Gryff The Griffin Rider

by Sloss, Marcus

  ​ Our group arrived at the campsite with plenty of time before midday. I hoped we could get a lot done. We all drank some water to lesson our thirst from the march. I gulped down some more as I felt the heat wash over me from the lava. It was not that bad this far out but definitely noticeable.

  ​ “Okay, these things are tough but our targets should be simple minded. Our plan is to have one person on lure detail. When they get into my range I kill them with this club. The rest of the team is on dismemberment and loading. If we attract the attention of too may we retreat to here, this seems to be far enough for them to turn around. I don't think they like the bare dirt for more than a few steps. If they do chase us this far we keep running. If I hear of an attack coming our way from the Horde, I will call out 'Rally'. If you hear that word come back to this spot, we will use the wagon defensively. If it is an attack we can outrun we ditch the wagon and run for Malvia. Alright, let us gear up.” I said. I went over to the wagon and laid my sword and shield onto the bed. I would need all the free movement I could get. I noticed a few of the bolt launchers I had bought from Lakeland sitting with the supplies that had been hauled here.

  ​ Donnie came beside me and grabbed some special gloves and an apron. “We brought a few bolt launchers, I found them the day before yesterday when Una told me to get a ranged weapon. I forgot to mention I used one to kill an orc out of a tree. They are great and when I told Nate how easy they were to use we brought a few for the trip. Won't help much with the golems but if we face any Horde should be useful.”

  ​ I was happy to see them. I had gotten so busy I had been meaning to hand them out. I also wanted to test out my small ballista, I could not believe I forgot about it. Not really forgotten, I lacked of time to have fun with it. It would have only been effective against the ogre but in that case, time was of the essence. I made a mental note to myself to remember to drag it out to one of the gates to at least have it handy.

  ​ “Alright Gryff, it looks like I am your decoy. I will grab a few rocks and see if I can’t get one of these lumbering idiots over our way.” Joey said to me.

  ​ I followed him to where the dirt clashed with the edge of the black rock. He grabbed a handful of pebbles and we stepped onto the hard crunchy surface. My feet instantly felt the sharpness of the ground, my body felt the heat of the lava. This was an inhospitable place I did not wish to linger at. It seemed Joey shared my sentiment and jogged to find a golem to lure to me.

  ​ It did not take long, I was studying the terrain when I heard a decent roar. Certainly not as loud as a griffin or an ogre, but it had some volume to it. Three of the golems were making a slow run towards my direction as Joey got behind me. So much for one at a time, this was probably not Joey's fault, and I wanted to make the best of the situation. I was up to the challenge of trying to kill three at once.

  ​ The tallest one with the longest fat stone-like legs pulled in front of the shorter two. It was also on the most direct path to me meaning it would be a few minutes before his buddies caught up to him. I took Smasha off my shoulder and meet the golem’s slow charge. I was expecting it to try to club me with a fist or kick me. Instead, it went for a tackle. They may be slow runners in comparison to a human but they could still leap quickly. I had to roll to dodge the golem’s outstretched arms that tried to enclose me. I exited from my tumble and took an overhead arcing swing. The club raced into the back of the creature who was flat on the ground. The ruby tip pierced the rocky shell of a hide and it's back crumbled into pieces. That was killing the blow, there were a few after death twitches.

  ​ I felt a little more confident as the next two trotted to me. I used the angle of attack to my advantage and got golem two to tackle golem one. These things had a bad case of tunnel vision and were single mindedly dumb. I killed them both while they struggled on the ground intertwined. A strong blow with the ruby side of the club to the head of each golem did the job cleanly. Well mostly clean, there was a bit of a lava type puss that seeped out of the wounds. If I had to guess that was why the carcass team was in protective gear.

  ​ “Sorry my lord, I got the attention of the first one no problem, when he roared it brought these other two to us. I will keep trying for one, but I doubt it will be that easy. At least that weapon makes quick work of them. I heard a normal club with normal strength is not enough to crack the outer armor. Smasha is awesome.” Joey said.

