//------------------------------// // The Flock // Story: Calming Sigh-- with a Breath of Fire // by Laze Around //------------------------------// I looked at my opponent as he circled around me in a prowl. I watched him walk on all fours, returning my gaze warily. Talons and paws scraped the ground after each step, and the wind ruffled the wings on his sides. My head turned further and further until I lost sight of him behind me. When I lost interest of his location I faced forward and looked at the other griffons watching a few meters away. It was then that my opponent attacked. The sounds of his wings unfolding were the only warnings that I needed to move. I jumped high into the air, my millennia honed human body surpassing normal limitations thanks to my dragon blood. With my head tilting backwards, I made a flip and saw him directly under me when I was fully facing down. What a stereotypical pounce. I grabbed his wings in mid-air and used them to pull myself on top of him. My weight drove him to the ground on his belly and squawked when the air was driven out of his lungs. I followed up my attack with a slap to the side of his head and then jumping back for some distance. My attack disoriented him, and I smiled when it took him more than a moment to get back on his legs. He shook his head to rid him of the effects, but that seemed to only make it worse. It was because my hand was cupped when I hit him over the place that I knew was the area where hearing organ was closely located. Even if I hit it lightly they would still leave a little ringing after the blow. While he was standing on spaghetti legs at the moment, I turned to the other griffons in the clearing. My eyes roamed over the ones present and sought the elderly feather that was observing silently from the side. He gave me a silent nod that I returned and looked back at my opponent. The young, and very angry, cub glared at me and threw caution away just to try and claw at me recklessly. I dodged his swipes left, right, back, and went over him for distance. When he turned to face me he met only a kick that went against the direction of his spin, adding more force to the blow he received. As the cub was reeling from the attack, I jumped over him again and rode on his back. I wrapped an arm around his neck and locked it there with my other one, completing the chokehold, and started to add pressure to it. With both my legs keeping his wings pinned and my arm tightening as I reeled back every time he tried to swipe at me over his head, he slowly lost his strength and slipped into unconscious. I released my arms before I killed him by accidental suffocation, then looked at the other griffons paying attention to every detail of the fight. “And that is why you just don’t attack blindly.” said the old griffon by the side. “Youth today are always so eager.” I commented. “Pah!” the old griffon exclaimed. “They’re always like that. It’s only after a few years that they start thinking differently.” “Like you, sir Gilbert?” I asked. “Yeah.” he spat, though without any malicious intents. “Like me, you scaly old bastard.” He looked at the other, younger, griffons and glared at them with feral intensity. “Well? Are you all just gonna sit there and gawk all day? Take that runt to the infirmary and start doing your drills!” I watched in amusement as all of them scrambled away, with two going over to and carrying my unconscious opponent somewhere else. The old griffon glided beside me as I went under the shade of a tree, leaning on its trunk for support. I looked around the forested clearing and found myself relaxed once again inside nature’s presence. I don’t know if it was because of my years of being a hermit or if it was something that came with me after being turned into Ryu, but forests have had a calming effect on me for a long time. I was finally in the Griffonia, home of the eagle-lion hybrids. It took me a day and a half to get to the continent from Equestria, and another half a day to fly near the capital mountain city of Petoria, founded by the old king Petoronem Von Griffonia. This place I’m in is probably what you’d call the country’s own version of Ponyville. Gryphonville. … … … For the sake of not saying that name ever again, that’s the only time I will ever utter it, even inside my head. I’ll just call it The Village, or something similar if I ever need to refer it in context. Just like its counterpart in the pony civilization, there was mostly just one type of race that lives in the village. There were a few ponies who chose to live here because of their jobs or because they found somefeather that they want to be with. It may seem odd but that was how love and Cutie Marks work. This place was also where most griffons come to become guards, or to study if they wish to explore the world outside the continent. The weathered Griffon beside me was a friend of mine, a direct descendent of my old knight tutor, Sven Downing. Gilbert Downing was retired knight veteran. He’s protected the royal family since he was nineteen. And just like how his grandfather helped me, I also helped Gilbert hone his sword skills when he was eight until he went into service. The Griffons, unlike the