Gryff Boxset

by Sloss, Marcus

  I guess I deserved that hostility, I did knock out her husband and grabbed her wrist roughly.

  “What is in it for me?” I asked.

  “Men! I will owe you a favor, but careful what you choose. Nothing perverse.”

  “I am a gentleman, your virtue is safe.”

  The Duke chuckled about his wife’s virtue. That got him glares from her.

  I walked to the balcony doors and opened them. A nice breeze blew in and I got a great view of the back gardens. Whoever did the bushes in this place was a master. I looked over the awesome hand carved statues and got lost again. Before the poke landed I dodged to the side.

  “What! Fernlan is literally eight shacks and some pits to shit in. I like this palace. Who names a griffin Grank? Hey Grank! Come to the back fields and land please.” I didn't raise my voice for the second part. Everyone in the room paused from their activities to watch as a griffin almost twice as large as Lirkon landed on the back lawn.

  This male was massive. I thought the skinny griffins of Cern were huge but this guy was almost fifty feet long. Yup, he was a dude, his balls probably hurt to fly around with. Maybe caused hip problems the same way women got back problems with big breasts. I didn't want to look but it is like that guy with a giant mole on his face, you just noticed the huge mole. I adverted my gaze and saw his coloring was mesmerizing. His feathers weren't white with a tip color like all the Cern pride. Well, former Cern pride. He had deep purple feathers with light gold tips. The ball on his tail was maroon with bright gold tips.

  “By the gods, you are a fine looking griffin. I am sure the ladies chase you endlessly. What is your true name good sir?” I asked.

  “It is Grank” Lady Ona impulsively said.

  “I am Lord Nova of the Lakeland tribe, but I am the pride master of the whole kingdom. The king’s matriarch bows to my rule. Well met Gryff of Fernlan, Lydia speaks well of you. I hope the Duke listens to your plea regarding the Cern issues. I will bow to you out of respect for you saving some of my kin. Do not get used to such displays.” Lord Nova said with a stern and slow voice.

  Lord Nova executed a perfect bow. I mimicked him in return.

  “Did he bloody bow to you?” One of the Duke's advisors asked.

  I ignored him.

  “Lady Ona, this mighty griffin is known as Lord Nova. He says all roosts in this realm are under his leadership including the king’s roost. Give me a moment.” I paused in thought. “Yes, that would do. Lord Nova, Lady Ona and well most humans do not believe we can speak. She asked me to prove it. Can you tell me something about the Lady that only you would know?”

  Lord Nova contemplated then told me what he knew of Lady Ona that would prove we could talk.

  I blushed and laughed. “I would rather not,” I said out loud.

  “No fear of reprisal here, spill it if you want the debate ended that you can really speak to Grank,” Lady Ona said.

  I cringed at the wrong name again. Fine, she asked for it. “He said you constantly complain when in the air about how the Duke pretends…” I paused for tension. “That it is too dark and tries to slip it in your butt...”

  I caught the smack before it landed. “Uncalled for,” I told Lady Ona.

  The Duke was in a roaring laugh while his advisors blanched.

  “How could you Lord Nova, no grooming for a week. Sorry, I lost my temper Gryff of Redland. I will leave you, to discuss things of war and take an embarrassed exit.” She said and stormed out of the room.

  “Impressive display. Okay, come over here. While in a private setting like this you may call me Riza. We are going to start at the beginning with you. I have Fernlan on this map being here. Verify it please.” The Duke ordered. He pointed to the correct spot and I confirmed it. “Okay, where did you acquire this head? Tell us every little detail of the battle with it also.”

  It took some time but I retold the story of how Lydia scouted for me. Of how I got ambushed by a perimeter guard and then charged by the chieftain. How I got lucky with my distraction and cleaved the orc in two. They asked many questions about the fight. When they asked about the war boar they seemed uninterested after they found out I discovered it dead.

