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Here we have the prologue of darkened skies. Forwarning to those that are simply going through the list of reading. I would advise you to read Night Rising, which can be found here: https://www.sofurry.com/browse/folder/stories?by=345690&folder=63880

Swirling Storm can also help you gleam information about this as well. The story can be found here: https://www.sofurry.com/browse/folder/stories?by=345690&folder=63270

Anyhow, welcome back to the journey my friends. This time we follow the female gryphon named Athenais and her day in the city of light. We meet some new faces, and some old ones as we prepare for the journey ahead.

Scales and Honor: Darkened Skies

Prologue

Athenais stood proud on all fours, basking in the late autumn sun that warmed her almond feathers. She gazed down to the crowds of Entis. The multitude of races all bumping against one another as they went about their business, unaware of the watchful female gryphon above them with her tail swishing side to side like a cat on the prowl. The symphony of their chatter reached her long ears, making them twitch as she followed several carts being pulled by strong, muscular bay horses across the cobblestone streets. She flicked her tiger like tail from her perch, letting it slightly dangle like a long worm as she kneaded the cold stone beneath her onyx talons. She lazily gazed up as a pair of snowy gryphon's darted by, playful squawks and chirps sounding off as they continued their delightful feathery dance. Part of her wanted to join them, spread her tan lined wings and bound into the air after them, to smile and nip at their tails as she joined in their playful game. She buried that feeling down into her white spotted chest with a low growl. Her eyes narrowed as a wave of disgust built up inside of her, like a storm it swirled inside until it formed into a single thought.

_ I hate this city._

For the people within these safe walls of the so called city of light seldom saw the problems of the outside world. They blissfully continued on their way, not aware of the lives being lost in faraway kingdoms, plagues spreading through towns, or armies of raiders burning down homes and chasing down the survivors. She twitched her ears , annoyance making her limbs twitch as she remembered how her friends had insisted they would only be staying a short while. That had changed after the attack on the city by the red dragon and his cohorts. Instead of a short stay they now seemed stuck to this place, and she found to her irritation was forced to make with the accommodations. For despite her hatred for this place, it was not enough for her to abandon her friends and strike out on her own. They had earned more loyalty than that.

The tan gryphon felt her stomach rumble as the alluring scent of a roasted boar mixed with mouth watering spices distracted her from the busy sights and loud sounds of the city that always seemed alive. She sniffed again, holding her beak up like a dog as she took in the pleasing aroma. Her fur twitched as her tail swung back and forth. Her eye lids fluttered in pure delight as her stomach voiced its gurgling need. It was like the damned city was trying to seduce her into letting her guard down, then snap it's trap shut once it had her in it's clutches. It only made her hatred for this place burn hotter as the phantom taste of meat started to make saliva pool in her mouth. She shook her head, clacking her beak several times and swallowing down her spit with a loud gulp.

_ No...I won't be snared THAT easily._

She scowled, ruffling her feathers with her next breath. Thankfully she had gotten use to the smell of people during her stay in this place, otherwise she might be gagging with each breath. With another whiff of the air brought the promise of her next meal, and her insides whispering sweet nothings for her to give in.

_ Damn...It does smell good._

She smacked her tail her against the stone with a quick weak whine, fighting off her hatred for herself.

Maybe just a small bite.

She wiggled her hind end, her body tensing before her powerful legs pushed her into the air. When she beat her wings against the air she made a vow to leave this place. She would not spend another day within these walls. She narrowly avoided an overhanging banner with various brown flags with a small golden gryphon stitched into them.

Even this nation's symbol is trying to seduce me.

She squinted her eyes, angling her wings and swiftly gliding overhead. She saw several people down below stop their routine to gaze up to her fur, thrust fingers towards her and whisper compliments to one another of her beauty. She hated to admit it as she tore her view from their attention, but she loved it when they did things like that. Athenais shook her head away from gryphon smugness, eyes finding the thing she sought within the sea of stone structures. She focused her black beak onto the tavern called the “adjective noun." It was a fairly large place, one that boasted to be the best tavern in the land. It was a thriving hot spot that adventurers would travel from miles around to rest within it's comforting walls. She recalled it was owned by some halfling, but could not remember his name. She had been there several times before this moment, the drinks always left you wanting more. The music was tail tapping, notes that would find their way into your mind and make you forget about the days troubles. Even the food was delightful, mouthwatering things that made one want to coo before they devoured each delectable concoction. It was everything that a weary adventurer or gryphon could ever want in a place. Everything of course except for one thing. Despite being in a city that boasted a good number of gryphons. It lacked the inside space to fit them within. They instead were forced to dine and enjoy their time upon the place's open roof.

She passed several more gryphons, her wings almost grazing across their own. She watched them for a brief moment, betting that there were gryphons in this vile city that had never been outside of it like she was. Always flying around these humanoid structures, being tamed as it were, lacking the freedom that she had grown up with. In a way she pitied them, but her stomach's growling need pulled her from that moment of concern and back to the little tables that lined the dark brown structure's roof. They were made of hardened oak, supporting numerous rows of plates and mugs. Cover's stood above each table of a darkened brown, lined with golden stitching that sparkled in the sun's rays. The sounds of the many loud patrons reached her ears, making them twitch as she already scolded her decision for the annoying amount of chatter that would plague her the entire time. She back winged on a little landing pad made just for gryphon, a section of wood reinforced for such landings as her talons touched gently down onto the floor. It was placed a good distance from the numerous rows a tables, so that her gust of her landing would not scatter any food or drink and disturb the chatting sea of feathers that were seated all around.

Her eyes went to the numerous gryphons of all different colors that sat around the tables on their haunches as she resettled her wings against her side with a practiced grace. They chatted, chirped, and sang as they carried on with their meals. The sound of beaks clacking together as food was devoured filled her senses. She took a careful step, the smell of gryphon's delight finding it's way to her nose. The fruity, alcoholic concoction's tantalizing scent making her long for one to grace her tongue and leave her mind a bit dulled. While she slowly made her way through the patrons she noticed that it was practically on every table, the drink of course by it's namesake being very popular with others of her kin. She licked her beak as her mind went to a different concoction that she had tried and simply adored within this place, and that was called the cozy apple. She smacked her beak as she remembered the warm apple flavor, one that had cast away any chill she had and left her chirping and practically singing as she flicked her tail. She knew it was usually considered a human drink, but that hardly stopped her enjoyment of it.

She strutted passed more of the chatting birds, several whose eyes had glanced to her feathers and followed her entire path across the rooftop. She paid them little mind however but a casual flick of her tail, her eyes being drawn to something of an oddity on this busy floor. For within the collection of happy birds was one such table that contained a single chair, and within this chair sat a cerulean scaled siigonis man, sipping away at a wooden mug. Soggu was his name and there was hardly a time she said it without fighting the urge to burst out laughing, despite his protests that it of course meant something important to his people. The lizard was covered with various patchwork leathers that were clearly stitched together with various colored thread. The lizard had his arms crossed over his chest, his amber eyes focused on the tribal symbols that lined the armor . She had once asked what they had meant, but the usually stern spirit shaman had maintained a tight snout. Instead only telling her that the runes were one of many things that were not meant to be told to outsider ears. Instead only the members of his tribe and race were supposed to know such things.

The strong looking lizard held up his mug before his snout, eyes scrunching up as if the thing had somehow done him wrong. His lips curled into a snarl, one that fully displayed his sharpened white teeth as he shifted his tail from side to side. Athenais chuckled deeply in the back of her throat at how utterly uncomfortable the siigonis she called her ally looked as she strode over to him with her beak held up.

