StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Greetings.

Let me show you this project I have been working on unrelated schedule. This is, if I am using the correct words, a mostly low-magic fantasy story, that had started as a way from me to better my English to a point where I could speak it fluently. It started almost a year and a half ago, but I only worked for in a sporadic, making small progresses as I needed to research what I was writing, but also have a functional life.

As it is, I have written, rewritten, revised and generally worked hard on this, but I have no found an audience to see if what I was writing was any good. So, wonderful members of StarDestroyer, I give you a story I have spent quite some time trying to write. This is a story mostly for me to practice my English and my storytelling abilities.

Finally, I want critique, both of the grammar and the story if it can be provided. I want to improve as much as I can with this, and I will not hesitate to go back and rewrite what needs rewriting.

With regards.

TheGreekOwl

The most horrific thing that I could be sure of back then was that I was tt wasn't as though the whispers in my mind were so important. rather, ...that tender voice inside my head is what assured me that I existed

Where I was lay no soil from the earth, nor was there a sky where the heavens resided, only an eternal darkness surrounding me, as if the night had come and the last star had fallen from the sky.

But why was I here? This darkness, this sweet confusion was all that I was left with. For only my thoughts were there to guide me; no objects to touch, no eyes to see, no body to feel.

The only thing that I could do was think, for the senses I lacked left me unable to observe and deduct.

I needed to be sure, the endless confusion brought anarchy to my mind. I existed; there was no doubt about that.

I kept thinking, not caring of what crossed it so long as my mind was working.

Although my senses may have been erased, nothing could make me doubt that I was at least aware of myself, even if this darkness is not a mere dream, but death itself. I think, therefore I exist. I think, therefore consciousness is what I have been blessed with. I think, therefore there is a plane which my body or mind lays.





It had one of those winters where the cold dug deep into your bones, where it had been too cold to take flight in the wee hours of the morning.

The Eastern mountains, stretching two hundred kilometers, stood like giants. Their sharp ridges reaching toward the heavens, adorned with vast and endless canyons and slopes between them. The further east one went, the more they shot up and the deeper and more ragged the canyons became. As if the earth had stood up and pierced the skies themselves. For this world, only solitude blessed this land.

Under the reach of the league of city states, this land had served its purpose as a divider with Agnostus, the unknown and dangerous lands up in the far Northeast. The sparsely placed troops in their watchtowers were to protect and receive the supply routes that grew more numerous in the north and south.

But without the power of flight, many could not make it that far. The endless snowy fields and small hills in the west like mighty giants brought forth a feeling of desperate isolation. A journey that many souls wished not to tread.

Yet, from the mountains, two beings (half-lion and half-eagle) from a far-off land appeared. They valiantly flew through the air, discussing the events that led them to this snow-ridden landscape.

These were the two sons of Archekantos Polytechnus, commander of a hundred gryphons near the borders of the Eastern Mountains, talking to each other about what mattered to them.

On the morning they were flying, the wind had dropped and the snow no longer fell gently onto the white earth below; a truly odd morning indeed. But they had not been not here by their own choice, not as if they could have known what would happen. Their determination and strong willed hearts lead them to carry on.

“You know Forea, it isn’t a shame to admit one's mistake,” the first brother Aristi chimed.

“Look, I already have apologised, can’t you just let it be?”

“Considering that we both missed the opening ceremony to the Emphilia, your apology, the one hidden behind your throat mind you, is not enough.”

“If you are intent to berate me, I will not spare you the same,” he answered as he looked back.

"I don't care what you do to me. Just admit this was your mistake to my face instead of hiding your apologies behind indecipherable murmurs. Obviously, your arrogance is showin--"

“This is not arrogance, you idiot,” Forea interrupted him “And why are you even accompanying me to the Watchtowers? I am perfectly capable of doing this on my own.” he answered.

“May I remind you that this is a ceremonial wine vessel made out of bronze, engraved and painted. We went all the way to ask the priests at the Agion Oros just to get this.” He paused to fly to his brother's right side before continuing. “And by Eris’s luck, like idiots we are forced to fly all the way over there in the middle of winter, all because you left it yesterday at the watchtowers of the abyssios Sea. After all that, you think that I will let you go take it alone? I am wrong in thinking that at least an honest, clear apology is too much?”

Forea perked up at that. “Yes, it is! Will you just let me be already? Thrice you have repeated it, and I swear, if you repeat it once more, I will wrestle it out with you,”

The other brother laughed for a moment before responding, “Ha, you wrestle me? You? The one who hasn't even picked up a sword in a whole year. You, that neither I can, nor do I want to find out how you managed to read the first tome of Anubio's notes on architecture in under two nights."

"It may be a shame not to know the body's full capabilities, but you're the Palatic and I'm the strategist."

Aristi raised an eyebrow. “A strategist who has never picked up a sword in his life? How comical.”

Forea couldn’t really think a way to answer back to that, for even with his considerable wisdom he had still been bound by the cruel boundaries of logic.

At that, he tried to refrain and distance himself from his brother, putting on a grumpy look, with his brother noticing, of course. He stayed a little bit behind, taking a moment to think that maybe after all of this mocking and trying to make him spit out an apology, he had been a little too cruel with him. In the end, he himself may have to apologise to him.

“Look, Forea, I bear no ill will against you. You are my younger brother for Minerva’s sake. I am simply doing what I think is necessary. I do not mean to do so out of hatred.” He tried to explain with as much compassion as he could muster.

The other brother let out a big breath, slowing his speed mid air, his brother zipping past him for a second before coming back to him.

He turned away from his brother, gazing at the environment while talking.

“I know, I know. Sometimes I forget things Aristi, objects, gryphons I should know. I still love you as much as any younger brother would. After all, you may be right. I may shelter too much with my wisdom. But don’t let that dete...” he stopped for a moment as he glanced away “By the god of Tartarus, what is that...?” he interrupted himself, Aristi’s mind taking a few moments to process what his brother had said.

"Is that what my eyes are telling me? Hundreds of meters away in a highlight had been a silhouette, too far to make out correctly, yet to Forea, it looked undeniably as something that he had read from a few of the most rare and valuable books in his father's collection.

“The flying feath- see what?” his older brother had been confused as much as him.

"I just saw a creature that the likes of our nation has not seen in over three decades." He quickly removed one of his bags and threw it at Aristi. He immediately charged in direction of the boulder he thought the creature had hid.