  “Do you know what this crown says?” An advisor asked. The man had a black beard with patches of gray in it and a shaved head. He was the fattest man I had seen on Vin so far. I shook my head no. “I am Derfran, a man of learning. I can read, write, and speak Horde. It was no easy feat to learn so...” The Duke stopped him from rambling. “Back on topic. This crown has Horde written into the side of it. 'Allows entry into villages 112323, 125454, 148494'. Then right here it says '300kg'. We know what this crown does, we have seen them before. Yet this is the first time we have seen one up close. This crown being in our possession is a first, and when I say first, I mean for the entire empire. No way can this stay here in Lakeland. This crown will go to our King, then to the King of Kings the Emperor. It will cause a ripple across human lands that a crown was captured so soon after the peace accords. This will make the Duke look very well in the eyes of his superiors. I can only guess how long it takes for the Emperor himself to summon you to hear your tale.”

  I glared at the crown, finally realizing the implications this may have on my life in my tiny corner of the Empire. I had so many questions but before I could ask Derfran continued.

  “Riza, my lord, this is the location of three villages with barriers north of Lakeland without portals. 125454 is coordinates for exactly where Fernlan is on the map. The other two are here at village Xiq, and here at outpost Straddleback. This crown is the key that lets the local orc chieftain collect the dues. Without this key these three villages be will free of quotas until the shamans make a new crown for the new chieftain.”

  “That doesn't make sense. I passed outpost Straddleback on my way down, it was intact but empty.” I said. I set my paperwork down and pulled out my map. I compared it to the Dukes map and they matched. “I was wondering how it had not been raided, but with no one there the barrier should be down from lack of payment. How could the barrier stay if no one was providing the required food? Wait a second... Elan the leader of Fernlan said this was the Orc who collected the goods from the village. He said they took about three men's worth of weight and then left the rest. That must mean each village owed a hundred kilograms but was collected from only one point. Would explain the number on the crown and makes sense to collect from a single village. No wonder the people of Fernlan are skin and bones. They have been paying three times the quota.”

  All the men nodded in agreement at this rationality. I was not happy but relieved that I had found some answers about Vin and the crown.

  “How long do you think until the next crown is made and replaced?” I asked

  “Depends, my first guess is the next chieftain will be a direct underling of the dead one. He will not want to report his old leader's failure. It will probably take another leader change to force the orcs to admit their loss. The shamans are unforgiving, they will not happily replace the crown. If anything they will send a challenge to remove the settlement to other orc tribes with the new crown and promise of free human food as a reward. Which is why it may never get reported as lost.

  “What I learned during the days of the peace accords is that the crowns were given out with rules. No duels and no unnecessary risks. Loss was to mean death as they were melded into the heads of Horde leaders. We never saw them though. All the major cities have a portal.

  “After the peace accords were signed tens of thousands of shamans created the spell of the barriers that enclose our cities. After that, they broke down into groups of a hundred and entered every city. When they entered, they picked a central location. Here in Lakeland, the center of our barrier is right outside the drawbridge in the fields. At that spot, they spent three days casting a spell in devotion to the evil god Muarta. Muarta is said to be the god of portal travel. How he provides the travel and what he requires to make it
work is unknown. After the three days, a circle of black stone rose from the ground at completion. Etched on it was the instructions of our quota to the horde that was clear during the day and glowed at night. Gryff, there are thousands of gods we humans believe in. Never have we heard of one aiding our world by sending a traveler such as you. Can you disclose how you were sent or by whom?” I told him I could not say anything and the man continued talking.

  “Lakeland owes two hundred logs and two thousand kilos of food. The shamans explained the conversion ratios of weight to us. We have no trees to fell inside our barrier but plenty in the wild lands. We have come to the conclusion that some things are off limits from attack. Men chopping down trees have been safe, probably so we can meet our two hundred log quota. We pile everything on the portal at the first of the month, and like your leader, over deliver.

  “At sunrise on the first day of the month a shield covers the portal and a shaman appears like clockwork. The shaman, male or female, one of the rare occupations where a Horde member can be female, casts a spell. Then a vortex of blue and poof. The shaman will be gone and the exact amount due with them. Any extra or rotten food and logs are left behind on the portal.

