Chapter 1 Unexpected situation
"How's everything up here." I said to the visibly shaken Gryphon lookout on top one of the four towers around the town. He wore a simple leather tunic and not much else other than typical folk clothes including a patchy pair of pants, a stitched wool shirt, and a big pair of simple leather gloves that was standard issue for every archer. He also wore a metal helmet that if anything only protected against a downward slash from a rusty blade or a rock, his orange eyes and his yellow beak were clearly visible along with his light grey and green feathers.
He flinched from my deep voice and responded" Yeah everything's fine other than the fact that I found that head earlier." I remembered seeing that head too, the unicorn doctor called Heinrich was going to replace our current doctor that went to Canterlot for medical help with one of the kids in town. I didn't want him to go right now since bandit activity was rising but it seems he managed to get out in time luckily but the doctor that came obviously didn't make it since this lookout found his severed head displayed outside of town on a spike. I remember him calling for me in the morning for me to take a look before the sun was up.
“Sir you seem quite unfazed to finding the severed head of our current doctor on a spike, might I ask how you do it." I turned my attention back at the lookout and stared at him for a few seconds before responding." You simply learn to not be affected by a dismembered limb and stop saying sir." He shook his head then said "Ok Blas but not that how you deal with all this stress, from what you did a month ago I can understand why your unaffected by blood but the stress of dealing with all the towns problems that's what I'm asking about."
I looked at my gauntleted metal claws for a few seconds before examining the rest of my armored form. My paws were in armored boots that went up all the way to my knees and after my knees there were thigh guards that were supported by leather belts that looped around my thighs. My armored chest piece was fairly thick compared to most others and it was almost equally armored on both the back and front, they were also supported by leather belts and they were nailed to my shoulder plates so it wasn't like the belts were taking all the weight. My helmet almost fully covered my face except for the eyes, and it wasn't as thick as my thigh guards but the thigh guards was still a claw segment thick. My gauntlets were similar to the lookouts with the leather glove but the glove obviously had armored bits attached to it and the parts stopping the reason creatures have claws were sharpened.
I looked at the lookout and said" Why does everyone keep asking if I'm well, of course I'm well, I'm talking and standing like the rest of you." He simply kept on shaking his head as I continued to look out into the hillside forest as the evening sky went from a bright orange to a dark blue and I continued to watch even when the moon was starting to become visible in the sky. We had bonfires set up outside the town when night came around to ward off anyone coming in this direction and to act as extra light so we can see them coming.
“Sir no umm Blas you should probably go inside and get some rest.” I looked at him with my very light yellow eyes and stood straighter from my slumping position from earlier. I uncrossed my arms and said” Your right I'm going to get the other lookout and send him over, but don't hesitate to wake me if you see anyone crawl out of the forest.” He gave me a simple acknowledgement and I started walking toward the ladder of the wooden platform. I went over to the ladder and looked down at the three meter drop before hopping off.
I dropped to the ground hard due to the weight of all my armor and not to mention my sword glued to my back as I felt the impact rush through my legs and claws. Though since I've done this plenty of times the drop isn't as bad compared to a much higher drop or someone doing this for the first time. ”Good thing I know to bend my knees.”
I got up from my somewhat feral position and began walking to where the lookout should be keeping an eye out for anything suspicious happening within the small town. Though like most nights the town was relatively silent, since this town is quite small and most of the people who live here are in there homes sleeping. I walked over to the makeshift guard house that was actually just like any other stone and wooden ceiling house, except the former owners died by a group of bandits.
I turned the iron handle of the wooden door and walked inside to find the lookout I needed.” Hey I'm heading to my place to rest, You need to head to the west Watchtower.” He sheathed the knife he was examining and proceeded to gather his bow and quiver. He walked out of the guard house and began running over to the watchtower, I looked back inside to see the only other resident being an old gryphon that was fast asleep sitting in one of the wooden chairs. He was in full armor much like the lookouts but instead of a leather tunic, he wore a metal chest piece that was bound to him with leather straps and his wings could actually be used with the armor on. His feathers and fur was also a light grey due to his age.
I quietly walked over to him and picked up a wool blanket that was next to his chair before gently laying it across his sleeping form. I then walked out the building and moved over to a small wooden structure a grand total of five meters from the guard house. I opened the wooden door and closed it, completely disregarding the iron dead bolt that was hammered into the wood which was the only piece of metal on the door. I looked inside to see a small bed that can barely fit my unarmored form, a small shin high table and a single wooden chair. I took off my helmet and placed it on the shin high table before sitting in the chair and began trying to rest. After a couple minutes of trying to calm my nerves I succumbed to the exhaustion that's been plaguing me for weeks and entered dreamless abyss.
The first thing that I heard when I awoke from the milky blackness of sleep was my door being rammed open. I quickly opened my eyes to see the old griffon from last night except with a fearful expression on his face and his sword at the ready. "Samuel what the hell is happening." I said in a tired and somewhat groggy voice while I robotically grabbed my helmet and put it on. I heard Samuel shout at me" Those scum sucking bandits are at the west entrance making demands and there's a lot of them!" I then heard him mutter under his breath" Thank Christ this village only has two entrances."