"Forea, Wait!" He shouted, trying to understand his brother's behavior.

“That can’t be it.” he thought to himself as he got closer to the boulder, finally seeing holes in the ground. He slowed down midair to think, for how long he forgot. Seconds, minutes, they all felt like a breeze in his mind.

Forea took flight near the hill he had seen it, through it had been covered in snow and boulders where one could easily hide behind them. He landed near the place he thought he had seen the beast, taking glances all around him to make sure he had not missed it. He hoped that this had been nothing more than a misunderstanding. Maybe a savage creature from the Agnostus ended up here. After all, it did look as one of them, even if the chances of one ending up in such a place had been unlikely.

Taking a look at the footprints, he was met with ones that have never been written in any of the books he had read. The footprint has some sort of a curved eclipse with rows of small holes inside of the area of the foot arranged symmetrically, which only led to unfiltered confusion as to what this creature had been. His mind on its knees begging for him to leave, he knew something had been wrong with what he saw. He held his breath for so long that he let out a huge struggling sigh. If he had not been with his brother landing behind him, he would have let the oppression in his mind crush him.

"Hey Forea! have you gone mad?" What on earth are you doing down here?”

He turned his head towards his brother, “Aristi, this may sound insane to you, but I saw a beast that I think is the mythical Anthropos.” he said with an anxious tone.

“The mystical Atropos? What?”

"An Anthropos, those creatures of chaos that I told you about last spring. Look at the footprints." he said as his brother took a look at the snow.

“Oh, for the love of Minerva! It seems that my taunting has touched you deeper than I thought” Aristi shrugged. "Look, it's probably something from Agnostus. We deal with those every week. Just fly around the damned rock and we will report it back to the nearest watchtower." He then let his brother do as he wished.

Forea looked at the footprints again, noticing it led to a boulder twice his size with snow on top. He tried to approach it, but he stopped several meters away when he heard some strange, rigid and mechanical sounds, like metal banging against each other.

“Aristi, it's behind this boulder” He tried to whisper to his brother who could barely hear him.

“You don’t say,” He turned his head towards him. “I doubt that whatever beast you are about to encounter can fly, so I suggest you take off into the air and-” His response got interrupted by another metal-on-metal sound, this one significantly louder than the others.


“Hold, what was that?“ Asked Aristi, both brothers facing the boulder, spotting a black cylinder staff coming out of its sides. A pair of black claws came out from behind. The brothers' confusion became more and more concentrated, as they finally realised that those did not look like any claws or staff they had seen.

In the midst of the snow they saw three small holes explode, accompanied by three loud bangs, echoing from mountain to mountain, painful to their ears. But while they were animals like all Gryphons, they refused to act like ones.

They did not know what sorcery this had been, nor did they want to risk learning it the hard way. While the explosions did not scare them off, their words choked their throats as they tried to speak as sweat started to form beneath their feathers, forcing them to remain motionless.

Forea would have none of this, and much to his brother’s terror, he spread his wings and flew on to the boulder, landing on the snow on top of it. He peeked down, expecting a creature of death and sorrow. Instead, he saw an unfamiliar pose which only led to his confusion and fear. He didn’t know how to describe it, nor did it remind him of an anthropos. It had a sphere for what he guessed had been the head and had been at a crouching position, making it unclear if it walked on two or four legs. It raised its arms, holding a black contraption. Whatever it had been, Forea thought to capture and examine it, especially the black contraption.

From above, the creature noticed a shadow looming over it, taking one moment to realise what the shadow was. It had forgotten that they had wings.

It quickly tried to point the staff at the gryphon, but it was unsuccessful as Forea pinned it to the ground, making sure it felt every bump as it tried to keep its head up before coming to a stop.

Forea opened his eyes, standing on top of it to make sure it didn’t escape while his claws were holding its chest and arms down. Finally taking a good hard look at what had interrupted their travels.

He remained silent.

Nothing came from his mouth that could express the mistake he felt he had made.

He simply stared, as he saw exactly what he had read about, the exact same characteristics in his books on the world’s creatures: the snoutless, beakless flat ugly face and small eyes whose path lead straight to its big, black heart. Of the times it had shed blood with its arms and the years of fatal wounds inflicted, the face who only the desperately insane would want to meet. Forea’s body writhed with each motion, feeling his cold claws lose their grip the more he stared at it.

“ An... Anthropos”

The anthropos ignored him. It might had been powerless and at the mercy of the Forea for a moment, but it found its chance in this silence. One of its hands that Forea had not applied much force with, the creature removed a knife off a holster faster than the gryphon could anticipate before stabbing him on right into one of his wings. Forea tried to scream, but got muted by a boot colliding with his face, forcing him to fall down on his side so it could move. It moved quickly and swiftly, picking itself off the ground along with his rifle as the Gryphon laid there letting out cries of anguish and pain. The flaws in his logic and the outcome were too much for him to deal.

Aristi quickly flew in, tensing up as he saw and heard his brother in such pain. The emotions coming from his brother coming throughout his head and making him tick with something primal, rage and hatred deliberating over and over again, a new wound dug itself atop of his body.

In his mind, one thought over-powered them all: he wanted to kill and maim that thing and he would not waste any time letting it get away.

He immediately tried to rush and pounce it but he noticed it raising the cylinder. Just as he hesitated, he heard the same three bangs from before, coupled with three other holes exploding near by. Though he took a step back, a rage built inside both his heart and mind as he observed the thing stand up on its hind legs and stare at him. A couple of meters away the injured gryphon’s shouts of pain started increasing.

Even though the shouts filled him with the desire to kill, he realized that his brother had been more important. He turned around slowly and took a couple of steps towards his fallen brother, all the while cautiously waiting for the creature’s next action. It didn't move, instead it took a step back, then another step and then another one, all the while facing them, before picking up its pace and fleeing down the side of the snowy mountain.

“Forea! Calm down, I will get you out of here.“ He said while noticing the knife jammed into Forea’s wing and his blood dripping all over the snow. His brother cries of pain felt like he had been in the presence of death himself.

Aristi panicked, desperation filling his mind, as the glances of his brother drove him insane. He tensed up again as he picked his brother up, grabbing him with his claws as strongly as he could, before trying to take flight with all the strength he could muster. He barely managed to get a few feet in the air before he felt the weight drag him down. Forea had been tossing and turning in pain, flapping his one good wing around.