  ​ “Right, it is a tad heavy but I am loving it so far,” I said twirling the weapon. “Do your best to keep the numbers down, I will not berate you if you pull more than one. It looks like if you break the armor it is a death blow, I do not think they have similar anatomy to humans where we can suffer cuts and bleed. I think a bleeding blow is fatal. Go ahead and try to pull another single and let us see what happens.”

  ​ While I waited for my next fight I talked to Traz who was doing slow circles from up high. He told me the only thing he saw was three warg riders some fifteen miles to the east. They were extremely far but roaming. The distant orc settlement to the south was quiet and nothing worried him for now. I then watched Nate, Donnie, Kyle, Marcus, and Brad begin dismembering the golems. They were using chisels and hammers to separate limbs. Same strategy for removing the lower half of the body from the top and then the head from the torso. It was a full team effort but effectively done. Maybe they had read up on how to do it or one of the friendlier guards had given advice. They seemed to be able to handle it no problem.

  ​ A light roar caught my attention and Joey approached with two in tow this time. They were staggered in distance, giving me ample time to take them on separately. I let them come to me near the edge of the field to ensure the bodies fell close to the cleanup team. The first golem proceeded to lunge at me predictably, I dodged and brought the ruby down hard onto the neck. This severed the head cleanly. I still had almost a minute before the next one reached me so I separated the torso from the lower body. When the final creature reached me I dodged a tackle and struck a killing blow to the neck.

  ​ “Keep em coming Joey. Nate I am going to dismember these as fast as I can unless I tire. Should help you guys keep up and Smasha separates parts in one hit. How many can we load on the wagon before we need to stop?” I asked the man as he was carrying an arm to the wagon.

  ​ “I do not know, they sure are heavy. Every part can be used including the goo in the middle by the fire mages. I think maybe a dozen then head back. Maybe two trips today. Will definitely need more carts, not sure how easy it will be to pull this wagon once it is weighed down though. I did not see any horses in Malvia, there might still be some animals we can use to pull. Guess we came a bit underprepared seeing as how quickly you can kill and separate them. How is your aura holding up?” He asked.

  ​ “Huh, had not thought of my aura running out, I guess I would get tired and cranky. I did five hours of tree swinging a few times, so I can go for a while if the fighting is as easy as this. I am not exerting myself too hard here. I dodge easily then smoothly swing once to kill the golem who missed the tackle. I guess time will tell. Carry me back if I pass out, I am sure you won't mind.” I said with a laugh.

  ​ A new roar brought a single golem. Joey got out of the way, and I back peddled the creature until it was closer to the wagon. This one did try to club me, which was different. The move was slow and easier to evade than a leap was. I disabled the monster with a club side blow to the hip. The golem staggered from the impact then fell when the leg gave out. I finished it off mercifully. Joey was already gone to get another.

  ​ Multiple roars came our way as Joey pulled five over to us. He raced our way screaming profanities.

  ​ “Sorry team, I got the attention of one which turned into two when I realized I was near a cave opening. Three rushed out behind me, if they weren't so damn loud I would have gotten caught for sure.” Joey yelled to us.

  ​ The five were too much for me to handle solo. Time to deploy more decoys.

  ​ “Donnie, get the r
ight most one to chase you. If it starts to catch up go towards the city. Joey keep the first two following you, Nate peel one of those. Watch out for each other, I will kill these two quickly then call you over as I am ready.” I said waiting for the first two to pass me following Joey.

  ​ Donnie shot a bolt launcher at the one I told him to. It pinged off the golem with no effect besides making the beast angry. The roar and shift in charge pulled that entire group of three to him. That I was able to work with. I charged the slowest golem of the three. It ran forward right behind its fellow creatures. I did a sideways swing into the lower back with the ruby point. It was a kill shot.

