by Marcus Sloss
We were making our way back to the barrier with the nice breeze cooling us from the lava heat.
“Well yes, it was specifically written in. One of the lead female griffin riders at the time, Lady Canda was insistent that it be included. Else the roosts would be a cesspool in no time. Did you not notice the griffins taking off in the morning, and no extreme foul odor by where they slept? They were dropping griffin poo bombs outside the barrier. Perfectly fine as long as it is natural from them. Well within the rules of the accords.” Duke Riza informed me.
“I think the Horde negotiators may have made a large mistake we can exploit then,” I said with a grin. This caught Traz's attention and he listened intently while he hovered beside us. We felt the tingle of the barrier crossing and Traz landed to walk with us. “Well… some know that griffins can do magic, what most do not know is how powerful it can be. Also how limited their knowledge is on it. How about before tea with Bella you join me for a demonstration?”
“Of course, lead the way.” Duke Riza said.
∞∞∞
Drix was holding a vole heart in his hand and told everyone to close their eyes. He infused the heart with some magic which ramped up in intensity until it was too much. I, of course, am an idiot who watched him and never closed my eyes. I was blinded. Even in the sunny daylight, the illumination was too much. I covered my eyes in pain, stomped my feet, and used many curses at my stupidity.
When it eventually wore off. I saw I was not the only one recovering. Drix proclaimed that it was indeed a vole heart that battle mage used in his story, evident by the test. Which meant a few of those anchored into the ceiling of Dais and I had daylight. I would need to develop a way to cover them for the night but I figured that would be easy enough.
All around me people smiled with the news, this was a giant leap in the lighting needs for humanity. You could light dark city slums and reduce crime, light mines for mineral digging, and so many other applications. This was more than enough raw materials, and even King Horus would have his needs meet for his underground capital. We had killed more than enough golems and voles by this point.
What I really wanted to know was the vole blood a catalyst for fire spells? I walked over to the vials and found one of the golem goo. I figured we would start our testing with the less potent catalyst first. I walked over to Traz with three containers.
“Alright Traz, we will start small. Listen to what Krix tells you and then you will attempt to launch a fireball. Aim it for these trees inside the barrier please.” I said.
“You sure you want that wild griffin testing around all these people?” Lord Nova questioned. “I could do it.”
“Donnie grab three vials of this goo and bring it to Lord Nova, we will have two griffins testing,” I said hoping to placate the big griffin. Donnie did as ordered.
Krix stood on one of the tables used for sorting hearts into torches. He turned to face a dozen griffins on the plateau. In one hand he held a vial between his thumb and index finger.
“The glass of these containers is a conductor, to use the catalyst have one side touch your body to mix with your aura. If you place this vial into a leather pouch that will negate the catalyst as the leather is a great insulator. That is why you see all of us fire mages with spare belts on our bodies. We pull a vial out to use it, and that one alone. If we pull too many vials or do not have an insulator against our flesh we can over-catalyze the spell. The best mages can control the amount of catalyst consumed while most new mages have the amount limited to prevent overdraw. This is bad for a few reasons, but for now, we will avoid the chance of that happening. When I normally train an apprentice I insure they start slow. A fraction of this vial is all that is needed for a small fireball. So bring me back those vials, and mage Willis will give you some smaller amounts.” Krix waved for Willis to go to me.
I swapped out full containers for low amount ones with Willis. Once Donnie and I were back to our respective griffins Krix continued. Before he talked again I handed Traz his first vial.
“For a human, we find our aura in our core. It is under our chest and above our stomachs. It takes time to master how much you summon for each spell. I extract an amount that I have grown accustomed to throwing a fireball. I drain the catalyst into my aura and then channel the spell. When I feel the spell is properly channeled...” Krix paused and ducked as a large fireball arched over his head.
So my idea to hand Traz a vial early was probably a poor decision. The griffin launched a ten foot wide and five foot long ball of flame over Krix. It burst into the pines and a fire broke out. Not to be outdone Lord Nova pried the three vials from Donnie and threw a fireball at least five times greater. This one burned so hot the trees vaporized to ash.