The more he looked at it, the more he felt like he had been losing control. This shouldn't have been. This felt like punishment from above, that despite all of his effort, this would only lead to tragedy. But he couldn't give up, not now. He frowned as he held his brother with his claws, trying to calm him down.

“Forea! Forea, listen to me! Please, for your own good.” He put his claw over his brother's beak, trying to silence him while tears flowed down his face. “Forea, look, I will carry you on my back and I want you to hold as tightly as you can!”

Forea closed his eyes, nodding as he shook, his cries muffled as his beak got closed. Aristi crouched and tried to lift his brother on his back as Forea tried to help as much as he could. The stress and unrest grew. Finally, Aristi managed to get his brother on his back, bearing the pain as much as he could, gripping his claws around his brother’s chest while tears flew down his face. He gathered up all of his strength, will and his love for his brother to carry him on. It created a small hope deep within his body and mind.

He took flight, Forea moaning into his back as his brother took route for the nearest watchtower. The hours turned bitter to them as the memories and contradictions struck them in agony. They had seen and touched an evil that had infected their souls with such fear that they felt like it would rip their flesh apart. They had to inform their fellow gryphons of such a diabolic presence. Aristi cursed it, wishing forbidden acts upon it as he continued to fly west to the watchtower.

Aristi felt distant again; a feeling that couldn’t bear anymore. His eyes weary, his hopes diminishing, his words like far off dreams.

He had never been a saint to his own father, nor to the camp’s residents. The only thing he could tell them had been to wait and prepare. Thoughts gathered in his head as to what to tell his father, Grigoria. Oh that sweet Gryphon. Out of all the times she has taken him in her claws and showed him kindness. Out of all these times, he wished he could just get on with it with no questions.

“... and please don’t tell me or your father that this is not another joke?” She asked.

“Mother, I have a burning pain and blood all over my back from carrying my brother and it has not stopped since I left him at the other camp half an hour ago. Can you please just tell me where my father is?”

“Look, I told you of this because as much as I tried to calm him down, I could still feel a sliver of fury. Let this be a warning for you, he'll be enraged if this ends up being a joke.”

“I know, that is why I flew all the way from Apotheus’s camp to tell him face to face. We got to go and murder it right now,”

“Aristi, do not forget you who are talking to! Is it virtuous for a gryphon like you to lose his temper and shout at his mother. Even if he has gone through fire and steel, I want you to calm down, or I will allow not allow you to speak to your father, regardless of how justified it may be.”

“Look, mother,” He calmed down for a moment “This is no imaginary threat, believe me when I tell you that.”

“You really believe that Aristi?” She asked, looking him straight in his eyes.

“I do so with the courage to tell my father right in front of him”

“I see” she nodded “He’s over here, by the library.”

Aristi ventured into the library, twitching and cowering. Unwillingly he took a few steps near the entrance door, before him his father, focused on a book from the only bookshelf near the room’s only balcony. The morning sun peered through the balcony as Aristi's brief lack of awareness gave him a second to collect himself and muster the courage to talk.

“So,” he heard his father, Polytechnus, speak “I received a request from a messenger signed by you and Apotheus, telling me to be ready for your arrival and to stand against a being ‘which actions call for heavy sacrifices.’ And that they already have your brother at his camp. Now tell me, Aristi, is this true?”

“Y-Yes, I sent a messenger because I knew he would get there first and you could ready your arms before I got here.”

“Son, I control my anger because it is a far better virtue to be gentle. Yet, I see you drenched in blood and I fear of what you are about to tell me.”

“Wait, Father no! I know you are expecting this to all be an act, but I am telling the truth. Forea’s hurt, and I, with Apotheus, sent a messenger.” he stopped to take a breath “I do not want us to spare any second as that beast roams around the Eastern Mountains.”

“Calm down Aristi. I know a threat when I see one. Apotheus’s seal has clued me in, and even in older times, you never shouted at your mother with such anger. No, it is you who I want to hear from what took place.”

“Well, t- to spare the unnecessities, we were travelling to one of the watchtowers of the Abyssios sea when w- we took a shortcut near some dens and then we got attacked by a...” he paused.

“You got attacked by a...?” Polytechnus asked.

“We got attacked by an Anthropos.”

“An -- Anthropos?”

“I- I can't believe it as much as you can, but yes. We were traveling with Forea to the Abyssios sea when he saw it and he made a mistake.”

“Do not tell me this this one of your old jokes that you are playing on me Aristi?”

“Father, I don’t know how often you have heard me joke or make false promises,” Aristi paused to take a breath “But I tell you with all my heart’s strength, with all of my aspirations and the love for me and by brother; that wicked thing is real, and it is heading towards the dens.“

Polytechnus remained still. “Which dens? The Petrodo- ”

“Yes! As far as I know, that was the Petrodomus Dens.”

“By my mother,” he uttered “I... I need to think about this my son. Let me repeat: You are telling me that you encountered an actual Anthropos attacked your brother and is near the Petrodomus Dens?”

“Yes.” he answered without hesitation.

The unbelievable had happened to Polytechnus and he could not take it. He sat down on one of his bedsteads, trying to contemplate on what to do. The nature of the issue at hand got too much for him to bear but he tried to deal with it.

“God... if you were not my son I would not have listened.” He said, pausing to stare abstractly into the distance for a moment.

“Mitho!“ he suddenly let out, and a Gryphon came next to him from the balcony.

“Mitho, you must go to Minerva and inform Keratios and the senate, an Anthropos has been seen near the Petrodomus Dens.” he exclaimed, despite how much this weighed on him.

“I will request the senate and the politician Keratios, with or without the approval of other's cities representatives, to send our best warriors to the Palatics just in case. I want you to go there and be back as soon as possible. Time may not be plentiful, Mitho, you know what to say and the sooner you get there, the better.”

She nodded “I will sir.”

The messenger left, but Polytechnus would not wait twelve hours for a response to come back. He turned to his son, “Son, stand up, we have work to do. Grigoria!” he shouted “Go tell the gryphons to hurry up. We will set our base of operations at Apotheus’s camp.” he turned to face his son “Aristi, you are coming with me, you will tell me everything that took place in that trip. Its always the details that hold darker truths.”

“Wait,” he let out.

His father turned “Is something wrong?”

