specific, actually a mountain of Molgas can’t do anything against a Deathsaurer also a Decalto Dragon would eat a Redler for breakfast.’

‘Do you have to be so pedantic?’ the red knight asked.

‘Yeah.’ replied Lewis.

‘Whatever,’ the Liger backed away and turned around. ‘The point is, every zoid has a weakness just as they have a strength. Found out yours, then we’ll continue.’

‘…Fine.’

Lewis pressed a few buttons, and an interface with a 3D image of his zoid appeared on the screen where the map was. Lewis’s mouth formed into a small ‘o’.

‘Woah, is this touch screen?’ he pressed a finger onto the scythes protruding from the zoids back. Text appeared, identifying the weapons as “Counter Scythes”. ‘It’s touch screen. Neat.’

There were two red outlines on the image. One was shaped like a massive pile driver, whilst the other appeared as cannons on the arms. He placed a finger on the pile driver. An error displayed on the screen. “PILE BUNKER NOT FOUND”.

Oh. No wonder why he mistook Raven as a common Rev Raptor in the first place. The armaments that separated Rev and Raven were missing. What the hell did Alice do to the damn thing?

He looked into the other weapons. They were noted as “Killer Fangs”, “Hyper Claws” and “Strike Harken Claws” (who names this stuff?).  Next, he looked into its equipment. There wasn’t much, but the zoid did have a booster on its back, centred between the counter scythes.

Lewis understood his zoid a little bit more. It was built for close-ranged combat. That meant if he wanted to do damage, he had to get close. Cannon fodder or not, those scythes looked like they could slice through anything. A liger one leg less made for an easier target.

A roar resounded throughout the air, breaking him out of his thoughts. It was not one a zoid would make; it sounded more like a jet engine.

‘We have to go.’ the Red Knight said, voice suddenly serious.

‘What? Why?’ Lewis was a bit confused.

‘I’ll explain on the way.’

---

The Red Knight did explain. He said the Court of Dragons were chasing him down. The roaring they heard was the noise a Redler’s engine makes. The Red Knight was worried it was a Court operative searching for him.

Lewis wondered who the hell he was dealing with here, for the Court of Dragons, Asgard’s own damn military, to be pursuing him. He loved a good mystery though, and this man was nothing but mysterious.

‘Can I ask you some questions?’ asked Lewis.

‘No.’

‘I’m gonna ask anyways,’ he said. ‘Why are you called the Red Knight?’

‘No.’

Lewis pouted. Why did he have to be so difficult? He wasn’t going to back down though. ‘Do you actually have a name?’

‘Be quiet.’

‘If you don't tell me, can I just call you Knight instead?’

There was no reply. He was going to take that as a yes. The clouds cleared as they finally reached their destination: a cabin deep within the woods. The sky was now a canvas of cold blues and purples. All sounds of life went completely silent. No matter the time of day, Lewis mused, this place never stopped being creepy.

He didn’t know why anyone would live here what with the wild zoids and all. Either Knight’s got balls or he’s a damn idiot. Probably both.

The liger (he never did found out its name whoops) laid down, its canopy opening. A tall figure jumped out. Lewis narrowed his eyes. He really wanted to see what Knight looked like, for some reason. He supposed it was because Knight was well, a wanted man.

He pressed a few buttons, and the interface became live footage of the area. He tapped the screen. It zoomed in on Knight. Though his back was turned he could see his raven hair, lengthy and tousled, with black clothes consisting of a tailed coat, formal trousers and leather shoes. The only thing that stood out against the black were the white dress gloves he wore.

He couldn’t see his damn face though. He wanted to see it. As if reading his mind, Knight turned around.

Fair skinned, Knight’s green eyes were narrow and angular. A small, dark mole was underneath his left eye. Red heart-shaped earrings dangled from his ears. He was wearing a black vest with a white dress shirt underneath. The only thing that popped out against the black and whites was the purple bow tie at the front of his collar.

He was rather pretty. And handsome. Lewis didn’t know what he was expecting, but not this. With his ornery disposition, a part of him expected a rugged man well past his prime to arise from the zoid, not a pretty face. Knight looked like he was in his twenties. How did a man so young manage to piss Asgard off so much to send the Court of Dragons after him?