ponies, aren’t as peaceful. Even now there are somefeathers in the shadows, plotting to take down the crown. It’s been like this ever since the Great Divide. Even though the rebels were defeated that didn’t mean that they were wiped out. I’ve helped Sven back when he was alive. Over a century ago a faction of the rebels went into Equestria to strain its relationship with Griffonia. They were planning to use that as an excuse to ruin the royal family’s reputation and make their subjects turn on them. With that setup it would have been easy to blame an assassination on the populace. Normally I wouldn’t have done anything at all about this, and would have ignored it until it blows over. But the random attacks of the griffons on the ponies started to become worse by the week. It made me fear for my family’s safety. Even with how strong I was, I still couldn’t be in two or more places at once. [Aura] was useless since I had to control it remotely. It had no will of its own. So in the end I went and hunted down the griffon rebels. I didn’t meet up with Sven and his company until I had nearly eliminated all of them in Equestria… ...and ate their bird halves. They were tasty and cockatrice meat were getting too small to fill me completely. It was Sven and his company who found me, unfortunately. I’d been hunting for the rebels for a couple of weeks and was feeling confident with my success. I couldn’t search in the open. That was why it took me so long. Looking for somefeathers wasn’t really that easy when you don’t know where your targets were. They found me near Vanhoover when I was… extracting the location of the other pests. It wasn’t bloody or anything like that. It wasn’t some form of torture. It was quick, clean, and efficient. But it had some detrimental effects on my psyche. It was a skill called [Monopolize]. In the original game, it was a skill that allows the character to gain all of the experience points after battle. It was a great way to grind and level up the party member that was falling behind the others or to further the level of one and plow through random battles with them. When I played Breath of Fire 3 for the first time I gave the skill to Ryu, but I rarely used it. It was only near the end that I abused the skill to grind his level over 60 while the rest of the party were between level 40 and 50. Even with that, though, Myria was still hard to beat. [Monopolize] is a skill that steals the Experience of others. It steals the memory of the battle and gives it to the user, allowing him/her to view the skirmish in three different perspectives. I used the skill to pull the memories of the griffon from his head. It was a telepathic leeching. It was a very useful skill, one that I used more than I should have. With the influx of foreign memories, it gave me a little identity disorder. I sometimes confuse my own memory with the ones that I extracted and would feel emotions that I shouldn’t have for some individuals. Fortunately my old age came as an advantage for this problem. The side effects were only minor due to my longer life experience overcoming their shorter ones. That’s why for those whose memories that I’ve extracted they only affected my feelings for certain individuals and never once did they ever convince me that I was them. Mostly. Sven and his company found me after I had just finished stealing the memories of one of the rebels. It took me a few seconds to assimilate all the new information and didn’t notice him until he had his sword poking at my back. I was in human form, then. My dinner, unfortunately, was turned in over to them alive. It would have been so easy to overpower them all, and take their memories of meeting me. But that had been the first time that I took so many Experiences in such a short time that I began to lose coherency of who I was. I’ve been using it to find designated meeting spots of each individual squads. I needed at least a week to straighten my mental state after all those extractions. I couldn’t just run away since they had Celestia’s blessing, and they would have reported my existence to her if I just disappear. So I struck a deal. I help them take care of the rebels in Equestria and go with them back to Griffonia to expose the ones there as well if they kept my existence a secret, or they refuse… ...and I kill them. I could have just framed their deaths to the remaining rebels in Equestria, but that meant that I wouldn’t be able to get rid of the pests so callously anymore. Most of the other deaths that I did were designed so that Sven and company looked like they were the ones who did it. Others... I made it look like some random predator attack. Sven was suspicious of my intentions and was understandably wary. But it’s either that or we both screw over the two countries with an impending war. None of us wanted that. After catching the remaining rebels, and me being forbidden to kill them (and eat them), I silently snuck on board their ship to set sail to the Griffon continent. I helped Sven root out the rebels in Griffonia and became good acquaintances after that. As a knight he valued honor and, along with those who were with him, swore to never reveal my existence after the help