As the night progressed, some ponies usually are sleeping peacefully. Around this time though, Spike was starting to get a little restless. His stomach grumbled as it urged him for a midnight snack.
When he began to walk downstairs, however, he felt that something different inside Nicko’s room. Usually the human would be there, already sleeping at this hour. But something felt off.
Quietly, the young drake snuck into the open room only to find an empty bed.
“Oh horseapples.” The dragon muttered. “This is bad.” Leaving without making any noise wasn’t like him.
The dragon quietly left the library. He needed to find the human and the best person to check with first was probably Molly. She was at Lyra’s at the moment, so it was a safe bet to start there. After reaching the house he knocked on the door.
He heard a groan and some sluggish shuffling coming closer. He could relate to the feeling, but for now finding Nicko was more important.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Spike. Is that you Lyra?”
The door opened and the mint green unicorn greeted him at the entrance. “Spike, it’s two in the flipping morning. Why are you here? Do you need to pick up something?”
“Actually, I was wondering if Molly was here? I woke up and found that Nicko wasn’t in his room.”
The mare groaned as she rubbed her eyes. “I can go check right now…” she muttered as she went back inside. It didn’t take long for him to hear her cry out in panic moments later. “Oh no! Molly’s gone!!”
“What!?” The dragon hurried inside the house, and met the unicorn running back to him.
“She’s not in her room! Where do you think they are?”
“I don’t know!” Spike told her, the feeling of panic was starting to build up inside him. “Get to the hospital and see if Amy is still there. I need to see if Anson is still at Pinkie Pie’s”
Nicko groaned as he came to, his head felt like it someone wrapped it around in string and let it loose like a top. His vision was blurry and his sight was out of focus. The ground under his hand felt like stone bricks, like the ones he’d seen in Canterlot. He remembered that Eric had space and time distortion abilities. So he was probably one to blame for this.
‘Eris? Are you okay?’
‘Ugh… My head… I feel like I got turned into an anvil and somepony tested the hammer to see how hard I was.’
‘You and me both.’ The Rune Slayer said as his vision finally came into focus. He saw the stone brick path he was on, but it was different from Canterlot, a little darker. He heard screams, but they sounded nothing like a pony’s screams and more like a hawk or an eagle’s cry.
“What is that thing!?”
“Call the guards, quick!”
Nicko’s shook his head and got to his knees. He could now see what were making those noises. They were quadrupeds, half bird and half cat. Even with the different colorations of some of them, it was easy enough to guess that they were Griffons. Some of them were running away but more than a few were on high perches and glaring down on him.
‘Eris, where the hell are we?’
‘I don’t know, but this place looks very familiar. It looks like… Griffonia. The Kingdom of the Griffons. But still, this place doesn’t feel like the one in Equestria we know. Everything feels… off. I can’t even feel your brother or my father’s magic signature.’
Seeing that they weren’t walking on two legs was obvious enough for him. The griffons here were more like the ones in human mythology than the ponies that he was used to.
Now Nicko was back on his feet. His sword was on his back and his bag was slung across his chest from his right shoulder. Before he could even step forward or ask anyone for clarification, he was swarmed by a flock of Griffon Guards with swords, spears, crossbows and spiked maces pointing directly at him.
“Don’t even think about trying anything.” the head guard in charge of the battalion hissed at the teen.
“Okay, just what exactly is going on-?” Nicko tried to ask before all the most of the weapons moved in closer to his chest and neck.
“I’m the one who’s going to be asking the questions, runt.”
‘Oh no...’ Eris thought inside Nicko’s head.
“What did you call me?” The disturbingly calm Rune Slayer asked the guard, his tone gaining a hint of edge in them.
“Listen runt,“ the guard emphasized the word. “I told you I would be asking the questions here and there’s no possible way for you to escape-.”
“Listen up, feather duster!! I have no freaking clue how the hell I ended up in this place and I’m trying to find a way to get back home. But you are being a complete jackass and thinking that when I haven’t even done anything, yet.” Before the head guard could even give an order, Nicko curled his fingers and swiped his hand around him. A ring of runic magic appeared around him, causing the guards to jump back in surprise.
“It’s a spellcaster!?!”
“What the heck is he doing!?!”
‘What in chaos are you trying to do, Nicko?’ Eris demanded as the symbols swirled around him.
‘I’m trying to make a distraction. I don’t want to hurt any of them, but we need to get out of here. Can you possibly put a smoke bomb by my feet?’
‘Yeah, but why-?’
‘I’ll have the runes hit it and cause a smokescreen. In the panic, we can make our move and get out of the city.’
Eris grinned. She liked the plan. Inside Nicko’s mind, the Draconequus conjured the spell while Nicko slammed the ring of runes into the ground. The Smoke Bomb went off, clouding the area. The guards coughed and covered themselves in what they thought was an attack. The Rune Slayer then made his move, knocking some of the weapons out of the way and then running down an alley.
“Don’t let him escape!!!”
He ran around the unfamiliar ways of the city, ducking through every alley he could find. The guards scrambled into the skies and scattered, using their sharp eyes to find the Rune Slayer. Though the smoke bomb had been a great idea, Nicko still stuck out amongst the griffons, especially with his vibrant red hair.
“There he is! After him!!”
The guards followed the direction of the Rune Slayer and dove down to trap him once again. They were more cautious now that they saw him cast magic.
“Oh come on.” Nicko muttered as he stopped and turned around. “SPLASH EXPLOSION!!”
He unleashed the spell and had the medium sized rune hit ground to create another smoke screen for him. The pursuing griffons covered themselves to protect their eyes from the dust, giving Nicko enough time to climb the roof and clear a number of buildings before the guards resumed their chase.
‘Eris, would you happen to know a way out of here. we can’t keep running forever.’
‘Yeah, I got a plan. Just go towards the wall and jump off the edge.’
The city was built on a mountain, and unlike Canterlot it didn’t dangle on the side like the royal sibling’s castle. It reminded Nicko of the old Assassin’s Creed setting.
‘Are you insane!? That’s suicide!!’ The Rune Slayer mentally screamed at the spirit, even though he knew that he was running out of options. And roofs.
The guards coming from both the ground below and the air above, leaving him limited amount of room to move around without getting cornered. The only option he had was to trust the spirit of Chaos as he was being corralled to the edge of the outer wall.
“You have nowhere to run!” he heard the same guard in charge taunt behind him.
