//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Ghosts of the Round Table // Story: Ace Combat: Gryphon Wings // by Bwaak //------------------------------// Chapter 18: Ghosts of the Round Table “This is the Round Table. Dead flyers’ words holds no meaning.” — Tyr “Pixy” Foulke Gryphus Hospital, Gryphus, Griffin Kingdom May 19th 2020, 2340 hrs Black Star remained silent as he placed a black bishop piece on a white rook’s place. He had to say, playing chess with Cygnus to get his mind off the recent events really did help him relax. Kestrel who sat just one bed beside him watched the battle with interest.         “Check,” the dark griffon stated with a smirk. Cygnus just raised his eyebrow and moved his white knight to C2, eliminating Black Star’s queen and made a straight line for the black king. Black Star’s face dropped in pure dismay.         “Checkmate,” Cygnus said smiling. “You really should keep an eye out for your surroundings, Blake.”         “I did,” Black Star groaned. “Just never saw your move coming from a mile away. You beat me twice!”         “Practice makes perfect, Blake,” Cygnus shrugged. “Ready for another round?”         “I’ll pass, sir,” Black Star sighed. “I need some sleep. Maybe Wonderfalke will give you some challenge with this.”         “Hm, good point,” Cygnus pondered before he packed up the chess pieces and left. “Get some rest, Blake. Be ready for tomorrow.”         “I will, sir,” the dark griffon nodded. The swan griffon was right; after Valkyrie made himself known by wiping Sudentor off the map, there was no telling where or when the dragon would strike next. It was also worth noting that the Griffin Army, along with the EAF reinforcements, were basically down to their last drop of strength since Sudentor. That blue unicorn mare, Quox, was still treated for burn wounds, and her mentality was still very unstable. Collins was badly injured when the Wonderbolts and the knights founded him near the bottom of the canyon. He was currently placed in the ICU, but doctors said that he would make a recovery within two months tops. An SAR squad composed of both ponies and griffons was sent to Sudentor in hopes of finding any survivors. However, they could only find bits and pieces of burned equine and griffon flesh mixed with the ruins. The fear of infectious diseases found within the already decaying flesh put an immediate halt to the search and rescue efforts. Sudentor was now marked as a biohazard zone, and no one except authorized personnel could enter the ghost city. Saetos remarked that this entire rebellion was far worse than the Equestrian War. The death count exceeded the numbers of ponies and griffons who died in that entire  war, with a city destroyed and rendered uninhabitable by a W.M.D.. The griffons feared that the dragon could show up in their front doors at any time, raising the kill count even more. In short, things just got fucked up in one day. Black Star groaned while Kestrel was still sitting on her bed. They were not really sure what their next plan was since there had been absolutely no intel regarding Valkyrie’s capabilities other than he could fly for a creature his size, produce flames and high concentrated laser blasts, and fire missiles from his spines.         “We’re really neck deep on the shithole now,” the dark griffon sighed.         “Tell me about it,” Kestrel said somberly. “They really got us this time, and it’s tormenting enough to wait like this.”         “Waiting for the intel… or waiting for that thing to show up on our doorstep,” Black Star muttered. “Doesn’t matter which one, both roads leads to a direct confrontation with that behemoth.” Suddenly, the main doors swung open as Tallman entered the room. He turned his attention towards both griffons and spoke,         “Emergency meeting, now. Valdar’s orders.” Black Star and Kestrel glanced at each other. Looks like Valdar had returned from his meeting with the world council, and he could have possibly gained some intel about the Valkyrie. Both griffons stood up from their beds and followed Tallman to the GCC. Once they had arrived, they noticed that all of the squad leaders, along with their remaining subordinates, were there. The three knights and GRGs were also present, sitting on the back rows. Even the trainees from the academy were present with Kite sitting near them. In front of them stood a worried Valdar and Riddle with Gertrude at his side. Saetos noticed the trio’s arrival and said,         “Take your seats; we’re in a hurry.” The trio quickly sat down as the monitor was switched on. However, they noticed that none of the Equestrian squadrons were present. Kestrel decided to ask this herself.         “Sir, if I may ask. Where are the EAF squads?         “I sent them back to Equestria for their own safety,” Valdar answered. “We had to force them back since they still wanted to fight, but I stated that this war just became a priority for the Griffin Kingdom since Valkyrie destroyed our city.”         “That was a dumb move, Valdar,” Black Star stated. “No offense, of course.”         “None taken, Blake,” Valdar sighed before he sat on his seat.         “Dumb as it may be, it’s still the king’s orders,” Saetos shrugged before he patted the orange griffon’s back. “I think Valdar is just afraid for the ponies’ safety. He did promise Princess Luna that he would take care of them. Alright, let’s start this briefing.” On the screen, a loading bar completed, and a map of Neue Gryphus was shown along with the city of Sudentor, but the city was crossed out. A red triangle marked as VALKYRIE appeared on Sudentor’s place before it left and headed straight for the Waldreich Mountains.         “We took a heavy blow in both operations…” Saetos began. “The culprit was none other than Esser and his mobile superweapon, Valkyrie. When the dragon left Sudentor, our satellite managed to track his movement to the Waldreich Mountains before it disappeared.” Another window was opened up to reveal some rough sketches of Valkyrie’s blueprints. Saetos then continued,         “According to Sir Wonderfalke and several surviving eyewitness accounts, Valkyrie is equipped with a jamming device that can shut down any electronic hardware within a 15 kilometer radius, forming a protective death zone, if you may call it. It is also equipped with a flame pod and a Tactical Laser Pod Type-1: a smaller prototype version of the Burning Talon’s laser system.” The window of the sketches was closed as Saetos continued on Valkyrie’s whereabouts.         “Back to the original matter. Just an hour ago, we detected this so-called “death radius” surrounding the Valkyrie moving towards Area B7R, the infamous Round Table known by aces from around Equis.” The knights glanced at each other, and Riddle couldn’t help but to gulp at the mention of the name “Round Table” as the screen showed pictures of the airspace, along with its desolate terrain and current weather predictions.         “Valkyrie’s currently flying above this area at altitudes of 100,000 to 160,000 feet, which means interception of the dragon is basically impossible at this time. So, your job is to follow Valkyrie’s trail from below until it will descend on this area: the Antlertic Ocean.” The digital map shifted from Area B7R to the aforementioned location. The Antlertic Ocean was the sea that separates Equestria and the Griffin Kingdom in the south. Since many ponies found out that it was very difficult to reach the kingdom through the Drakenridge Mountains, The Antlertic was their only option to reach the griffons’ homeland where they must cross multiple checkpoints and through multiple countries that surround Neue Gryphus. Once they arrive at the kingdom’s industrial state, it’s a straight shot towards the Griffin Kingdom.         “According to Sir Wonderfalke, Valkyrie needs to descend from his cruising altitude to make some necessary checks on his massive boiler and systems, so Valkyrie’s radar would temporarily be disabled. We calculated his scheduled descent just 5 miles offshore of Sapin. You must intercept Valkyrie at this location, or else he will have reached Equestria and incinerate his first target: the city of New Saddle,” Suddenly, Jet decided to raise his talon at this point.         “Yes, Lieutenant?”         “Sir, with all due respect. How exactly we will able to put a dent in that thing?” Many mumbles could be heard from the room, it seemed everyone was about to ask the same question.         “There’s only one way,” Riddle began. “We can destroy it from the inside...” The sketches of Valkyrie were shown again, but this time, several arrows pointed to the boiler, and the Z.O.E. pod were added.         “As you know, Valkyrie’s cockpit is located inside his thick skull, so breaching it from the outside would be impossible. His ribs, on the other hand, are easier to access,” Riddle explained. “In order to bring down this behemoth, one of us must enter the rib cage and destroy, or at least, damage the boiler first: causing Valkyrie to overheat in time. Once that’s done, the lines connected to the Z.O.E. pod must be cut off in order to sever Valkyrie’s main power source.”         “Uh, sir?” Kite began with a small voice. “Wouldn't be easier if we destroy the Z.O.E. pod first?”         “Unfortunately, no, lad,” Riddle sighed. “Cutting off the Z.O.E.s first would result on the boiler being automatically used as a secondary but fatal power source. The growing heat from the steam would detonate the warheads stored inside the spines, causing a massive explosion that could harm anyone near it.” Kite slowly shrunk down to his seat, horrified at the prospect of being caught in the blast radius of multiple weapons stored inside Valkyrie. The briefing continued with Saetos taking the lead again.         “Now you know how to bring this beast down, but you still have to catch him,” Saetos said as Riddle brought up a digital rendering of the Round Table. “The scheduled descent occurs at tomorrow morning at approximately 0705 hours. You will go fly above Area B7R following Valkyrie’s route that will be added on your scanners. The weather shows a growing rainstorm within the Round Table, so it’s best that you should leave immediately. Further informations will be briefed in-flight. This op will be called “Dragon Slayer” and there’s one more thing I wanted to ask you all…” Saetos paused for a moment before he changed his tone to a more pleading one, though it still sounded stern to some.         “We need heroes after all this. Just make sure you guys come back alive, anything else is unacceptable. That will be all, dismissed.” Everyone immediately stood up and headed for the door. Once they were in the hallway, Riddle went to the opposite direction along with Gertrude, stating that they would need some assistance in the form of the Z.O.E. Mk. II’s if the situation called for it. Black Star soon found out that the recruits were also asked to join on this sortie. Stalker chose to join his mother Ronin’s squad along with Rosepink. Breaker, Ricochet and Razorback chose Northwind squadron, while Max and Goose joined Verde squadron. Kestrel had to admit, she was proud that the recruits were finally able to join on this battle, but she also worried about them.         “Remember, recruits,” she said as she and the others walked to the exit. “This is the real deal. One slip up and you’re all dead. Work together and keep your eyes open.”         “Yes ma’am!” the recruits answered in unison. Once they were outside, they were greeted by Silver and Crimson squadrons. The latter had been reinforced with a new flier, along with a group of thirty unicorns. Riddle and Gertrude also arrived with the Z.O.E. Mk. II’s and quickly placed the devices on each member of Aquila squadron. While Black Star wore the Z.O.E. band on his left arm, he asked the unicorns’ leader about her and the unicorns’ presence on the capital. The leader; a bright green unicorn mare with a lyre cutie mark answered him,         “We’re tasked to strengthen the magical dome on the Griffin Kingdom by the Royal Princesses. But we will help you guys teleport to Area B7R in a jiffy.” After hearing the answer first hand, some of the griffons finally realized the full urgency of this mission. There was simply no time for them to fly all the way to Area B7R on their own. Before the teleportation spell was cast, a yellow coated earth pony approached Riddle and asked them if he could take Aquila squadron’s picture.         “May I ask, what’s your name, lad? And what purpose do you have in mind?” Riddle asked.         “My name is Brett Trotson, sir. I’m a journalist and reporter for the Equestrian Broadcast Corporation,” the earth pony said. “I was tasked by my superiors to take a picture of the Northern Eagles for an article.” Riddle took a sideways glance at Black Star, Kestrel and Kite. The blue griffon just shrugged, going along with Brett’s idea, though Kestrel was not very sure about this due to the urgency of the mission. Kite on the other hand was excited to have the picture taken, and Black Star slowly agreed to this as well, causing Kestrel to sigh in defeat and say,         “I guess one picture wouldn’t hurt…”         “Oh, thank you so much!” Brett said in excitement. The griffons took their position with Riddle being on the far left and Kestrel and Black Star on his right side. Kite took his position on the far right, just below Black Star’s left wing. Brett immediately set up his camera and took a picture of the squad.  Once that was done, the griffons thanked Brett before they went back to their original positions with the others. Gertrude and the cubs said farewell to Riddle, and the blue griffon promised that he would return alive. Scunner, who was forced out from the Verde squadron due to his injury only smirked at Jet before he spoke,         “Kick that overgrown lizard’s ass for me, mate.” The green griffon could only respond with a single thumb up. Meanwhile, Kite was just finished placing the Z.O.E. band around his arm when he heard someone calling him. He turned and found the owner of the voice: Quox, still bound to a wheelchair with a griffon nurse on her side. Kite immediately rushed to Quox and asked,         “What is it, Quox?”         “I just want to wish you guys good luck,” the unicorn admitted. “And if… you could… I mean this probably sounds a little bit selfish, but… please take down that dragon for me...”         “Well… it’s our mission to do it,” Kite shrugged. “But why? Is it to avenge your comrades?”         “Partially, Kite...” Quox admitted with a small voice. “It’s not just for my fallen comrades… but it’s also for Bertz’s as well. He was my brother… and I just can’t accept his death in the claws of that… t-that…” At this moment, Quox was trying her best to hold her tears. Kite never had any siblings, so he could not feel the unicorn mare’s suffering right now. But he knows that Quox must have been suffering to her very heart and soul. Slowly, Kite patted Quox’s head, earning a tiny glance from her.         “Hey, want a hug?” the small griffon asked. Quox could stare at Kite before she threw herself at Kite’s arms. Soon, the unicorn was crying her eyes out with Kite just gently stroked her mane. “Don’t you worry. We’ll get the job done and come back alive. You can count on it.” Kite said in an assuring tone. Quox only responded with a tiny nod and a whisper, “T-thank you…” Kite gently ended the hug and gave Quox one last smile before he went back to his position, completely oblivious to Rave’s jealous glare directed at him and Quox. Gilda was the only one who noticed her behaviour and chuckled.         “Looks like egghead got a crush on pipsqueak,” she thought with a smirk. Soon, the teleportation spell was cast, and the griffon squads were covered in the luminescent teleportation bubble. Before the teleportation spell was finished, Quox moved forward from the unicorn crowd and yelled,         “May the sun and moon shine upon you!”         “Yeah! Go get ‘em!” Scunner added as the rest started chanting Aquila’s name and the other squads’ names as well. Even some of the civilians who were around the area stopped on their places and joined the crowd on chanting the names. All of the squadrons inside the bubble gave one last salute to the ones outside before a blinding light engulfed them all. Area B7R “The Round Table”, Neue Gryphus May 20th 2020, 0030 hrs The Neue Gryphus priority one strategic airspace B7R. AKA, The Round Table. The home of numerous battles fought in battles past. Hundreds if not thousands of griffons and ponies from multiple nations clashed against each other in this airspace for air superiority. No ranks and no nations were there to hinder them, everyone was on an equal footing. There was only one rule that applied to this airspace: To survive. Just two minutes after the teleportation spell was cast upon them, the griffons finally arrived at the airspace following a blinding light. The sparks of magic still lingered in the air as the griffons began to inspect their surroundings. It was dark with Luna’s moon being the only light source for them. Several thunderclaps were heard from the distance, confirming the weather reports Saetos mentioned earlier. The three Belkan knights including Riddle could only gaze at their surroundings in silence. On the horizon lie the mountains that made up the Round Table. It brought up many sweet but sometimes bitter memories to their heads.         “Just like how I remember it…” Riddle muttered. Black Star overheard what he was saying and asked,         “I presume you have been here before?”         “My first deployment, Blake,” Riddle responded. “Operation Battle-Axe. I was still a rookie back then, and they deployed me along with my teammates into this airspace to defend it from the allied forces. They even sent three Belkan elite squads just to quell the allied forces, but none of them could match him, the Demon Lord of the Round Table.” Black Star kept on listening as Riddle continued on.         “I saw him… flying and taking out our soldiers with his wingmate, a griffon with a single red wing. My teammates were killed… and before I even knew it, the Demon Lord was chasing me. I tried to escape, but he kept on chasing: almost like a predator locking on to his prey. Luck seemed to favor me that day… a Belkan soldier distracted him and I managed to flee from the airspace. He was the inspiration for the entire Z.O.E.M.S.A. project.” Both griffons stayed silent until they heard their comms crackled to life. The voice wasn’t very clear, but they could tell that the owner was Marcus.         “Altair Beta to all units… —*static*— all teams… report in,”         “This is Aquila squadron,” Riddle began. “Your voice is unreadable, say again.”         “I repeat…—*static*— All squadrons, report in…—*static*—” Marcus repeated, though his voice was barely heard through the static. Luckily, Riddle heard what he said and responded,         “Aquila squadron here, on stand by.”         “This is Crimson team, fully accounted for,” Blade followed.         “Southwind squadron, everything’s okay,” Ronin added.         “Northwind squadron, reporting in,” Rod stated.         “Silver squadron, checking in,” Silber said in his usual tone.         “GRGs Mindripper and Distantthunder. We’re here.” Tallman stated on his and White Tip’s behalf.         “Belkan knights, on standby,” Detlef announced clearly. However, the static in their comms grew worse as Marcus tried to speak again.         “Alright…—*static*— it seems I got you all on my scope…—*static*—…” Marcus stated. “Damn, the radio interference is bad in your location…—*static*—…”         “It must be the heavy mineral deposits underground,” Dmitri stated. “The Round Table was notorious for rendering compasses and communication lines useless. Surely, your superior had told you that?” An embarrassed chuckle was heard from the other side, confirming Dmitri’s suspicion about the young griffon operator’s lack of information.         “Looks like I’ll be keeping…—*static*— communications to a minimal on this op…—*static*—… Just maintain your present heading, and don’t let…—*static*—… Valkyrie out of the designated range,” Marcus said. “I’ll be posting mission updates through this ring…—*static*—…” The group then heard a loud ping coming from their comms. Following that ping, Marcus then cut off his transmission and kept monitoring the team’s movement through his radar. Another ping was heard when Marcus sent the necessary data to their scanners, so they could read how much distance was between Valkyrie and them.         “Looks like we’re a little behind,” Riddle said when he checked the scanner. “Come on, let’s pick up the pace.” Riddle along with the rest of Aquila squadron immediately headed towards the Round Table. The other griffon squads did not need any second call as they too followed suit. Several thunderclaps were heard along with some lightning bolts that lit up the sky, causing a little bit of uncertainty for the recruits.         “Dude, I have a bad feeling about this…” Goose said in worry.         “You said it, bro,” Max responded in agreement. Rosepink was both scared and unable to keep up with the rest of Southwind squadron. Luckily for her, Ronin and Butterclaw decided to go back and towed her along so she could keep up with them. Stalker and Gilda were also forced to wait until the trio was back. Riddle along with the three Belkan knights remained cautious; the Round Table loved to give some surprises during the war, be it an ambush or severe weather conditions. The area was testing their weaknesses and skill to the very edge. Riddle took a weary glance at his subordinates; all three griffons were still tired from the sortie earlier, so fatigue was also their greatest enemy. He silently told them to keep the Z.O.E.s on standby if anything were to go from bad to shit, to which they complied with a single nod. The Z.O.E.s were switched on, but were put on standby mode until further notice, just in time for when Marcus sounded the mission update ping on their comms. The griffons checked their scanners and saw multiple enemy signatures coming at them from the northwest at high altitude         “Hostile contacts, a lot of them,” Riddle announced. “Moderate magical readings.”         “Caught red handed, eh?” Bernhard said with a grim tone. Everyone then noticed more and more bandits coming from the same heading. They all knew that there was only one way out from this swarm.         “That’s one hell of a crowd,” Breaker commented with a frown.         “Aquila 1 to all units,” Riddle announced with a bold voice. “Don’t stray out of formation. Engage these bogies as one; no single ship attacks!” Multiple “rogers” were heard from his back before they increased their speed and altitude to greet the incoming enemy swarm.         “Hex 5-1 to all units,” the leader of the enemy squad hissed, “fire your magic in 20 seconds. Give them all you got.” “Roger, Hex 5-1. Attacking with extreme prejudice,”         Once they got close, the unknown bogies began to fire small streaks of green-colored magic blasts. Despite this, the team remained in formation as they and the swarm finally clashed against each other.         “Changelings!?” Rod yelled as he avoided a magic blast before delivering a punch to a changeling. “I thought we managed to neutralize all of them in Gryphus!”         “Looks like Esser got himself another horde as a failsafe,” Black Star growled. The dark griffon managed to catch a changeling soldier before he threw him at his comrade. The two changelings impacted each other before they fell down to the ground, nearly hitting another changeling who was being pursued by Kite. The changeling tried his best to avoid Kite’s lightning-fast movement, completely unaware that Kite was leading him into Kestrel’s claws. The changeling screeched in pain when Kestrel’s talons dug into his eyes. His pain was ended when the pastel griffoness grabbed his neck and twisted it backwards before she parried a blow delivered by a large changeling flyer. Kestrel clashed against the brute all the while Gilda and Butterclaw were using quick combo strikes to take down multiple enemies at once. Some of the changelings who were distracted by both griffonesses’ attacks were taken down by Ronin and her son, Stalker. The mother-son duo poured every last drop of their strength into this battle, no matter how many changelings kept pouring down from the heavens.         “We must destroy them! We can’t let them get to Valkyrie!” one changeling snarled as he clashed against Rod. The griffon was hit several times due to his growing fatigue, but Rosepink came to his rescue by kicking the changeling on his head. Before he could recover, the changeling was hit by one of his own comrades before they were finished off by Breaker and Ricochet’s body slam. Bernhard’s tactician skills began to surface as he directed the GRGs and the rest of the squads to engage the changelings at his command. He carefully guided them through each maneuver, attack, and evasion: making sure that no one was left behind.         “Give ‘em all you got guys!” he yelled. “Or else that lizard’s goin’ to outfly us to those ponies!”         “You heard the knight. Southwind squadron, let’s pick up the pace!” Ronin exclaimed after she ripped a changeling’s wings off. Both Gilda and Stalker grinned before they went all out on the changelings. One changeling tried to attack Gilda from behind, but an arrow struck his right eye, causing him to scream in agony and forcing him to retreat. White Tip smirked as she took another arrow before aiming it at another target. Once changeling interrupted her from below, causing the griffoness to use her bow and arrow as an improvised melee weapon. The changeling was struck by the bow before the armored griffoness jammed the arrow between the changeling’s exoskeleton, earning a shrill scream from him. While he was stunned, White Tip kicked the changeling away before she parried another attack from yet another changeling, but Black Star managed to gain the bug-like equine’s attention by striking him on his head.         “Thanks for the backup, Blake,” White Tip said in relief. “I guess you really had changed after all.” Black Star just shrugged before he engaged the enraged changeling.         “Keep them occupied!!” the changeling yelled. “We must please our queen by this act!” Black Star couldn’t help but to ponder in confusion after hearing the changeling’s words. Another queen? Could it be that these changelings were also brainwashed by a fake queen? If so, then they must find this queen in order to end the changelings’ onslaught. He tried calling Riddle through his comm, but only static met his answer.         “The interference must be stronger than I thought,” the dark griffon thought in frustration. Discarding the option, Black Star began to make his way towards Riddle whilst evading and delivering blows to the changelings.         “Sir!” he yelled to gain the blue griffon’s attention. Riddle turned and yelled back,         “What is it, Blake!?”         “Sir, one of the changelings…” Black Star dodged an incoming strike from a changeling before continuing his words, “…one of them said that they must please their queen!”         “Another fake queen!?” Riddle frowned. Earning a nod from the dark-feathered griffon.         “Seems like it, sir!”         “Spread the word!” Riddle ordered. “Let everyone know about this! We need to find that fake queen!” Black Star just responded with a salute before he flew off to let the others know about this info. The swarm kept the allied squads in place, intending to delay them as long as they could. Realizing that they would be outmatched if things kept going like this, Riddle decided to amp the squadron’s power a little.         “Aquilas! Activate the Z.O.E.s. Set power to 5%!” he declared. Kestrel heard his command and quickly activated her Z.O.E., causing the other Z.O.E. devices to blink as well. Before long, Kite and Black Star activated their amplifiers too, causing the light to blink red for a couple seconds before turning green with a loud beep. The same surge of power rushed through their veins, and Aquila squadron began to step the engagement up a little. Detlef saw Riddle’s plan and quickly directed the other griffons to speed things up. The red griffon led Northwind and Silver squadrons in taking the changelings on a direct confrontation. Bernhard, on the other hand, led Southwind Squadron in baiting the rest of the changelings from the furball so they could be dispatched by Dmitri along with Crimson, Verde squadrons, and the GRGs. The GRG members finally decided to ditch their armor so they could fight more efficiently. The blades attached on their wings made short work of numerous changelings.         “Their numbers are dropping down!” Tallman exclaimed when he noticed the slow decrease of the bug-like equines. “GRGs, strike ‘em hard!” Some of the changelings panicked and tried to disengage, but they couldn't, knowing fully well what would happen if they disobeyed their queen’s orders. Their leader was growing desperate.         “No…nonono!! The queen will be upset!” the changeling stammered in disbelief. “Curse those Northern Eagles, Hex 5-1 to all units don’t giv—ACK!!” Ronin’s claw strike directed on his neck cut him mid-sentence, resulting the neck of the poor bastard to be torn in three slices and left his head dangling on his spine. His body on the other hand managed to stay airborne long enough to transmit a distressed low frequency signal that could only be heard by the other changelings. The others stopped their engagement and dispersed, as if clearing the way for someone. Sure enough, another beep came from the griffons’ comms, and a set of new targets appeared on their radars.         “New bogies incoming,” Rod stated. “They are faster than before!” Suddenly, a rather chilling giggle was heard from their comms. After hearing the giggle, their comms and scanners went dead from the static.         “Radar jamming, the fake queen’s here!” Black Star growled. Kestrel felt her blood ran cold when she heard that giggle. It sounded very familiar to her.         “No, it can’t be!” she thought in horror. Her fears were confirmed when a familiar voice hissed through their static-filled comms.         “Did you miss me, birdy?”         “Violet!!” Sure enough, there she was: the insane yellow coated mare that Kestrel had defeated over the Waldreich Mountains, and she was surrounded by numerous changelings and five of her surviving squad members. Though she still looked the same as she was before, there were several things that made her different. Her neck was covered by pieces of changeling exoskeleton, and her right eye was completely colored green with slitted pupils. Her psychopathic grin was still present and was enhanced by the presence of two fangs growing in front of her normal teeth. Sickly green veins were visible through her skin and coat, and the veins were centered around the large Zaubenschaft gem surgically embedded into her chest. Kestrel did not have time to react when the undead mare laughed and charged straight at her. Black Star and Kite was about to help, but they were blocked by someone familiar. Gray had also returned, and his appearance was similar to his yellow coated comrade.         “We meet again… Ghost,” Gray hissed. Black Star could only frown as he took a battle stance, knowing that the pegasus wanted to finish their fight.         “Kid, go and support Marie…” the dark griffon ordered. “I’ll handle this one.” Kite was hesitant at first but he ultimately complied with that order before zipping away. Both Black Star and Gray stared at each other before Gray delivered the first attack with a left hook at Black Star’s head. The dark-feathered griffon evaded the attack and retaliated with an uppercut which Gray easily blocked.         “I’m stronger than before, Ghost!” Gray declared with a smirk. “There’s no way you are a match for me now!”         “Really?” Black Star responded before he headbutted the dark blue pegasus, dazing him long enough for Black Star to kick him in the stomach. A minor shock wave formed as Gray was thrown back several feet. Gray recovered from the blow and hissed,         “A fellow Zeal user… This is just getting better and better!” Both Gray and Black Star roared as they flew towards each other before clashing again. The three knights kept giving the other griffons orders to deal with the new horde of changelings. Southwind squadron gave all they got in this fight, with Ronin and Stalker leading the way. Gilda teamed up with Breaker and Rave, the trio deciding to pick off some stragglers from above along with Silver squadron. Both Gilda and Breaker used their strength to overpower the changelings, while Rave used her mind: blocking and delivering blows if there was an opening and retreating if she was outnumbered.         “Split their cage!” Jet yelled as he and Rod led their squadrons through the furball, intending to split the changeling horde so they could be picked off one by one. They needed to work fast, or else Valkyrie will escape their grasp. Meanwhile, Kestrel and Kite was dealing with the psychopathic mare: Violet and her underlings. Kite was outnumbered five to one when he faced Violet’s bloodthirsty wingmares.         “Hi, sweetie,” one of them purred. “Wanna dance with us?”         “No thank you,” Kite said as he entered a stance. “I’m a soldier. I don’t dance.” The mares laughed in amusement at his response.         “You really think you can beat us by yourself?” one of them taunted before she changed her tone into a more malicious one. “We’re going to tear you limb from limb!”         “That sounds fun!” another mare giggled.         “Sorry, my limbs are… uh… private properties…” Kite said awkwardly, feeling embarrassed by his lame comeback. The mares laughed even more, unaware that Kite had launched himself at one of them. The mare coughed blood as Kite’s head impacted her chest. The mares stopped laughing and saw in horror as their comrade started to plummet from the sky.         “Why you!” one of the mares snapped as she flew towards Kite in high speed. The small cheetah griffon moved to the side and let her past on his left while delivering a swift jab on her ribcage. A second pegasus mare dived in and rammed Kite from his front, but due to the Z.O.E. powering his body, the pain was kept to a minimum. Kite grabbed both of her front hooves and threw her away, just in time when the third pegasus mare attacked him from behind. Kite struggled to get free, but a fourth mare appeared in front of him and started punching at his gut.         “Hold him steady, I want to make him bleed first!” the fourth mare snarled with a smirk. However, Kite used his enhanced strength to break free from the mares’ grasp before delivering a kick in the fourth mare’s gut, knocking her out from the fight.         “Bastard!” the third mare shouted. “Girls, time to get serious!”         “Don’t let this bird get too cocky!” the second mare added with a smirk. Kite could only brace himself as he was about to face the three mad pegasi. Kestrel kept on the defense as Violet delivered endless barrages at her, never caring if her punches made contact on the pastel griffoness or not.         “C’mon, birdy! Is that all you’ve got!?” the deformed pegasus laughed with a murderous glare. Kestrel kept her cool and continued to block Violet’s attacks. Luckily for her, a well-timed slash by Ronin directed at Violet’s back distracted the yellow pegasus long enough for Kestrel to deliver a punch at her changeling eye. The attack missed, but Kestrel claws succeeded on tearing Violet’s coat and flesh: causing green blood to ooze out from the wound.         “Hehe, not bad…” Violet purred as she tasted her own blood. The deranged undead mare laughed madly again before charging at Kestrel again. This time, the griffoness was ready for her and responded with a straight kick to her face, mirroring what she had already did to defeat her back in the Waldreich Mountains.         “Did you honestly think that would work again!?” Violet yelled as she brought up her front hooves to catch Kestrel’s leg. The pastel griffoness immediately withdrew her attack, only to find Violet changing her course and giving her a hard punch to her left cheek. The yellow mare’s strength was slightly enhanced by the green Zaubenschaft gem on her chest, but it felt weaker than Wechselbalg or Juggernaut’s blows. A weaker opponent should be easy to take down. When Violet came charging again from the opposite direction, Kestrel only hovered and watched as the crazed yellow pegasus inched her way closer to her.         “Ha!” Violet yelled as she broke away from her course, anticipating another kick from the griffoness. She had never been so wrong.         “Gotcha!” Kestrel exclaimed as she made a quick dash at the yellow mare at the moment she passed the griffoness. The blow stunned her long enough for Kestrel to deliver two quick punches at her abdomen before finishing it off with a hard blow to the Zaubenschaft gem: cracking it halfway. Violet coughed up the green blood in pain. She quietly chuckled between pants and coughs as her smirk grew into a psychotic grin. The yellow mare laughed as she spoke with a sultry voice,         “Ohoho... you’ve got me good, birdy… heheh… Please, PUNISH ME MORE!!”         “Come and get it, sicko,” Kestrel responded with her own smirk, causing Violet to laugh even harder. The two combatants flew towards each other before they clashed their talons and hooves in midair; completely unaware of Black Star and Gray’s battle ensuing above them. The dark griffon, like Kestrel, had managed to crack the Zaubenschaft gem after distracting his opponent. Both combatants made one last clash before they broke off to take a temporary break. Gray was now panting and growing weaker as the magic of the gem was leaking out through the crack. His body was filled with deep scratch marks, and the green blood continued to ooze out from the wounds. Black Star also had his fair share of wounds too: he had a massive bruise on his left eye, and his body was aching to the bone. The Z.O.E. might had helped ease the pain a little bit, but he would feel it when the Z.O.E. was deactivated. The two hovered in their places until Black Star started clapping.         “Bravo,” he chuckled. “Somehow, being dead made you stronger.”         “Can’t agree more, Ghost,” Gray responded with a smirk. “Truly the power of these Z.O.E.s will revolutionize the future of warfare in Equis.”         “Or putting this world into a downward spiral to chaos,” Black Star retorted. “Let me ask you this, Gray… why did you came back?”         “Esser pulled me back from the dead, but that’s kinda obvious,” Gray spoke, “The real reason is for me to fight you again, Ghost. I vowed that I will defeat you… or you will defeat me and finish me off.”         “You’re asking for a true warrior’s death,” Black Star mused in interest. “Better die in battle rather than being killed while you are off-duty.”         “Exactly, Ghost,” Gray nodded before he raised his hoof at him. “So, please. Give me a fight to the death!” The dark griffon never responded as he answered the pegasus’ question by flying directly at him. Gray evaded Black Star’s attack and retaliated with a double hoof kick directed at the right side of the griffon’s ribcage. Black Star spun to the left to evade the blow while using the momentum to slap the pegasus with his wing. Gray flew back and let the wing pass harmlessly in front of him. Black Star stabilized his flight before attacking Gray from his front. The dark blue pegasus grinned as he parried the dark griffon’s attack before punching him on his stomach. Black Star growled in pain, but it was soon dulled into nothing thanks to the Z.O.E. magic running through his veins. Black Star quickly grabbed Gray’s shoulders and readied his right arm for an attack. Gray tried to break free from his grip by punching the dark griffon on his face. Black Star was thrown back, giving Gray enough time to charge up his magic into his muscles.         “This is it, Ghost!” he yelled in excitement. “You are finished!!” Black Star kept calm as his eyes flashed green for a moment before all of the magic was concentrated in his right arm. When Gray was about to deliver his attack, Black Star flew upwards before bringing his right arm down at the dark blue pegasus’ spine with sheer brute force, causing a small shockwave in the process. The blow destroyed Gray’s spine and folded his entire body upwards, tearing his chest open which dislodged the Zaubenschaft gem from its place and spilt green blood everywhere. Gray coughed up some of the green blood before his broken body fell down to the desolate landscape. Though he was defeated, Gray couldn’t help but to smile in satisfaction before he was engulfed by the darkness of the night. He got his wish, and now he could rest in peace.         “Good fight… Ghost… Good fight.” Black Star could only hover and watch as Gray’s body disappeared. He felt some remorse for the pegasus. Gray came all this way just so he could fight him again, even if he had to become Esser’s undead minion. A surge of pain from his right arm and a loud beeping sound snapped the dark griffon out from his thoughts. He tried to move his right arm, but found it limp and unresponsive.         “I used too much power on that blow!” he thought in pain as he tried to shut down the Z.O.E. with his left arm. Once the device was shut down, the pain soon dulled away, and his right arm could move again. Violet was momentarily distracted when she sensed Gray’s defeat at Black Star’s talons. Kestrel used this chance to strike her on her face, throwing the half changeling-pegasus hybrid to the griffoness’ left.         “Hey, no fair, birdy!” Violet yelled with a grin before she lunged herself back at the griffoness. “My honey-bunny just got killed, and you attacked me? I like you even more!!”         “Get off me, you sick freak!” Kestrel said in disgust as she tried to free herself from Violet’s grip. The mare laughed harder as she punched Kestrel’s face, trying to break her skull off her spine. Kestrel managed to hit Violet back by headbutting her on his forehead and bit down on the mare’s left forelimb. Violet screamed in a mixed feeling of pain and pleasure as Kestrel’s sharp beak dug in deeper into her flesh. Once that was done, the pastel griffoness released her bite and kicked Violet right on her Zaubenschaft: cracking it even more. Violet quickly recovered from her blow and stared down at her heavily damaged Zaubenschaft gem. For the first time, she felt some dread. She remembered how it felt to be dead, and she was not about to feel it again. The yellow mare looked up and chuckled at her opponent.         “It seems our fun is over for now…”         “Speak for yourself,” Kestrel spat. “I’m ending this, once and for all.” Violet only chuckled even more before she stuck out her tongue at the griffoness: eerily mirroring her own gesture back when they first met above Gryphus         “I’m afraid that is not your call, birdy…” she said in a sultry tone. Before Kestrel could even respond, the yellow mare let out a screeching roar, causing all of the changelings to stop the engagement before they flew over to her. Kestrel and everyone else could only watch in silence as the massive changeling swarm began to form a protective ball around their “queen.” Violet’s one remaining subordinate abandoned her engagement against Kite and flew to hover at Violet’s side. Violet gave them one last grin before the ball was sealed off from the outside. Then, a green translucent bubble began to form around them as they casted a massive teleportation spell for them to escape. Kestrel rushed to the ball, trying to stop the yellow pegasus from escaping, but she was too late. Violet along with her horde disappeared from the airspace, leaving an eerie silence with only the blowing winds of the approaching storm to accompany the group’s ears.         “They’re gone!?” Jet said in confusion. Kestrel just grit her beak in anger before she let out a frustrated scream. Black Star immediately flew over to her to calm her down.         “That sick snake, got away…” Kestrel hissed.         “And there’s nothing we can do about it…” Black Star cut in with a stern voice. “Don’t blame yourself, Marie. We all didn’t see that coming.”         “But she’s still out there!” Kestrel responded in anger. “That sick-minded psychopath is still flying around, and she’s a threat to...!”         “We can think about that problem later,” Black Star cut her off again. “Right now, we still have to worry about the Valkyrie.” Kestrel couldn’t respond to his last statement. He was right, Valkyrie was a much bigger threat than Violet and her horde of brainwashed changelings. Kite then appeared beside them and told both griffons that Valkyrie was still in their effective range.         “But Sir Wonderfalke said we need to hurry,” Kite explained in worry. “If we don’t move now, Valkyrie’s good as gone!” Both griffons glanced at each other before all of them flew towards Riddle. The blue griffon was visibly tired from the engagement, but that wasn’t not going to stop him now. Soon, all the other squadrons regrouped before all of them continued their flight above the Round Table. Directus Airspace, En-Route to Sapin, Hoofstio 0213 hrs It took them nearly two hours to get past the Round Table and into the GCC’s effective radar and comm range. Saetos informed them that they would receive some reinforcements once they reached Hoofstio. The griffon operator’s words turned out to be true when the griffon squads were accompanied by two pegasus squadrons from Hoofstio’s 6th Air Division. One of the squad leaders, a pegasus stallion with a bright orange coat, contacted the griffons first.         “This is the 4th Air Force Unit “Crow” to the Valkyrie Interceptor Team, it’s good to be flying with you!” he stated. “We hope that we can watch the Northern Eagles in action today!”         “Boy, we’re getting famous…” Kite said in delight.         “This is Aquila 1 to Crow Leader, it’s good to see some backup too. We’ll be counting on you guys for some help.” Riddle responded.         “This is the 7th Air Force Unit “Magpie” to Aquila,” a mare’s voice sounded. “It’s not just us. There are a total of four Hoofstian squads ready to back you guys up. We’ll be escorting you to the Sphyrna now.” At first, some of the griffons didn’t know what the pegasus meant by Sphyrna. Their questions were soon answered when they spotted a large airship flying at high altitude. Due to the darkness, it was really hard to tell the color of the airship, but many guessed that the bottom half was colored white with the top being dark blue. The airship had a huge propeller installed on the rear belly and two smaller propellers placed on either side of the body. Riddle’s mind clicked, and he decided to explain the airship to the rest of the team. He said that the airship’s designation was the UI-4053 Sphyrna, and it was built by a joint collaboration between Grunder Industries and the newly founded Urusean Aeronautics  Administration (UAA). The UI-4053 Sphyrna was built to serve as an oasis in the skies where fliers who had to go on a long range missions could rest while the airship moves towards their destination. A total of three Sphyrnas were built but the production came into a halt when Grunder rebelled against the kingdom. For now, this Sphyrna was set on course with the Valkyrie’s flight path. Once the griffons were close, the landing operator of the Sphyrna guided them in from the back, warning them to stay clear of the massive propellers. The griffons landed one by one before being directed towards their quarters within the airship. The rooms were few and small, so the griffons had no choice but to share the rooms together for the night. Aquila in particular had to share one room which barely fit for the four griffons. Riddle just bore with it and slept on the floor. Kite chose to sleep on top of the drawers, perching like a bird before he drifted off into sleep. Black Star chose to sleep in the corner, while Kestrel got the bed for herself. At least Black Star got the pillow while Kestrel just got the mattress.         “This is uncomfortable…” Black Star groaned as he tried to make himself comfortable. The sounds of Breaker and Stalker’s squawking about their place to sleep on the other room was not helping either.         “Remind me to make some changes about the room designs, Blake,” Riddle spoke without opening his eyes, clearly trying to get some sleep. “I had some inputs on the designs of these airships as well.”         “I will, sir,” Black Star chuckled before he changed his position for the fifth time.         “For now, let’s try to get some shuteye,” Kestrel said in a tired tone. She was lying on her back with her wings serving as a makeshift pillow. “We got a big battle this morning.” Kite only responded in gibberish, as he was already slowly drifting into sleep. Black Star on the other hand changed his position again as he thought about the battle today. They were going up against a powerful superweapon that could eradicate all life from Equis. The outcome of the battle will determine the future. And he was not sure if he was up for the task.         “What are you talking about? Of course you’re ready for this!” he thought to himself with a frown. “You’ve come all this way just to doubt yourself? Don’t tell me that you’re going to let Firefly suffer again!?”         “No… I will not…” Black Star continued to think about that until fatigue washed him over and dragged him into deep sleep.