“Yes, there is. My wings feel like they have been stung by thorns. It took me an hour of flying just to get here. I need to sit down for a while. I just saw the healers drag him away unconscious and there was nothing I could do about it. I just need some time to clean the blood off and think."

“Fine” he said “But I expect you to be down in Apotheus’s watchtower to discuss this with him in less than an hour..”

“I will...”

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w1A ... ce4CzaSwsE Got to Google Docs Page
and
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gd- ... NQjz8/edit Author Notes

Go back at
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y5K ... Y56cI/edit
Table of Contents

Huh, hey GreekOwl. I didn't know you posted stuff here.

Hi. Could you please reduce the size of those images to roughly 1/2 as big as they are now? They're screwing up the formatting on my laptop.

Cold wind and snow rushed from the heavens above as it engulfed the cloudy night, showering the Eastern Mountains and its fields, never depriving them of its unrelenting and hostile environment. In these bleak and barren mountains the scouts had ventured out, to cover as much area as they could, never fearing for a second for their lives, knowing that the wicked bastard that had hurt one of their own could have hidden anywhere. They had so much ground to cover, yet they never rested for long. Such cruel hand fate had dealt them.

Polynices had been one of them, a young white feathered Gryphon, traversing through the air, all the while he shivered as he tried to ward off the cold beat snow. The wind rushed down from the mountains as he felt its eternal touch and listened to its infinite melodies. A poor fellow he had been, he cursed and observed the ground below in search of that legend that had dared to target their cities and burn them to the ground. There were several scouts like him, they all tirelessly seeked for that beast and they never shook either from the cold of the fear, their souls bereft of its purpose.

How many hours it had been since those fools had provoked the beast?

He remembered it’ve been six hours ago the least, but as time piled on and the early winter night settled in his thoughts became distant. Each breath he let out helped him focus on his goal, each flap of his wings made him more impervious to the wind. He wouldn’t risk not abiding by his duties and he would do his as much as his city asked him of.

Finally as he flew closer to the snow, something barely caught his restless eyes. A hole in the hill covered thinly by snow, a site too common from time to time. It hadn’t looked like it, but it’ve been standard for Gryphons that had long nights ahead of them to find a steep hill and dig a small cave to rest in.

He landed on the snow a few meters away to get a better look at it. It looked a little dug, in a way that even with his strained eyes looked a little bit uneven. If it had been dug, then he must had gotten lucky that he just so happened to fly near to spot it. But he remained unsure, so he took a step forward, towards the hole, the sound of snow audible even in this raging snowstorm.

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The shape of the hole caught his eye. There had been the chance that the one who crafted this hole still resided in it. Could be a Gryphon, but then again, it could be that creature. Regardless of their swift speed and strong spirits, the Eastern Mountains’s environment hadn’t left a lot of advantages for the scouts. Snow had been falling continuously for hours. This winter being as cold than the others, combined with the enormous amounts of land they had to cover made their tasks extremely difficult.


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Taking another step forward, he could sense something wrong. This night had been unrelentless, but thankfully, they planned ahead. They had been given orders in advance not to dig resting holes so close to the ground because of the chance the Anthropos finding and ambushing them. It felt to him that either this had been a particularly foolish gryphon or the beast had taken shelter in it.

His breathing started getting more intense the more he thought about it even to his own protest. He simply couldn’t believe that he had, by chance, found a dug snow cave where that thing could have resided. He expected it to find it wandering off in the snow fields, its strong body protecting it from freezing, unaware that he had spotted it. At that point he could seek to notify his comrades of which side of the mountain it headed too. Instead, he sat there gazing at the hundreds of snowflakes falling in front of him with bated breaths, contemplating what to do.

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His troubled mind left him with no choice but to move closer. What else could he do? He couldn’t just leave it there. By the time they could amass armed Gryphons and fly over to the hole, which would be a gamble since he had been already lucky to find it, the beast could have probably left. Even then, he had no way of knowing what laid inside that cave without putting his life at risk. What shame would it be if it turned out to be a Gryphon? With the energy and time wasted, that thing could have made way into the mountains.

He cursed himself that he didn’t have the experience of his elders. This could be his once once chance to catch the beast by attacking it, no, even better, ambushing it. He had this one chance to prove to himself that he hadn’t been deserving of pity.

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By Marna, what hadn’t he been doing? He had a dagger, enough to strike and spare this poor world of its evil, an ambush that it would have no way of anticipating. Yet, the price of failure loomed over his head again. Would he be held accountable if he hadn’t been capable? Would he be chastised as another fool who tried to do the job of heroes? Now as he found himself at the same position as them, he doubted his own judgement. But even then, would this not be honorable way to die? Hadn’t this what he always wanted, to be admired? That even in exhaustion and fear he would at least be held as an example of courage?

He paused his breathing for a moment and he reconciled. Never before had he drawn blood, and now he had found himself in a situation where he would have to take another life, if any life existed inside that thing. For all of his training and fanciful talk, he could still hear that voice.


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He got closer to the entrance, yet he remained silent, his heart pounded harder than before, as if to tell him not to play against fate. He tried to remain still and to listen if anything remained in this hole, but all heard had been his beating heart drowning out the noises. Even at that point, he didn’t know what he had been hearing, the endless wind blowing, his heart pumping blood so hard it hurt, that almost audible breathing, not even knowing whatever remained inside the hole.

He wished for it to be an animal or another Gryphon, but in the vastness of this land he had been alone, armed only with a dagger and his diminishing will, the only truth he could accept. What had it that been that he had been so afraid of? What had filled him with such anxiety and cowardice? Why did let the thoughts of its death and what would be told of him disrupt his thinking?
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He stood in front of the snow staring intensely at the covered hole as he held his breath. Then at this moment he realized something: that in the end he would let himself be filled with the inability to do anything. That he had let the thought of lives sacrificed to take out this animal enter his mind? What would he be but except another extra on a stage, another prop to be used and to be discarded? And behind this hole laid another actor. Or maybe just another animal, thinking and brooding over its own pathetic existence, twitching and cowering as it tried to get away from the faceless monsters that looked upon to kill it.

He realised that his biggest mistake until now had been that he let his will cover himself with courage and commitment only to question why he had stripped them of its enemy. Because in the end, neither had he been fighting a superior or inferior being. He had been fighting himself. And behind that hole, maybe that thing had been too.





“Aye, I didn’t get to see it, but I heard of his carcass. Thankfully, his arms or armor weren’t looted,” conversed Thesaurus.