That really made Nicko want to spite the guard. “Actually, A Rune Slayer like myself always has a place to run. Just some ideas are crazier than others.”
With that, Nicko took the leap of faith off the edge. The guards still tried to follow the wingless maniac down his fall. It was a smart move, but he forgot that they had wings. Only when they were about to reach him, a bubble of magic enveloped Nicko where he disappeared with a sound of a snap.
“What in the Ancestor’s name?!”
The captain roared as he and his squad pulled up. He looked around, searching for any indication of where the runt had gone to, but there was no trace of him anywhere. “I don’t know and I don’t care.” he snarled. “Have every able guard on high alert and have them search the outside of the castle as well as the streets. Stop anyone suspicious and if they resist-.”
“Sir!” a frantic guard flew over to him, panting heavy breaths as he flapped his wings to stay in place. “The King was attacked!”
The captain’s eyes widened and clenched his beak. “The King!?”
"Yes, His highness is in critical condition and the healers are trying their best to keep him alive.”
The captain on the guards nearly broke his talon from the grip that he had on his sword. This was all a distraction. While they were chasing that so called Rune Slayer the blasted rebels were back to their old ways once again. He still questioned why the King kept their families alive.
“All Guards are on FULL alert as of right now!! Look high and low for that bastard. We’ll turn this city inside out if we have to. Anyfeather who resists will be arrested and charged with treason!”
“But sir-.”
“NO BUTS!!! Now GO!!!”
As the guards were searching the city, the Rune Slayer reappeared in one of the cave pockets on the mountain, panting heavily as adrenaline coursed through his veins.
“Nicely done. Just where are we though?”
“In a cave, duh?” the spirit said with a roll of her eyes. “Back home, I use to come here all the time if I wanted to take some time to just think when I was just tired or stressed. I call it, The Crow’s Nest.”
Right. Because crows are birds and griffons are part birds. Haha. “Will we be safe here?” Nicko asked.
“Yeah, I used Aura magic on the door to make it look like it’s just the side of a cliff. Barely anypony would know how to remove it unless they too knew the same kind of magic.”
“Good job.” Nicko replied as he sat down in a Lotus crossed legs position. “Any ideas on how we should go from here?”
“Yeah. You stay right here and try to regain some of your energy. I’ll go see what the commotion back in the city. A few griffons mentioned something about “rebels” so maybe the history section of the library would have some information about it.”
“Wouldn’t they see you though?”
“Not if I use an invisibility spell.” Eris replied as she snapped her fingers and disappeared.
“Heh… Very clever.”
“Alright. I’ll be back as soon as I can. You stay here.” The spirit told him as she left the cave, leaving the Rune Slayer to reread his skill notes. He wanted to refresh on his powers, because it seemed like he needed to use some new spells given the current situation. That way, he could prepare himself for whatever he was put up against.
Down the mountain, in the village where Ryu and Gilbert were, the drake was watching the old griffon’s students run through drills he himself thought of for his friend when he was younger. He was especially enjoying the aerial acrobatics meant for dynamic maneuvers for aerial chases.
Those who walked by eyed him warily. Thirty griffons. Those were how many he had knocked out last night. Even if they were still trainees, they still had at least two years of training experience.
It had definitely been a disconcerting experience for them. It was different when it was them that were hunted down, instead of the other way around.
Sir Gilbert had tasked them to follow Ryu into the forest, and kill him if they could. They became overeager when the old knight promised that they would be recommended personally to the crown if they succeed. They didn’t know how a daunting task it had been.
Ryu used [Chill] to slow them down and bring forth dread with the cold. He used [Thunder Strike] to knock them out, and used [Evil Eye] to paralyze them with fear. Being a race of predators themselves, that had been a big blow to their prides.
At the very least, all of them learned something from the test. Though they differ from each other, they all agreed to be more vigilant in the future, and train harder so that they may get the blue haired human back for what he did to them.
“Ryu.” the old griffon came up to him. “I see you’re still here. Normally you’d be gone after a day. Aren’t you going to say hello to the rest of the family as well?”
“I was planning on it.” he replied, leaning back under the shade of a tree. “But ever since last night I haven’t been feeling well.”
Gilbert raised a curious brow at him. “You’re sick?”
Ryu snorted at the old griffon. “Dragon immune system. If there a virus out there that could bypass that then it would be something of legends. I also have healing spells that would magically burn any ailment in my system.”
He had [Cure], [Remedy], and [Purify]. He also had other spells that would accelerate his healing. But with the way he fights, anyone that actually manages to injure him severely must have done something to force him to out of hiding. That, or he made the dragon pissed.
“Of course.” Gilbert said sarcastically, palming his head. “How forgetful of me.”
“I know a spell that can turn other creatures into eggs, Gilbert.” the dragon warned his friend. “Don’t test me.”
[Ovum] was a transfiguration spell. A terrifying skill that turns something into a fragile egg. Though it’s not like Ryu knew how to cast it.
“Do it, then.” Gilbert dared. “It would be good to have my youth back.”
“I will boil you.” Ryu growled, only for the griffon to laugh at him instead of feeling threatened.
“Sir!”
Both griffon and drake paused in their banter as a messenger glided down to them from the mountain. The old knight stood straighter while Ryu quietly slid inside the shade and into the shadow dimension.
“What is it?” the old knight asked.
“There’s been a disturbance in the city.” the messenger reported. “While the guards chased down the culprit, an attempt was made to the King’s life.”
Gilbert’s eyes widened before they turned into a determined glare. “Did they catch the one to make the disturbance?”
“I’m afraid it escaped, sir.”
“Damn.” the old griffon cursed. “And the King?”
“In critical condition. We don’t know if his majesty will make it, sir.”
The old griffon cursed once again. This was the work of those damned rebels again. This was the closest that they’ve come to killing a member of the royal family in decades. Hopefully his majesty will pull through.
“And?” Gilbert asked. “Why come to me? I’m already retired.”
The messenger saluted. “Sir, we need all available griffons. I’m afraid they called for you and some of the trainees to help hunt down the cause of disturbance.”
“Peachy.” the old knight grumbled. He looked over to where the younger griffons were observing their interactions and stopped doing their drills.
This could be good, or this could be bad. They were still inexperienced, but after what happened last night they were more than likely to treat this more seriously than they would have the day before. Still, if it was for the crown…
“Matilda!” he called out. “Get over here with the rest of the sharpshooters!”