  “The city of Flandry defied the quota. It is a city much smaller than Lakeland about three days by griffin to the south. They always were somewhat independent and refused the Emperor's agreement. The neighboring cities saw the excess they placed in their portals being removed to cover for the deficiency. They eventually stopped placing anything extra and refused to cover for Flandry. The Horde had enough. They kept the barrier up but instead turned it red and locked the people in. They then opened the portal for an army that massacred every last, living thing.

  “That was two months ago. It is a shame the peace accords allowed for such a travesty. But all is not lost. We can fight back within limits. The barriers allow twelve men with weapons out, if more try to leave they are stopped as the barrier solidifies. The Emperor ordered tests to try to find if we humans could exploit these rules. For example, one man out with forty weapons leaves a barrier, then forty men arrive to him and begin taking weapons. The moment they were armed the nearest three barriers locked red from the inside. There is no workaround. Each city can field twelve soldiers, any more is forbidden and begins locking other cities and alerts the shamans. Traders, settlers, and general people can travel freely. The rule is that they have no weapons and are not worthy of a fight. They can be attacked, it is within the accords, but the Emperor assures they are safe for now. So far we have not lost an unarmed trade party, the big issue is getting people further north to test it. No one wants to be the test subject and enter infested wild lands without weapons. In the small scale war effort to fight back, finding that crown makes such a pivotal change. You have found one empty barrier village which is much closer to Fernlan than us.

  “If it is chosen to be reclaimed then that is twelve extra soldiers or adventures on the field. Maybe another twelve can march from this unmarked third village coordinates the crown gave us. I am sure the Duke will assign someone to scout. They are fairly close together, and with some effort, a meetup point could be attempted. It would be nice if Lakeland had barriers as close as Fernlan does. “This right here. Us planning on how to get men out of the barriers and onto the battlefield is why the griffins cannot land outside the safe zones. Else every city could bring twelve men and assemble an army against the horde. It was a sad time when the Emperor tested the limits on the griffins. Three died shortly after the accords were signed. One landed in the water, its body shriveled and decayed into dust. The foul contract magic disintegrated the griffin when it triggered the violation. The next was a griffin who dropped a soldier from a low height. This had the same effect on the soldier and the griffin. The final death was from a griffin who walked out of the barrier on the ground never taking off. The key is they don't touch the ground. The Horde's gods, shamans, cyclops, and other leaders have designed something perfect for their purposes. We can fight back on a small scale, the limited numbers meant the Horde, as a whole can focus on big picture things. At the same time, their warriors are tested by fighting us in small skirmishes. Those still thirsty for war can find it, only with more effort. Those who want peace and growth have it also. Rather well thought out, it is my unconfirmed opinion that we are not the first planet they have invaded and subjected.”

  I had to give credit to Derfran, the man was a storyteller. The whole time he explained this to me I hung on his every word. It was fascinating and frightening to learn of the realities of Vin.

  “Not everyone is overproducing for their quotas,” I said in a somber tone. “That was the bad news I brought of Cern. Baron Liffa did not manage his livestock well, the fields are not producing enough, and has forbidden foragers from going into the wild lands in fear of the Horde's reprisals.”

  The Duke poked me with his stub arm and gave me a confused look. “Who is Baron Liffa? Baron Frank rules Cern. Good man, good warrior.”

  The jab from the stub was awkward. At least for me. The Duke didn't seem to notice me staring at it. I shifted my gaze back to the map.

  “Your grace, it was in your reports after the peace accords. You were heavy into your wine from the defeat. Justly so, we were all heartbroken at the Emperor's surrender. I gave you the pertinent paperwork concerning Baron Liffa, and you waved me away to sign the damn thing.” A thin man who had been taking notes said.

  “The days of wallowing in my cups of wine are over for now. Things suddenly got a lot more interesting. This crown proves we can fight back and make a difference. The barriers may limit the number of armed troops that exit, but that does not mean the war is over. You bring us hope with this Gryff. I will have to think of a suitable gift to exchange for it... Now tell me of Cern.”