“Seven hells, bison shits, by the gods.” The curses poured forth from the gathered humans. The griffins jumped with joy and excitement. My head suddenly was overloaded with griffin talk. There were endless requests to try shooting a fireball from the assembled griffin. That lasted a few minutes and was only enhanced in torment level when the griffins from below joined the chorus.
“Enough!” I shouted.
I looked crazy because everyone was actually quiet from the shock of the spell. I was the only one with the loud nagging of the griffins. I rubbed my temples in frustration.
“Clear the plateau. I need Krix and the fire mage team to make some small vials for all the griffins.” I said as I look over our golem goo inventory. There were wooden keg barrels of the stuff stacked behind the fire mages. There must have been a few hundred containers filled with the catalyst. More than enough to spare. “Let them shoot fireballs to their hearts content for now. I can always get more golem blood later but we clearly have a surplus. Let them have their fun, and when there are fewer lives at risk we will move up to testing the vole blood. Alright for the rest of us we get that rare third meal today ladies and gents, lunchtime.”
∞∞∞
The ceremony of making Strin a Baron had ended and it was a rather dry affair with minimal attendees. I did see Prince Rodriq excitedly talking to the Duke. I was glad he was happy with his transition. I exited the court chamber and walked to the stable outside. I was looking for a ride up to the plateau. I started to get a little nervous when I noticed the area was mostly clear but I saw a few griffins guarding the gate. I called out to Traz and instead, Dina arrived with her pink tipped feathers.
We exchanged pleasantries and in a few moments, we were up above the city and landing. The fire mages were still working. Three were dissecting the rodents and extracting the vole’s parts. A half dozen were constantly loading vials for the griffins to test. A set of rocks had been moved where the trees used to be. Griffins of all colors and sizes were slinging fireballs down the range. It was impressive and frightening.
Lord Nova raised his resting head when I arrived. He did a rapid, twisting, shake of his body that griffins tended to do when they were waking from a nap. I waited as he approached.
“Do you know how hard it was to tell female mages we wanted their catalysts to try? Let me say it was impossible, and we gave up that effort early in the war. Now with you, we can finally progress forward with our talents and magics. Today is a big day for my species, and the fact you made it come to fruition will not be forgotten.” Lord Nova said while he looked down at me. “Let us test the vole blood, and then I have a volunteer here. This griffin is named Xar. He will go out into the wild lands and see if throwing a fireball at the Horde triggers the peace accord magics. It is always sad to see these tests fail if they do, but we must know.”
I had been thinking about that myself. If the magic was in the same category as a bodily discharge then it should be allowed. They were not touching the ground in the wild lands or dropping combat personnel. If it violated the accords the contract magic would turn him to ash by disintegration.
I agreed that we should proceed. There were far fewer people up here for this test. Dina placed herself between me and Lord Nova. Even
the fire mages stopped their work and hid behind cover.
There was no count down, or warning. Lord Nova was handed a container of vole blood and then he cast a spell. I never saw its release, but I did see the effect. The rocks that had been target practice melted to slag. The fireball was a lava ball and it left an utter trail of destruction on where it hit. Dirt, tree, grass, rock, and all else were melted down into a baser liquid form. The result was a growing river of lava. As the lava ball died off the magma cooled and steamed. We watched as within a few minutes an outer shell hardened.
“Scary stuff Gryff, I could melt this city of Malvia, no problem, with a single vial. I barely used any there and my aura is still nearly full. Very scary. I have slain over a million Horde, but with this, I could burn billions. Enough talk get a vial Xar, go burn that orc settlement to the south. Use the golem catalyst. I want to send humans to salvage the bodies for meat. May the creator watch over your soul.”
Lord Nova said.
Of course, I started thinking in my head the amount of work that fetching the dead bodies would take. How many carts, how many trips with limited people. I got lost in that thought when Lord Nova told me to get on Dina.