The female griffon and eight others came before the old knight, lining up in a row. Each of them stood in attention, and showing not even a hint of emotion.
“I’m sure you all heard him. We need trackers to find whatever it was that distracted the guards. You’ll all come with me to the capital.”
“What about the rest of us, sir?” another griffon, Bret if Ryu not mistaken, asked.
“The rest of you will stay here. Be prepared in case you get deployed. Even if you all haven’t graduated yet, you’re still trained for moments like these. Make sure that none of you embarrass me.”
“YES, SIR!” the trainees all saluted.
Gilbert turned back to the messenger, nodding. “There you have it. Tell your superior that we have nine able trackers, and twenty-one battle ready troops. I’ll be up in the city shortly.”
“Sir!” the messenger saluted before flying away.
From under the shade of the tree, Ryu phased out into view. “Their pulling you out of retirement?”
“So it seems.” Gilbert grunted. “But I’m not doing this alone.”
The drake raised a brow, prompting his friend to continue.
"You were planning on showing yourself to the world, right?” the griffon asked his old mentor. “What better way to do that than to help the crown.”
Ryu hummed in thought. “I suppose you make a good point.” he said. “This could also be a chance to gain the favor of your kind. If Celestia finds out that I helped she might make one of those sour expressions of hers when I bring it up.”
“Celestia?” Gilbert asked. “As in the ponies’ princess?”
“Yeah.” the dragon nodded. “We don’t really get along well.”
“It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who hates your guts. Hahaha!” the old griffon laughed.
“Let’s just go.”
Ryu and the ten griffons flew up to the mountain city. The dragon had to forcefully grow his wings through his clothes without going full dragon. He groaned and complained how that still felt so unnatural. It wasn’t so bad during full transformations. The change was almost instantaneous that way. But partial transformations were slow and he could feel all the change happening in his body.
He made sure that he was in the middle of the flock. He knew that other creatures acted irrationally after they see something living and know nothing about it. He’s been chased by enough mobs to be certain. Being in the middle made him look less threatening.
They all landed in the main street leading to the palace. The area made Ryu think of an old game based on earth’s history. The houses were made of slab, with barely any amount of wood to be seen. Even though some them have been rebuilt to modern designs, there were still those who chose to follow traditions and lived a minimal lifestyle.
Ryu decided to keep his wings for a while. Being in a mountain gives you more opportunity to fly than to run. Also, similar to growing them, they also give him a sense revulsion when they shrink back under his skin and disappear.
The streets of the city were quiet. But unlike the ponies, Ryu could see a few glaring eyes peering out the windows, each one carrying a weapon with them. Being a militaristic race, each griffon had at least some form of combat training.
“Sir?” one of the griffons around Ryu spoke.
“I’ve noticed.” said Gilbert.
Every time they pass a house, the eyes of its residents were solely glued on them. They could hear weapons being readied and hostilities were obvious for all of them to see.
“Ryu?” the old griffon called out to his friend.
The drake had deep frown on his face as his eyes roamed every open window in the city. Those citizens weren’t pointing their glares at the ones around him, but directly at him. He held himself back from growling as their actions made him want to react in kind. He didn’t understand why they look like they wanted to swarm him.
“Sir Gilbert!”
The dragon was thankful that there was someone who distracted him. All those eyes were starting to wear him thin. The griffon who arrived reminded Ryu of his old friend’s armor back when he was still in service. His helmet and shoulder guards were more stylized than the other troops flying in the sky.
The griffon looked at Ryu and glared at him. “I see you’ve caught one yourself.”
“Caught one?” Gilbert asked. “Explain yourself, Captain.”
Both the Captain and Ryu were looking each other in the eye, glaring at one another. “A few hours ago one this thing-” he pointed at Ryu. “-appeared in the city. It fled before we could take it in for questioning. My squad chased it all over the city streets where it jumped off the mountain and disappeared soon after. We believe that it was some sort of teleportation.”
Gilbert turned to Ryu in surprise. The dragon shook his head from his friend’s questioning look. “Not possible. I’m only one that looks like this.” he gestured to his human form. “Trust me, I’ve looked for a very long time.”
The Captain scoffed at the drake. “Looks like you didn’t look hard enough.” He could see that his taunts had visible effects, and that the bipedal creature was straining to keep himself from lashing out. “While we were busy with the chase, the palace had been attacked. The Queen and her children were fine, but the King was severely injured from defending them.”
"How is his Highness?” Gilbert asked.
“Weakened.” the Captain spat. “We believe that the weapon used had been poisoned. Only time will tell if the King will recover.”
“If it helps, I know a spell that burns most type of poison and accelerates the healing of the body.” Ryu offered.
“How delightfully convenient, then.” the Captain growled. In a blink of an eye, his sword was out of his sheath and pointed directly at Ryu’s throat. “For the attempted murder of the crown, I hereby place you under arrest. Surrender peacefully or we will use lethal force.”
From the rooftops of the houses, dozens of griffon knights rose up into the air, creating a cage of feathers with Ryu, Gilbert, the Captain and all nine trainees inside.
“I’m trying to help.” Ryu growled, glaring at the Captain. The younger griffons huddled together with their mentor, who pushed them off to the side as Ryu conversed with the stubborn Captain.
“Stay your blade, Captain!” Gilbert commanded. “He is not one of the conspirators who tried to murder the King!”
“I’m sorry, Sir Gilbert, but this is the closest that they’ve gotten in killing a member of the royal family. We cannot take any chances.” the Captain turned back to Ryu. “What say you, Monster?”
“What say I?” Ryu repeated. “I say: You have five seconds to stop this idiocy, think carefully and rationally before I bring down [Lightning] on every single one of your troops.”
“I dare you to try.” said the Captain, pressing his sword to the unconcerned dragon’s throat.
Gilbert dove between the two, pushing the sword away from his friend. “Stop this foolishness. I can vouch to you that Ryu is no threat! He has been with my family ever since my grandfather’s time!”
“But he is our only lead, Sir Gilbert!”
“And I’m telling you now that he knows nothing!” the old griffon roared. “He can help us! The more you antagonize him, the more he’s liable to refuse his offer to aid us!” he grabbed the Captain by his armor and pulled him close. “He can bring anyone from the brink of death. I’ve seen him do it, and experienced the same thing myself.”
Gilbert pushed the guard away, moving back beside his old mentor and friend.
“Do not be so impulsive, Captain.” said the old knight. “As you’ve said, we need all the help we can get. Then what better way to help than have a dragon on our side.”