“The blood boils over this. I can’t imagine what his mother would react with.” continued Argea.

“It's a shame too, he had some unpaid debts he was going to repay me.” they continued on, speaking of the fallen Polynice, whose time had come to early hunting down a beast of legends.

The black feathered Apotheus, leader of a group of twenty, took the time to think of what had happened. An anthropos had come from Eastern Mountains and gravely injured one of Polytechnus's sons? Or so claimed Aristi, the other son present at the event. Knowing them, he would had assumed that they were probably cracking one of their old jokes.

But the death of Polynices told him or something else. He arrived in the scene of the murder with a his gryphons and two surgeons, as he had longed to put his skills from under Veto’s Sanctuary again to diagnose the cause of death. But this had left him in confusion. From initial inspection he speculated that he had been stabbed by a small circular dagger or spear, but the shattered colaroid suggested something far more sinister. Seems to him that the beast had used a magic projectile, so powerful that it penetrated and broke his bones. But that fear wouldn’t be enough to make him bow down. He had talked to scouts, he had checked the maps, and he made a rough estimate. The field which they had found him had been just before had an opening of a gorge in the mountains, the one that led directly into dens. The spilled blood and the scouts had made him sure that that’s where the beast would head.

Tholos and his brave gryphons thought to try and hunt it by flight around the mountains, but Apotheus had other ideas. Inexperience was a bad treasure and a bad trait to those who possessed it, something he took pride in with his years of experience. The hole was what had worried him most. Polynices hadn’t been a brainless gryphon, he knew that he wouldn’t dig in the snow for shelter. No, what worried him the most had been the fact that the beast could dig himself in the snow and they like fools wouldn’t even notice it.

So he had formed a plan. He moved his lines into the gorge and organised them into a Λ-formation, a wedge, that spread from the left wall to the right wall, and ordered them to move forward leaving no inch of snow left unchecked. Now here they had been in the middle of the night, they seeked vengeance for the death of one of their closest and youngest soldier. A snowstorm had been picking up but they had not worried about. They had supplies and had dealt with far worse situations before. Exhaustion was what they had been trying to hide.

At this rate reaching the point of Polynice’s burial would have taken too long. Apotheus feared exhaustion, so he called for his second in command, Thesaurus.

“Thesaurus! Go tell both sides to speed up“

“I will my decarchon,” with that Thesaurus took off to inform both sides to speed up the searching, leaving Argea behind.

He would have most certainly stayed in the company of the surgeons, but he could not have waste any time. The beast had still been on the run and they had been right behind its track. Then again, they had made good progress in the hour, even if the snowstorm had been picking up. Searching back and forth we had not left an inch of space go unmonitored, through he thought it would have been viable to sacrifice some of the searching in order to save time. He had, after all, a reputation for being reliable behind his name, even if sometimes he had to round up his methods of conduct. He wondered though, what kind of recognition could he get for getting this beast tamed. The thought of him receiving a triumph intrigued him. Marble statues he had grown soft watching, and his name to pass down for ages in different cities strengthened his spirit.

But his thoughts got derailed in one single moment. He couldn’t believe how sudden the shift felt from his thoughts into reality had been.

A clapping snap sound had been heard off into the direction of the picking snowstorm.

At the same time one of the gryphons at the peak of the formation fell down before letting out a gut wrenching scream. They stood there, totally baffled as to what had happened. Blood run cold on those few seconds of silence, their minds trying to understand what had hit him.

Almost as suddenly, another similar sound is heard. This time, no time got wasted. Gryphons sprang their wings ready and jumped into the air, shields raised, arrows shot, going to wherever they thought the sound had been coming from coming. The loud breeze and the picking snowstorm made it hard to hear or see from where It had been coming from but they were no cowards.

Apotheus had been a little further behind the formation with three gryphons when this happened. He and the three gryphons that had still been with him, to first get the injured gryphon, Klados, then to spread through the sides and to stay low in case it got through so they could ambush it. A few moments, and he could barely see the gryphons near the sides, all the while distant cracks were heard by the distance, before he saw a panicked Argea approach him from above.

“Apotheus! We can’t find it.”

“What, are your eyes lost or something?”

“No, Thesaurus told me that the feathered shit blends in the walls and its hiding -- even with our third eyelid off we can’t seem to see it. He wants you up there.” he shouted.

"Above the ca- what, take me upfront,” he said to him before turning to the three gryphons behind him “Erodis, Aetios, Kalogiannis, and get Klados away from here.” I told them. The gryphons responded with a nod and immediately sprang into action.

Few times had he found himself into a situation like this. All of those instances had the same characteristics. Loud noises, confusion and deceptive tactics used by the enemy. He had taken flight following Argea, the adrenaline and the cold making them both feel numb but unstoppable. Behind the background drop of the frozen wind the loud cracks continued, the sound of arrows clashing against stone beneath them, loud rocks hitting the canyon walls as they fell down.

Argea lead to him to Thesarus who was just ahead of them “Thesarus! Explain!“ he said in a rush.

“We made one pass and I could barely see it. Its hiding near the right canyon walls from the side I came.”

“Of course it is, thats why I told you to form an echelon and to surround it," he angrily mattered.

“My decarchon may not work, two gryphons fell when we made our first pass. To get close to it would cost us.” he shouted.

“Give me a moment,” Apotheus said before turning his head to face half a dozen of gryphons firing arrows and throwing rocks. He needed to find a way to get close to the demon.

He send out Argea and Dactylus as he told a the gryphons that they were going to try and swarm it as soon as they came back and gave them a rough estimate of its position. He send archers up above and told them to start raining arrows from above where they thought the demon had been firing from. If they run out of arrows, they could push rocks down, something to harass it with and as soon as the two sides came close, the archers would stop. He took the remaining gryphons and divided them into two Tetramoiria, with instructions of each line to approach it in an echelon formation relative to the right wall.

The first Tetramoiria lead by Thesaurus, along with the archers flew up and above the canyon as they went from the other side. Just before they flew he saw one of the gryphons approach him just as the sound of arrows and rocks had started again, his voice giving away that it was the archer Argea.

“Apotheus, I think I saw it up ahead, right wall as Thesaurus said. Dactylus flew to the other side to tell the others.” he said as he moved back to the archers.