that I gave to them. Too bad those rebels we caught were only one part of a fragmented whole. I didn’t help them during the raids. As an outsider I had no right. I saw Sven and his comrades use theirs combat skills to take down those who threatened the crown. It made me feel inadequate seeing them and their sword skills, even though most of them walk on all fours. They gave me the urge to learn how to handle the sword as well. So I asked for lessons. Sven and the others were willing to teach me, even if the rest had been reluctant. They’ve seen me in action and thought that I didn’t need swords if I was fast enough to get into my enemy’s defense and hit hard enough to cave in their skulls. It had been hard learning at first. No matter what I seem to do it just didn’t feel right. The broad sword that I used for practice was just wrong in my hands. With the battle axe and warhammer, I had no skill or technique, even with my brute strength. I didn’t have the dexterity to use bows and arrows. And knives were just too short and I’d rather use my fist instead at that range. It was very frustrating. I had below satisfactory skills with all of them. But inspiration struck me after one of my [Mind Sword] creations broke in half under strain. I saw my problem then. Broad swords were meant for clashes and overpowering opponents. Axes and Hammers were meant to crush your foe. Bow and Arrows were meant for speed and accuracy. I had those. All of those. but I didn’t excel in any of them. What I prefer was technique. And so came my favorite choice of of weaponry. A katana. Similar to the Ryu in Breath of Fire 4. With a blade as long as my leg and a handle I can grip with one hand or both, I finally found my rhythm. Thanks to its single edge design for slashing, I was able to do tricks that didn’t come to me with a broadsword. I could twist my wrist and perform unconventional slashes, a quick draw maneuver with an added sheath. It also doesn’t bother me when only holding it with one hand while preparing a spell with the other. I didn’t like clashes and prefer hit and run tactics. Sven and the others may not have taught me much technique, but they gave me experience in how to use my weapon in battle. We all improved in our time together, up until they became the crown’s personal guards together after showing their improvements and loyalty to the country. They were happy and I was happy. Sven and the others, his own blood brothers that he took to Equestria, regained the honor of their family after their ancestor’s assistance in the betrayal in the Great Divide. And from then on I made sure that they kept that honor. By killing those who meant to tarnish it. The other fallen clans, the ones who took the side of the rebels, didn’t like the Downing’s ascension back to nobility. They tried hard to drag them back to their level but I had been there to put a stop to it. When I was in the area. My [Monopolize] was a great boon in rooting out those disgraced famiies. It kinda made me wish that I had it over a thousand years ago. It would have helped me in my journey in looking for a way home. But no, it was one of the last skills that I learned in my training because of my reluctance of what it could do. Well, what’s done is done. It’s not like I’m not happy with the life that I have now. “You surprised me, Ryu.” said Gilbert, sitting down beside me to enjoy nature as well. “I didn’t think that you would show yourself to my students like you did.” Gilbert became an instructor for the cubs and chicks who wanted to become a guard. It was a setting that he happily agreed to. He could still serve the crown even when he’s retired as a knight. “I’m preparing to reveal myself to the world.” I told him. “And it’s easier to let the griffons know about me than the ponies. At least here they’ll try to kill me first before running away.” He sighed and shook his head. “You say that like it’s a good thing.” “It is, actually.” I insisted. “Unlike the ponies, who’d rather run away screaming in terror, I can show you griffons that I mean you no harm through combat.” “If any of the younger ones with less experience hear you say that they’d think you’re an idiot, or something.” “But it’s a proven fact.” I said with a shrug of my shoulders. “It can lessen the animosity between two individuals by making them respect each other’s strength and make them see that they are equals.” “You trounced three squads, with ten trainees in each one. I don’t see them looking at you as their equal.” “Then they’ll see me as one of their superior, or a hurdle that they need to overcome.” I said. “The smart and calm ones saw me harming no one and just dodging, they were the ones that called you. The brash, reckless and headstrong ones were the trainees that kept on attacking me even when they saw that they had no chance. Respectively, they fit each category.” “I’m still not seeing how combat will make them trust you.” “I could show them that I don’t intend on killing them. I will spar with them and give them advice while they come at me with the intent to kill. That was what I would have done had I been alone.” I looked at him and smiled. “But if you vouched for me on who I am to you and your family…” He