  ​ I kept moving and reached the next golem who kept its back to me. I smashed the skull that produced a squishy popping sound. A tiny drop of the inner goo landed on my left arm and sizzled into my skin. The pain was intense as it seared deeper into my flesh. I was lucky it was a minor amount and still able to maintain my two handed grip. I kept going for the last golem that Donnie was avoiding.

  ​ The young man saw me approach and turned my target so I got a clean shot at the back. I smashed out a leg this time to avoid any of the lava blood from splashing me. Then did a quick kill with a ruby strike. I took a deep breath and summoned the strength to sprint.

  ​ I hustled to Joey and gave him a call. He saw me coming and tried to turn his golems for me. Unfortunately, both Joey and Nate's golems saw me as a bigger threat and converged my way. The one I was closest two lunged for a tackle, I avoided it will a roll to the left. The second golem clobbered me and sent me off my feet a short distance. I landed awkwardly on my left ankle with a pain that caused stars in my eyes. I hobbled when I realized I could put no weight on it.

  ​ The golem who had hit me moved forward and tried for another sideways hit with an arm. I ducked under it by dropping to a knee. The arm swooshed over my head giving me an opening. I smashed the ruby end of the club into the chest of the creature. It grabbed the hole as it leaked and fell over dead. The last golem was on all fours trying to get standing when I brought Smasha down hard on the back of the creature's head. The fight was over.

  ​ Joey, Donnie, and I panted for a few minutes. We were at our weakest right now so I did a quick check with Traz about the warg party. They were roaming in the far distance and we were clear. I breathed in relief and helped the men dismember the five extra dead golems. It was fairly quick work as I hobbled to each one and used Smasha to break the golems into movable pieces. The men followed behind me and loaded the wagon.

  ​ “Alright, that is enough for now. This is a good haul, we will take turns pulling the cart back. I can help get it started rolling with my one good leg but after that, I am going to use it as support.” I said as Nate and Brad took the handles to start the pull. The rest of the men helped me get the wagon rolling by pushing from the back. It creaked and groaned but once it got going the loaded cart rolled smoothly down the dry road. “Looks like this wagon could hold a few more if we had a combat healer to continue. If we get additional wagons and some hired muscle we can adjust how long we stay. I had planned on being here for a few days, and with nothing pressing in Fernlan, I think we should extend that. Get a massive harvest of these, especially if the gold is there in selling them. Because I think all of us want more gold, right!?”

  ​ This got a small cheer from the men, it was the reason they were here. Gold and I was offering more of it with some hard work. I needed to learn how much these golems were worth and how many I would need to light Dais.

  ​ “It should be easy enough to find more wagons to buy, finding men in a hostile city that I want to take into the wild lands is another ordeal.” Nate said as he heaved from pulling the wagon. “We will make it happen though, locate some mercenaries or men desperate for work. I have to admit it went a lot smoother than I thought it would. Even with Joey nearly getting himself killed, dumbass.”

  ​ Part of the camaraderie was giving each other grief over our mistakes. In this case, Joey deserved it, he was deep in enemy territory and got surprised. I did not think less of him as a warrior. I knew from experience sometimes you deserved the harsh critique. The walk back took longer than I anticipated because the trail which I thought was flat was now going uphill. The men took turns telling stories of their craziest drinking nights. Each story got a bit more farfetched and fanciful.

  ​ We were roaring laughter when we crossed the barrier and were inside Malvia. A team of four griffins provided escort for us and I hobbled onto Traz's back as soon as I could. The cart and the parts made it safely to the Count's manor. There were some unfriendly faces but most were shocked to see the large pile of golem parts.

  ​ “My husband, I am so happy you return.” Velia greeted me as I slowly got off Traz. She saw me limping and rushed to my side. “Let me support you. The Count has a wonderful hosting area for meals on the first floor. I will get you settled than find a healer. Preferably one cheaper than Drifa.”