“Dragon?!”
The guards all turned back to Ryu, who shifted his scaly wings blew smoke from his mouth. His eyes were slitted and glaring hatefully at the Captain.
“You were this close in dooming the city.” said Gilbert to the stunned captain. “Angering a dragon is foolish, but angering an Elder Dragon is the height of idiocy.”
“An Elder Dragon?!”
Once again surprise ran throughout those who were present. Though much were still unknown to the titanic drakes, the griffons still held the most experience when it comes to knowing how destructive they are in a fight. Battalions were needed to fight one, and Armies would probably be required to even face an Elder.
Legends were still told of their ferocity, of how the griffons warred against the beasts over a thousand years ago before they simply stopped their pillaging.
Fuego would have burned them all to a crisp before devouring them.
Agua would have cut their mountain in two and wash away the remains.
Sora would have buzzed his wings until they crash, and laugh as they fall from the sky.
Titan would have simple roared and they, along with their mountain, would have crumbled from the power of his voice.
Da Wan would have used his magic to grow in size and send their armies across the sea while he rampaged across the city.
“That’s not possible!” cried the Captain. “This thing cannot be kin of those giants.”
“Would you like to test that?” Ryu asked. His arms slowly shifted into a dragon’s, and his boots disappeared while his legs also began their transformation.
The Guards above readied their weapons as the Captain took a few steps back.
“That’s enough, Ryu.” Gilbert warned his friend. “We need to cooperate if we want to bring the bring those who did this to Justice.”
“Then they can start by bringing me to their King.” he told the old knight.
“We will never let you near his Highness!” the Captain roared, brandishing his blade.
Ryu glared at the stubborn griffon. “Then you leave him to die. If your King really was poisoned then he grows weaker by the minute. Unless you already found the cure.”
“Well, Captain?” Gilbert asked. “Was the antidote already given?”
The griffon hesitated in answering. His weary eyes were still on the blue maned dragon. In a few moments of reluctance, he lowered his sword and sheathed his blade. “No, I’m afraid that this seems to be a new type of poison. The healers are doing all they can to find the an antidote for it.”
“Then would you at least let him try helping the King?” Gilbert asked.
“I’ll even let you chain me.” said Ryu as he presented his transformed hands. The captain would have believed his sincerity if it wasn’t for the infuriating smirk that he had on his face. Dragons were strong, naturally, and chains would have done nothing but inconvenience them at best. If they could chew through gems, then what’s stopping him from merely gnawing his restraints.
“Let them pass!” he ordered the troops, but begrudgingly so. They parted a path towards the palace, with some grumbling under their breaths. He stopped the drake just before he walked by. “If you do anything--”
Ryu didn’t let the Captain finish as he quickly bent down and got into his face. “If I did anything then you wouldn’t be able to do a thing but watch as I burn everything you care about.” he hissed. “I wouldn’t even care for your kind if it weren’t for the Downing Clan. I would have been content ignoring your existence.”
The griffon clenched his beak as both of them glared at each other. With a final scoff the dragon turned away and followed his friend to the palace. The captain watched until they disappeared inside, feeling the anger bubble inside him.
“Sir?” another griffon came up to him.
“Investigate the Downing Clan.” he ordered. “Find out everything you can from Sir Gilbert’s grandfather up to their descendents today. I want to know who that creature is and his motives.”
“But sir, Sir Gilbert said--”
“I KNOW WHAT HE SAID!” he turned to the guard sharply. “But that doesn’t mean that we have to accept his word for it. Find out what you can and bring it to me. The Downings used to be part of the rebels. If they went back to their old ways then we must be prepared. GO!”
“Yes, sir!”
Glaring at the palace one last time, the Captain jumped into the air and resumed his search for the red haired runt. He will find the brat and make him pay for this humiliation. Him and that dragon bastard.
Eris felt tense. Despite the fact that nopony could see her in the spirit’s current state, something made her think that a pair of eyes were watching her. Upon returning to the castle, she could tell that their arrival had caused quite a stir. Guards were everywhere and every one of them seemed on edge. Well, it was a given since their species was very militaristic.
As she slithered through the streets, she could hear the guards talking amongst themselves. Mostly about who was this “Rune Slayer” that jumped off the wall of the mountain castle. Others about non important issues that were the least of her concern at the moment. She just stayed focused on her goal on reaching the Griffonia Archives.
A positive sign for her that she was going in the right direction was when she saw the archway that led to the inside of the building. Eris found a directory and began to search for where she would need to go. The spirit’s best guess was something involving history. So looking through the guide, her eyes soon found the place where she needed to be.
? Historical References: Floor two, Row 137
‘Well, at least I’m getting somewhere.’ The Spirit told herself as she floated up to the second floor and swiveled to the right row. Now the hard part. To try and find the most accurate book in the row. Most of the books she found were either illustrated or for Hatchlings in grade school. It wasn’t until reaching almost the very end of the row where she found a valuable source.
Here and Now: A guide to Griffonia’s History
‘Bingo!’
She didn’t even question the convenience of it all. But then again, being a spirit of chaos, conveniences were hardly anything new.
With another snap of her claw, a pair of glasses appeared in her other paw. They looked similar to normal reading glasses, but unlike those these ones were a bit special. It was one of those little items that would have made Twilight Sparkle start frothing in the mouth. It gave the wearer the ability to Speed read through books. Eris was personally thankful that Twilight did not try to steal them from her yet.
The glasses began to work the moment Eris put them on and opened the book. Hundreds of pages began to flow and blur as she kept flipping them one after another. One particular spot made her stop in the middle of the mind-numbingly thick book. There was something within the Griffon’s history that was different with the one back in her home.
A War.
Putting a claw on the top of the page, Eris began to softly read the scripture on the page. “Many years ago, there was a war that split Griffonia in half. The Royal Family only wished for prosperity of the nation, but wanted to stay in their home continent. However, an uprising began as the more foolhardy of the Griffons wanted more. They wanted to go beyond the seas and conquer the lands and place them under their banner. Both groups clashed and after years of conflict and bloodshed, the Royal Armies won at the cost of disgracing multiple noble families for their participation in the rebellion-.”
The Draconequus stopped as her ears picked up voices coming in the hallway and noticed two guards by the stairwell leading to the first floor. She slithered in the air and hovered above them. Something about their conversation intrigued the female Draconequus.