"What isss ssso funny?" He hissed, his tone almost as sharp as Athenais' talons that she used to cut her foes to ribbons.

"Just your face is all." She replied without skipping a beat. She casually slunk around the table before taking a seat onto her haunches beside him with a sly smirk. "You look like someone shoved a cock up your backside without your permission." She tapped a grey scaled limb onto the table when she saw him shift his weight around with a snort.

"You would be if you had to sssit in chairsss that lack holesss for your tail sssweet birdy."

Athenais paid the little pet name little mind. The old lizard knew it got under her fur and was only doing it to provoke her. Course she knew how to get to him as well.

_ Simply ignore the bastard._

“Who do you have to serenade around here to get a good drink?" She spoke loudly, swishing her head back and forth. She smirked when she caught the look of pure poison that Soggu flashed in her direction in the corner of her eyes. She fought back a laugh as he continued to squirm and groan against his horrible chair. "Soggu, for the heavens above. Just stand if you're going to keep squirming away and complaining like that. Otherwise just sit there like a good little hatchling and keep your scaled mouth shut." She tapped her talons against the wood with a loud thwack, catching the attention of a halfling woman clad in a brown uniform with various loud color patches stitched into her right breast. It was almost like someone didn't know human fashions and was simply to simulate something they heard about. The thought alluded her however as the woman strode over to her, holding up a large silver platter. The little brown haired lady hardly came up to the gryphon's chest. At least she thought she was a woman. It was sometimes hard to tell with the little folks and their ages being so tiny as they were. She quickly rattled off the first things that came to her mind, hating her for the convenience of the city but at the same time savoring the section that had her beak running like a river. Dwarvish displacer stew, rok eggs, elven fancy, and Lightdell stew. Just to name off the few things she ordered as the little nervous halfling jotted them down onto a pat of parchment. She gave a quick curtsy when Athenais finished with a happy chirp, before scampering off towards the stairs that led down to the lower floor of the establishment.

"Perhapsss you ssshould order the entire menu next time?" Soggu smirked. Athenais just stared at him with beak agape. The damned lizard was actually trying to be funny. Something that she generally never saw him do. She just glared at him as he did the same, a brief battle of glares coming as neither one would break first. "I ssshould bring you back into my marsh next time we visssit. Would be truly pleasssing to sssee you asss uncomfortably as I am within this damned chair."

"You can keep your murky water." She rebutted, imagining the disgusting water clinging to her beautiful fur and feathers.

"Hate water? I thought you birdsss loved it!"

Athenais rolled her eyes, "I like warm water scale head. You know..." She sighed, picturing a running bath in her mind. The slight steam rolling up from the surface and trying to entice her to slip into it's wet folds. "To bathe in...To just...relax.." She closed her eyes, her feathers all shaking softly, until she let out a soft sigh, her tail tapping the ground. "Maybe put some wonderful smelling soap in the water."

"You can keep your animal fat to yourssself gryphon. I think you might be jusst like the humansss." He wrinkled his snout, sticking his forked tongue out in response.

Course the stupid lizard would not approve of that. He would probably bathe in that marsh water he was talking about. Wait...

She took a sniff of the air, smelling a fruity scent lingering in his wooden mug. She peered to see the dark red color of gryphon's delight inside. "You hypocrite! She squawked, throwing her head back into a loud laugh that drew the attention of several gryphon patrons that had been busily enjoying their meals. "You talk abut my problem with enjoying human soaps, and here you are enjoying their fruity drinks!" She stuck her own pink tongue out in display, fighting the urge to devolve her laughter into loud cackles. "I bet you like to bathe in soaps and never admit it. Wouldn't be the shaman thing to do."

Soggu said nothing, instead raising his mug to sip at the fruity concoction, the taste sending a visible shiver of delight down his scales.

"Oh Soggu." She chuckled, tapping the siigonis on the shoulder as he continued to glare at her with narrowed eyes. If she had not relied on him for healing and helped her over the years she might have been terrified at those fierce eyes he was tossing her way, but still she chuckled all the time until her food was finally carried over to the table. The first thing she spotted was the size of all her dishes. They were piled high on several trays that required two halflings to lift them together and place the hefty dish onto the table with a rattle of metal against wood.

"Well.." She slathered her beak with a sweep of her tongue. "I did say I was hungry." She smirked as she watched the steam curl up from the food, wrapping it's way around her beak. Her stomach gave one final voice of approval, begging her to dig her into the morals and start devouring away. She didn't want to think about the amount of coin this amount of food was going to cost her, probably several gold coins worth in the least. "Looks like you will have to help me lizard. I maaaay have ordered too much food here for one innocent gryphon to eat."

The siigonis just smirked at the word innocent, picking up a silvered fork from the table and brandishing it like a dagger. "I ssssuppose I could help out a friend." He licked his lips from corner to corner with a swipe of his tongue. "You know...Jusst thisss once of course."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes, resting them on a steaming pile of salmon on top of white rice. She quickly grabbed the plate and dragged it before her. She gobbled it down in hardly a second, her beak clacking together as it passed through he gullet and swallowed down into her stomach. She involuntarily moaned as the delightful taste of almonds mixed with a hint of lime danced on her tongue and practically gave her an orgasm of flavor.

"You..really like that fisssh." Soggu chuckled, taking a piece of goose right off the bone with a violent yank, and snapping like a ravenous beast. They continued on with a flurry of snaps, and gulps as they quickly put an end to their growing hunger with delicious bite after delicious bite.

Athenais hardly noticed during her feasting the shy halfling from before placing her drink onto the table. With a final burp the satisfied gryph sighed and let her tongue hang out of her beak, her stomach feeling like it was close to bursting. It may have made her let out a small groan, but it was worth it. She had hardly eaten anything for days.

"I think we did a fine job." Soggu hissed, leaning back on his not made for him chair with a look of content. His eyelids fluttered and threatened to close despite his apparent effort.

"Course we did." She tapped her soft tail on the ground, wiping her beak to get any trace of food that may have lingered through her feast. She looked to the empty plates, smears of different colors covered the collection of silverware the only reminder that their had been a banquet of food before them. "I still hate this city though." She sighed, causing the lizard to open a lazy eye and cast her a questioning gaze.

"Where did thatsss come from?" He licked his nose with a quick mlem. "We were jussst eating!"

"Just...never you mind." She waved him of, not really wanting to explain herself fully. "We are all entitled to what we don't want to share." She chirped in content as she rubbed her stomach tenderly to sooth the dull ache that was spreading through her. She was so transfixed by her delight she had not noticed that the patrons around her were no longer chatting away to fill the air of the roof with their voices. They had instead fallen silent, each and every loud mouth gryphon seemed to lack any words to say. Instead all their focus was not on her but that of her mercenary friend Garroth, who had just walked up the stairs with a scowl.

The black haired man stopped to stand with his muscled arms crossed at the stairs. His grizzled face scanned the roof before locking right onto their table, the brown tabard of Lumara flowing in the slight breeze and grazed his dark grey breeches and blackened gambeson. He glanced around to the staring patrons, throwing daggers back with his brown eyes as if his very stare could turn them to stone. He took his first step hard against the wood that seemingly shook the entire place. He strode passed the numerous gryphons who all began to chatter away again at the scars the man had covering his neck and face, wounds that had been inflicted by an old friend not too long ago. They were a dull red, almost like a tattoo that would remind the man each day of what had transpired. Luckily the man had found a priest of heldema when the cut had happened, and the worst had been prevented. The scar however had remained, a reminder that the mercenaries friend Arcturus Lund had betrayed him and had almost cut his head off with his magical blade.