‘Oi!’ Knight snapped, pointing a finger at Raven. ‘Are you coming down or what?’

Oh, right. He was being gay. Sort of. He undid his belt and pressed a button by his side. Raven’s canopy unlocked, slowly rising backwards.

This was going to be a night.

[ashtrayants]

Court of Dragons (chapter two)

‘Snowdrop!’ Alice called. There was a moment of silence. Alice called out once more, sounding annoyed. Again, silence. Then a beam of energy shot out of the Raven Raptor’s back, arcing as it hit the ground, transforming into a miniature, cat-like zoid next to her. Its metal was an icy white, and it looked at him with glassy, cobalt eyes.

He stared at it. Really stared at it. Something was telling him he should know what it is, and he tried to recall why. Perhaps something he saw and read? Nah, it had to have been something he read. Slowly, his mind began to work. Something he read… Yes, he remembered now reading something about “miniature zoids with the power to fuse with zoids, heighten their capabilities, and even evolve them”.

These specialised zoids had a name. It was on the tip of his tongue, and yet he couldn‘t remember. It began with an O though. O… Or… Organoid! Then it all clicked into place.

He was looking at an organoid. Even if history said otherwise, no one thought organoids actually existed; they hadn’t been seen for centuries. And yet here he was, staring at the real deal.

‘So,’ said Alice, breaking him out of his thoughts, ‘you’re absolutely going to help me, right?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Then do be careful. Once you pilot Raven, you are officially marked.’

His eyes widened. ‘What?!’

A grin formed on her face, cruel and crooked. ‘By the Red Knight, of course. He’s a jealous lover. Very, very jealous and horrible. Why, I’d say by meeting me here, you’re already marked.’

What the fuck? He thought. She only looked to be in her teens. The Red Knight sounded anything but. Why was some creepy man pursuing her? Ugh. The thought of it made his stomach turn, and by meeting her here he was now ‘marked’? Marked for what, exactly?’

‘Well then!’ she clapped her hands together. ‘The Book lies beyond the mountains. I do wish you luck. We’re going to make history together, you and me!’

She climbed onto Snowdrop’s back. The organoid let out a robotic mrrrau and darted off, leaving him all alone in the desert, with the sun hanging low.

Lewis took one look at his Heldigunner, then at the Raven Raptor, before shrugging.

A week had passed since the chance meeting with Alice. During that time, he visited a small village to gather up on provisions, then set for the Forest of Giants. He expected Raven’s cockpit to be all cramped, given the zoids diminutive size, thankfully it was spacey, with a unique feature - an interactive map. 

It helped him somewhat for the journey. Alice’s vague wording didn’t inspire much confidence in him however. “Go beyond the mountains?” Sure, no problem. But where should he go to begin his search?

Ugh. Trying to think about it made his head hurt. He could do thinking once he climbed the mountains. For now, it was trying to pass through the ominously named forest.

Massive conifers loomed over Raven as he walked through the forest. Gloomy clouds began to darken the sky, allowing the shadows to reach long and creep along the forest floor. Mist began seeping in through the woods.

It was a very unsettling place, to the say the least. Lewis started to regret his decision. Maybe he should turn back and call it a day.

‘No, calm down,’ he said to himself. ‘I know it’s called the Forest of Giants for a reason, but like, there’s nothing here that can kill me, right?’ 

The forest probably got its name because of the massive trees. It’s not like there were any wild Elephanders out there, watching his every movement, right?

He slammed the controls forward. Raven let out a hiss and took off. He had no intention of lingering here any longer. He needed to reach the mountains as soon as possible.

‘Come on,’ he groaned. ‘Can’t you go any faster?’

Raven let out a low growl.

‘Wow, okay.’

The shadows flickered. He jammed the controls, forcing Raven to stop. The forest was unusually quiet. Then, the sound of metal meeting earth resounded throughout the trees. Shapes danced around him, a blur of silver and blue. Raven growled and hissed, as if issuing a challenge to the shapes.

A Unenlagia burst through the foliage, screaming wildly. More Unenlagia followed, growling as they surrounded him. Well, shit. This was awfully familiar… He glanced around. There were too many of them. He couldn’t possibly fight them off. Not with a Raven Raptor. These raptor-types made shitty zoids.