snorted. “Wow. How devious.” he said sarcastically. Huh. I almost forgot that most griffons are jerks. This is fun. Klang! This is definitely fun. Schick! Gilbert’s blade slid off my magick constructed sword as I parried another blow. He followed through his downward slash with an upward swing then looped it with a horizontal third before taking some distance. I twirled my katana around my wrist, feeling the familiar weight of my [Mind Sword] weapon. I never gave my weapon a name. I never needed to. It broke quite a few times, even in spars, that’s why I stopped trying. But that was fine, it doesn’t need one. It doesn’t need much mana to create, and the drain in keeping it solid is negligible at best. Because of my high reserves and dragon stamina, I recover more than I lose with the [Mind Sword]. Actually, all of my psychic abilities have a very small drain on my magic. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since it depends more on the mind instead of magic. But on the other hand, converting my pure magic into an element drains a significant amount compared to my Psionics. “Dang, he’s nimble.” The comment caught my attention and made me tilt my head to hear the rest of the voices. “He doesn’t attack much, does he?” “Now that you mention it, no, he doesn’t.” “But Sir Gilbert hasn’t even landed a hit.” “Don’t let him fool you. He’s nothing but a coward.” I snorted at the last one and turned back to my opponent. That one was probably one of the griffons that kept attacking before Gilbert came. At least my old friend was kind enough to allow me to finish my eavesdropping before he attacked again. The old griffon stood on his hind legs, using his wings to maintain his balance, and held on to a wooden broadsword ready. I took my stance; right foot forward and left foot back, body facing the side with my heart area hidden from my opponent, katana in right hand with the blade tilted to the outside of my body and the handle pointing downwards to the inside. My left hand was hidden from his view, always ready to cast a spell. “Still as annoying as ever, I see.” Gilbert remarked. He was smiling, though. I’ve learned long ago that the place where their beaks were connected were soft enough for them to make facial expressions. “Mahh…” I drawled. “I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t get under your skin at least.” “Hmph.” “Also, they’re complaining that I don’t attack often.” I said. “I probably should change that if I want to at least gain some respect from them.” He grunted, then switched the way he held his weapon, moving it closer to his body. “Well c’mon. Are you going to wait until I’m dead to make your move?” “You’re just over sixty.” I said flatly. “And that’s old!” he exclaimed. “I’m not like you, you old relic!” I looked at the youthful reflection coming from my sword. Fair complexion with a face that looks barely out of his teens, or early twenties. I definitely look young. It makes me wonder sadly how long I’ll keep looking like this. After a thousand years the only thing that changed about me was the length of my hair. But I always cut it if it got in the way. “That was rude Gilbert.” I said to the griffon. “But anyway, have you already taught the little hatchlings the importance of a good defense?” “Yes. I trained them like how you trained me.” I grinned maliciously as I turned to the observing flock. Their surprised expressions reminded me of my years tutoring Gilbert when I told him the regimens that I was going to put him through. I saw a few shudder when I shifted my blue eyes into a dragon’s slitted sapphire. “You told them the quote, yes?” I asked. “Yeah.” he said, mirroring my grin. “How fun was it?” “Probably as much fun as you had when you did it to me.” he said. “Though unlike you, I had more than one victim.” The trainees all gave a cry of outrage at the old knight. We both laughed at their indignity and recited the quote that I drilled into his old hide. “Beating the crap out of someone is easy! It’s keeping yourself from getting the crap beaten out of that’s hard!” -Sakaki Shio I went into the attack immediately after that, clashing wooden blade with blunted magic sword. I didn’t push through even though I knew that I could overpower him. That just wasn’t my style. I slid my weapon on his and passed by his right. I twisted my wrist to make the blade face him and returned for another attack. He blocked that and the next few strikes masterfully, even if I was pushing him back with my relentless assault. “Definitely nimble.” I heard the same trainee comment. I passed him by with single running slashes. I never stayed in one place and kept on moving around, circling him in his prone position. My even breathing techniques helped me prolong my stamina even further. Eight Slashes and One Pierce. That was one of the things that I also drilled into Gilbert’s noggin. No matter what type of sword your enemy uses, there are always eight types of slashes and one type of lunge. From up to down: Downward slash. From down to up: Rising slash. From left to right: Horizontal slash. From right to left: Horizontal slash. From top left to downward right: Diagonal slash. From top right to downward left: Diagonal slash. From bottom left to top right: Rising Diagonal. From bottom right to top left: Rising Diagonal. Finally was the lunge attack. The common Pierce. No matter what type of solid weapons you have, you always follow these basic swings. No matter how flashy that attack is, it’s there in the basics. No matter how powerful you think your move is, it’s there in the basics. The only difference in everyone else’s attacks are the abilities that you add to the swings and the speed of which the swings were executed. There was no such thing as a circular slash. That’s nothing but four fast swings that flow together smoothly that they look circular. It’s all in the wrist. To make the swing flow and follow through, it’s always in the wrist. To connect a Downward slash with a Rising slash you need to rotate your wrist near the end of the swing quickly to make them flow. No matter how quickly you do it, it’s always the same in slow motion. Flashy moves are the product of well trained bodies and flowing attacks. You need to find the rhythm and timing to make them perfect. A skill of mine called [Tripled Blow] is an attack of three in one swing. To execute the attack I need to swing my sword once and never lose momentum from the rotation of the wrists to follow through the rest of the attack. With the perfect timing, I can make three simultaneous slashes without losing the power behind them. Then there was [Super Combo] with a maximum of seven hits in an instant. A very, very hard move to execute that required perfect timing, speed, precision, muscle control, and wrist movement. But that was rather taxing on the muscles. Even for mine. Back to the spar. Gilbert was doing wonderful even with his age. He blocked my attacks with his weapon and turned to the direction of my lunge, letting it slide on the wood like polishing steel. I was proud to say that he hadn’t dulled with age. I came at him again, this time with an overhead, downward slash. I deliberately made the swing too quick for him to parry or dodge, forcing him to block my attack and absorb the blow. I graced him with a cunning smirk right before my blow landed. With a passing thought, I cut the mana supplying my sword. It shattered on contact and forced my hand to continue downwards to complete the swing. His eyes were wide from surprise and wasn’t prepared for my next move. I fixed the broken half of my [Mind Sword] and raised its new tip to his neck. The attack was a distraction to force him to block with his sword horizontally. The breaking of my weapon was always a surprise to those who didn’t know that I could deliberately do it. With my hand still below after the completed swing, I'd fix my weapon and aim for a critical spot. His guard was still up, but my sword was inside it. “And that’s my win.” I said to the griffon, my dull sword still pointed at his throat. “Should have remembered that you like doing that.” he mumbled. The shattered pieces of my sword had dissipated before they touched Gilbert or the ground. The glittering lights that they leave behind also added to make the distraction more effective. I can shatter my blades at will and fix them instantly. I caught quite a few opponents of mine off guard with that attack. I usually aim for the necks for that tactic, and they result in either a fatal wound or a grievous one. “You know how many tricks I have, Gilbert.” I said, letting my katana dissipate. “You fell for quite a few of them yourself.” “Bah!” he grunted tossing the battered wood that was his weapon aside. “You have the sword skills to be a knight, Ryu. You could do without the deceptions.” The day I’d do that would be the day when I decide to commit suicide. I prefer the assassin style of fighting, rather than the knight’s scream-at-them-as-you-pummel-them-to-death style. My method was influenced by my introverted personality as well as the stealth games that I played back on earth. I love the art of stealth and the way of the ghost. There was one game back home that influenced me greatly with the challenge of Ghost and Clean Hands achievement. Ghost is where I’m never detected in a level, and Clean Hands is where I never killed a single person. Even the target of the mission. I always keep myself hidden at all times. I only kill when I’m spotted or if I get bored from playing nonlethal. But my preference was always stealth. Lethal or nonlethal play, Stealth is always my number one priority. Gilbert looked over to the trainees. It was in the afternoon and the sun was setting. We decided to have this exhibition match for them to see what a battle between two veterans look like. Hopefully, with this, they won’t charge in recklessly like most of the cannon fodder in the ranks. “Alright. Who wants to test themselves against something that isn’t a griffon?” he asked. “You can use real weapons. And if you manage to actually kill this bastard, then I’ll personally recommend you to the crown.” That got them all perked up. I almost wanted to laugh when they all looked my way with their intent clearly out and displayed for all to see. I settled with smiling at them before jumping back and disappearing into the forest that surrounded the Village. “Your objective is to hunt him