“Hey, did you hear about what happened in the city with Sir Gilbert?”
“No, I’ve been moving along these damn floors for the past few hours. Isn’t that old fluke retired?”
“Was retired. Thanks to what happened with the Red maned brat, the guards have been on full alert and called for everyfeather able to lend a claw for help. But when he came with a few trainees, a dragon was with him.”
“You’re joking? A dragon?”
“Not just any dragon, but an Elder Dragon from what I heard.” The griffon emphasized. “It was on two legs and had the same body structure like the little runt with the sword in the courtyard. He even offered help heal the king’s wound and extract the poison out of him.”
Eris stopped listening to the guards at that point. She never heard of any “Elder Dragons” before and with the description of the individual the guard just mentioned, it almost made her think of a human, if they made the comparison with Nicko. That tidbit made her curious, though.
Turning towards an air shaft in the back of the room, the chaos spirit squeezed on through and made her way back outside. Eris had something else that she needed to do now.
She wanted to see who or what this “Elder Dragon” was. Her curiosity was getting the better of her on this as she slid past the tightened security in the hallway that led to the kings chambers. Boring old history would come later, this was more interesting.
Boots, claws and paws scraped over the marble floors of Griffonia’s royal palace. Nine military trainees sent as trackers now served more like an escort as they passed through each grand halls. The ceilings were built high above the ground, enough space for griffons who chose to fly in order to reach their destination faster.
Few who served as staff and guards alike threw scathing looks at the group. Though none were aimed at their fellow birds, the young soldiers-to-be felt a sense of unease the further they went inside. The cause of the feeling came more from their companion, rather than the looks sent their way.
Ryu was clenching and unclenching his hands every time he caught a griffon glaring his way. He fought back a snarl for each one, and resisted the urge to paralyze them with an [Evil Eye]. It was only because of Gilbert, walking by his side, was the only thing preventing him from doing so. There were also the guards who tried to silently follow them into the palace.
Though the group of ten guards tried to be silent, there was no hiding the sounds of their armors unless they trained for it. The Griffons prefer open combat rather than Ryu’s more efficient style in battle, thus their lack of a more subtle branch in their military.
Ryu had turned his feet back to normal and reformed his boots. He kept his hands in scales and his wings out as proof that was what he claimed to be. What he didn’t expect were the looks that they were sending him as he passed. Each one was slowly chipping away at his patience. The sooner he heals their King, the sooner he’ll be out of the palace in search for what could probably be another Displaced.
That was the only explanation he could come up with. The person that they chased in the city was more than likely another of his unfortunate fellow human thrown into Equestria. Based from the description that he learned from one of the passing guards was that he was able to create explosions using some sort of runes. It reminded him of Gwen from that other Equestria and her impossible application of Formalcraft.
Hers had been instantaneous magic circles to create a phenomenon in reality, and this one sounded similar in application but focused more on a single outcome: Explosions. But he couldn’t be sure of that. This Rune Slayer had only cast two spells that created explosions. He may have more in his arsenal. After all, even though Ryu himself focused more on [Shadowwalk] and [Magic Ball] he still has his Psionics and Elemental Magic.
As the group approached an ornate set of double doors, the standing guards gave Gilbert a respectful salute.
The old griffon returned the gesture. “We’re here to see the King.”
Both guards took a quick glance over to Ryu before looking to the griffon. “Sir, are you sure it’s safe?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” He turned back and looked at one of the younger griffons. “Matilda, you and the rest are to stay here. We’ll be back in a moment.” He looked at Ryu. “This won’t take long, right?”
“Not unless I have to reattach a limb.” the dragon answered.
Gilbert nodded. “Come on, then.”
The two guards opened the doors for them. The room was the royal bed chambers. It was a little bigger than Luna’s room in that alternate Equestria that Ryu saw.
Surrounding the bed were two griffons in white outfits. If the drake had to guess, they were the medical staff. On the other side of the bed was another griffon, though this one was garbed in a very expensive looking ensembles worn by the royal family. Based from the way she held the claw of the bird on the bed, she was most likely the queen.
“Sir Gilbert.” she greeted in surprise. The old griffon giving her majesty a respectful bow. “And who is this?”
She turned and faced Ryu. He expected the same look that the rest of her kind had given him, but was surprised when she merely looked confused and startled. She gave no malicious looks directed to him.
“My Queen.” Gilbert greeted. “I am here with someone who may be able to help his Highness in this time of great need. Allow me to introduce to you my mentor, the Emperor Dragon, Ryu.”
Said drake resisted the urge to slap his former disciple. Gilbert knew how embarrassed Ryu was when someone mentions that atrocious title.
“Emperor?” the Queen repeated in surprise. “Were the dragons not governed by the Elders?”
“They are, and currently still are.” Ryu answered, placing a clawed hand over his chest and tilting slightly forward for a small bow. “I am one of six who rule over the drakes. Emperor Dragon is what the ponies have given me a thousand years ago. I am referred to as Kaiser by my fellows. I am neither above nor below the Elder Dragons for we six are all equal in rank no matter the age, gender or power.”
“I see.” her Highness muttered carefully. “May I ask why you have come here, Lord Kaiser?”
Lord Kaiser. He liked the sound of that.
“I wish to help your King.” Ryu gestured to the heavy breathing griffon on the bed. The stab wound on his chest looked rather severe, even when covered by bandages. “If I am not mistaken, the rebels this time have summoned something not of this world. They used him as a distraction in order to catch the King and guards unaware of the assassination attempt.”
“You know who did this?” she asked. A sharp glint of edge shone in her eyes. He knew that look. That was the look of someone who wanted revenge.
The dragon shook his head. “I’m afraid not. But I am here to aid you in search for the culprits. For now, however, I am here to heal the King. I have a spell that should be potent enough to close the King’s wound and burn most, if not all, of the poison that ails him.”
The griffon looked at him warily. “I’m afraid that I cannot allow that, Lord Kaiser. I hope you understand, given our situation, I cannot trust the life of my husband to an outsider.”
“Perfectly understandable.” Ryu nodded. “I commend you for your caution, your Highness. Had I been in a similar situation I would have done the same.”
He placed his hand on his chest once again, then bowed to the Queen in show of respect. This time his tilt had been deeper.
“You needn’t worry, however. I swear by my name, as a member of the Elder Council of Dragons, in accordance to the Dragon Code, that I am here only to help you and your kind. I only wish that this situation be resolved as quickly as possible, and clear the name of the fellow that I believe to have been wrongfully summoned into this world.”