As they took off, the cracking sounds started, and before long the first screams had begun to be heard. The archers ahead saw us and just before we passed them they stopped firing arrows but had still been on alert, some shaking from both cold or fear, some moving back into the line he had set. The fear of course had been the horrible and thunderous cracks that thing had been letting out. The thunders continued irregularly, two bangs this moment, one in another, their loudness intensifying as they got closer and they could make clear of the ground below, the eyes all around the walls searching like they had fourteen eyes.

Flying upfront by the diagonal line they had formed, a dangerous move considering the enemy, the chance of hitting the canyon wall or crashing into another gryphon would be a real one, but Apotheus had been certain they could do this. In those few seconds it took them to fly towards it they felt drowned. Apotheus took a good look all around him, seeing the dead cold faces of comrades besides him, beyond that a horizon that could not be seen. They felt it, or at least he had felt it, the fear that had manifested throughout the nature around them, their sanity bleeding, the white powder they had been flying above cold as ever, yet a small fire of hope still burned.

“Faster” he shouted, as Apotheus and the three gryphons saw a silhouette several meters away, the cowered figured which cleansed its problems behind fire and steel. It had been hard to go faster through the picking snowstorm, even more so with their lack of energy. Had it been earlier this day, they would have had perfect vision. But in the chaotic and brutal nature of a snowstorm, little could be said and done.

They paused for a moment, the wings stopped, before the bodies descended in a rush. They had been willing ready to risk everything, push their bodies at the brink of death to get this thing. The speed intensified as they spread the diagonal line a little, the daggers sharp and ready to kill, and as they got dangerously closer, a whirling sound passed by them, the silhouette running away from them. It had noticed the, so the shields got raised, the claws got clenched and the blood boiled for battle.

But that didn’t happen.

With the speed that rivals that of heroes, the bangs pierced their shields and before they even blinked, two gryphons had falled down by the snow, Apotheus and the other gryphon barely dodging collision with them.

That didn’t dent them, as they charged in for a blow, their speed still not slowing. Apotheus had been the first to get close as he tried to strike him with his shield, but just before he could collide with the shield the Anthropos dove to the side, and rolled out of the way with amazing agility. He stroke the ground as he turned to face his opponent only for its face to be revealed, a sight that had been truly incomprehensible to him.

This beast had been unlike anything he had ever seen and he had seen plenty of horrors in his life. It's fur, or had that been fabric, had been a mismatch of weird grey, black and dark colors, that blended well with the environment. A weird helmet made out of an unknown material worn over the head, the face being flat, no muzzle, beak or anything. Yet the face still had eyes like that of his own, and the parts of the skin that hadn’t been concealed by black fabric looked like a swine’s arse. This had been unlike the demons from the ancient books, he could tell it did look the part, only uglier and with an arse for a face.

The demon, through, remained unimpressed as it took backwards steps, something that left him in more confusion. In the moment he remained still the gryphon by him tried to pounce it with his shield but the demon quickly pointed the contraption at it and a horrible thunder along with the sound of metal colliding with metal had been heard, the gryphon besides him falling in less than a moment’s notice. Apotheus didn’t let this opportunity go away. As soon as the boom stick had been raised, Apotheus picked up his shield and he threw it at the human, a task that had left him fall down due to his physiology. The shield glided in the air and had come close to the Anthropos sides but ultimately barely making contact, passing by as the Anthropos side stepped in shock for one second.

He tried to get up noticing that the gryphons by him had gotten up to, small joy coming to him as he realized hadn’t been injured seriously. But just as they had been ready to take flight and go pounce the beast, they noticed just far ahead it had pointed the boom stick at them as it moved backwards. Without hesitation Apotheus pounced the gryphon besides him as fast as he could to try and both of us from death, both of them falling to the ground .

He heard two loud noises, and he feared for the worst.

An overwhelming pain had come from his back, but he managed to pick himself off the ground and tried to face it, the seconds piling on as both tried to understand their surroundings. Panic had not settled with them, but deep within, terror and agony had been making them forget about the snowstorm.

“Are you well?.” the gryphon by me said, thank goodness he had dodged it.

They had been so focused on the beast that they hadn’t noticed them. Comrades just in front of them, some meters aheads, other back just of where the snowstorm covered, lying on the snow as or trying to fly back and carry some of their comrades, discarded shields, holes poking through them. Of course.

It had managed to take eight of them and win.

The speed that they took them down with had been incredible, the thunder pierced their shields and send them falling. The archers above had come flying down, a few trying to go after the beast and as they fired whatever remaining arrows they had, unsuccessfully to where we thought It had been running.

“Yes, now follow me.” he answered to the gryphon after a moment of silence.

He took flight with the gryphon by him, the pain on him had become an afterthought, as he saw the Archers try and get the injured to safety. But he focused up front, they tried to fly towards it , the sound of a shields getting wrecked hunted him, its silhouette would had been painted against the snow in the distance just at it blended back at the walls, making it almost invisible, and that infected him with fear. He couldn’t see it, but he hoped that the few gryphons he left behind when they first encountered it would have fled out of Its way. The line at the back didn’t face it in the snowstorm, instead they took the injured on by their claws and took flight to the nearest camp. It had been a minute since it had started, but the disorientation would not leave them, instead their perception had been like that of a curse, an experience that felt like it had gone for fifteen minutes.

Two more thunders had been heard, and right at that moment he wanted to take flight again and pound it from behind ripping its nerves from the back of its neck before ramming a dagger right into its nape, he wanted to take a rock and ram it so far up its mouth and it would pass right through its intestines and cut them into muggled knots. These had been the curses he had muttered before at enemies but he never had said them with such vile hatred. He had standards but at that moment the immense hate he felt for that cheap bastard, the coward running away from them.

And as they flew in they saw the three gryphons he had left, one on the ground, the two others hunched over his body as they tried to drag him at the back.

“Don’t tell me its Erodis.” the gryphon by him said as they got close, a trail of blood coming from his head.

“Curse that thing, it almost killed him,” one of the gryphons near him, Kalogianis, muttered as he pulled out bandages from his bag and tried to treat and get the gryphon out of there.

But Apotheus had difficulty comprehending what just had took place. He wanted to chase it but he feared of getting injured in the middle of the picking snowstorm with a few gryphons to watch his back. His conscious told him to go after it, but even then, the beast had not been here to pick a fight and he would need miraculous actions in order to get close to it.

“Apotheus! Hey, get your feathers out of your brain!” a gryphon flew in from behind.