I did as he said and got in Dina's saddle. I then ordered Krix to load up Xar with as many vials as he could in a conductive manner.
I watched as a large glass container was stuffed under the saddle on Xar. Krix said the pressure against his body should hold it fine if he flew without excessive movements. He pulled the test glass back out and poured golem goo from a cask filling it. He worked the gem shaped glass container under the saddle again until he was satisfied.
Xar gave a nod to Lord Nova and as one… The griffins bowed in respect. Xar held his head high and flew off out of the barrier. Dina and I glided behind Xar by a few hundred feet. I was nervous, Dina was nervous, the entire clump of griffins were nervous. When I glanced back there were over fifty of them in the air watching us fly.
The river took a soft turn and then straight by the settlement. There were only a few hundred orcs in this village. I saw no warg riders or trolls. Only orcs and goblins. They had their traditional hide huts and large fire pits throughout. There were a few defenses erected with wooden spikes and a small trench. Warriors trained, female orcs herded children, and goblins fetched water. It was similar to the orc city north of Fernlan, merely smaller.
Xar flew over the village once and was ignored by the residents. He stopped his flight a few hundred feet in the air and channeled the spell. I watched as his two front paws formed a tiny every growing fireball of lush oranges and reds. The twirling circle of magic only grew until he rapidly released the energy.
As the fireball streaked toward the ground it continued to increase in size. A few goblins pointed at the approaching doom but nothing was done to stop it. There was no shaman here to erect a defensive shield. The ball hit the dirt and spread in an inferno of death. The impact site formed a crater and everything inside it was ash. The circle of destruction spread which caused the rest of the village to catch fire. On the outer edge a few goblin who had been fetching water dove into the river.
They were the only survivors. Well them... and Xar. I was right in my assumption. The Horde who had made the accords did not know the griffins could cast offensive magic. Therefore they did not include it in the agreement. Xar had destroyed hundreds of orcs and goblins in a moment. We had hundreds of barrels of this catalyst and there were tens of thousands of griffins still left alive. The implications were astounding and this was not even with vole blood. Contract magic was how the Horde maintained order, for them to make a mistake on this scale was jarring.
I cried out in joy. Xar joined me in our celebration happy to be alive. The griffins back at the base camp sent fireballs into the sky. It was a telling moment. This was the turning of the war. If the peace accords dropped we were set to push the Horde back. If they stayed in place we could purge the lands around our cities in defiance. Even stop the spreading invasion that continued south.
∞∞∞
I had flown home to Fernlan that night. Two dozen griffins helped me bring back my people and supplies. Lord Nova had sworn me to secrecy, and then I forced everyone who saw the griffins cast magic to the same secret. I did not think it would stay hidden but I hoped those that heard would dismiss it as wild rumors. While we were heading to Fernlan across the Empire the casks of golem goo were being hidden. Lord Nova said we must prepare thoroughly before we went on a full scale attack. There were people far more important than me who would be making big decisions in the coming days. I went back to my home to build while they strategized.
I could not have been happier either. Our flight of griffins arrived well after dark, and we got to surprise Velia in our bed. Luckily she had the foresight to purchase a second and third bed. They were far more comfortable now. I squished my way into the middle of my three beautiful wives and went to sleep.
There was no nightmare that night, and I awoke to someone trying to shut the door quietly. The hinges creaked showing their age. I did not mind, it was Pipi probably going to get Vern or us some breakfast. I decided to rise and cook for once. Something I rarely did.
I went into the Inn's kitchen and made some scrambled duck eggs with runtlet chunks. I brought the delicious dish that I kept picking at to Velia and Bella for breakfast in bed. They were so appreciative that they tried to seduce me. I was interested but made them a deal. The next bedroom adventure would be all of us together. I thought it was only fair, all the girls got private time, but now we could figure out how it would work when everyone was together. They teased fake pouts, then got ready for the day. It was cute to watch them get ready by torchlight and little mirrors.