“Does this mean that you know of the one who created the commotion in the city?” she asked in surprise.
“Not personally, I’m afraid.” Ryu said. “But I am fairly certain that this person is not only similar to me in appearance, but also in circumstance as well. I also wish to clear our names and not be associated to the rebels that plague this kingdom.”
“I see.” the Queen sighed as she visibly relaxed. “So that is your motivation?”
“Of course.” Ryu gave the griffon a tiny smile. “As a dragon I cannot allow these vermin to slander the image of my kind.” As a human being. “I will make those rebels pay dearly for succumbing me to the hate and glare of the populace when I myself have done nothing wrong.”
“I understand.” she said. “I do hope that you will accept my apology for my subjects’ grievance. This attempt on the King has been hard on us all.”
“I accept your apology.” the dragon said. He took a step forward closer to the Kings bed. “If I may?” he asked.
“Please.” she pleaded. “Help my husband.”
Nodding to the distraught Queen, the medics by the bed gave way for the dragon. Ryu held up his hands over the suffering King as he channeled his magic.
“[Cure]”
Light descended from his hands as the spell began its work. The effects were almost immediate as the King’s labored breaths began to calm, his expression easing as well.
[Cure] was a unique spell unlike some of healing spells in his arsenal. It accelerates the body’s healing and burns any ailment inflicted upon it. Every healing spell that Ryu knew was a product of a special type of energy: Life Magic.
He’s seen how powerful his healing magic was, and the effects that they do. Similar to the original game, they also deal damage to the undead. That had been one of the proof he needed to convince himself the his healing was a form of Life Magic. He has also been able to [Resurrect] dead animals whose time has not yet come.
Some of his friends, however did not see this skill as a gift. They treated the ability to bring people from the dead as dark sorcery. Even when he tried to convince them that it was not a type of necromancy, they still did not believe him. Twice had he only considered to use them, but he was rebuked on both times.
The first time was when he discovered them a few centuries ago, long after his surrogate mother had passed. He wanted to bring a friend’s recently departed mother back to life, but he was met with scorn and hate when he brought it up to them.
The second time had been for Applejack’s sake. Granny Smith, however, stopped him before he could even attempt it.
Ryu nodded as his work was finished. He stepped away from the bed and looked at the two medics. “Most of the poison is gone, and the wound has also been healed. He still requires the antidote, but his life is no longer in danger.”
Beside the King, the Queen was weeping tears of joy as she caressed her husband’s peaceful face. He looked at Ryu in gratitude. “Thank you, Lord Kaiser. How can I ever repay you?”
“If you would allow me.” Ryu began, “Then I wish to personally execute the ones responsible for this.”
From his spot near the door, Gilbert sighed. He’d been watching how his old mentor worked, and how his Queen’s spirit was lifted after hearing the state of the King. “We can’t let you do that, Ryu.” the old knight said. “This is our country’s business. A foreign power has no place in this.”
The dragon clicked his tongue, clearly dissatisfied by the answer. “I was hoping that I’d be allowed to, this time.”
“I am sorry that I cannot give you your wish, Lord Kaiser.” the Queen spoke, wiping away her tears. “If it is any consolation, I will immediately spread the news of how you helped the King in his recovery.”
“And hopefully that would be enough to piss the rebels off.” said the deviously grinning drake.
“You look like a villain, Ryu.” Gilbert commented.
“I never said I was a Hero.” he countered.
“Given that you did this to save your reputation…” Gilbert said. “I can believe that.”
The dragon shrugged in nonchalance, have no problems in being called a villain. “I suppose that now would be a good time for me to search for that red haired human that the guards are looking for.”
“You’re still going to help?” Gilbert asked with a bit of disbelief in his tone.
“If I’m right…” Ryu began, “Then that runt is trespassing on my world.”
"Trespassing?” the Queen inquered. “I’m afraid that I am lost in what you mean.”
“It’s nothing that you should be worried about, your Majesty.” the dragon waved her off. “If you consider these rebels as your business, then this boy is mine. Even if he does fall in your jurisdiction since he caused a disturbance into your city.”
“Hmm…” the Queen pondered. “If you wish, Lord Kaiser, I am willing to pass this task onto you. You may seek this “Rune Slayer” at your leisure while my troops focus on rooting out the ones responsible for my husband’s attack.”
“That would be the best course of action, I believe.” Ryu agreed. “If he’s anything like me, then he’s more powerful than he looks.”
“Is that your head I see swelling, Ryu?” Gilbert laughed.
“You’re lucky you’re old, Gilbert, or I would have smacked you for that.”
“How will you find him?” the Queen asked. She didn’t ponder on the fact that the two got along well together. If he truly was Sir Gilbert’s old mentor then that would explain why.
“I have my ways.” said the dragon.
Closing his eyes, Ryu drowned out the world around him. He began to feel the magic inside himself and focused on a particular ability.
The dragon’s body began to glow in a golden light. He raised his head as the radiance slowly concentrated on his forehead. When all of the light gathered into one spot, it rose in the air above him. Ryu opened his eyes to see it, and focused on a single goal.
To find the Displaced.
The bright speck above him suddenly created a string of light, pointing into a direction past the chamber’s wall.
[Prana: The Eye of the Gods]
It was an ability given to the original Ryu by the witch Deis. They sought her out and freed her from her imprisonment when she told them that she knew where Ryu and his friends could find the Goddess Myria.
Deis had been weakened by her five hundred years of imprisonment. She said that she would have take them directly to the Goddess herself, but her powers had been drained by the passage of time. In exchange, she awakened original Ryu’s [Prana] to point out the direction of the Goddess.
The Queen, Gilbert and the medics all looked at the light and the string, never having seen that type of magic before.
Ryu breathed out deeply as the light slowly faded. In the original game, that ability would have been used to find Myria. But since the Goddess was not in this world, it more or less had no purpose. In his years of training, however, he found a way to make the [Prana] search for beings with great power.
The Displaced, while seemingly lacking the raw output of a God or Goddess, still have enough power in themselves for the [Prana] to work. Or at least that was what he was hoping. It could be pointing out to a rather powerful artifact instead. Ryu prayed silently that it was directing him to the Displaced and the artifacts that they have.
“I have my direction.” he said to the griffons in the room. He looked at the Queen and bowed. “By your leave.”