Gripping the controls tightly, he clenched his jaw. No. He couldn’t fight them.  But he could try and outrun them. He was about to press his controls forward when a low, metallic purring came behind him.

He froze. The Unenlagia froze as well. Something was behind him. Swallowing thickly, he dared a look. He gasped. Loudly.

Behind him was a Liger-type zoid in maroon and silver armour. Protruding from its head was a horn, with a crest sitting on top of its mane. A pair of massive cylinders rested at its nape with tubes coming out of their sides, wiring around its body, entering the armaments on its front legs, one which looked like a double-barrelled weapon with the other resembling a gatling gun.

The damn thing was fucking huge though. He’d never seen a Liger like this one. It was so bulky, and so, so huge. The Unenlagia shrieked and ran off back into the forest. Raven took uneasy steps away from the monster.

The Liger turned its head towards him, crimson eyes glowering. A voice called out to him, smooth and baritone. ‘Alice?’

It began approaching him. ‘Finally, I’ve found you. Do you know how long I’ve been fucking looking?’

Wait.

He knew Alice. His zoid sported red.

Oh fuck.

Was this the Red Knight?

Oh fuck, times two.

He wheeled Raven around and pushed the controls forward, as far as they could go. Raven darted off.

‘What the---’

Lewis briefly looked back. That Liger had such thick armouring, surely it couldn’t keep up with him?

‘Stop!’

He looked back again. The zoid was right on his tail. How the hell was that possible? The damn thing looked like a tank! It jumped over him, and Lewis screamed like a little girl, braking forcefully. Raven hissed and skidded to a halt. The Liger lifted one of its silver paws and smacked Raven across the head. The raptor roared as it crashed onto its side.

Lewis cried out as he was thrown against the cockpit. The liger placed another paw on Raven’s neck, its head now dangerously close to the canopy.

‘What have you done with Alice?’

Lewis winced. Pain coursed through his body. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the controls and slowly lifted himself back into the chair.

‘Answer me, damn you.’

‘Why don’t you leave her alone, you damn creep?’

He heard the facepalm through the comm. ‘Oh for goodness… okay, what the fuck did she say about me?’

‘Why the hell should I answer?’ said Lewis. ‘Please, just leave me alone.’

‘No!’ the Red Knight snapped. ‘Tell me. Tell me what she said. Tell me everything. Tell me why she gave you that zoid.’

You totally sound like a creep. Lewis thought.

‘I’m not going to answer.’

‘Then we’re going to stay here all day.’

‘Are you seriously that petty?’ Lewis asked.

‘Yes.’

Great. He had no choice. Rolling his eyes, he said: ‘She pretty much told me you’re perverted beyond belief.’

There was loads of sputtering and attempts to find and form words over the comm. Finally, he replied. ‘What the fuck? I’m her brother.’

‘Oh…’ was all Lewis could say.

‘I have no idea why she’s like this. I promise. Whatever she said about me, it simply isn’t true. No fucking way. That doesn’t explain the zoid though. Why do you have her zoid?’

‘You know, you say fuck a lot,’ said Lewis. ‘You can stop saying it, you know that, right? It’s okay.’

‘Shut the fuck up and answer my question.’

‘She gave it to me.’

There was a moment of silence, but Lewis could feel the Red Knight’s brain frying from sheer rage. Then, the Liger let go of Raven and sat down.

‘Unbelievable,’ the Red Knight muttered, ‘and yet I should’ve expected this. I swear, she literally gets a kick off doing stupid shit.’

Lewis took this moment to rear Raven back onto his feet again. The zoid was shaky, Lewis could feel his fear.

‘Hey…’ Lewis said. ‘It’s okay. We’re not in danger anymore. I think.’

His words didn’t help. He needed to get away from the Red Knight. As far as possible.

‘Well, I have to go now. Bye.’

The Liger stood up. ‘No. You’re going nowhere. You didn’t defend yourself against those Unenlagia. Why?’

‘Isn’t that obvious?’ said Lewis. ‘There were too many. My zoid wouldn’t be able to handle them all.’

‘Because you don’t know how to defend yourself.’

Lewis cocked a brow up. Uh. What? He was capable of putting up a fight! He’d done it plenty of times in his old Heldigunner. Particularly that one time against a Dark Horn. He completely, and totally annihilated that zoid.