  “I went to trade with Cern. It is within griffin sight of us in Fernlan. A flag is raised high above the village center and a griffin will arrive. When they did show up I saw a starving male named Lirkon, he was friendly and asked for some food for his wife. I had slain some goblins the day before and had stolen a lot of fish so the bodies were extra. I felt it was the right thing to do and gave up the goblins.

  “Later that day Lydia arrived with her husband and the trade goods. She never left. Claiming that the griffins were being starved. I have no verification aside from what the griffins tell me. I want to say that I one hundred percent believe them… yet, there could be a side I don't know. With that being said, Cern is starving. Well last night, we were celebrating the death of the war boar and orcs. A feast was held and in the end, every Cern griffin showed up. They claimed that Baron Liffa, knowing that the quota was due in only three days decided to poison the griffin water. We guessed this was for two reasons, eliminate the need to feed them and get the city through the month's required quota.” I told the Duke and his advisors.

  Riza was decisive, a true leader and came to a conclusion right away. “Marcus, assemble a strike team. I want you behind the female riders of the griffins if they allow it if not in sacks below them. Kill Baron Liffa. Make it public. There was a city guard captain I fought within the Valley of Weeping Willows with. A Hanz... yes his name is Hanz. You will make him interim Baron to keep order until I can place my own man there. We need more control over our realm now more than ever. Especially if the Emperor begins looking this way.

  “Danvid and Derfran, I want you both to figure out how much Cern owed monthly and then cover their entire quota on top of ours. I know that doesn't sound right. Basically, check with the food stores and add their weight required on top of our two thousand. If we need to buy fish from the south do so. Now hurry with it, I will not slaughter our livestock numbers that are doing so well. Gryff you will keep the griffins in Fernlan for now. Since you still have half a war boar and probably no quota due this month you can keep them healthy until things are stabilized at Cern. Clerk Cedric, I want official documents drawn up declaring Baron Liffa a criminal for his attempt to kill the Cern
pride.” The Duke said with finality. My news had sentenced a man to death. I couldn't be happier, the bonus was I did not have to kill the man. I had been stressing the Duke would ask me to do it with my limited knowledge of Cern.

  “Are you a clerk of the realm?” I asked the note taker.

  “I am. Clerk Cedric, pleasure to meet you Gryff.”

  “Riza, now that I have delivered my news about Cern I have a long list of things to get done. Is it okay if I quickly hand Cedric some paperwork to sign? I could also use a merchant or two to handle some needed transactions. Or else I will be stuck in Lakeland for days and I have many things on my to do list back at Fernlan.”

  The Duke nodded then bellowed at one of his servants outside the closed doors to fetch three merchants. I handed the paperwork to the clerk but Riza quickly snatched the papers.

  “Two marriage certificates and an adoption request. Are these widows with children?” The Duke asked.

  “One is a widow with no children, the other has a young son... goblin shits... I forgot to make paperwork to adopt him. On the to do list it goes. The little girl Lily, she was an orphan who found me first after I arrived on Vin. Great kid, rough life on the frontier. Figured I could try to marry her off and give her a better life here. Which is another to do, I need to resettle some people from Fernlan, would thirty be acceptable? They asked for ten but I know more would like to escape the rough life. We have a plan to offset the lost work done by adding livestock. Which I... wait for it... have a list for.”

  “Lakeland holds over a hundred thousand, I am sure we can handle them all, no limits. Lakeland has always been a safe harbor and we would welcome those who desire to come. If not there is plenty of space down south. It is unusual for a man to marry a widow, especially one already with a young child. You are a unique man Gryff...” He said as he signed my marriage papers. I smiled and wished the ladies were here with me. He paused at the last page. “Not for twenty years have I seen a declaration like this. They want you knighted. Ha, get a look at this Marcus. Marcus is the general of my army who gets the privilege of killing a dumb noble tonight. I miss the war...”