The ochelon stood on its hind legs and snarled as he got closer. The Masked One grinned beneath his mask as his eyes glowed intensely and a large tendril of mana brought it to its knees. Karak quickly entered the cage with a crystal in hand and leaped high into the air, landing atop the creature's broad shoulders.
With a single claw, he made a deep incision into the creature's forehead, spilling blood into the thick fur that surrounded it. He buried the crystal just beneath the surface of its skin, causing the creature to roar in pain and try to swipe at him with a large claw.
The Masked One countered the blow with his mana, holding the tree trunk-sized arms in place with a grunt of exertion. Karak finished his work with the crystal and quickly leaped off the creature, landing deftly on the ground and scurrying out of the cage.
Pushing his mana into the crystal, the mage watched as a thin sheen of violet mana quickly spread and dissipated across the ochelon's body. "That's one, my lord," Karak said, observing the ochelon as the Masked One's spell took control of its body with a satisfied, toothy grin.
After the better part of an hour, they'd completed their task, but even the Masked One felt the mental exhaustion beginning to take over. He drank a vial of the deathmold solution, turning his face away from Karak as he did so.
"Why do you hide your face, my lord?" the daemon asked curiously. "Karak, as much as I trust you, I will not discuss that. Not now; not ever," the mage sighed. "As you wish, my lord," he bowed, but was immediately surprised when a vial of the solution appeared before him.
"Drink that. It's from your homeland, after all," the mage said as the daemon regarded the vial with widened eyes. "Thank you, my lord," Karak said humbly, bowing a little deeper before he drank the contents, accidentally spilling some out of the corners of his wide mouth. He wiped the spilled liquid off with his forearm and handed the vial back to his master, which he placed into a pocket of his cloak.
"Ah, the taste of death itself. I'd almost forgotten what it was like," Karak said, licking the remaining fluid off his forearm.
How long did that take? Four, maybe five hours? Dawn must be approaching soon, the mage thought.
"We must prepare to leave," the Masked One said urgently. "Take a crystal to aid you and gather the ones from the cages downstairs," he commanded. "Even the addia, my lord?" Karak asked. "Yes. I know you hate their kind, but it will play a vital role in the coming days," his master said sternly.
I'd rather not do this, but if that's what my savior wishes… the daemon's thoughts trailed off as he accepted his fate.
"Very well, my lord," Karak said dejectedly. He knew just how dangerous they were, and took a crystal with him as he went downstairs to the large cages. He released the creatures within and held the crystal high into the air. One by one, he noticed that even the largest of ochelons succumbed to his will, and was pleased that it had worked as his master said it would.
Finally, he walked over to the addia's cage. "I know you're in there, so come on out," he said. He looked down at the crystal, still emitting the dark glow. He pointed it at the cage, breaking the addia's camouflage just enough for it to become visible.
Its dark brown skin dimly reflected the chamber's light, while its glowing eyes were fixated on the crystal. Karak unlocked the cage and stepped back. The addia followed him as he walked back, as did the other beasts he had already unleashed.
Even though I am a powerful daemon and using the crystal to control it, these creatures are not to be underestimated, Karak thought, keeping his eyes fixed on the addia, as it could still very well be unpredictable.
The two long tentacles that protruded out of the sides of its face were draped atop its long body. Its legs were muscular and shiny like the rest of it. Its paws with their retractable claws made it a truly terrifying beast to gaze upon. "You will follow me. All of you," Karak said in a commanding voice, getting a collection of grunts, growls, and gurgles from the creatures in response before they followed him out of the fortress.
Meanwhile, Athar was outside preparing the large griffin for his master's arrival. "There, there. He'll be here soon," he stroked its neck feathers gently, ensuring to stay clear of its beak entirely. The elder griffin, whose black feathers and beak shimmered in the twilight, was led by the reins to the massive courtyard just outside the main tower.