Then he remembered the friends who saved him from that predicament with their Shield Ligers. They’re the ones who destroyed that Dark Horn, not he.

Lewis realised it now. All on his own, he was as useless as a Molga against a Liger Zero. There was truth to what the knight was saying. However, he couldn’t afford to linger around anymore. He’d already wasted so much time as is. The mountains beckoned.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Lewis. ‘I really have to---’

‘You’re going nowhere. Not until you know how to defend yourself. Why, I’ll be your teacher.’

Oh fuck, times three.

[ashtrayants]

Court of Dragons (chapter one)

Summary: After the Great Calamity, the world became uninhabitable. The survivors fled to the sky, creating a paradise where man and machine could thrive. Decades after, a massive group of people descended from the Sky and, with the aid of the Generators, began rebuilding their once great nations. 

Set in year 20XX, tensions are rising between Land and Sky, and when Zi's hidden past refuses to be a secret any longer, an uncertain future looms on the horizon for the human race.

‘Oh yeah, just find Deochalcite in the desert,’ Lewis grumbled. ‘It’s that easy.’

He was annoyed beyond belief. His bosses told him specifically to go to the desert and find the “Deochalcite”. Which got him thinking, according to ancient texts, this Deochalcite, an incredibly rare ore, no longer existed after the Dark Continent sunk. Why then, was his company so interested in it all of a sudden? How do you mean to find that which no longer exists?

Then again, stranger things had happened. After all, the Sky people managed to revive zoids long thought gone, so amazing was their technology. He remembered the Zeekdober that visited his village once, its armour pearl white and radiant, a mighty sight of technological prowess.

That the Sky people could revive the ancient zoids made him wonder if perhaps, Deochalcite still existed somewhere in trace amounts. Finding something so precious would make his bosses rich beyond belief, without a doubt.

He sighed and paused, taking a look around the wasteland. All he knew about Deochalcite is from what his bosses shown him. He’d seen texts and images of it; it was an ore darker than black. There were plenty of dark ores that mimicked it though. How was he meant to tell them apart? “Darker than black” did not make a good description.

Cursing under his breath, he pushed the controls forward. Creaks and groans escaped his zoid’s joints, forcing him to stop. His Heldigunner had been playing up all day. She was an old zoid, with little life left in her. That didn’t stop the higher ups from assigning him this ill-fated mission, however.

‘Come on,’ he said to her. ‘We have to find this ore. Then we can rest.’

A low rumble escaped his zoid, as if she were purring.

‘That’s a girl. Just hang on. I promise I’ll---’

He saw something in the corner of his eyes. He peered around again, only to find nothing.

Then the sands shifted.

Oh shit.

He slammed the controls forward. His Heldigunner whined and croaked, the joints not working properly. She could barely move, let alone lift her legs up. ‘Come on, we gotta---’

The sands burst before him, and a massive scorpion zoid jumped over him, landing at his backside. It stared at his Heldigunner with its cyclopean eye. Then more emerged from the sands, shrieking and whistling, waving their pincers menacingly.

They looked like a horrible fusion between a Guysack and a Death Stinger, with silver and maroon armour.

‘Oh shit shit shit.’

His Heldigunner was in no condition to fight, let alone battle against a horde of scorpions ready to tear her apart. Sweat beaded from his brow as he glanced around.

‘Oh my…’ a deep, throaty voice rumbled, ‘look at what my beauties found.’

The sand shifted again, and then arose the mother of the horde. Though she sported the same colour as her underlings, she looked nothing alike them. Dangerous guns sat on her back and stinger, and her pincers looked like they could tear through any armour.

A Death Stinger.

His face went white. He was staring face to face with a Death Stinger.

‘Ain’t no one dumb enough to come to the desert,’ said the pilot, ‘ain’t no one dumb enough to even entertain the thought.’

‘Tell that to my bosses.’ said Lewis.

‘Oh, I will,’ he replied. ‘With your head.’

The smaller scorpions whistled and skittered closer, pincers now clacking.

‘Hey!’ a sharp, feminine voice rang through the intercom. ‘Stop bullying him. Can’t you see he’s got anxiety?’