"Find any work bosss?" Soggu hissed with a soft pat of his scaled belly that was slightly bulging. "I do rather enjoy doing thingsss over ssspending coin on wordly treasuresss."

"No." The grizzled faced merc replied strongly, collapsing into a chair that was laid out for him by the same halfling waitress from. Garroth placed his elbows onto the table before him with a long sigh, and slump of his shoulders. Athenais watched how his eyes left her, and went to all the gryphons around them still looking in with curious beaks. Anger flared within his darkened pools, like flames suddenly springing forth from a dark void.

"So why couldn't you find work?" She asked casually, as if the failure at the castle wasn't obvious. She clasped the mug of warm cider in her claws, raising it to her beak softly and taking a swig. The taste of the warm cinnamon and apple making her eyes flutter as the warmth spread right through her body and down to her hinds. She fought back a moan that threatened to slip out of her beak.

Garroth did not reply at first, simply snapping back to her, snorting like he was some sort of dragon, and pulling out a collection of wrapped manila poster. "The damned paladin." He hissed. "That woman spread the word that we are not to be hired. That our collection of misfits is a waste of good coin." The man balled his hand into a fist and slammed it onto the table while Athenais maintained an aura of coolness, his anger not phasing her in the slightest.

"So...When will we be leaving?" She said coolly, almost in contrast to his fiery temper. She tried to hide her delight at the idea with a wave of her wing. "I suggest we head east to Braestair." She set the mug down onto the table with a dull thud, mind already drifting to the distant continent. "I hear its got lovely weather at this time of year. Also no dragons to speak of, if the rumors are true." She raised a brow, hoping that the thought might perk his interest. Anything to drive his mind away from the red dragon that plagued his mind for last few months, and had even cost them a few lives of previous companions. "Best we be done with this dragon business anyway...Start fresh." She grinned, "We make a name for ourselves and we will be back to the top in no time!"

The human simply stared at her like she had grown six heads or something before crossing his arms again in silence. Whispered chatter from behind him made the human scowl, and pointing gryphon's made his hand tremble. Athenais heard whisper of his deeds, the night the red dragon attacked, the death of the king, and how Garroth had failed to capture the traitor Arcturus and ended up with a slashed throat for good measure. Apparently the female paladin's words had reached even this tavern.

"What are you squawking about?" Garroth roared, turning to a pair of tan gryphon's with white tipped wings. He jabbed his finger towards their yellow beaks with a curled lip. The two bird's eyes instantly filled with worry as they eyed the man's shaking finger, ears splaying before they dipped their heads.

"Uh..nothing human." One of them said in a deep voice, tail twitching as his voice cracked in worry. "Just pointing you out to a friend twas all. I recognized you from one of the posters the paladin put around the city was all."

"Well mind your wandering eyes, and let a man talk with his friends in peace! Can you do that for my gryphon? For one of the best adventurers around?"

"That's not according to the-.."

"What did I just say?" Roared Garroth, a vein popping out of his forehead as his face started to grow a shade of crimson.

"Sorry! Sorry!" The gryphon dipped his head lower, and gestured to his friend to do the same. Both birds were now spread low before the beet red human while the other patrons went back to their drinks and food. "We didn't mean anything by our words! Can we all just go back to our food? You won't hear anything from us for the rest of the evening...Promise!"

Garroth stared at the birds, Athenais could see a growl forming on the side of his mouth as he nodded. "See to it that you do gryphons." He turned away as the gryphons whirled around to tend to their plates with trembling limbs.

"Whoa." Athenais gasped as Garroth turned back to her with crossed his arms on the table with a sigh. "Someone has certainly the temper today. I think our trip to the next continent should come even sooner, then we can get rid of all this pent up aggression." She splayed her ears while she smiled.

"Possibly." The man sighed. "I just hate the riff raff and all these rumors. They don't understand the gravity of the situation."

"They never do. Now Garroth we need to talk about these plans that we're forming. Best take adventure by the reins and guide it. Seldom does it just come knocking and fall into one's nest."

As if on cue a loud echoing voice came from the stairs. It made the gryphon's ears twitch and ring with it's intensity. It almost made her want to bury her head and cover her sensitive organs to protect them from the shrill sounding cry. "Is there happen ta be a Garroth up there?" Came the voice again, this time less loud and clearly the halfling owner of the establishment.

"Yes!" Garroth shouted back as Athenais placed her talons to ears, and tapped. Just to make sure she wasn't going deaf. To her relief she wasn't, but a slight ringing noise did persist and make her tail tap in annoyance as the other patrons fell silent.

"Gods...I didn't think that little man could shout so loud."

"Got lungs on that one."

"That was the innkeeper?" She gasped, staring at the stairs and almost expecting the brightly dressed man to stride up the stairs with a smile on his little face. Perhaps he would come up and throw them out for some reason, Garroth's infamy now something to spurn and turn them away. The idea sounded preposterous but part of her wanted it. It would be just another reason to hasten their departure from the accursed city of light. Instead of the multicolored clothes halfling came a lithe human boy clad in dark almond clothes with a leather belt around his waist. His onyx boots thumped loudly as he took the last step, his icy blue eyes drifting around the rooftop from gryphon to gryphon. She watched him nervously shift from side to side before running a hand through his short onyx black hair, face already starting to turn a little pink from the tentative stares being sent his way. She figured by his face features that he had to be no more than the age of twelve as he reached a trembling hand into one of his pouches and took out a manila envelope.

"I...Is there a Garroth up here?" The boy gulped, lowering the parchment as the surrounding gryphons parted like the sea and made a path right to the adventurer's table.

"What do you want boy?" Garroth's voice filled with annoyance from the previous gryphon's words or the boy Athenais didn't know. What she did see was the worry spread to the boy, as his cheeks had practically turned to cherries.

"I...have..been...uh." The child stammered, his quivering melting Athenais' heart.

"Oh come now Garroth." She strode over to the worried child and offered him a comforting nuzzle with her beak. When he gave a surprised meep and did not turn away she flashed a glare to Garroth. "This little one comes looking for you, and that's how you treat him? I should punish you for that." She rolled her eyes as the warrior stood straight up, and shifted her attention to the nervous boy. Who was now looking at her with a look of confusion. "Don't mind him little one. My name is Athenais, and you have the look of a messenger about you." She traced his worn leather pouches that seemed close to bursting, with a faint menagerie of smells rising from them. If she didn't know any better those were most likely reagents for spells. "Or perhaps a mage in training."

"T-Thats the one miss." The boy nodded, "What...what was with the nuzzle?"

"Are you not used to that child?" She chuckled. "It is one of the ways gryphon's say hello, I did not mean anything by it."

"Ah.." He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "My name is Axton Mistdane." He pointed passed her to Garroth who had not budged from his spot. "And I do indeed have a message for him. One from my master."

"Do you know?" She crooned, smirking at Garroth with a turn and swish of her tail. "You treated the bringing of a message so poorly." She parted her beak to click several times in a disapproving fashion. "For shame Garroth, he should keep it from you to teach you a lesson."

"I..kinda have to give it to him. Master said that I should.-"

"I know boy, I was simply teasing him." She nudged Axton with a chirp.

"And what pray tell young one that is your message? One that your master didn't even feel the need to come in person? Bah!" Garroth waved dismissively before sitting down with a sour frown.

Axton took a gulp, and a step towards the irritated looking man. He shifted once before setting his arms by his side. "I represent the grand wizard Nigelious. He is far too busy to come and grab those he wished to speak to. He instead sent me in his stead."