It was Thesaurus, his voice told him that, but as he turned he saw a small hole in his chest armor just below his neck by the jugulum, as blood dripped from it.

“Thesaurus, are you alright!” Apotheus’ eyes widened at that sight.

“Apotheus, we have a dozen of our gryphons dying and you are thinking about me? What about it, we need to tell Tholo’s guard to go upfront and try to inter-”

“No!” he interrupted “We will not send anyone against it, especially if he is heading to the abandoned dens. We were lucky enough that he did not try to actively hunt us down,” he turned to the gryphons by his side “Don’t stand around, help get Erodis so that we don’t lose him.”

The gryphons nodded and they flexed their powerful wings, before long in their claws had been carrying the injured far away from where blood had been shed.







“...after that Thesaurus and the last of the Guard's Distilios, including me, left the scene before returning back at camp,“ explained the tired and worn Apotheus.

“And you say that it managed to put out multiple gryphons in the span of seconds?” Polytechnus asked as he wrote everything down in his record keeping scroll using one of his talon dipped in ink, trying to not abandon his soft demeanor.

“Yes my lord, through in my defense it was due to stress, exhaustion and the snowstorm. We have been searching the beast since the first warnings arrived.”

“Apotheus, I hold no grudge against you for risking your life comforting such a foe,” he sighed as he cleaned his talon of ink with a rag “But, answer me this, how absurd is it that of all your boasting in the past about dealing with creatures out in Agnostus, you had no idea how to deal with a magic wielder.”

“My lord, I should mention that neither Tholos neither Metrodora under your guard have that training either. I did my best given my training against what I considere-”

“Excuse me, did you forget you had twenty gryphons by your side. How is it that with that you didn’t use that to just swarm it him with twenty gryphons? Instead you decided to have two, count, two Tetrastilios try to try and corner it, the chances of them swarming it at the correct spot at the correct time being minimal.”

“Archon Polytechnus, I find it unthinkable that I should order my gryphons to willingly throw themselves at a magic wielder, especially if that magic wielder is an Anthropos. Our shields were useless, and I am in no way trained to deal with such beasts. Even then, not Tholos, neither Metrodora have any training in ta-”

“Shhh, stop, no, I don’t want to hear such excuses, I don’t care about the other commanders because they weren’t the ones to fight the beast.” he interrupted Apotheus “Do you realise what took place in the last few hours? One gryphon that I personally knew gets dragged before me a carcass, several others come back fearing death is on the horizon, what I am supposed to tell their families, what am I? That their sons deaths where a lost cause, that they stood against an animal and met such an unhonorable death, and even then, not even denting it, not even being slowing it down.” he sat by one of the bedsteads, wrapping his claws on his head “I am not prepared to go write an epitaph to them, I can’t do such task, not for this. If the guilt doesn’t get me, I might as well slip a knot of rope around my throat and let death guide me from there.”

“Polytechnus, I know this has been a dark day, but you are just saying absurdities,” spoke out Grigoria from the entrance of the room who had been watching the two converse.

“To others it may be absurd but for me, its an evil that I have to get rid of. At some point in the future, I have to go in front of the senate and try to explain to them why an Anthropos appeared so far into the Eastern Mountains and why the first gryphons to spot it were not the famous scouts whose actions speak of their experience, but by two young gryphons who just happened to spot it while arguing.”

“Polytechnus, that is just as absurd as taking your own life because you think that the families of the dead will hunt you down.” she replied.

Polytechnus looked at Grigoria with anger in his face for a moment before speaking out.

“Curse me, you’re right.”

He let out a shrug before turning to Apotheus “So, as you said, the Anthropos had no interest in killing you? If I understand, he laid his interest in reaching the abandoned dens.“

“Unfortunately, it seems so Polytechnus. But tell me, what is that which makes you worry that the beast will find in the abandoned dens? Last time I checked those, haven’t those been not in use for at least a two centuries?”

“Its not within my power to tell you. I have heavy fears for what it contains as the Librarians in Minerva hold the knowledge over the Den,” he answered with disdain.

“...I understand, my lord.”

“Grigoria, what is Tholos’s Guard doing at the moment? And Metrodora’s Guard for that matter?”

“Most of Tholos’s are resting my archon. A few still stayed up to treat the injured. Metrodora’s guard seems to still be scouting the surrounding fields of the dens for it. We’ve sent two gryphons to tell them to head back, I assume they will be back in a few minutes.” she answered.

“I see.” he said “ I will learn of the injured later myself. Apotheus, you may go.”

“Before I leave my lord, I have hear something that I want to be sent to Minerva.” he said while pulling a scroll out of his side bag “I found two of the Chiros Surgeons that were with me at the site of Polynices death. It was written in a hurry, but I believe it will suffice.”

“For whom and for what reason?” he asked.

“My lord, I want this to be read by the senate and Ageleia herself. I don’t know who you will appoint the delivery of the news but make it a gryphon with a concrete heart.” he made his case “My lord, I wish as all good luck, and I apologise, for all of my failings.”

As Apotheus left, Polytechnus and Grigoria could not believe what this has turned out. It had been twelve hours since the hunt started and already one scout had been dead, not to speak of the several others being treated by healers and surgeons. The anthropos had proven itself to be more capable that they had imagined. Shortly after the hunt began he had hoped that the myths which described the acts of the humans were simply exaggerations, a product of their time. It had been either that or Apotheus really hadn’t been that good at his job as he thought.

But it could not be that way. The Anthropos had access to magic and it had been heading to the one place they had hoped he would not go. His son was still at the Hospitium, the surgeons had removed the metal blade and informed him that the damage would be temporary. Still, the thought that this thing may had crippled his son’s ability to fly angered him. He still remembered what they do to the gryphons that lost the ability to fly. Then, there was Ageleia’s son. It broke his heart to know that such a young soul had been taken away from this earth so soon. They couldn’t cannot imagine what Ageleia’s reaction would be to such news.

“Polytechnus,” Grigoria spoke “,you may not be allowed to tell Apotheus about the dens, but surely you trust me with such information.?”

“Grigoria, although I find your intrusive spirit tolerable, damn, even likeable, I think you should learn the limits of your position.” he looked at her.

“I am simply trying to calm you this night. This night is ripe with events that we would rather leave behind, but I am thrusted with the authority of keeping everybody fine and well.” she responded.