All the scorpions turned to the source of the voice, him included. Standing on a rocky outcrop was a black Rev Raptor. The raptor zoid hissed and jumped down, rushing over to the scene. Some of the smaller scorpions backed away from it.

‘Oh,’ said the Death Stinger’s pilot. ‘I didn’t know. Okay, sorry.’

Just like that,  one by one, the scorpions began submerging. ‘Just a lesson though, kiddo. Don’t ever come to the desert again. My beauties love tearing living things apart. It’s a bad habit.’

The Death Stinger submerged, leaving him with the new stranger. The Rev Raptor crept down and the cockpit opened. Jumping out was a young girl with eerily pale skin. She had long black hair with far too many braids.. She wore a white blouse, a black jacket that had laced ribbon down the sleeves. Her skirt, same colour as her jacket, was tiered with white lacing. Her legs were covered in thigh high stockings, with dark, heeled shoes.

He opened his cockpit and jumped out, making his way over to her. ‘Hey, why did you---’

He slapped his hands over his mouth to stop himself gasping Her eyes. They were red. A fierce, burning red.

‘What’s the matter?’ she asked. ‘Is it my eyes?’

He let his hands fall and looked away. Well, this was embarrassing.

‘I can read minds.’

‘Really?’

‘Nah. Would that be messed up or what though?’

‘Uh… I guess.’

‘Anyways!’ she said, crossing her hands in front of her. ‘The name’s Alice, and now that I helped you, you have to help me! That’s how it works, right?’

‘No?’

‘I’m so glad to have you on board. See, I need to find this book. It’s called the Book of Secrets. I really, really need it. Please find it for me.’

‘No offence, but---’

She pouted. ‘You won’t help me?’

‘I’m sorry, but, I kind of need to go back home.’

‘I’ll give you my Raven Raptor.’

‘Deal.’

‘Wow,’ she said, ‘what happened to needing to go back home?’

‘Free zoid.’ Lewis replied.

[ashtrayants]

Deimos doesn’t get saved by his bf.

inspired by a wild night i had yesterday with a spider.

Its very existence is shrouded in the screams of men. Even the most stalwart become weeping messes before this vile abomination. This monstrosity has long been the archenemy of man, and man shall never know peace for as long as these demons walk the earth.

It is the spider, and one of them was hanging out on the wall, staring at Deimos with those  big old beady eyes. The eidolon watched it with Griever, still in its scabbard, in hand. He knew he had to do something about the spider, but its mere presence left him rooted to the spot and shaking. Oh, of all the days for a spider to appear, it just had to appear on the day he could sleep in.

This is stupid. I’m not scared of a shitty spider.

Taking in a deep breath, he stepped forward and raised Griever out in front of him. They could not co-exist. One of them had to go. Either him, or the spider. Deimos had no intention of going down without a fight. Yet the spider did not move on inch. It loitered on the wall, still staring at him with those big old beady eyes. What nerve, this enemy had!

Deimos bared his teeth. Oh, it was on. This piece of shit idiot spider is going to learn who the apex predator is here! Leaning forward, he lanced Griever at it.

The strike missed. The spider fell. Deimos screamed and dashed out the room, dropping his sword in the process. Grabbing the door handle, he slammed it shut. Oh Gods. Oh, holiest of holies. That just happened. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he leaned back against the wall, taking in more deep breaths. How could it be that he, the Dread Crow, was defeated by such filth? What a fearsome foe, indeed.

‘…What’s up with you?’

He went still. Great. He’d been found, and not just by anyone, but by Claude. How could he tell the love of his life that he, the great Deimos, had been defeated by a mere spider?

‘Seriously, what’s up? You’re shaking, and stuff.’

He sighed. These things have a way of getting out. Might as well tell him the truth. Maybe he could help?

‘S-Spider.’

There was a pause. Then Claude burst out into laughter and grabbed the door handle. ‘Seriously?’ he opened it. ‘I bet it’s not even bi---’

The spider took that single moment of freedom and darted out of the room. The two men shrieked their heads off and bolted down the dormitory hallway.

[ashtrayants]

bad.

Summary: TFW YOUR GF WANTS A SWORD BUT SHE’S JUST COMPLETELY UNTRUSTWORTHY WITH WEAPONS DEAR GOD.

‘Hey, Lucy.’

‘Yes?’