The Masked One approached him, with a few pairs of ochelons dragging massive crystals behind them to assist with the mass-broadcasting of the spell. "Your mount is ready, my lord, though he did seem a little disgruntled that I was the one who woke him," Athar said, handing the reins to his master.
"Griffins are extremely attached to their masters, so that doesn't surprise me in the least," the mage said with what Athar might have confused for a chuckle. "That makes sense. I was a little hesitant to try to lead it here when I woke it up because it gave me a distrusting glare," he chuckled nervously.
"How did you even come across such a magnificent beast like this?" Athar asked, giving the griffin a final pat and then bowing to it in respect. "I saved him from an addia's den nearly three centuries ago," the Masked One said nonchalantly.
"Addias eat griffins?" Athar's jaw dropped. "Not always, but if a young giffin lands in the wrong location, it's not unlike an addia to hunt down anything that strays too close to its den," he shrugged just before mounting the creature.
"Have you given it a name?" Athar asked after a moment's pause. "His name is Onyxe, but I wasn't the one who gave it to him; he gave me his name as a gesture of trust," the mage replied, as the griffin ruffled its feathers in response to hearing its name. "Onyxe," Athar said in a dreamlike state with a warm smile on his face as the griffin looked at him with a single eye and nodded.
Can it understand human speech? Athar's eyes widened for a moment before he returned the nod.
A moment later, he heard the horde making their way from the dungeons over the long bridge that led to the citadel. Karak was at the head of the formation with a pair of royal ochelons dragging a massive crystal behind them. The aura surrounding it and the chains caused it to levitate a meter off the ground as they walked, preventing any damage from reaching it.
"My lord, am I going with you to Coltend?" Athar asked. "No. You must remain here and assist Karak in ensuring that no careless adventurer enters, as well as continue your studies," the Masked One commanded. "Very well, my lord. I wish you success in your mission," he said formally and bowed, returning to the citadel.
The mage looked ahead, giving Onyxe a gentle pat on its neck. "Are you ready, old friend?" he whispered, getting an excited screech in response. As he watched, the horde halted behind them at Karak's command. The daemon quickly sped to his side, nearly startling the large, black griffin.
"They await your command, my lord," Karak said, handing him the crystal he'd used to lead them there. "Keep an eye on Athar while I'm gone. We'll be back in a few days if all goes as it should," the Masked One said, taking the crystal from the daemon's claws and placing it into a socket in the saddle in front of him. "As you wish, my lord," Karak bowed and disappeared from sight.
The socketed crystal pulsed with mana and enveloped Onyxe in a thin sheen of violet mana before dissipating, getting an uncomfortable shudder from the creature beneath him.
I probably should have warned him that was going to happen, he thought as he pulled back on the reins to turn and face the horde.
"We will go through the mountains to the Rhydian Pass to Coltend Castle. You will not falter, yield, or surrender until our task is complete!" the Masked One commanded, his voice emanating mana that resonated with the crystals embedded into the creatures, causing them to glow.
There was a unified roar from them, each one emitting their own form of a war cry or challenge, rippling the air along the length of the bridge.
"To war!" the Masked One shouted, turning Onyxe around and prompting him to beat his enormous wings, lifting them high into the air with a single move. Athar looked behind him and could feel nothing short of awe at how well his master's plan was working as they followed him out of the large gate at the end of the bridge.
Meanwhile, in Coltend, Leona lay fast asleep and was suddenly woken by the sound of screams and swords clashing. She got out of bed, half dazed, and put on a thick robe, tying its drawstrings around her thin waist. Screams and cries for help could be heard coming from beyond her door, but she couldn't identify the cause from where she was.
She quickly rushed to unbolt her door and opened it, the cries growing louder and louder as she proceeded down the cold stone steps. She cautiously peered out from around the corner of the stairway leading to the throne room and gasped at what she saw.
Bloodied bodies glistened in the torchlight of the vast hall before her. She did all she could not to unleash a projectile stream of bile at the mere sight of them.
By the Graces, what the hell happened here? Are we under attack? she asked herself.