Kaedros's eyes were still leaking salty water when the new group of Hunters arrived. He heard as their own flying ship, one in good condition, buzzed close and hooked to his own ship opening.
And a team came in.
This team was different.
Stronger.
Two mages, a Healer, and an assassin.
Kaedros sharp senses scanned them with practiced ease. They were better equipped and more cautious than the last group, but no more dangerous than others he had killed, they were even more dangerous.
Still, this time he wasn't going to fight, hot in this form when he wasn't used to it after his reincarnation.
The short male mage at the front suddenly stopped, his eyes went wide as he saw the slaughter in the room.
"See, look at Jarek's team," he whispered.
The rest followed his gaze, and went still. Torn limbs and broken bodies lay scattered like rag dolls across the chamber floor, blood staining the cracked wooden ground. The air still stank of scorched flesh.
Just death. Too much death.
"That's what they get," muttered the second mage, a tall blonde woman gripping a rune-etched wand. "Overconfident fools."
"Still," said the Healer, her voice hushed, "dying like that... ripped apart like animals. I don't think these bodies can even be pieced together."
"They should've worked with us," the assassin hissed. He was tall, lean, and furious. "But no. They wanted the bounty for themselves. Idiots. Even a weak Dragon is still a Dragon "
The Healer, scanning the chamber with her senses, suddenly froze. "Wait. Is that... a survivor?"
The others turned to where she pointed and their eyes landed on him.
A teenage boy.
Naked, trembling, smeared in blood.
Kaedros didn't move, his thoughts raced.
This is it. His first time using the shifting forbidden technique in front of enemies. If his disguise failed now...
He hated this, sitting there, exposed and frail. It made him feel small. He had forgotten what it felt like.
"Are you alright, boy?" the short mage asked, approaching carefully.
"He doesn't look alright," the Healer murmured, her gaze flicking across his body. Then her cheeks reddened and she turned away, flustered.
The blonde woman laughed. "Watch yourself, Esmera."
"Shut up, Virell," Serena muttered, fixing her eyes firmly on Kaedros's face.
"Just check the boy already," the assassin snapped.
Esmera moved closer. Her eyes glowed faintly as she activated a scanning technique. It swept over Kaedros like cool mist.
He stiffened.
So this is how they check aura signatures. She's confirming if I'm human. Good thing this skill is solid.
He tried to stand, but his legs buckled from sitting too long. He stumbled—then suddenly floated, hovering mid-air.
The male mage Kaelith, was supporting him with a levitation technique. "Poor kid...Esmera?"
The Healer stepped forward and gently laid a glowing hand on him. Her magic poured through his new body like a warm blanket.
Kaedros resisted for a moment, then darkness swallowed him.
---
He awoke beneath the moon.
Soft light filtered through the top of the ship. A blanket had been wrapped around him, and his wounds no longer stung.
'..they must've camped after the Healer knocked me out' he thought, standing slowly.
The air outside was chill. His human skin shivered instinctively. His Draconic body wouldn't have even noticed the cold, but this soft flesh craved warmth.
He sat up, tightening the blanket around him. A fire crackled nearby. The Hunters sat around it, roasting a fat boar over the flames. They looked up as he approached.
"You should eat," Kaelith said, slicing off a thick piece of meat and offering it to him.
Kaedros grabbed it and sat apart from the group. His stomach growled. He hadn't realized how hungry he was, and if this group hadn't taken him in, he would've been feasting on the other humans he killed.
Still... the boar was good. Hot. Tender.
He tore into it like a beast.
He barely noticed the whispers.
"Is he that hungry?" Esmera murmured, staring at him.
"Maybe you're the hungry one,Virell." teased. Esmera flushed and looked away, glaring at her.
"But seriously," Virell added, "why would a Dragon keep a human? Aren't we food to them?"
The assassin frowned. "Maybe the Dragon was female? There are rumors..."
Kaelith shook his head. "We all know it was male. Maybe he was saving the boy for later. Poor kid."
He turned to Kaedros.
"What's your name?"
Kaedros hesitated.
Kaedros
He nearly said it aloud. Instead, he forced his lips to form something else.
"...kael," he said.
Kaelith nodded. "Good. Kael it is. I'm Kaelith. That's Virell, Esmera, and the assassin over there is Drakar."
Kaelith's voice shifted, gentle but commanding.
"Can you tell us what happened? How did you end up in that Dragon's lair?"
Kaedros had rehearsed this.
He shuddered and lowered his eyes.
"H-He killed my family. Ate them... while I watched. Then he dragged me to his ship. He made me... strip the bodies. Cook for him. Not that he ate it. He just liked watching me do it."
His voice cracked.
Tears came easily now, too easily.
When he glanced up, their expressions were just as he hoped. Shock. Rage. Horror. Esmera's hands trembled as she stepped closer.
She touched his shoulder, bathing him in warm blue light.
"I've healed most of your wounds," she whispered. "This should help with the rest."
"Thank you," he said softly.
Fools, he thought. '..Is it really this easy to fool you?..'
Kaelith knelt beside him. "You're safe now. I swear, kael, I'll kill that Demon myself."
"I'm... happy to hear that," Kaedros said weakly.
Inside, rage boiled.
'..you'll kill me? You dare challenge Kaedros, Prince of sun? I'll eat you alive, worm..slowly..'
But he only nodded outside.
Kaelith continued. "We'll take you to the island tomorrow. Get you cleaned up. Settled. You'll be safe."
"Thank you, all of you."
Kaedros noticed Drakar the assassin, watching him too closely. Eyes sharp. Silent.
'..you don't believe me, do you?..'
No matter. The plan was working.
They circled around him like protectors now, murmuring pity and promises. When they handed him a bundle of oversized clothes, he accepted them wordlessly.
Back in his tent, beneath the blanket, Kaedros grinned to himself.
Everything was going perfectly.