Into That Wild Blue Yonder

by CptBrony

Intel

The sun was shining, the griffons were flying, and the smell of freshly cooked meat hung in the air. It was a good day for a sit-down with an old acquaintance that would pay for your lunch.

“So, what brings you back here, my old business partner?” the griffon, Enad, asked. “It’s been some time since we worked together. And what’s happened to your outfit? Where are they?”

“They were all killed,” Yafid answered coldly. Enad didn’t respond. “By the very creature we were out to capture.”

“Ah, terrible news,” Enad said. “I always liked the guys you picked up. Even if they were ponies.”

“They were ruthless fighters,” Yafid said. “But they were no match for what we faced.”

“What did you face, exactly?” Enad asked.

“I hesitate to say in public, as I imagine anyone listening would take interest in pursuing my prize,” Yafid said. “Not to mention my personal grudge against it. I must be the one to defeat this creature.”

“I see,” Enad said. “I will respect your wishes and not pursue this creature’s identity, then. But I would expect you to at least tell me something of what happened.”

“Very well,” Yafid said. “As you know, I sought courtship with the princess some weeks ago.”

“Yes, I remember,” Enad said, laughing. “You threw those guards about as if they were prey fish!”

Yafid grinned. “Yes, indeed,” he said. “But after, the princess and her father both demanded that I have some kind of wealth and fame, something that would make me worthy of the princess’s marriage. So, I took my crew and we started working much bigger jobs, trying to amass wealth and respect.”

“I had heard about some of these jobs,” Enad said. “With how those went, I expect that the creature that killed your crew must have been quite powerful.”

“Indeed,” Yafid said. “The last job we took wasn’t really a job, more of a hunt. There was a massive magical burst in the world not long ago, and we sought to find the source of that burst.”

“You were looking for a human,” Enad concluded. Yafid hesitated, and then nodded. “From the power of that burst, I’d say there were at least three humans who came this time, maybe more, scattered about. Did you find this human?”

“Yes, but we did not take it,” Yafid said. “It was in with a village and turned out to be not worth the trouble.”

“That’s too bad,” Enad said. “The king would certainly have given you his daughter, had you come here with a human in tow.”

“What makes you say that?” Yafid asked.

“When the king found a human just days ago on the road, he was ecstatic,” Enad said. Yafid froze. “The human turned out to be a fighter, and so he gave the human a place as the princess’s guard.” Yafid blinked.

“What was this human wearing?” Yafid asked.

“A white outfit with black cloth around his waist,” Enad said, eying Yafid suspiciously. “Is that the human?”

Yafid didn’t answer. The human was here, in the city, GUARDING THE PRINCESS. This might have been the worst development possible. He wasn’t going to be able to get near the human with the princess nearby and guards everywhere, at least not without a considerable strategy. He also couldn’t get any help in this venture, as it would involve directly going against the king, which also meant he would have zero chance of courting the princess.

“Yafid?” Enad said.

“Yes?” Yafid responded.

“If that human is the one that killed your crew; and beat you to a pulp, as I understand; you are in the wrong city,” Enad said. “If he hears you are here, he could simply say that you are a threat to the princess, and you’ll be the most wanted griffon in the kingdom.”

“I know that,” Yafid said. “But he still killed my crew and humiliated me.”

“Well, if you wish to pursue this, I’m afraid you are on your own,” Enad said. “I am not looking o earn the king’s wrath.”

“I understand,” Yafid said. He stood up. “Thank you for meeting me.”

“Do you not wish to eat?” Enad said.

“If the human is indeed here, I must act quickly, before he learns of my presence,” Yafid said. “I think I can come out on top of him here and win back what I’ve lost.”

“Well, good luck,” Enad said. “You will need much of it.”

“I’ll see you around, Enad,” Yafid said.

Yafid moved away from the table and decided to go for a walk to think. When the gears started turning in his mind, he began to see a way he could get around the whole “guarding the princess” business. He would have to stay hidden, though, lest the guards start talking about the return of Yafid, the one who defeated their very finest. Sometimes, having a reputation really did work against you.

Comments

[Crimson Eon]

It seems humans have a very high reputation to live up to in this world.

[CptBrony]

7215209
Sometimes very high, and ohther times, very, very low. Depends on the kind of human in question. You'll be seeing humans more as the story progresses, some important and others in passing.

[Crimson Eon]

7215365 cool