Murmurs erupted from the group of griffon scavengers. Rodric smirked, Lord Avarice doesn't want anything to do with these savages. He only wants the city's location, name, and the symbol which the royal castle would do to the Lord's reputation. Rodric was given freedom, yes, but he would abuse that freedom. He would plunder the city of its riches, he heard that a good amount of metal has suddenly appeared here, he's sure to take all of the profit of those scraps. He chuckled. And all it would take was to march and conquer the city with little resistance.
clank
Rodric's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of thuds and some clanks.
thud, thud, clank, CLANK
Rodric grimaced as a rock hit his helmet. "What the–"
He turned his head towards the locals, who were grabbing stones, dirt, and anything worth throwing. And he thought they would surrender easily. He forgot they were griffons as well earlier.
"Get out of here!"
"Tell that greedy bastard to fuck himself!"
He chuckled to himself. Then; suddenly, a soil with a tad of dung hit him, splashing across his helmet, some landed on his beak.
"Eat shit!" Greta shouted.
The Goldenclaw captain scowled, wiping the dirt off his face. He raised two talons and signalled his lieutenant forward.
"What do we do now, sir?" Asked the lieutenant.
"What we always do with savages." He turned to his men. "Men! Subdue this savages! Kill them, take everything, do what ever you want! This city is now ours! Forward!"
"Hoorah!" Goldenclaw footmen cried in unison, unsheathing their curved swords and unfurling their armour plated wings. As they made their way towards the city's rebellious citizens.
He then turned back to his lieutenant. "Check these idiots, make sure they don't burn the whole thing, or else Lord Avarice would have our heads."
The lieutenant put a claw against his chest and bowed slightly. "Yes, captain."
Rodric then set his eyes on the one who threw poo at him.
A few griffons took a step back, while most others looked forward with sheer determination, when they saw the Goldenclaw footmen flying towards them with their swords drawn. These poor griffons with their rusty daggers and short swords, with only their cheap hide – some without armour – for defence would try and face off these invaders.
"I see that everyone has their mind set in one thing for once." Gilda heard a falcon hybrid said." This is our home everygriffon, should you flee to abandon your home, Goddess, dishonour you." The ones who took a step back, tried to gulped their fears, and readied themselves. "We shall stall them here enough to warn the city. Form up a defensive line!" The griffons formed as said, while the griffoness flew towards Gilda.
"Gilda," said the falcon hybrid.
"Eleftheria," Gilda nodded in acknowledgement.
"I know you're the fastest flier here, go to the city and warn my father. He would quickly organise his griffons to evacuate the city." She took off her pendant, a large tooth tied to a fine rope. "Show this to him and he'll know I sent you." Gilda nodded.
As Eleftheria flew towards the rank of militia, Gilda turned to Greta. "Let's go, Greta."
Greta shook her head. "No. Gilda, I'm not as fast as you, I am more needed here."
The sound of swords clashing, and wings beating signalled the disadvantageous battle that the Griffonestone's militia has committed themselves into. In the air the two forces clashed at each other with the Goldenclaw footmen pushing the makeshift militia back.
Greta bumped Gilda with a wing, "Now go! Fly as high as you can then run the rest of the way.".
"I know that!" Gilda replied, whilst turning around to warn the city. "Just don't get yourself killed, Greta. Rainbow dash would never forgive me if you get killed."
"It's been years, Gilda. I'm not sure if she even remembers me. Now quickly!" Greta then flew toward their reeling ranks, she was thrown a dagger from one of their allies which she took and chose a target.
Gilda, with her massive wings, flew as fast and as high as she can until the northern wings threatened to push her away. With a few quick flaps of her massive wings, Gilda landed upon the path that lead to the city. She sprinted as soon as her legs touch the trail.
When she made it into the city's feathery looking arch, passing a few houses, she darted to Eleftheria's house. The house of Talons, one of the largest structures in Griffonstones. Main head quarters of a mercenary guild, with their men they would surely beat back the Goldenclaws right?
When Gilda opened the pair of wooden doors, all eyes were on her. She just stood there;however, breathing heavily as she cast her eyes over the place, looking for a falcon hybrid same as Eleftheria.
"What do you want, feathers?" Asked, a female griffon with a black lory's head. She was the one In-Charged of the bar, Gilda presumed, for the griffoness had a tray of beers on her claw.
"I'm... looking... for sir Drekkon." Gilda said in between breaths.
"A new recruit? You're looking for the wrong griffon as Drekkon–" Gilda raised the pendant for the griffoness to see.
"–doesn't handle... newcomers..." The owl hybrid stared at the pendant Gilda was holding. "Where's you get that?"
"I need to see, sir Drekkon." Gilda insisted.
Drekkon was looking through files of his assets and their currently assigned missions. A small smile was on his face as most of it has a mark of 'hired'. His little mercenary guild has been at its peak lately, so to speak. More and more of his mercenaries are being hired by noble houses and travelling merchants that are crossing the old griffon countries. He could just imagine it, thousands of bits hidden away at one of the vaults underneath his mansion. But as he looked at the papers, he knows that he needs to recruit more just to keep up with demand. Drekkon sighed. It's going to be a busy ride for him now.