down and take him down.” I heard Gilbert announce, along with the sounds of metal weapons being unsheathed from the trainees. “You can either work alone or in groups, it doesn’t matter. As long as you take him down, then I’ll keep my promise.” This time I chuckled, climbing up and hiding in the thick leaves of one of the trees. Thanks to my dragon enhanced hearing, I could clearly listen to what they were talking about a few yards away. “Sir?” I heard one of the trainees. “Are you sure you want us to kill this guy?” Gilbert snorted. “If you actually managed to do it then congratulations. You did something that I’ve been trying for decades.” “Is he really that good?” another trainee asked, this time female. “In terms of skills we’re equal.” said Gilbert. “But he’s faster than me, and he refuses to stay in one place at a time. He can cave in a boulder easily and pulverize it if he finds the motivation. The way he thinks is also different.” “What do you mean, Sir Gilbert?” “He can’t stand a formal confrontation.” he said, making me smile inside my hiding spot. “He likes to take his opponents by surprise, and runs away when he’s exhausted all of his plans.” “Wait, sir, you mean he’s-” “Like an Assassin.” The clearing was quiet for a bit of time, with only the breeze making a sound. I sat in my spot quietly. I’m going to enjoy this little test. “Like I said. If one of you manages to actually kill him then I’ll personally send a recommendation for your name to the crown.” Gilbert said. “Even now there are still those in our kingdom who wishes to conquer the the world under their rule. We all know how foolish that is. Our kind may be great warriors, hunters, and predators, but we are not the most dangerous creature in the world.” I could hear some bitter mutterings from the younger griffons, knowing exactly how outclassed they were in terms of magic, size, and ferocity of other creatures in the world. “Those who oppose the crown refuse to see this, that what they’re doing would only lead us to destruction should they succeed. That’s why we have you, the ones who wish to serve our kingdom and protect us from their foolishness.” Ah. They grow up so fast. I still remember those times during our training where he’d start ranting about getting me back for not taking him seriously. “I want you all to treat this simulation seriously, as if you were hunting a criminal!” I’m kicking him later for that. “He has years of experience. How you deal with this is up to you. Your time limit is until midnight tonight, or if all of you are incapacitated. Good Luck, and Begin!” It wasn’t until night time that I left my hiding spot. I did nothing but daydream while the thirty griffons searched for me in the forest that they should know like the back of their talon. I was actually waiting until the night settled in. It may not have much effect against their naturally sharp eyes, but every advantage counts. Waiting for this long also served another purpose. While searching for me, all of them went their separate ways either alone or in groups. With them all scattered like this, it should be easier picking them off one by one. I looked up when I started to hear the rhythmic beats of flapping wings. Two of them were in the air, if I’m not mistaken. I looked down from the branch I was on to see three quadrupeds weaving through the thick bushes and weeds below. The ones on the ground had a crossbow, a sword, and a spiked mace. The ones in the air had another crossbow and the other had a spear. Hmm… how should I do this? My hand cracked and twitched. I held back a groan as my arms from the elbow down changed and transformed. My human hands became scaly, expanding my palms slightly and lengthening my fingers. After the transformation was complete, I could probably hold my entire head with a single hand if I wanted. I clenched and unclenched them, feeling nothing wrong in their movement. The slow transformation still felt unnatural even after so long of doing it. I used my [Shadowwalk] to get down from my perch and hide behind another tree, keeping myself hidden from the ones in the sky. They must be keeping an eye out in case of an ambush. How smart of them. “This is taking too long.” I heard the male leading the group said, his sword carefully held in one talon while keeping his balance with his wings. “Where is he?” “Hiding.” said a female. I could practically see her rolling her eyes. “You heard what Sir Gilbert said about him. If he moves like an assassin then he’ll probably be good at hiding. That’s why we all decided to separate in groups.” I should brush up my skills on those as well. Let’s see if I still remember them right. Basic assassination 101: Know your target. “When I see that coward, I’ll make him taste my blade.” Assess their personality. “Don’t be so excited.” said the female with the crossbow. “You’ve already seen what he can do with a sword. Sir Gilbert also said that they were equal in skills, so what makes you think that you have a chance against him one on one?” Read their thought processes. “We’ll use your bolts to keep him distracted.” the one with the mace said. “While you do that we’ll corner him for a pincer with the twins in the air.” Be