I followed his limping form as I pulled my sword off my back, my sword has a stabbing point and has two razor sharp sides that I myself painstakingly sharpened beyond the norm for longswords. It wasn't as tall as me since when I stick it into the ground it only goes to the very bottom of my sternum, though when I'm out of my armor it reaches to the base of my neck. It was my weapon from the day I used it and it will be till the day I die and it wont be these bandit shits outside my town.
I continued tromping over to the west entrance to see most of the guards at the entrance aiming their bows at the enemy outside the town or if they had a sword they were in a fighting stance. I asked Samuel" Where are the rest of the towns people." He replied quickly" There at the other end of town with a few guards, the elderly, woman, children, and all the men that aren't here." I looked at him and I could see a saddening expression on his normally angry and stern face, I continued walking when I hit the back of the guards and I didn't even need to say anything for the gryphons in the back to look behind them and let me past forward to the front.
I hit the front of the guards to see the mayor trying to do something, he kept saying something like "What do you want." and "We got plenty of money and food." I looked at the horribly ill prepared and to be honest crap mayor when I plunged my sword first into the ground. I let him run his beak until he turned around and noticed me before practically lunging for me and began pulling at my chest piece. He started saying" Oh thank goodness your hear as you can see we have some ruffians, and do your job and get rid of them for me will you!" He shouted at me as he was basically groveling at my paws.
I Pulled him up with my left claw and pushed him in the direction of the guards, who just watched as they saw him fall to the ground. Covering his expensive looking uniform in dirt before he picked himself up and shook off the dirt before running off like a scared dog, his tail was even between his legs. I heard almost everyone start chuckling or laughing, hell Samuel's signature cackle was able to be heard. I looked back at the group of bandits and saw them laughing."Oh how I hate that bag of feathers."
"Hahaha oh my I thought that guy was never going to shut up." I looked over to the voice and saw a gryphon leaning forward before standing back up. He had blue eyes and wore armor similar to Samuel except more complete, with gauntlets and knee and shin guards, and the red wave like patterns painted on the armor. He lacked an helmet though he wore a look of pure confidence that made me want to crush his head in my claws.
I said" Yeah, that's the only reason we have that lying bag of tail feathers." I turned my self fully to the group of individuals and continued" So your the reason I haven't been able to rest for the past month, well then what do you want!" My voice was level though my voice was quite agitated since I have been trying to keep my temper down ever since all this bandit crap has been happening and to find them on my doorstep wasn't exactly a liberating sight to see. I put my right claw on my longsword and let it rest on the hilt.
The laughing gryphon from earlier responded" Well then nice to meet you and your lovely entourage but what we want is what your currently standing on." He pointed at me and everything and everyone behind me. I replied" Well I'm sorry but that isn't going to happen until I stop breathing the same air, names Blas." I expected him to get angry but instead his grin only got wider. At this point I noticed that some of them were getting on there all fours, most of them female, though it looked more like they were going into a very peculiar fighting style, especially if you take into the fact that they wore razor sharp claws. The only odd one of the bandit group was a cloaked figure with a wooden staff that had a glowing jewel at the end of it.
"Oh how do you think you will win this fight, you lack men to fight and weapons and armor, yet you all just wont surrender and leave this place." He pulled out and iron sword before continuing" Since you wont just leave this place that means we have to kill all of you and personally we don't want to pick up all your corpses." His grin was growing to a point where it can barely contain his face. "Oh and since you told me your why don't I tell you mine, It's Francis and remember this could have ended peacefully." He held a maniac grin as everyone at his side began rushing forward save the cloaked figure and one of the females.
I shouted" Make these bastards regret living!" I pulled my sword from the ground as I began walking forward towards the enemy. I gryphon with a iron sword was rushing right at me, With my right claw I rested my sword on an armored area of my back. The bandit couldn't react in time to even hope to block and even if he did it would have done nothing. My sword swing hit him right in the sternum and expectantly cleaved him into two pieces.
I heard a yell and saw that three of the female fighters were circling me in there feral stances, to say it felt weird looking at them was expected. The one behind me pounced only to feel cold steel as I dashed to the right and turned while swinging my sword. Her head sprayed blood as it flew through the air, the other women looked at me with hints of fear as I turned toward them. I didn't wait long as one of them pounced for my head while the other sprinted toward my legs. I kicked the one going to my feet as the one who pounced for me gripped my shoulders. I grabbed the women's head and begin squeezing hard, as I felt her claws dig into my unarmored area. She released her grip her grip on my only to flail her claws at my arms as I continued crushing her skull. Her screaming only ended when I heard a sickening crunch and spurts of blood come from her head.
I released her body as her legs stopped supporting themselves on my chest. I looked over at the dazed one to see a look of complete and utter fear in her eyes before she began scampering off. I gripped my sword in two claws as a few of the sword wielding men formed a small circle around me. I shouted before I ran to the one in front of me as I pointed the tip of my sword at his chest. I thrust my sword forward to have my blade enter his upper sternum, killing him as I then began swinging my sword left. I hit the bandit in his less armored side causing him to be cleaved in two, his face showed no emotion as his body fell to the ground. The body that was on my blade fell on impact.