"And the message?" Garroth waved his hand in a circular fashion. "What was it?"

Athenais watched the boys face for any hesitation or doubt. However she could find none as he spoke. The only thing she had spotted was a slight hint of irritation when he had said the word master. She wondered what could have brought that one on, but figured it had something to do with his rigorous training.

"That my master wanted me to collect you for a job. One that he wanted your group to undertake."

"Finally!" Athenais moaned, "Only seemed like forever....Wait." She tilted her head to the side, ears perked up. "What kind of job?"

"He wanted your help in hunting down that red dragon. The one that your group had chased after before if he heard correctly."

"Oh no." Athenais flashed an angry glare to Garroth as the man held up a hand to his chin. "Garroth don't you dare think about it." She ruffled her feathers, the flames already building up in her chest with each stroke of his fingers across his beard. She watched the warrior she called a friend raise a brow, almost as if he was seriously thinking about it.."Garroth!" She rose her voice thrusting a talon at him. "You can't be seriously thinking about this? We already lost two others at the claws of that scaled beast! It is a fool's errand to keep pursuing him! Let's cut our loses and move on!"

Garroth held up his hands, stifling her protests without a word. "Your words do speak truth my friend. I would not want to rush head first into this again, not without proper planning and actions. " He cast a glance to the surrounding gryphons who had of course all been staring, their meals all but forgotten. "I have lost good companions to this beast..And had a friend who betrayed me over him. Decided that his loyalty was to a winged devil instead of to his friends and country."

"My master said you might be hesitant to come after being so thoroughly defeated as you were." Axton nodded, taking a nervous gulp as he stared at Garroth's muscled form.

"What was it you said boy?" The warrior snapped, thrusting a finger towards the boy's chest. "I'd watch your tongue around your elders. It was not as simple as my failure."

Athenais shot Garroth daggers, one that warned him to mind his tone and tongue when talking to the child before them. She may have crossed talons with many of foes and considered ruthless, but that was no excuse for being harsh with young ones. "What the metal arse here is trying to get across is that he wants to speak with your master first. That way he can sway any fears that are lingering in our minds."

"Sssoo.." Soggu rubbed his claws together, his heavy tail thumping on the wood. "What say you Garroth? Do we ssearch out this mage to hunt the drake?"

"Aye." Garroth nodded after a pregnant pause, crossing his arms across his chest. "We hear the wizard out..True we have had much misery because of the dragon, but we have to try something..Remember the prophecy the king spoke of before he met his untimely end."

"Oh yes..The prophecy." Athenais rose her talons to do air quotes with a role of her eyes. "You honestly believe in that rubbish? Should we go pay a soothsayer in the streets to elaborate your future?"

"The king believed in it." Garroth snorted, his eyes filling with an inner flame. "That is good enough for me. He thought the red dragon was the key to preventing an army of the beasts from descending from above to burn our homes."

The gryphon sighed, eyes scrunching up as her opinion fell upon deaf ears. She kneaded the wood beneath her talons, flicking her tail back and forth as she settled onto her haunches and rustled her wings. "Believe what you wish human." She dismissed him with a wave of her talons. "I still say lets leave the dragon alone...." She sighed, splaying her ears and hating herself already. "But if you're going to go on this fools errand...I suppose you will have someone who has their head on her shoulders." She tapped her left hind, looking away from the now grinning man with a snort.

"Good to hear your aboard as always my fine feathered friend." The man laughed, striding over and tossing a bag of coin onto the table with a clink. "Lets go meet with this mage then..Unless you disapprove Soggu?"

"Nonsssenssse." The siigonis chuckled, placing his tankard onto the table with a dull thwack. "Wasss boring around here anyway." The blue scaled lizard gave Athenais a grin across his snout. Like he wanted to voice her acceptance of the quest again.

"Fine." She groaned. "Lets go meet this wizard so I can discuss the extravagant fee that I am going to charge to hunt this dragon down again." She turned to Axton, who had remained silent and watching the entire time with his parchment held in both of his hands. They still slightly trembled but nearly as much, and his rosy cheeks had faded away. "You mentioned something about leading us to him sweety?" She rose her voice slightly, watching her tone relax his shoulders.

"That's correct." He looked down at the parchment he was holding, squinting his eyes before returning his blue spheres to her. "Just got to lead you to the colosseum...Um..The larger one it says." The boy tapped the paper, eyes drifting to Garroth who had placed a firm hand onto the boy's shoulder.

"Then lead the way boy. The sooner we go find this Nigelious. The sooner we can prepare to leave this place. Have more adventurers elsewhere. Garroth paused, looking to the patrons who were will staring at them with beaks agape. "And have this dragon dead or in chains." He released the boy, who began to rub his shoulder.

"Watch your grip there." Athenais nipped the warrior with her swift beak. "I can nip much harder than you with my beak."

"Fine! Fine!" Garroth backed away, nearly leaping off the ground. "Just don't nip me like that again. Stung like a bastard it did!..Damn gryphon.."

"Lead on child. I will let your master know what a wonderful job that you did." Athenais flashed Axton a wink, the human boy returning a warm smile of his own before whirling around on his heels. He gestured for the others to follow, and she almost thought she heard him mutter under his breath.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Meet you lot on the street." She sighed as the others started down the wooden stairs that were too small for her. "Curse this place."She hissed, racing to the flight platform and bounding into the air. She let out a small trill as she pounded her wings, slowing her descent so that she could land gracefully against the hard cobblestone. She refolded her wings with a slight rumble, settling down onto her haunches as carts and people passed her by.

*

So this is the place huh?" Athenais gasped, gazing up to the towering pillars of near pristine stone. They stretched on for what seemed like miles and dwarfed her easily, making her feel more like an insect than a proud gryphon. Carved into the surface were pictures of various gryphons and humans all in the various stages of combat. Each one had wings spread and fierce expressions on their stone beaks. While her eyes traced each image she briefly forgot she was supposed to hate this city. She simple flicked her tail and stood transfixed.

"That it would be."Garroth stepped next to her, patting her shoulder. "Won't be long now. I know you hate this place."

She sighed, ruffling her feathers before pulling herself away from his touch. She smacked his outstretched hand with her tail. "Shush your tongue human. You can go back to pleasing me with your touch after we are from this place, not a moment sooner." She held her beak to the sun, hoping to get her point across. She figured he had a grin on his stupid face, already seeing through her bluff.

"Very well proud gryphon. You have my word. We will be away from this place come the next few hours." He sighed, crossing his arms across his chest and giving her a smirk. "Then can I go back to touching your beautiful feathers?"

"I will think on it." She replied with a pleasing chirp, taking a step with her talons clinking on the stone ground. "Quite the flatterer Garroth." She touched a claw to the large ornate doors before them that had the symbol of large warhammer engraved into the dark grey surface. "Now just go on and lead the way so we can get this over with."

"On it!" Axton called out, rushing passed her to place a hand onto the stone next to her claw.

"See?" Athenais stuck her tongue out at the muscled warrior. "The youngling has the right idea." She turned back to Axton, who was concentrating on the door. His eyes totally focused on whatever it was he was doing. "Axton?" She said softly. "How would you like to be our leader?"

"Me?" The boy pointed to his chest, a look of surprise on his face as his cheeks turned a slight hint of crimson. "A leader?"

"Mhhmmm."