mindful of quirks. “Bah! I’ll get him for sure!” the one with the sword said. “Then I’ll be there with the other prestigious guards.” And predict their behaviour based from the gathered data. “I’m surprised you even know what ‘Prestigious’ mean.” said the laughing female. I smiled to myself from my crouching spot behind the tree, waiting for all three to pass by and the two to fly over. The one with the sword sounds like the typical idiotic leader with high goals but an honest heart. I heard no malice in his tone. For him to be working with others also made me see him in a better light. The one with the mace made think he was one of those idiots who swing those things as long as it hits something, but the way he talked about their plan made me think otherwise. I have to watch out for him. The girl was probably the voice of reason for the group. From the way that she and the one with the sword interacted, they probably knew each other for a long time. A possible link that could be exploited. That should be enough intel for now. My little griffons have separated into groups. If this one was any indication then they’re probably in groups of five. They cover both land and air, making my hiding spots limited. I can’t really transform since that would be cheating on my part, and [Shadowwalk] is just cheap. Well, Dishonored wasn’t the only game that I played that had stealth elements. Since we were in a forest, this is more of a Far Cry 3 experience. I looked down on my dragon hands and grinned at the arcs of electricity dancing between my fingers. It’s not like I needed the [Tatau] to use some of the things that were available in the game. “By the Ancestor’s Grace!” I chuckled silently as as my target flew through the dense forest as fast as he could. This one was the one who carried the spiked mace. He darted in between trees, looking frantically for the other groups nearby. It hasn’t been long since I took down his other comrades. I first took down the two in the air, pouncing on both of them from behind. They were both out cold before they could cry out to their team. But, of course, I wasn’t silent when I landed with both dead weights in my grasp. Using my powerful legs, I dashed away from the unconscious duo before their friends arrived. The girl was trained as a medic as well and confirmed that they were merely knocked out. She pointed out the singed feathers on the back of their necks, and deduced that it was the cause. [Thunder Strike] My skill where I coat my attack with electricity and causes temporary paralysis on my target. It strikes the nerves and, as a bonus, could knock out the victim if caught off guard. In the game it was just [Paralysis] but here it was different. Both my hands acted like tasers. The girl tried to make a loud cry, to alert the other groups of my general location. She didn’t get more than a squawk when I jumped out under a bush and caught her with both hands around her neck, knocking her out instantly. The griffon with the sword roared as he saw her collapse. He swung his sword like a raging amateur, making openings after openings after each swing, and his friend couldn’t even move in or he might risk getting cut down himself. I caught the sword during its downward slash and sent a pulse of electricity through it. I was impressed when he held on and simply clenched his beak. I almost lost my head because of his friend at that moment. The griffon with the sword didn’t last long after my second attack, however. And now I’m simply taking my time on this last one. I smiled broadly when I saw him coming up to the next group. “Brandon!” a griffon from the new group called out. The griffon with the spiked mace, Brandon, smiled in relief when he saw them. “He’s right behind me!” he called out to them. “Get ready!” I really wanted to laugh out loud when he said that. Two griffons landed beside the three in the ground. Brandon flew like his life depended on it, joining the group and turning back to where he came. “Where’s your group?” a male carrying a spear asked. Brandon shook his head, standing on his hind legs with his mace out and ready. “He took the twins out in the sky before they even saw him. Matilda was next when she tried calling out, and Bret couldn’t even touch him.” “How in the Ancestor’s name did he even catch Matilda off guard? She has one of the sharpest eyes in our age group.” “He hid under a bush.” I broke a twig a few distance away from them to catch their attention, immediately cutting off the rest of the conversation. I waited patiently as they all went on high alert. Minutes passed and I didn’t move at all from my hiding spot. I could easily see them all losing their nerves. “Are you sure he was right behind you?” “Yeah.” Brandon said. “I heard him rustling the bushes when he came after me. There’s no way I’m wrong.” “Well...?” another griffon asked. “Where is he?” I grinned at them as the temperature in the area suddenly dropped. They all shivered as a thin coating of frost appeared on the leaves of every plant that they could see. “He’s definitely here somewhere.” said Brandon. [Chill] An area skill that plummets the temperature to uncomfortable levels and hinders the movements of all those caught