‘I think I’m gonna get me a sword.’

Lucy cocked her head. ‘Mistress Elliot, why would you ever need a sword?’

Elliot turned her attention off the book she was reading, gazing upwards, her mind working. ‘Well… Every self-respecting noble has a sword. A cool sword, might I add.’

Lucy opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came. She turned away and pouted. She so desperately wanted to say Elliot, you’re a black mage. You don’t need a sword.

But then… She was a Baskerville, and the Baskervilles had a sword. They were also black mages. Not to mention the two High Houses, Laurent and Sablemane. The Laurents were storm mages, and they had a sword. A very cool sword. The Sablemanes, too, were a family of storm mages. Again, they had a sword.

Her point held no weight, and would be destroyed before she could say ‘you’re a black mage’.

Truthfully, there was a reason why she did not want her beloved Mistress to own a sword. It was because… Well, Elliot’s completely untrustworthy with weapons. A bitter memory returned to her. She remembered it so vividly. The harbour. The brute chasing her. Elliot screaming (it wasn’t one of anger or fear; more like utter confusion), the gunshot, and the bullet that just narrowly buzzed past her face.

Elliot almost blew her brains out, and the worst part? This wasn’t the first time she almost died because of her.

Not to mention the Mistress barely thought things through. She dared a glance at her, who had long since returned to her book. Good. Lucy needed time. Time to think of a legitimate reason as to why Elliot should not get a sword.

A reason that isn’t ‘because you might poke someone’s eye out’, because that’ll encourage her, and whilst Lucy loves encouraging her beloved, there were times when she shouldn’t. This was one such time.

Lucy shuffled in her chair, kicking a leg over another and crossed her arms. Now it was time to get her mind working. She thought, and thought hard. What could she say to change Elliot’s mind? Then it came to her… Pride. Elliot was very proud. Obnoxiously so, sometimes. A grin formed on her lips. Yes, using the Mistress’s pride against her, she could make this work yet!

‘Ah, but Mistress, you forgot one thing,’ Lucy leaned forward, placing her arms on the table. Elliot glanced at her, those deep, stormy blue eyes of her seeking to reel her in. She wanted them to, then realised she was being gay at an inappropriate time. She cleared her throat, thus clearing herself of gay thoughts. ‘You’re a Nightshade, you need no weapons but the magic you command.’

Elliot opened her mouth to speak, but Lucy cut her off, pressing onward. ‘That’s right. You’re the powerful, dangerous Mistress Nightshade. You need nothing except the gifts granted to you by the Night Mother. You realise this, right?’

Elliot looked away, her face working. Yes! Lucy was sure of her victo---

‘Ok, but I still want a sword. With a blade as black as night and it has to look absolutely badass. As a Nightshade, I won’t settle for less.’

Oh, HELL no. Lucy had no more cards to play. She’d lost. Lost! Elliot was dead set on getting a sword, and there was nothing she could do. She dropped her head in defeat and sighed. This was a dark day for mankind.

[ashtrayants]

The Prompt

Anonymous: for prompt: warming up by the firplace

Claude shuddered momentarily and hugged himself. He forgot just how cold it got in the far north. The noble gave a quick glance over to Deimos, who seemed unbothered by the cold. There really was no reason for the bird to come join him by the fireplace, just like there was no reason for him to come along with Claude in the first place.

If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have minded. Claude was here only because the local dwarves requested his presence. Something had scared them. They complained of strange wailing in the night, and ghostly figures in the woods. Though that itself was a problem, Deimos, for whatever reason, decided to tag along with Claude, creating another problem for him: the Northern Crater.

The crater was a scar on the world that could not be healed, yet that did not stop the world from trying. Claude had only seen photos of the insides of the crater. Supposedly, thousands of years ago, the black dragons made the crater their home and carved a deep cavern within it. Within these tunnels, strange crystals grew, glowing with an otherworldly green. Pools, glowing with the same otherworldly green littered the area.

These pools were called alma pools, and are said to be filled with a liquid more volatile and dangerous than the condensed version of it: almus.

The activity within the crater released a toxin that would affect anyone who came far too close to the area. Those affected and lived to tell the tale were never the same, often said to be dreaming of a mysterious golden city, and a six-eyed demon.