He shifted slightly, that same hand now pressed to the back of his neck as he rubbed it. The red in his cheeks only getting worse. "Thanks..But..I'm only an apprentice." He frowned, his mood suddenly darkening as if some shadow had wrapper around his spirit. "...I would just get someone killed." Axton let out a sigh, grabbing one of the door's brass handles that seemed to have sprung forth from the stone.

"Don't say that hun." She lowered her voice, letting the human lead her inside. She made sure she was just behind him. That way in case the human tripped or fell she could catch him with her agile limbs. It amused her how she had taken the role of concerned mother so easily to this bright faced human.

Course children are your weakness.

From the opened door came a rush of cool air that brought with it the smell of stone and sweat that made Athenais pull her head back and grumble with a flick of her tail. "Wonderful smell that.." She scowled. "Unwashed humans." She almost stuck her tongue out as Garroth patted her side again with a loud chuckle.

"What's the matter? I thought you loved the smell of humans?"

"Or perhapsss ssshe only likess the sssmell of a certain human?" Soggu hissed to himself with a sly smirk on the edge of his snout. It made Athenais want to smack him right across his scaled face. Playfully of course, no sense in scratching up the face of her healer.

Although what would honestly be there to mess up?

"Hah hah. Very funny you two. Perhaps you should quit being swords for hire and instead take up the theater?" She rolled he eyes, brushing passed the giggling human and siigonis with a puffing out of her feathers. She ignored them and instead focused on the mana lanterns that hung on the smooth stone walls, casting a warm orange glow to the hallway before them. Unlike the tavern that had gotten straight under her feathers, this placed seemed to accommodate gryphons. She could even walk in the middle and have plenty of space on either side of her. "Tell us about this Nigelious character would you dear?" She asked, pausing to look at a huge painting on the wall of different races clashing together inside of an arena made of tan stone. She shifted to the right side of the hallway as a collection of mortals clad in off white clothes and dark leathers walked by holding a loud conversation about which fighter could beat whom in the arena.

"Well...hes...unique." Axton's words came slowly, a pained look appearing on his face. It was like he was trying to remember a terrible memory. "Powerful...Demanding..and..Ruthless."

"Ruthless?" She nearly stopped in her tracks. That was something that could be called a red flag. "Do you mean that dear?"

"Course I do..." Axton rubbed one arm with the other. "I...Never mind how I know...He just is okay?" The boy looked away from her and for a moment she thought his eyes were misting. Course it could have just been a trick of the mana lantern light. "He is powerful." Axton wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt with a sniff.

Athenais nearly bound to the little sniffling human and wrapped him up with tender limbs and wings. That of course would have to be for another time. Now was the time for business, and promises of leaving this city. "So..Garroth." She turned quickly to the human just once pace behind her. "What have you heard of this Nigelious other than what Axton here just told us about him?" She hoped the change of persons answering would at least steer the young boy away from whatever pained memory was rearing it's ugly head in his mind.

"Well..He's a wizard that pops in from time to time in Lumara." Garroth placed a hand to his chin, nearly bumping into another passing group of humans. "I know he dabbles in testing out mana crystals. Only saw him once or twice of all the time I have been here." The warrior shrugged. "Sorry I can't be much help. The only other thing I know is that he's powerful. Even more so than some of the wizards in Rothdell."

"Guess it's a good thing I simply adore meeting powerful wizards then." She rolled her eyes, walking into an atrium. "Great.....So we know next to nothing about this guy...Wonderful." She groaned, the sound drawing the attention of several muscle clad minotaur who were sitting on an onyx bench.

"Well he said to meet him here." Axton mumbled softly, turning his head to look at one of the numerous tapestries hanging from the walls. Each one was of a different color, boasting different animals of heraldry.

Athenais looked around the near empty room save for the bench and minotaur. "I don't see anything that could be considered a mage. Unless one of those muscled men over there is the wizard." She chuckled. "Perhaps he thought you would take longer in fetching us?" She strode passed the bulls,smirking as she saw their mahogany furred snouts follow her movements as they gazed at her beautiful feathers.

"H-He usually plans for everything." Axton shifted, like a thorn had worked it's way into his foot.

"So he requests to meet him? Then keeps us waiting?" Garroth crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes as his lips curled into a sneer. "Why am I not surprised?"

"It pays to be patient Garroth." Came a calm voice, springing from the very walls.

Athenais nearly stumbled in surprise as her nerves suddenly stood on edge. She turned her head, trying to not focus on the tingling sensation in the back of her neck. She felt her muscles tense up as warning bells flared inside her skull.

"Nigelious I presume?"Garroth snapped back, instantly his hardened expression softening.

"That would be correct." With a loud crack an old man popped into existence. Thin strands of smoke curled up from his blackened shoes, swirling around his flowing robes lined with white stitched runes. The man moved a hand, running his frail hands across worn leather pouches around his waist. Each one looked as if it was close to bursting. His wrinkled face was curled into a smile Warm blue eyes greeted her, and made the bells ringing in her head fall silent.

"Nice trick." Athenais refolded her wings that had sprung open in surprise. She gave a narrowed stare, trying to mask her shock at the sudden arrival of the magical wielding man.

The balding man took a step, his hands clutching at a gnarled wooden staff. He smacked the ground with the butt of the thing before casting his gaze to Axton. The moment the man's spheres trained onto the boy the young mage looked away, squirming under the wizard's gaze. "Thank you Axton. You have preformed well in your task. You have earned the right to accompany me on this adventure." Nigel gestured to the adventurers with a wave of his hand. "I presume you were treated well by these individuals?"

"Fine...Nothing happened." Axton rubbed his arms, looking at his feet.

"Right..." Nigel suddenly stared at Garroth, his eyes narrowed. For a moment the warmth that had been inside of his eyes vanished, and replaced with a cold glare. It made Athenais shiver , almost as if the man was suddenly going to snap and cast some sort of terrible spell on the warrior. "When speaking to me apprentice. His words are as good as my word. You will treat him with the same respect that you would have given me. Do I make myself clear?" He tapped the ground with his staff to punctuate his point.

“Course Nigelious. No harm done. I already apologized to the lad for my rude remarks earlier." The human bowed, giving the wizard a sweet smile.

"Did he now?" The old man's piercing gaze shot back to Axton, the boy trembling for a moment.

Axton fumbled with the papers in his hands."Y-yes sir. He already did." He nodded quickly, sighing in relief when Nigel turned back to Garroth with a smile.

"Most excellent. Can't have things like that starting out poorly. So...I take it you're interested in collecting the dragon?" The wizard's voice suddenly became calm, almost showing no emotion. "The dragon that slaughtered half of your party in the forest of despair. As well as your traitor friend and that blue gryphon that helped slay your king?"

"They didn't kill him." Garroth shot back, voice already raising. "They were too busy fleeing that night to do anything. The king was assassinated days after. When we were not hired to protect him. Don't believe whatever that paladin woman has been spreading."

"Well that is certainly most reassuring. It does add some merit to your actions if you didn't fail completely."

"So what's the payment wizard? You know my team and I faced the beast several times and lost." Garroth gestured to the others with a snarl. "Why seek us out?" His words lingered in the air, drawing silence as Nigelious studied his response with a hand on his chin.

"Excellent question you have there warrior." Nigel looked over at the papers that Axton was fiddling with and rearranged them for the boy. "I think vengeance is the perfect motivator in situations such as this...And experience." Nigel sneered as if he was tasting something unpleasant. "No matter if it's good or bad. Experience is experience. Besides, I thought that you would like to pay your friend back for the scar you bear on your neck." He flicked his finger's to Garroth's neck, getting the man to rub it with a throaty grumble.