The circle I was making with my strike hit the third guy in the leg cutting it off and the final bandit ducked under my horizontal strike. I looked at him before quickly doing a vertical strike that he couldn't block effectively, my sword stopped in his shoulder so I quickly pulled the blade out and doing a left to right vertical strike that decapitated him. I looked over to the severed leg bandit, who was currently screaming his beak off. I quickly stomped my right armored boot onto his skull, silencing his cries of agony and leaving quite a big mess.
"Get the fuck off me you whores!" I heard Samuel scream as I looked in the direction of his call. He had one of the female fighters on his back and before I could rush over to him, I saw her run her armored claws across Samuels throat. Blood rushed from his throat in torrents and all life just disappeared from his eyes as he collapsed to the ground. I Screamed and was about to rush forward but I couldn't bring my left arm forward. I looked at it and saw that it had a yellow magical field around it, and before long I felt my legs get consumed by the field and I began getting dragged backward. I looked behind me to see the crystal from the glowing figure grow more bright and that his hood was off and I saw a unicorn in deep concentration.
I shouted" Let me go or I will roast you alive!" He didn't react but I noticed a black vortex appear with a yellow outline with ancient runes visible due to there increased brightness. I felt my already skyrocketing temper increase and the overall temperature of the area around me felt hotter. I heard Francis say" Don't fight the inevitable you wonderful bastard." I looked to my left and saw Francis barely out of arms reach, and my sword claw couldn't bend so I was out of luck. I shouted at him" Fuck you, you bandit shit!" He made a mock expression of hurt before he threw a dagger into one of my sides. The pain I felt was the equivalent of a small burning sensation, though it only hurt more as I saw his smug expression return.
I felt everything grow a few degrees hotter as I saw the grass my armored boots become dry and brittle. I looked behind me to see the vortex a mere meter away from me. I said" I will find you and burn you to ashes Francis!" I felt a odd cold surround me as I felt my arms and legs enter the vortex. The last thing I saw was Francis's grin grow to comical levels.
I awoke with my face to the sky as I was sprawled out on the ground. I stood up quickly and looked around to see that I was in a rocky region of what might be a desert then again there is no deserts in the Gryphon Kingdom so I didn't know exactly how a desert looked. All I Knew was that they lacked water and had lots of sand, this place lacked water but just had a lot of rocks and plateaus. I said" Where am I."
I looked up at the sky after hearing loud cannon like noises and saw a small object speed toward a green forest that was conveniently right in front of me. The small object had a trail of smoke coming from it and there was two boat like objects that were significantly bigger than the other object following the trail. I Began moving forward only to stop due to my increasing temperature and the obvious smoke trails coming from my covered claws. I took several deep breaths and tried to focus only on the task that is currently at hand.
"I will look for away back but the likely hood of me coming back to all of you is almost nothing, but I should at least try."I told myself that as I calmed down but the likely hood that there alive was slim, because we were barely geared to deal with an attack and none of them were formally trained except for Samuel and me. I shook my helmeted head and moved toward the only sign of anything in this giant tan colored land of rocks.
I kept my eyes forward as I began pacing forward with my sword holstered due to it being heavy and I didn't feel like I was in immediate danger. I checked my side to where I was stabbed and saw the blade was still in me, though I was feeling very little pain from the area. I put my right free claw around the handle and quickly pulled it out, I felt a draining sensation from the area and enough pain that made me grit my teeth. Though the pain will always be better than having a horrible burning sensation crawl over my body and envelope you.
I kept my right claw on the wound after I dropped the dagger with little care for its feelings. After walking for a few moments, I eventually saw a plume of dust coming toward me and when I focused on it, I saw red and green. The plume was growing rapidly toward me and I saw in much greater detail of what it was, yet I didn't know what I was seeing. Whatever was making that plume of smoke stopped in front of me and I quickly put my right claw on to the hilt of my holstered blade.
The figure on top of the red object looked kind of like a green cat, if a cat walked on two legs and had arms, hands and wore clothes. It got off its bike and looked at me with strangely big green eyes, it's ears were twitching rapidly and it had a hand under its chin.
It then blatantly said to me in a female sounding voice" Who are you and do you know what's happening over there." It began pointing back toward where it came from with both its hands. Before I could respond I then felt several shockwaves hit me as multiple explosions happened around us. I rapidly covered my face with my arms and I had a ringing noise happening in my ears. I noticed that cat like creature rode on the red object and head back toward the forest.
After I put my arms down, I looked at the forest and decided to begin moving forward at a faster pace than my casual walk. I ran at a full stride and my arms were also moving with my rhythm. I muttered under my breath" I don't know where I am but I feel like I have to head there, well they might have seen something."
continued to run forward whether I was heading into something I wasn't prepared for or not I didn't care, I only wanted to know what the hell was happening. And a way back to the village.