Griffins: Creatures of wonder
Griffins embody a majestic blend of lion and eagle, with tawny fur and shimmering feathers.
Their wings, strong and broad
Their eagle-like heads feature sharp eyes that see things very far ahead, with strong, hooked beaks perfect for tearing flesh or grasping prey.
As they move, their long, tufted tails swish
Behind them.
When they spread their wings, their true majesty is revealed, casting a breathtaking shadow on the ground below.
Griffins are creatures of pure wonder, symbols of power, strength, and wisdom that inspire reverence and admiration.
Lydia and Drever
Lydia crouched behind a crumbling stone wall, her eyes fixed on the two griffin-riders descending upon the ancient Elves ruins. Lydia had been raised as an Elf mercenary, her skills honed through years of deadly missions alongside her cousin, Drever. They were a formidable team.
Her mind wandered back to the many commanders she had served under. From the ruthless General Echthros to the honorable Captain Deimos, she had learned to keep her emotions in check and focus on the mission at hand. But this time, the stakes were higher than ever."
"Lydia shook herself out of her reverie and took her attention back to the task at hand. Her loyalty lay not with any king or queen, but with the diamonds that lined her pockets. She had been tasked with stopping these Elves, rumored to be purchasing a powerful thing to harm the Elves leader, King Thoren, and that was all that mattered.
Her heart raced as she gripped the handle of her axe, its blade etched with the symbols of her ancestors, a reminder of her past and the skills that had kept her alive."
The griffins' scales glinted like black diamonds in the fading light, their wings beating the air with a slow, ominous rhythm. Three Elves dismounted, their beards fluttering in the wind, their armor etched with the emblem of the rival clan, Darkiron.
One Elf stood guard, eyeing the surroundings with suspicion, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. The other two ventured deeper into the ruins. Lydia recognized the leader, Grimbold Ironfist, a notorious mercenary and a knight with a grudge against their clan.
Lydia followed, her axe at the ready.
They went deeper into the ruins and then stopped abruptly near a mound topped with a standing stone. It had been a place of worship once, back in the days, but now the forest had all but swallowed it.
This is it right? Said one in a whisper, as sort of being secretive.
The other one leaned against a tree and took out a little tinderbox and started fiddling with it.
Lydia couldn't make out what she was seeing or rather smelling. The pungent aroma of piped weed wafted through the air.
It's insulting, isn't it?"" Whispered a voice in her ear. Lydia stiffened, then relaxed at the sound of her cousin's voice. Drever."" They're very subtle.""
I don't think you should do that, cousin."
Lydia hissed the words, hardly making a sound. She could feel Drever's breath on her ear, that's how close he was. It was uncomfortably distracting for her. How did he even get that close without her awareness?
"Don't worry. We're downwind and the men waiting for them are on the other side of the forest. They're already getting impatient."
"The men, on the other hand. Are there still just four or are there more now?"
"Still four"
Lydia took a deep breath. She still wasn't sure of all this. She'd heard his orders whispered in her ear, and they'd been clear. A pair of King Thoren's knights were coming to buy something meant to harm the King. She and Drever, a pair of mercenaries, were going to stop them. The diamonds in their pockets came from the King's Marshal, but if something went wrong they didn't know anyone that mattered. That was as much as Lydia remembered.
Did you see what they brought with them?""
Drever didn't answer.
"They must have brought something.""
"Maybe they didn't. Maybe they're going to gut this pair of traitors for their diamond. If they did, we didn't see anything.""
The whispering voice didn't say what the something was, either, only that buying it would cost the knights their lives.
Lydia was to wait till the riders met who was doing the selling, then silently kill them. The riders would be carrying diamonds. She could help herself to it, was what the whisper had said. As for the rest, she would leave the bodies untouched.
They would be found the next day, by which time Lydia would be back at her place of duty. She'd wake up shocked like everyone else to find that two of the King's riders had been murdered.
But there were three of them, not two.
"There's another one,"" she hissed. "" A third rider came with them. He stayed with the Griffins.""
There was a long pause, then Drever said "We'd let that one go then.
Lydia nodded in agreement.
What do you make of them? Not the riders, the others. The sellers.""
Well, they're not swordsmen. They'll only run, not fight, but we have to take them down quickly.""
Lydia shrugged; Drever's lips were almost brushing her ear. She edged away." When the purse is exchanged, that's when we strike. I'll deal with the rider giving out the money, you shoot the other one. Then we go after the others.Closest first."
Lydia saw movement on the other side of the ruin. She began to creep closer, with Drever following suit. She took out a long baton. It was made from bones. It was an old weapon, quite taller than she was. Too long for her liking at such close quarters, even though it could punch through their steel armor and still stand upright.
"" You got what we want?"" one of the riders asked
"" Have you got our money?"" The seller replied.
"Show us that you've got what we want."" Another one said.
Four men had joined the elves. As if all the noise they'd been making hadn't been enough, now they were arguing. Lydia wanted to walk right into the middle of them and stab as many as she could before they even noticed her.
"" Show us the diamonds, friend. Then you see what you get.""
"" No. You go first.""
They kept arguing.
Just show them the money already. One of them lit a torch. Lydia rested an arrow on her bow slowly. One of the riders was holding a purse.
The purse changed hands. Just immediately she let go of the arrow, as it hit one of the riders she reached for a second one at once.
Both riders were down. The man with the purse stood looking at the dropped bodies of the Knights.
The Knights' torch lay on the ground still burning, showing the faces of the four strangers standing there. Lydia set up her arrow again and fired. The arrow hit the man with the purse on the neck, making the purse fall on the ground.
She could see the remaining three clearly surprised they didn't think to run. Lydia dropped her bow and charged at them. The first one took out a knife from his belt. The second and third just stood beside him, their fists in a fighting manner. Drever shot his arrow at one with the knife and he fell. He reloaded and shot at the second, sweeping him off his feet. The last one turned to flee and Lydia, coming in with a leap, buried her knife in the man's shoulder. It wasn't enough, so she took out the knife and cut the artery in his hand. Her hands were covered in blood.
"" We have to go now."" Drever said, standing by the torch.
Are you sure there ain't more of them? Lydia asked as she scurried back and tucked her bow into her back.
Drever shook his head "" You never know, he added."
"" Let's leave. There's still a rider and two Griffins waiting for those men to come back.
The purse is there. Bring it.""
She watched as Drever picked up the purse and came running to her.
Drever stopped right in front of her "" This is a lot, Lydia. Are you sure we should take it all?""
""A deal is a deal.""
As Lydia turned to head back, Drever picked up something else. "" Look at this"".
"Drop it ! It's not ours.""
"" Okay I will, but I want you to look at it first.""
Lydia shook her head. "" Drop it already."" Do what we were asked. No more. Aren't they simple rules? For Drever, it wasn't, and it was this sort of thing that always got him into trouble.
Drever examined the contents of the bottle before dropping it back "" A spherical bottle sealed with wax at the top. It was filled with liquid, and it was heavy. He couldn't see clearly. They were in the dark.
When Lydia and Drever had already left, a shadowy figure came out of the trees and walked over the corpses carefully. Bent down and picked up the bottle and left calmly.