"So many words, but what's the bleedin reward?" Athenais shot out, impatience getting the better of her. "We lost friends wizard. That beast is powerful. What makes you think that this hunt of yours will go any differently then ours went?"

"I agree...You can't ssspend coin or enjoy your ssspoilsss if you no longer draw breath." Soggu grumbled, shaking his snout.

"Excellent question again!" Nigel smiled. "You chose your allies well Garroth. They know their limitations and I certainly like that qualities in others. Each tool knowing its place." The wizard sighed. "Now gryphon, Imagine you have a collection of silverware. Now each part is made for something else, not really suited for the specialty of the other. However when you combine them all together you have a force that can handle any meal. You use the knife to cut, a fork to stab, and a spoon to scoop." Nigel mimed the actions as if he were holding each instrument. "You would have me of course to handle the beast...I have a specialty in capturing dragons as it were."

"Humph.." The gryphon rolled her eyes. "If you're so good at this dragon catching business, whey did you not go after him the first time?" She gestured to Garroth with a flick of her neck. "Why even seek us out at all if you're so powerful?"

Nigel did not respond at first, instead staring intently at her. He smiled warmly, "What was your name darling?" He took a step towards her.

"Athenais. Now you haven't answered me mage."

"That is true." He turned away, holding up a finger. "I didn't need the dragon before." The man said with a growl, flashing a look at Axton. The apprentice squirming and clutching his papers tighter and tighter. "But due to some complications I now am in need of another, and the red seems to be the perfect specimen. “How does one hundred thousand gold pieces each sound?"

“What?" She suddenly exclaimed, her friends all doing the same at nearly the precise moment. This would the most coin she had ever worked for. It had to be a joke right? “Like you have that kind of..." She shrugged it off with a chuckle as Nigelious did not waver, and simply stared at her with a large smile. She felt her doubt suddenly start to clear, he was being serious. “That's a lot of coin..."

“Certainly it is...But this task is most important to me..."

Athenais watched the human mage mutter words silently under his breath as the wizard continued to talk. The trembling boy doing nothing but staring at his feet, almost like he was trying to ignore ever word that was coming from the wizard's tongue.

"Lost dear? I don't think you've heard a word I said!"

"Uh..right." She splayed her ears. "Lost in thought is all." She lied, "So you had problems holding dragons then. What makes you think you can hold this one?" She dragged a talon against the stone.

"Trust me. That little complication has been taken care of." Nigel hissed. "Isn't that right my apprentice?" He shot to Axton, who did not raise his head.

"Y-yes..Sir." The boy sniffed, his voice cracking slightly.

"Then I ask of our leader to get us paid upon the beasts capture. That way we don't have to lug the scaly bastard around, and you don't have to demonstrate your failure to hold dragons." She smirked when the old man flashed her daggers with his eyes. She felt a chill run it's way down her spine. His eyes telling of untold power she had not seen. Perhaps it was not a good idea to anger this man. Thankfully it was Garroth that broke the dead silence around them.

"Before we get hasty. I will need a demonstration of your powers if we are to risk our lives to capture the dragon that claimed many of our own....Simple promise of coin will not be enough."

"Tsk...Tsk." Nigel clicked, standing straight with a smile. "Smart man Garroth. But I ask. I thought you believed the dragon could ruin the stability of the nation? You would question a heroic duty such as this?"

"I'm not a paladin wizard. I know what I'm good at, and I don't intend to go on a suicide mission. Show me what we have to look forward to or we will walk."

"Kind of hard to enjoy lifesss pleasuresss when your dead." Soggu hissed, crossing his scaled arms.

"You'd be surprised by that." Nigel waved a hand, clicking his teeth and turning right on his heels. "Then follow me if you want your demonstration. You needing proof was not unthought of. I brought you and your group here for that very reason. If it is a demonstration you want, then it is one that you shall receive.

Athenais nudged Axton to continue forward as her friends took pace behind the quickly walking wizard, who almost seemed to not care if they could keep up at all.

"Course you and the steward of Lumara will also be getting this demonstration of mine." The wizard pointed towards the ceiling.

"The steward?" Athenais squawked, stumbling in shock but catching herself at the last possible second. "We're going to visit the steward?" She turned to see if someone else was kidding. When no look was offered to dispute the mage's statement she took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. "Well I suppose someone had to. Might as well be us right?" She may have hated the city with a passion, but the steward was a first for her kind. Following the kings death a replacement had to be found since the princess Nivra could not be found. So the lords elected the silver gryphon Darius from one of the many flights that called Lumara home. It was the first time in Lumarian history that a gryphon held such a position of power. "Guess you have a lot of pull then?"

"You could certainly say that. I am good friends with each...and...every lord that graces his table. So they always entertain me on my arrivals." The wizard grabbed hold of a wooden railing ascending the stone stairway before them. "Unfortunate as my time is rather short....And with the death of the king...How tragic I might add...But alas.." The wizard hung his head as they started to climb with soft clacks of boots on the ground. "

She followed swiftly up the chipped and scrapped stone, that looked like little canyons and valleys worn away with scraping of weapons. "What kind of demonstration are we going to see? Some sort of spell or weapon?"

"One of those I can assure you." The man chuckled, his deeper voice echoing off the walls. "But why spoil the fun? It makes you more excited when there's an aura of mystery lingering in the air. Don't worry though my future adventurers you will see what it is and what it is capable of." The old man stopped, turning to them with a full grin. One that might almost be considered threatening by the way all his teeth were on full display.

"Right.." She snorted, "It had better be the best demonstration that I have ever put my beak on. Otherwise me and my group will bolt out of here faster than a pegasus flies."

"Fair enough little gryphon." Mumbled Nigel, "But do keep an open mind with what you're about to see." He pointed to his skull with several small taps."And try to not have your brain melt outside your ears at the shear scope of things."

She shut her beak with the next scrape of stone against talon. She fought the knot that had began to form in her stomach as the sound of warning bells once more started to sound in her head. Probably had something to do with the worried stares that Axton kept flashing to the wizard's back as they continued their careful steps.

"So.." Nigel spoke up again as they started to near the top of the stairwell, a thin beam of natural light flowing down into the darkened tunnel. "What do you know about the mana crystals that this nation uses on an everyday basis?" He gestured to one of the mana lanterns attached to the wall as they continued their way up.

"They are made from people." Garroth said, voice flat like it was the most normal answer in the world. That would have put Athenais into shock a month ago when Garroth had told her while stroking her ears. Despite his alluring tone at the time telling her it was for criminals she remained skeptical.

"And extremely dangerous." She narrowed her eyes at the man's robes, her distrust of him growing further.

"Right..And they are very much so.." Nigel held his hand up with a quick twirl. "Well...I like to tinker with them from time to time." He pointed to a large crack in the stair and practically jumped over it. "And sometimes I create wonderful, glorious things. This on the other hand...Is wondrous."

_ Right. _

Athenais scoffed at his claim. It sounded like he was a nutter if she had to put a talon to it. Like he had sat too long in the sun and lost his mind to the blazing heat. Although when she looked to him, found the glimmer in his eyes. She was almost convinced as he was that whatever he had produced would be the most wonderful thing she had ever laid her eyes on. She had to shake her beak and look down at her claws to fight the urge. She let out a small pleased sigh as they finally took their final steps to the top, and emerged into the afternoon light. Nigel had started to go on about the different magics that could be located inside the stones, but truthfully she didn't listen. Instead she was transfixed on the arena around them. The great stone circular thing that dominated the area.