If Claude stepped out the lodge right now, he’d be able to see the peaks of the Dragon’s Maw, the mountains that surrounded the crater. He was close to the crater, yes, but not enough for it to have an immediate effect.  But for Deimos, who had the condensed version of almus, known as mater, running through his veins, the same could not be said.

Yet if the proximity to the crater was affecting him, he was showing no sign of it. Deimos was stubborn, and unfortunately so. You could break his leg or shank him in the gut, he’d always rise back and ignore the pain. Claude wasn’t sure whether he found this admirable or pretty foolish.

‘Are you feeling ok?’ the noble asked.

‘As fine as ever, why?’

‘Just… you know, being so close to the crater, I thought---’

Deimos placed his hand on Claude’s shoulder, shutting him up. ‘You think some crappy crater’s gonna do me in?’ the bird winked and smugly grinned at him.

Claude felt his face warming up and smacked Deimos’s hand off before turning his head away from him in a desperate attempt to hide his blushing. He was sure the bird’s grin got wider. The damn asshole.

Claude let out a small noise of exasperation and cuddled into himself even more. The damn fire was taking forever to warm him up, it seemed.

‘Hey, are you ok? You look cold.’

Yes, I am. Claude thought.

‘No.’

The answer must’ve displeased him, because next thing he knew, Deimos threw his arm around Claude and pulled him in, so that he was leaning against the bird’s shoulder. Surprised at first, Claude found no room to complain despite his blush coming back. Deimos was unbelievably warm.

Resting his head on Deimos’s shoulder, Claude tried to snuggle closer to the bird. He was so warm and comfortable. The warmth quickly flooded through him, much faster than that damn dwarven fireplace. He soon found himself tired and let out a small yawn.

‘Is that better?’

‘Mhm.’

‘Good.’ Deimos placed his head on Claude’s, and there they remained, watching the flames flicker in the fireplace, ignorant to the gathering anti-SJW’s amassing outside the lodge, screaming gay propaganda.

[ashtrayants]

hi

i have hit a very low point with my writing currently where just thinking about doing it puts me in an unreasonable mood. the last i wrote was 2 months and that was pretty much on a whim. 

i think its time to admit i might need help with this. note: i am not neurotypical, so advice like ‘just write’ or ‘write everyday’ is really unhelpful.

[ashtrayants]

ass

[ashtrayants]

hi

i have hit a very low point with my writing currently where just thinking about doing it puts me in an unreasonable mood. the last i wrote was 2 months and that was pretty much on a whim. 

i think its time to admit i might need help with this. note: i am not neurotypical, so advice like 'just write' or 'write everyday' is really unhelpful.

[ashtrayants]

lenkagamines replied to your post: wow this blog has 26 followersi should...

Yes

Nes

[ashtrayants]

wow this blog has 26 followers

i should try writing more

[ashtrayants]

Why I Don't Fuckening Write

uhhh warning for #repetition thats it i think

they've been watching the stars for weeks i know. i know all about it. i know all about the 'stars aligning' i've lived a very, very long time you could say i'm immortal the first time i witnessed the stars aligning it was one of the most defining moments of my life (the miracle of the stars and the miracles of life, magic and dreams) but then there was that one time (goetia and annihilation, gore-stricken plains and monsters my mind couldn't comprehend) (and to think i was this close to reliving that experience) this night the air seemed charged with an unknown energy the leader of the cult himself shown up his face hidden in a mask of flesh and in his hands, a grimoire wrapped in human skin and he pointed to the night sky and said, "Now that the stars are right, we shall commune with our Gods tonight!" and for some reason i ran. i ran, ran, ran, ran, ran, ran ran, ran as far as i could ran as far as my legs could take me until i could run no longer they say at the end of the days the greatest of gods will be forced to walk upon the ground clipped wings and shame and the least of gods shall rise once more ruined worlds and shattered identities i think these people believe they are worshipping a beautiful god but i've seen the true face of the divine

[ashtrayants]

???

since i’ve come around there's venom dripping from his jaw he's digging aimlessly at the ground i can see the blood on his paw and i simply wonder whether i'm just another game for your bloodhound

[ashtrayants]

Prologue

[ashtrayants]

the history of minivera thing is really cool WOW

WOAH THANK YOU