“Oh, yes. Of course.” said the startled Queen. Now that she thought of it, a dragon was bowing to her. That was a rather strange experience.
“See you later, Gilbert.” the dragon said.
“Until then, Ryu.” the griffon saluted. Then he turned to the others in the room. “You all may want to close your eyes.”
The dragon chuckled as his friend was given odd looks. He raised his hand and created a [Magic Ball]. “You may want to do what he said.” he warned,
Without even waiting for the other griffons, he raised the spell high above his head and discharged it into a bright flash of light. He ignored the cries of alarm from the Queen and medics and quickly sunk into the darkened shadows.
Now all that’s left to do is find that Displaced.
As time ticked on, Nicko became a little antsy. He was trying to calmly meditate in peace, but this was harder given the present situation. The Rune Slayer and his Spirit friend were chased out of the city of Griffonia by the guards that protected the city. Now, Eris was trying to find information about this place that could help the two of them. However, it had been almost an hour since she left and Nicko was now beginning to get a little nervous. She wouldn’t normally take this long in order to find out something as simple as some information.
He spent most of the time waiting in deep meditation. He wanted to make sure his flow of magic was not cut off by anything or disturbed in any way. The Rune Slayer was now looking back at his skill notebook that contained the notes from Starswirl the Bearded’s research on rune magic and also his spellbook so he could remember the additional spells he had been processing.
Now though was when Nicko decided to get off of the floor and onto his feet. His legs had been sore from sitting in the lotus position for so long. He needed to stretched them so his reflexes could still be sharp for the moments that he had to fight.
But his thoughts drifted on to something else. He was worried for his brother. What was going on right now that he was here? What if he came back to find that Eric had ravaged everything back in his Equestria? The Rune Slayer shook his head, dismissing the thoughts as he straightened himself up after flexing his leg muscles.
“Alright, now to practice my swordsmanship.” The teen told himself as he grabbed his blunted greatsword and began to practice his basic attacks. He started with his basic attack combinations with his right hand and then switched hands to his left. Once he was done with that, he was going to focus on his active skills. He stopped when he heard a strange noise that attracted his attention. For a moment, he thought that it was Eris coming back. But soon realized something.
Eris never walked on her two legs, nor did she wear boots.
Nicko tensed as he turned around towards the entrance. From there, he saw something he never expected. Another human. He had blue hair and an odd choice in garments. He remembered that there was a barrier that prevented anypony from seeing him. But something told him that this person was a different case. Maybe someone like him…
For a moment, he saw that the man outside looking around. Nicko waited for a few seconds to see if he would do anything. What worried him though was the Katana this person had in his hand. Why he had his weapon out, he had no clue, but it was definitely not a good sign.
For the moment, he thought he was safe. Then, the man raised a hand and touched the outside surface of the barrier, tapping and knocking on it with his fingers. The Rune Slayer wasn’t sure why he would do so, but he watched as the person inspected the texture of the fake stone wall. Something made his blood run cold as he said one word off the tip of his tongue.
“[Simoon]”
The man’s hand glowed and braced himself. In a flash of fire and wind the stone barrier exploded, sending Nicko skidding backwards. The Run Slayer used his sword to hold his ground from the wave of force that followed it. Whatever this person did, he just destroyed Eris’s barrier spell. It may have looked simple, but it was still created by a spirit of chaos. Just what the hell was he?
The unknown individual said nothing as he walked through the entrance tunnel of the Crow’s Nest. He looked at Nicko calmly, but his slitted eyes reminded him of something ferocious. Like when he saw Smaug in the Hobbit movies. But his appearance was mostly human. Why would this guy make him think of a dragon?
“Red hair… and human. You must be the Rune Slayer, am I right?” This person spoke; emphasizing on Nicko’s job class as he said the question.
“Yeah, but what’s the big idea with blowing up the door?” Nicko stated. With the wall of rock behind him and the only exit was through the other guy, he felt really cornered. “Matter of fact, who the hell are you?”
“You’re not what I expected you to be.” The man muttered with his hand by his side and switching the grip on his sword in reverse. “My name is Ryu. Now, can I ask for your name?”
“My name is Nicko. Nicko Nocte.” He replied. The teen was feeling uncomfortable given the current situation. He wasn’t the best when it came to talking to new individuals he hadn’t met before and, threat or not, this guy was no exception. He curled and uncurled his left hand while his right hand held his sword.
Ryu saw the action and pondered over it in his mind. He thought that the teen might be a little tense. Coming in with sword in hand probably wasn’t his best decision.
“Now then, Nicko, let me ask you something… Why are you here?”
“Excuse me?” The Rune Slayer shot back. “I didn’t ask to be here. All I remember was going into the Castle of the Royal Pony Siblings with my brother and two friends to stop a crazed maniac, a bright flash of light went off and the next thing I know, I’m surrounded by a platoon of guards interrogating me like I’m a criminal.”
Quite jumpy, Ryu noted, and so quick to assume. There something about what he said that bothered the drake, however. “You mean Royal Pony Sisters, yes?”
“No, I mean Royal Pony Siblings. You know… Celestia… Artemis…?”
“Artemis?” The dragon repeated. That can’t be right. Did Luna have a different name in that Equestria?
Nicko was now beginning to be a little frustrated by this guy. Sighing, he palmed his face in exasperation. “Forget it… I have a question for you, though. Why are you here?”
Ryu shrugged as she turned his attention back to the teen. “Isn’t it a little obvious? I’m here to help.”
“And how do you plan to do that?”
“Well… little boy.” He decided to describe him based on his appearance. Nicko was five foot two, while Ryu was a little over five foot ten.
“What if I told you that-?”
Before Ryu could even finish his sentence, Nicko leaped forward and swung his sword at the Elder Dragon. Ryu’s katana quickly intercepted the blow as he gave a small grunt at the surprise attack. The expression on the Rune Slayer told the dragon that he may have angered the kid.
“Never… Call me LITTLE!!!”
Ah. So it was a height thing.
Nicko’s next move was to try and kick Ryu across the face, only to have it blocked by Ryu’s other hand. The dragon pushed forward, shoving Nicko back further into the cave.
“Look,” the dragon started. “Will it help if I said sorry? I didn’t know that you had a thing about your height. I didn’t think that you had a short-fuse over--”
“Stop calling me SHORT!”
The red haired kid lunged once again, swinging his sword at the dragon. Ryu could only sigh internally as the kid reminded him of a certain blond alchemist. Though Nicko seems a little more immature and definitely has a shorter fuse than the elder Elric.