in it by using the cold. It forces the muscles to tense and lock the joints. It doesn’t matter if the target is immune to the cold, the psychic effect that comes with it would ensure that they become slower. Unless their have a strong will. From the looks of things, these griffons didn’t. “It suddenly got cold, did he do this?” “Probably.” “Where do you think he is?” “Hm… somewhere?” "You're pissing me off, you know." he growled. "I'll shut up now, then." I grinned. “Well look at you, acting all cool.” the griffon with the spear grumbled as he turned around. “Who the heck do you-...” I grinned at him. Three unconscious griffons were held close to my chest by one of my arms, and a fourth one was clasped in my other grip. I dropped all four knocked out, twitching birds and lunged for the shocked birds, grabbing them both by their necks and holding them up in the air. Both of them dropped their weapons and tried to pry my grip with their sharp talons. “H-How?” Brandon choked. “In the light of hope/ All those in fear drop their guard/ A foolish mistake.” I quoted. The other griffon cried out as a pulse of electricity went through him, rendering him unconscious. After dropping him, I turned back to Brandon. “While you were trying to escape, you kept looking back.” I told him. “I was never there. I kept up with you by your left side, ten meters away. In your panic, you didn’t even realize I was there.” I began to add more pressure to my grip, slowly choking him into unconscious. “Every flap of your wing covered the sound of my approach. The rustling leaves you heard was from the gales created by your wings.” My grip tightened again. “When you joined your friends, I went past you. As you all turned in the same direction, I came behind you. While you all readied for battle, I was taking you down one by one.” His eye rolled back and his arms hung loosely. I also eased my grip. “Those who cannot keep their cool will lose their focus. Those who lose focus are bound to make mistakes…” I dropped the young griffon on the ground and turned around. I was met with the cold gaze of  Gilbert and two other instructors tending to the trainees. “There is no room for mistakes in battle, especially in their chosen profession.” I opened my arms wide as I looked at my friend. “Hunt or be hunted, manipulate or be manipulated. That’s how this game works.” I turned around and started walking away. “Ryu…” I stopped and looked at Gilbert. “My grandfather died with honor.” “Sven died because of a mistake.” I snarled, my eyes flashing with a glare. “He was manipulated by those he trusted, hunted down in his family’s own land and was executed in front of his son!” “Justice had been served to those monsters.” Gilbert said with conviction. “But my vengeance was not.” I spat, walking away. “Don’t let this consume you, Ryu!” Sven, my friend, my mentor, my brother in arms, he died because of politics. Because of the manipulations of those above his station. He didn't even reach fifty. There were those who did not approve of his ascension back to nobility. I was so focused on those who were disgraced that it never occurred to me that there might be those who did not welcome the fallen back with open wings. I wasn't there when they set a trap for my friend. They posed as one of the rebels and took his son. It was a perfect cover up. They led him to a secluded location in his family's land, and held a blade at his son's throat. They didn't even let him put up a fight. His son, Grave Downing, managed to escape while they gloated over his corpse. He went to his uncles Sever, Kain, and Dred and told them what happened. They managed to resolve the issue even before I came to visit them. But Sven's death still took a heavy toll on my heart. I had no one to lash out on as the ones responsible were already dead and executed. Their families had nothing to do with the scheme, and venting on them would simply tarnish Sven's memory. So, with nothing else to do, I had no other choice but to grit my teeth and swallow my rage. So close. So very close. I almost snapped then. I left the country soon after, leaving the haunted son of my friend to his uncles. I didn't come back until Gilbert was born. I apologized for running away, but even then the country still made me feel the slivers of rage inside me. I don’t believe in forgiveness. I don’t believe in forgetting the way they wronged me and mine. I don’t believe in Justice, nor do I believe that one life is equal to another. My friends and family are worth more than a nation. They are worth more than a country. I will burn this world for their sake. But there are some things that I believe. I believe in Trust. I believe in Promise. I believe in Oath. I believe in the Trust that my friends and family have given me. I believe in the Promise of their love and affection. And I believe in their Oath that they would always be there for me, even as they grow old and weaken, even as they die and wither away. They would always be there in my Mind, and in my Heart. For them, there is absolutely nothing that I will not do. I looked up to the night sky as I walked. My eyes honed in on Luna’s moon. This melancholy. Why does it fill me with such unease?