The arena had an open ceiling above them to allow the sun's rays to flow in and illuminate the numerous benches of polished stone arranged in a circle. Sand covered the bottom layer of the place, stained no doubt from the gruesome fights that had taken place. It was like a painter had spilled a bottle of dark ink and left it out to dry. In the center of the sand was a table lined with numerous weapons. Gleaming swords, sparkling axes, sturdy bows, sharpened spears, there was even an energy crossbow or two resting on it. Around the arena floor were several rooms barred with great shining metal poles. Used no doubt to hold contestants or monsters for whatever games they held here from time to time. She looked up to the numerous perches high, the same polished grey stone as the stands. The sun reflected off of them and sparkled in her eyes, it was too bad a piece of art like this was used for games of death.

"Lovely place you have here." She rolled her eyes as Garroth placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Just love to watch grown men tear each other limb from limb."

"Oh come now. This is where they fight monsters and beasts! It's most thrilling of sport!" Garroth chuckled, pulling her attention from the dried crimson mess of the sand.

"You can have your fun Garroth, but this simply isn't me." She turned to Axton with a cocked head. "Right Axton?"

"Yea." The boy replied, his gaze looking to anything other then the arena floor. "I'm not a fan of cutting, blood, or death."

"See?" Athenais stuck her tongue out at the grizzled warrior as he crossed his arms. "The mage sides with me on this."

"Isss...There going to be fighting?" Soggu pointed to a collection of humans being led towards the center of the place. There were twenty of them all clad in different types of ragged, dirty clothing and attached to all of their legs were darkened steel chains. Some only had a loin cloth to cover their gender, their muscled bodies on full display. Leading the prisoners to the center of the arena were several men clad in silver chain mail that dazzled in the sun, and carried sharpened spears at the ready.

"Sort of.." Nigel clicked his tongue. "In a manner of speaking." Nigel waved with a smile to a group of multicolored clothed individuals in a small section of the stands. Athenais spied most of them were humans wearing bright fine clothing that lacked any dust or scratches on their pristine surface. Among the humans there were several gryphons chatting away with goblets held with scaly limbs. One larger silver one banged his golden cup with another, a red liquid sloshing down from the rim and dripping down to splatter onto the stone before the gryphon began to gulp down it's contents. "These prisoners are here for them." Nigel took a step forward, raising his voice in a merry tune. "Greetings Darius!"

"Nigel!" Came the pleased voice of the silver gryphon as it devolved into laughter, almost to the point of trilling. "Pleased to see you! How have you been old boy?" The gryphon gestured to two large minotaur clad in half plate armor that stood at attention with gleaming halberds clutched tightly in their hands. "Don't mind the guards friend! They only bite when I give the word!" The blue eyed gryphon smiled, tilting his head to the side. "Now who is that you have with you? What sort of manner are those miscreants behind you? Are you throwing one more of your WILD parties?"

Athenais was about to speak, voice their arrival and introduce themselves to the powerful gryphon. She took a step, opened her beak. But before she could speak Nigel had already cut her off.

"These are my hirelings! They had not yet come to the conclusion if they were going to take up an opportunity that I had laid out before them..So I had a wonderful idea!" The man gestured to the prisoners down below. "That I would invite them to the demonstration I had planned for you! So that they could witness first hand what kind of a man that I truly am capable of!"

Darius ruffled his feathers for a moment, taking another gulp from his goblet before turning his silvery feathered head towards the collection of humans and gryphons. They seemed to chat in excited voices for several moments, almost making Athenais worried that they were going to be tossed from this place. "Very well Nigel! They can stay and watch what you have in store for us today, although in the future. We hope you respect the way things work and ask before simply doing."

"Of course steward of Lumara." The wizard bowed quickly, "I do not tend to make a habit of such things.Time unfortunately was of the essence."

"And in regards to what you asked of us. This demonstration of yours has to be spectacular. Not just to me." The gryphon angled his neck to the ones behind him. "But to the lords here as well."

"But of course Darius. I would not waste your or the lord's time with some trinket or parlor trick. I come bringing something that could very well change the future with it's application." The mage held out his staff for Axton, the apprentice snatching it quickly as Nigel spun on a heal and clasped his hands together. "You can rest assured that it WILL leave you all stunned and your beaks parted. Frankly Darius, I would be a tad insulted if I didn't already know what an untrusting bird you were...No matter!" Nigel strolled with purpose to the edge of the arena, gazing down to the prisoners before them as Athenais and the others joined him. She shifted her weight from side to side, already feeling the morbid curiosity building up at what the wizard had in store.

Nigel stood like a statue, tapping his hands together softly as he seemed to be thinking of what to say. The prisoners stared back to the unmoving wizard, who seemed to gaze down to them like some predator picking out his next meal. The way he stood perfectly still seemed unnatural and made her feathers tremble, almost like he had died upon his feet. She scratched her limb as the uneasiness spread to the rest of her. She turned to her companions only to find that they too had locked their attention to the people below.

"Greetings those that have tossed their lives away. You are murderers, rapists, and some of you earning many more crimes beyond this. All of you have earned the death sentence and are awaiting the final release, but I bet all of you are left puzzling over why I have brought you here." There was a quick murmuring from the humans below, and several nods in conformation. "It wasn't to die!" Nigel turned around with a mischievous smirk that had Athenais queasy. "You see! You are here to test a little project of mine! Those that pass this test will be granted a full pardon and released...To be free men...or woman." Nigel gestured to the table laid out before them. "I even have brought you weapons to aid you in this test."

"Seriously?" One prisoner with short blackened hair shouted. "You'll just let us go?" The man narrowed his eyes before gazing to the weapons. "No tricks?"

"None at all!" Nigel smiled. "It is as I have said. Defeat my experiment and freedom will be your reward!" The wizard thrust a finger towards the crowd as they began to excitedly chatter among themselves. "If you refuse however. You will be placed back into your cell to await your execution! Then you of course will provide for this nation unlike in your life!"

"Fine wizard!" The prisoner shouted back, rubbing at his wrists as the guards started to undo everyone's chains. The strips of metal landed onto the sand with dull thumps as the prisoners started to cheer and gaze fondly to the gleaming weapons before them. Like it was a treasure trove of the highest quality, one that someone would die over.

"Excellent choice my friends! Remember if you pass the test a full pardon is your reward. Granted to you by the very steward of this fair city!"

"I did NOT agree to this." Darius protested with a angered squawk. "We can't just have murderers back onto our streets Nigel..." He closed his beak as Nigel raised a hand to silence his protests, and gave him a knowing smile that sent shivers up Athenais' spine.

"Don't worry your feathers my fine friend. I am confident in my test. Just you watch."

Athenais took a tentative step closer to the railing, watching as each prisoner chose weapons and brandished them with smirks and smiles. Some even tested them by swishing them through the air.

"What if we decide to just start a rebellion?" The prisoner from before laughed, activating his energy crossbow with a simple press of the activation rune.

"Oh come now." Nigel waved dismissively. "If you did that I would be forced to dispatch you rather quickly! I suppose if you were looking for a quick death then by all means." The wizard spread his arms wide, signaling the guards below to dash towards the exits as quickly as they could. "Very well my test subjects!" The man roared out, the air seeming to fill with a slight tingle. "I wish you the best of luck in this test." The wizard smirked and plucked from his robes a single purple gem about the size of a pebble. Athenais watched transfixed as the man rolled the smooth mana crystal in his hands, the surface starting to radiate a soft light.