Both Displaced clashed once again, with Nicko more on the offensive. The Rune Slayer hacked and slashed with abandon, swinging his sword at any spot he thought was an opening. He had power and speed, but the dragon noted the subpar sword skills and technique.
After years of sparring with Griffonia’s knights, Ryu has learned a lot from them. He also taught Gilbert for a few years. He saw the inexperience in Nicko’s swings, but his power and speed make up for them. If he hadn’t been directing the blows to slide off his blade, his [Mind Sword] would have probably shattered after a couple of blocks. Thankfully, though, the boy lacked the skills to force him to absorb the blows.
In one swing, Nicko swung with a little more strength in his attack. After redirecting the blow, Ryu shot out his hand and hit the Rune Slayer in the chest with a palm thrust. Thanks to his enhanced strength, the blow managed to push Nicko back, skidding on the ground. The boy hacked and coughed, holding his chest where the blow landed, glaring at the dragon.
Nicko went for another lunge, but hesitated at the last moment. His sword felt a little heavier, his muscles straining a little further. His joints also felt rigid all of a sudden.
From where he was standing, Ryu watched as how the boy tested his body’s movement. Nicko’s eyes were still on him, but still hasn’t attacked.
In Ryu’s arsenal of spells, some of his Psionic abilities have a special effect on the body. He had a skill that could lower his opponent’s muscle tension, slows nerve impulse, and addle’s the mind’s thinking processes. It allowed the Elder Dragon to gain the upper hand in battle for most beings with a brain.
[Blunt] and [Weaken] lowers the attack and defense in the original game. But here, Ryu can use them to weaken the muscles by hindering the brain.
[Slow] lowers the speed of the signals that the brain sends to the body, thus the sudden drop in speed and reflexes.
[Mind Flay] was an attack that also strikes the brain. It leaves a psychic block that makes mental processes to commit error in their deduction.
When he attacked Nicko with his palm thrust, he used his Psionics to force those effects on his body. Doing them all at once may have lowered their effects, but with every clean hit he can lower his opponent’s [Attack], [Defense], [Speed], and [Int] by 3% per blow.
Using his free hand, he conjured a [Magic Ball] that went off like a flash bomb, causing the Rune Slayer to cover his eyes. When the teen reopened them, his opponent was gone.
But that was when the cold edge of the Ryu’s blade touched the Rune Slayer’s cheek, having used the flash to blind him and using [Shadowwalk] to get behind.
“You’re clumsy when it comes to combat, kid. Give up.”
Nicko though, just grinned a little. This was the right opportunity to try out one of the new spells he was reading up on earlier. “I’m not clumsy. I just simply miscalculated.”
Not cool.
With one quick motion, Nicko snapped his fingers as what looked like a rune appeared from under his feet. The magic from the single symbol rose upward into the shape of a sword’s tip. Then more blades bloomed around its edges as it began to spin in a rather spectacularly hypnotizing display. "STORM BLADE!!!"
Ryu himself was surprised by the technique. Jumping back when it rose from the ground, he took a few shallow stab wounds before he managed to step out of their range. The Drake allowed for the possibility that the kid was able to do more than just cause explosions, but he didn’t think that the boy was strong enough to form blades out of just magic. It reminded him of his [Mind Sword], but this one conjured up more than one blade. It was stylish, if he had to admit.
Ryu countered Nicko’s attack with one of his own. He raised his hand and made a [Snap] just as soon as the blades disappeared. Ethereal jaws of a bear trap appeared in the air above Nicko and chomped on him multiple times. The Rune Slayer hadn’t been expecting the move, hoping that the surprise of his own skill would give him enough time to attack. He could only watch as the transparent jaws came down on him before it threw him to the nearby wall. He cried out as his muscles failed to tense and protect his ribs from cracking at the impact.
[Snap] left no visible wounds on the teen as it was purely Psionic. The image of the phantom jaws clamping down on him were enough for Ryu's psychic skills to realize the pain that would have come with them had they been real. From the pained expression that Nicko was showing, the secondary effects were also met. [Snap] had the ability to lower [Defense] as well.
Nicko gritted his teeth as he tenderly got to his feet. Ryu was still just standing in place, looking at him and not attacking. That really pissed him off. He couldn’t give up, though, he had to hold out until Eris comes back. Then maybe they’ll be able to get away from this lunatic.
In the dragon’s side, though, he was just waiting for Nicko to stop attacking. To think that all of this just because he called the boy short. At the very least he got to practice some of his skills. It was good to know that he still remembered them.
Using the blood that was on his hands, Nicko began to draw a rune symbol on the wall he was against.
Breathing out a tired sigh, Ryu kicked off the ground at full strength and propelled himself towards the kid. Thanks to the small size of the cave, it wasn’t much of a distance. He grabbed Nicko by his throat and held him up, preventing him from doing anything else lest he got choked to death.
“Just stop this right now. I really am trying to help.”
‘Says the guy who’s holding me up by my neck. Is this how you help other people?!’ Nicko shouted in his mind. He was going to say the words, but instead coughed up a bit of blood. Ryu’s grip was tight and it felt like he was crushing his windpipe. The drake was so preoccupied on the boy that he didn’t see the incoming bolt of Chaos magic until it curved in the air and struck him dead on the face.
Nicko dropped down and coughed turning towards where the magic came from. He was relieved to see who was standing there. “Eris!”
“Dear Chaos, Nicko. I leave you alone for thirty minutes and you already are attracting unnecessary attention.” She said as her eyes locked on to the individual rubbing his face on the ground. She recognized him as the “Kaiser” that healed the king. But why he was here was another mystery. She only stayed long enough in order to watch him perform his magic to heal the Griffon king before making her way back into town to gain information.
“How did you know?” asked Nicko.
“I felt a reaction from my barrier when it was dispelled. Shortly after that, I felt your magic like you were casting and I hurried as fast as I could.” Eris now turned towards the Elder Dragon that was on the ground as she floated over him.
Ryu was now starting to come back to his senses as he saw what was next to Nicko. “A Draconequus?”
“Yeah, so?”
Ryu groaned, lumping back on the ground. She looked a lot like Discord. “Who are you, then?” he asked.
“Names Eris. Spirit of Chaos and Discord’s daughter. Now, you better tell me one good reason why you’re here and why you attacked my friend.”
Great. A chaotic spirit with a temper. Just lovely.