As Drekkon was about to hide the files away, the doors to his office burst open. Revealing a young eagle hybrid griffoness, seemingly exhausted.
"What is the meaning of this?" Said Drekkon as he stood up from his seat. Hiding the files away into his drawer with one claw.
"Sir Drekkon, there are Goldenclaw soldiers at the base of the mountain claiming to conquer Griffonstone!" The griffoness said.
"And why am I to believe you?" He eyed the griffoness curiously. Taking in every detail, strong wings and muscle, beautifully formed feathers. She would make a good recruit he thought.
"Because you daughter sent me, sir." The griffoness raised a claw to reveal his daughters pendant. A large tooth tied in a rope. Drekkon recognises it very well. It was a teenage dragon's tooth of when he and his daughter travelled to the great badlands, the rope was made from the hair of a diamond dog alpha at one of his mercenary missions.
Drekkon slowly walk towards Gilda, his eyes fixed on the tooth of the pendant. He stopped as he remembered clearly how Eleftheria swung her sword when the dragon's maw was right in front of his face. The first swipe hit the dragon in the mouth forcing it away from him, the second a piercing strike in the head.
"You mean my daughter sent you to me, and that she's there fighting Goldenclaw's lackeys?"
"Umm... Yes, sir Drekkon." Gilda replied. Her wings fidgeted.
Drekkon swung his fist sideways, low enough to to hit the front of his desk. Gilda jumped back as Drekkon angrily hit his desk as he growled. "Damn that girl!"
"She said that you could organise an evacuation." Gilda hopefully asked.
The elder falcon sighed. "I am low in available units right now, girl." Drekkon paused for a sec, drumming his talons on the wooden floor. "Tell you what, take two of my griffons and go to Gruff, tell him that I asked him to handle this matter."
"Why Grampa Gruff?" Gilda asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Your her granddaughter, eh?" Drekkon chuckled. "Old goose, never told me any stories. Your Grampa and I were once partner, but I'll leave it to him to explain it." He walked towards a wall and grabbed a sword hanging from it. "I'll have to go and save my daughter." As he was about to walk out of his office, he looked over his shoulder. "If they sent you here, then some of those Goldenclaws are already on their way to the city. Two of my griffons would wait you outside my house, better move fast." He then walked out of the office and began shouting orders.
Gilda took a deep breath then wiped the sweat off her crest. She knows what to do, she also needs to save someone first.
Grampa Gruff was counting bits and planning this months budget, accounting Mara's arrival, when a hurried knock came from the front door.
"Oi! What's with the feathering hurry?" He shouted as he stood up from his couch to unlock the door. Upon unlocking it though, he was faced with two mercenary griffons.
"What do you two want?" He asked in an annoyed tone.
"We were sent by sir Drekkon and your granddaughter, sir Gruff." A diamond dove hybrid griffoness said, as she and her partner set a claw over their chest and bowed their heads slightly.
"Why? What did my granddaughter do?"
"She asked us to go here in her stead as she insisted in fetching her sister first, a wise decision if I Would say."
The old vulture raised and eyebrow. "What does Drekkon have to do with this?"
The two griffon mercenaries eyes widen at the sudden causality on their master's name. The yellow-collared macaw hybrid answered with his deep voice.
"Uhhh... Sir Drekkon, told us and your granddaughter that you are in charge of evacuation."
"Evacuation? Evacuation for what?" Grampa Gruff's tone of voice was that of getting impatient.
"Griffonstone seems to be under attack, sir." The griffoness answered quickly.
bam
The door shut. The two stunned griffons glanced at each other warily. Then, the door opened again.
"Get everyone to the ancient castle, tell them to gather as much weapons and armour they could find. There's no escape from Griffonstone. If Goldenclaws' are here, then Goddess we better hurry. Now quickly!" He said, gesturing the two to hasten their work. The two nodded, turned around, and flew to warn everygriffon.
Grampa Gruff closed the door once more, then sighed. He turned his eyes over his house, a house where he retired to after his youthful days. And now, the duty of those youthful days had come to call him again. He made his way past the living room and into his bedroom, where a fine sword and an Iron claw were hanged on a red frame. He took the sword's sheath from his drawer and then took the weapons from the wall. He looked at himself in the mirror before opening the cabinet and taking the last remaining item form his former set of armour, he only has the helmet left. He set the silver plated helm over his head, a knowing gash on its left eye made him remember his final battle – the one that sent him in retirement. Well, it looks like it wasn't his final battle after all.
When he came out of his room, he sent a glance at Mara's door, which was open, he saw her watching one of her videos in the device Gilda had found. As if she felt him looking at her, Mara turned her eyes towards Grampa Gruff. The two stared at each other eyes for a moment before Grampa Gruff nodded in acknowledgement, then walked towards the door out of his house to contribute to the defense of the city.