Nigel hurled the crystal out towards the ground, its light only intensifying with each foot it flew. When it struck the ground it looked like a tiny star lost among the desert, causing the sand to start to rise as if lifted by an unseen source. From this amethyst colored seed started to sprout what looked like off white bones and blackened flesh. It struck the ground like a wounded man trying to push himself up. Black ichor started to drip from the rotted muscle as another limb sprouted from the seed, sand starting to swirl around it like a storm. Gasps and shouts of concerned coursed through the prisoners as the twisted thing only grew larger with each passing moment. First it was the size of a small dog as energy shots struck the ground around it, the men having fired in panic. Then it was the size of a man, taking a forceful step as several more shouted out in horror. It let out an unnatural cry that sent a shiver down Athenais' spine as it grew to the size of a horse, and kept growing until it was at least five times the size of the men before it. When it was finished the thing looked like an undead juggernaut, clamping it's formed bony head as blackened ooze continued to copiously coat the ground.

"What...Is that thing." Athenais trembled as the first prisoner shouted the attack. The thing moved more swiftly than she had thought possible, easily crushing the man with a sickening crack. She could not tear her eyes away as the prisoners tried to stay out of the things long sweeps of it's limbs, those that were caught within it's grasp were absorbed into it's body with their screams quickly being silenced. Some where not that lucky, only getting to strike at the thing's limbs before getting kicked or slammed into a wall. Their bodies breaking against the stone and slumping to the ground a crimson mess.

"That." Nigel replied smugly, shifting his head from all the nobles, who had their mouths open in horror or amazement. He crossed his arms as the prisoner's screams only got louder with each passing death. "Is my latest invention."

Athenais tore her eyes away from the terrible scene unfolding before her. Each crunch bringing a tremble through her body. She was not against fighting people and bringing death with her claws. But she preferred straight fighting or ambushes. Not this...This was a slaughter. She shivered as the snaps of energy crossbow fire faded away.

"How can it reform it's body like that?" Darius squawked. "They just keep cutting, but it reforms seconds later."

"These things form from a battle field of corpses. They regrow limbs and such with each one that it absorbs. The body can be from a corpse or that of a living person." Nigel pointed to his head as another man was absorbed with a loud shrill of a scream. "They are controlled by the user of the gem and will keep at it until they are told to stop."

"What...what if it gets into the wrong hands?" Athenais shielded her beak from the screams with a wing, surprised when Axton's shivering body joined her.

"Easy...If the user is knocked out, the creature ceases to be."

"What about a weak spot?" Darius fluffed his feathers, taking a long sip from his goblet as a prisoner was sent flying into the stands, smashing aside stones with a loud thunderous crack.

"Excellent question steward. I can see why the city decided to grace itself with your leadership." Nigel bowed, gesturing to the towering monster of rotten flesh. "The crystal inside of course can be destroyed which will render the creature useless. This is protected against by the constant motion that the crystal is undergoing. It never stays in the same spot for long, thus ensuring the enemy doesn't know where the weak spot is at any given time."

"This..is horrible." Athenais narrowed her eyes. "It will cause death..On untold levels."

"No my lovely gryphon friend. It will save lives at the end of the day." Nigel chuckled, turning back to the steward and the nobles as if nothing were wrong. "Think if you would my lordship. These things deployed in the war against Rothdell. Entire fronts these things could hold. Positions that your soldiers would not have to man any more. There will be days where Lumarian soldiers are not killed. Fathers, Mothers, children. All able to return to their families safe and sound because we chose the right path this day. The creature even cleans up battlefields on it's own."

"That..." Darius gasped, watching as the last prisoner was pulled into the monster with a shout."We could..." The bird tapped his claw to the ground as he turned back to the other nobles with splayed ears. They quickly talked in hushed whispers before turning back to the wizard with a cocked head. "And you have more of these devices?"

"Of course I do." Nigel replied pleasantly. The wizard turned away from the utter carnage of the floor. The creature fading away with a click of his hand, the small gem flying back into his outstretched fingers, only to be placed back into the safety of his robes without another thought. The only proof of the creature's existence being the grisly spots of crimson blood slathering the sand below.

"They are fairly easy to create if you know the technique. I would be glad to show your mages how to make such things." Nigel placed his palms softly together with grin. "Granted that the item I requested was given to me."

Athenais trembled as her nerves started to settle down. She pulled Axton tight, hoping the sounds of his quickened breaths would get rid of the terror filled screams of the doomed men that had been slaughtered before her very eyes. To her horror, she was convinced at the mages words from before. If he claimed to be able to capture the dragon...He would be able to do it. There was another round of quickened hushed discussion as the nobles chatted away with the gryphon steward

"Darius! We can't give up the device!" Said a noble with blond hair and a fair face.

"But did you see that thing?" Exclaimed a woman in a pristine white dress, thrusting a finger towards the arena. "Think of what our military could do with such a thing! All the lives that could be saved!"

"Very well." Darius held up a claw, the chatter of his collected mortals instantly dying. "We will trade you the device for the knowledge to make these creatures."

"Excellent choice Steward. They will speak of this day for years to come. The day that Lumara set out on it's victory over the evils of Rothdell. They did so with minimal casualties. Because the wisdom of their brilliant steward and his council of wise nobles."

Athenais walked away with a racing heart as the nobles made pleased noises and thanked the wizard for the excellent demonstration.

What good could come from horrors like that?

She stopped at the stairwell, clenching her eyes shut as the images of crumpled humans filled her eyes.

And Garroth wants me to follow that man.

She kneaded the stone as she glanced back to her two friends chatting away with the wizard with pleased faces. Like the slaughter before them had not phased them in the slightest. She groaned as a knot formed in her stomach and made her feel sick.

"He scares me too." Axton said softly, wrapping his arms around her neck and clutching her tight.

"Does he do this all the time?" She replied, wrapping her wings around the shivering mortal.

"More than you would think..This was just a taste of what he can do."

The gryphon gave a concerned whine, flicking her tail as her friends and the wizard began to walk over towards her. By the pleased looks on their faces, it looked as though the deal had been solidified.

At least...When we capture the dragon it will be an easy job.

She pushed from her mind the screams, replacing them with the phantom cheers of the crowds that would welcome them home. She imagined the vast amount of coin that would be here for taking on such a dangerous task, although with the power showed by the wizard.

_Why would he even need out help anyway?

_

"I'm in." She said softly, the words slipping from her beak with disgustingly amount of ease. "What must I do?"

"Nothing much my dear." Nigel smiled, clasping Garroth on the shoulder with his frail looking hand. "Pack your things and prepare to head out. We have a dragon to find and capture, riches to win, and a nation to save with our deeds. Now don't you three worry your minds. I will gather some gifts for you to have during this adventure." The wizard gave her a pleased smirk before starting down the stone stairs with a straightened back. "Just watch my friends...Come Axton.." His next wave brought the boy to his side. The child rushing without a word. "We shall have this dragon soon enough. Perhaps after this venture I will have work for ones such as yourselves. Who knows, perhaps you will all become famous, drowning and fame and fortune at the end of this. It could even be the start of a wonderful partnership for years to come. Every wizard needs a loyal group of adventurers to call their own after all."

"Where do we meet you wizard?" She fluffed her feathers as her friends took positions beside her.

Nigel paused, placing a hand to his chin before thinking for a minute with a tapping foot. "That is certainly a good....Here.." He pushed Axton slightly towards them. "Axton will show you the way after you've gathered your things. Just try to keep your nerves when you see the device I have acquired."

"And what is that?" She chirped, tilting her head to the side.

What could be so terrible that they would not part with it save the knowledge to create such monsters as that?

"A Metallic dragon my dear. The very one that they had flying the night the red dragon made his attack on the castle."