I donned on my heavy armor because I was going to be somewhat cool compared to the lava. I figured the extra protection was nice. If I had to go swim to get fish for whatever reason I could always get naked but the raft should work fine. My to do list for this morning was to gather the fish while it was still cool out. Then when the sun came out in full force I would start to hang torches in Dais for lighting.
I gave my two lovely wives who were doing each other's hair a kiss goodbye. I strutted out of the Inn and into the early morning sun in a great mood. The blazing ball of gas was cresting the horizon to illuminate the village. I got to see how much change had occurred since I was gone. The plots that were partially cleared were now fully cleaned up. No hazard buildings still stood. The structures that remained had evidence of recent repairs with clean wood contrasting old wood. When I got to the ramp to the western fields I saw the shacks were all replaced with a few sturdy small houses that decorated the land. My half shed was removed and a proper barn had been erected. The space for my manor was cleared and construction started.
The tunnel to Dais was enlarged. A nice sign over the entrance displayed the name of the cavern. Wide doors were open allowing entry. To the right of that, the dugout that Lydia had birthed her cubs in had a cloth covering. I could hear the gentle noises of the cubs. It was still early morning so I let them be and meandered through the field towards the eastern gate.
A map was posted much like a displayed sign. There was a fire pit and some benches that indicated a place to plan before braving the wild lands. I ran a hand over the wooden map and marveled at its details. The entire little briefing area was another stark change to what Fernlan used to be. There was so much progress here. Including a wind and watermill that had propped up on the creek. A sawmill beside it. The entire village was now a town and that was not including Dais.
I was excited to go down and visit it. To check on the progress and start putting illuminating torches to bring light to the cavern. I dropped that thought and prepared myself for exiting the wild lands. I rang the little gong that hung by the map. A griffin I did not recognize landed a few moments later.
“Ah, Earl Gryff, I did not expect you. Una has been leading her men out into the wild lands as of late. They normally start the day after the firs
t meal. I am Wina, of former Malvia pride. How may I assist you this morning?” The female griffin Wina said. Her feathers were light blue and she had a dull yellow swatter ball.
“A recon of the river where I set my fish lines please and any details of the area I need to be aware of,” I said as I ran my hand across the finely carved map in awe.
“Well, a team of six ogres has moved into fields west of here. They have been staying back from the barrier in the hopes you or someone from Fernlan wanders too far. Every time they get too close to Una and her team we warn them back to safety. On the eastern side, a team of large orcs has been setting traps all-around key trails. It has made traveling into the wild lands more dangerous, and more often than not the Fearless Company has been forced to retreat. If I had to guess you killing that chieftain has caused the word to reach some of the elite squads. They are hunting aggressively in the area. To the far north, there are massive armies vying for dominance of the orc city. Up to five chieftains are battling over that location to establish a winner. The old residents have already been overrun and slaughtered. It is not clear who will win as the fighting still continues. Thousands have died in the combat up there. Much has changed in this area since you have been gone.”
I struggled to stay focused. The thought of killing six ogres raced in my head. I had the fast firing ballista, it would maybe kill two or three. Yeah, it could hand that many, what to do about...
“Hey, you in there?” Wina said while waving a paw at me.
“Sorry, yeah. Doing some planning. Was thinking about...” I was interrupted.
“Before you go too far, Lord Nova sent word that if you go charging into a bad situation all us griffins can do is scare tactics or fake attack runs. We will not be using fire magic right now. King Horus and King Aves intend to hold meetings here in the new griffin capital. They are wanting to unlock all the magic they can from all the different auras before exposing more to the Horde. There is no if and or buts. There is too much on the line. Consider the destruction of the orc settlement your big climactic event for the next few weeks. The griffins and humans have figured out enough to make progress with or without you. Not saying they do not value you, but you are only one man. So before you charge off to attack six ogres with an inferior slow weapon, yes I have seen your mobile ballista, do not. Go get some fish and I can keep you safe and warn you if something approaches. Thanks, Gryff, you are the best.” Wina said sweetly as if speaking to a toddler.