  ​ We hobbled into the manor and entered a private lavish room. It held a large rectangular table that had three benches around it. Instead of the typical chairs, these benches could be converted into a bed type platform. The table came apart into sections. I then realized what this room was. It was a dine and fuck orgy room. The count would eat to his fat hearts content, have the table removed, place a dancer at the far end or some music and then lounge. While lounging it was probable serving women, which would not be hard to find in a city this large would provide wine, snacks, or sex.

  ​ I tilted the bench back before I sat down. Once the bench was in lounge mode I took my liberty to remove my dirty armor.

  ​ “How did you know it did that?” Velia asked and I shrugged. I knew she would figure it out on her own in a minute. She saw I was comfortably seated and left the room. She returned with a bucket of soapy water and a cloth. I was cleaned with an intense scrub. Velia used her small muscles to clean all the grime and sweat off me. She scoffed when her hand neared where the golem goo burned into my arm.

  ​ “I know Velia, I will be more careful, I need you to get a healer and a fire mage for me please,” I said. I was about to lay down when Lady Tami entered.

  ​ “Ah, I did not take you as the orgy man Gryff, surprised you are planning to eat your lunch here. The stains never really come out.” Tami said.

  ​ “So that what this room is for, well technically I was not wrong it is a hosting room. Oh, my dear husband, how about we get Tami to find a servant to fetch a runner for your mages. While I take care of certain large problems... delicately.” Velia said and slid the cloth under my kilt to clean my penis.

  ​ I smacked her hand away and she grinned. “Feed me. First woman, I am famished. It takes a lot of food to keep a body looking this good, not to mention I burned a lot of aura. So when we fuck you are doing all the work.”

  ​ Both ladies laughed at this and I chuckled myself. Tami took her leave with Velia. I rotated the bench back to the sitting position and awaited my meal. I was not disappointed, it was runtlet with rice. As I devoured my food I lost sight of Velia. I spotted movement between my legs under the table. She stared up at me with her guilty greedy brown eyes. She flipped my kilt up and pulled my undershorts down.

  ​ “What are you doing?”

  ​ “Relax, I am thanking my husband for taking care of me. Please finish in me okay.” Velia said as she gulped my soft cock into her mouth.

  ​ I was kind of focused on eating but I wolfed down my food to give my attention elsewhere. This blowjob was amazing. I was letting it out of control and almost climaxed in her mouth when Tami entered the room.

  ​ “Shit woman don't you knock.”

  ​ “You may be an Earl but this is my house. It is not like I haven't seen worse in this room. Trust me you are like ten times more appealing than that fat bison of a husband of mine. Alas, I am content with Carl, he is sweat on me and treats me the way I deserve. Anyway, do not let me stop you from your fun, the healer and fire mage awaits you outsid
e. They are talking with your captain Nate. Waiting for you... well, both of you... to finish your snack.” Tami stated and bopped my nose with her index finger while Velia continued to work her tongue around my cock.

  ​ “Alright, out with you and you bend over,” I ordered. The door closed and Velia got out from under the table. She bent over with her hands on the table. I smacked her tight ass with a spank so hard it echoed. My red handprint was etched into her right cheek. Velia shuddered in the painful pleasure and wiggled her ass asking for more. I slid my cock that was waiting to explode into Velia's wet welcoming pussy. Her tunnel squeezed hard on the cock.

  ​ “Can you move a little to the right, perfect,” Tami said watching, apparently she closed the door and never left.

  ​ “Ladies rule!” Velia said while I was distracted and slammed her ass back into my crotch burying me deeply. She did that three times and I burst my load into her. It was so good I moaned out and had to brace myself on her dimpled back as I vibrated with release.

  ​ I hobbled back to the bench and sat down. I grabbed the cloth and washed my cock off, pulled up my shorts and strapped my armor on. The two girls giggled in whispers by the door. I hobbled over to them and Velia slid under my left arm to help balance me. Tami opened the door for us and it was like nothing out of the ordinary ever happened.