“You may be gentle and clever, and you may dance in a good moods. But I obey reality first Grigoria. The situation we are in does not provide us with space to work with.” he said while unrolling the scroll.

“Its about the logistics, isn’t it?” she looked at him with concern.

“Yes, it is.” he got up and approached the balcony of the room.

“Grigoria, call a messenger, Dareius and Leon to be specific.” he asked.

“Your throat sounds sore. I can order some slaves to prepare some smoked meat, or some cinnamon tea.” she said to him.

“I am not hungry, not after all of this. Just bring me some tea.”

“Very well, wait here, Dareius! Leon!”

From the balcony, they arrived.

“Leon, I am sending you to inform the senate and the representatives, that the situation has been updated. I have confirmed that the human is heading off into Herodetes’s Den. I fear that my troops, neither the guards stationed here nor the troops coming from Hepeirus are experienced to fight it at such a closed environment, the Lionesses being of course ill suited for that too. If we want be sure this evil is annihilated once and for all we may need to bring certain Palatics that can combat it at such environment. Dareius, tell them that the Anthropos has access to magic and that I will request the following Palatics to arrive from Minerva: Agape, Tychon, Kythirios, Oria, Homeros and -- ” he paused to think “ -- the gods damn me, but tell him to seek Phonitheia and to bring her too.”

He handed him a scroll and said “As for you Dareius, I give you this one task. For the eyes of Ageleia and the senate. Hand them this personally. You understand?”

“Yes, my lord.” Dareius said.

“Good. I would also like to relay to you what you should say. Let us begin...”

Dust and rubble remained settled in the accursed den, the hours passed as they did every day for the last hundred years, the memories of life that once flowed through the veins of this structure long gone, the shells of the dead expressionless, the lucid colors that smelled of incense and basil washed away as the generations passed, nobody there to tender them. Outside, the groans and laughs of heroes echoed through the mountains as they searched high and low for the anthropos until the early hours of the morning.

It was after midnight, some hours before the awaited morning showed up. All traces of activity inside had ceased eons ago, as wind flowed through the rifts and cracks of the den clearing the dusty air day and day again for centuries. A creature resided in these crooked and resented halls, not one of blood and flesh, but of old curses and dead gryphons. In the room where they used to store and train the snowy owls of Ermis it sat, immobile, trying to keep away the madness from reaching his mind, as it stared on that hole in the ceiling for days on end. It came here each time he searched for something that wasn't there, a fleeting apparition in a shattered mind long forgotten.

It had been living a nightmare for a long time, a nightmare born outside this cosmos. To him, he was like a monster; a monster with silk, grotesque skin, no face, and aberration dreamed from the deepest abyss of its own mind. To him, his outline, his thoughts, his experiences made him shiver and weep while his weak mind pondered and questioned his impertinence. Hunger and exhaustion had overwhelmed him for as long as he could remember, its mouth felt dry, its numbness eternally creeping inside even if it had no nerves to speak of

He was singing.




It sat on the dusty and rotten wood floor facing the ceiling while it gazed at the small hole ten claws away. It hadn’t been so much the hole that he was gazing at, but the mirror that reflected light right into its ghostly eyes. The holes lead to small tunnels of a complicated system that had endured the test of time, enabling sunlight or moonlight from the outside to shine through the den, light faint enough so that it could see, and hope.

It breathed, slowly, deeply, trying to chill down its words as to not let its mind rot. His eyes withstood pains that would put a gryphon to tears, but since it could not cry or sweat it was condemned to a fate it had been cursing for a long time. In the beginning he could take it, but over the years the audible hissings and sounds started to become whisperings, and from whisperings into words, from there on, to screams. Even if he knew that all of this was just his mind finally snapping, it could barely stand its name echoing through the walls as they called out for his stagnant remains to suffer.

But he knew better, and remained calm.

“The screams of those who death is but a visit away, they shall die in silence,” it said “All except one, me. The centuries like seconds will pass and like teardrops in the rain they will be lost.”
The gods were wicked bastards, they had a twisted sense of humor, always had, even at the promise of entering the Elysian Fields. In his mind, gods were going to save him, not even strife herself.
Then again, who cared anymore.

For twenty years the rooms of Neapolis remained in the same state as they always had been. Dusty and littered with the scars still left from the last time life flew through the demented halls of this den. Generations passed, generations of Gryphons who scattered all over the land and made love in the steep of spring. Forever he had to live, mocked as life springs just outside its reach, this prison never letting him taste the sweet nature of life with its own eyes. Not even in dreams could he do that, for he could not have any dreams. The sleepless only had nightmares, and he was deep within his own nightmare.

All in all, nothing had changed.

“I want peace.

You will be there to tender my wounds but myself.

No longer free.

I have seen chaos reach a higher level of madness.

To wish for death and not be able to fulfill that wish, that is worse than any wound one can inflict.”

To die hating them, that is what he wished, for him to finally redeem what he had done so long ago. Twenty years had passed since his last chance, twenty years since any gryphon cared for this place. In all that time, he had failed to find peace with himself, always questioning if he had lost, never surrendering to an answer. The thought that he had already witnessed his own death was unthinkable in his mind.

He moved out of the room, he lost his gryphon form and turn into that of a shapeless mass that passed through walls and hallways, heading out to the gates of the den stretching over at least a plethron high. His eyes saw the same things as he always did. Snow and dead ash littering the battlefields outside, the wind humming in the distance, carcases and rusty broken metal laying there as they fed the desperation in his mind. How insignificant had he been, a ghost whose beat would never be heard, whose actions would never be redeemed, nothing more than a crime upon this earth.

He didn’t exist, not in history, not in the minds of the world.

At that point, he could no longer move, no longer keep it out of his minds. He started talking to himself, screaming, hysteria, madness.

“How long have I seen the crust of candles light my way to rest, how long has it been since I have slept by the side of another gryphon, to hear a mob of gryphons talk and to listen to them choke full of enthusiasm.” He lets his body fall down in desperation, trying to let out as much as he could without going insane.

“But I know, I know that I am abandoned, I know how honorable it is to die, to see the dismembered remains of my sanity clash down to nothing more than dust behind prayers of destruction! Let my body weaken and rot already! Let me burn down so I can finally have peace” he laid his head down at the ground at this point.

“There is no pain or humiliation that you can inflict, no agony or terror can make me fear or forget death. Come on you wicked bastards! End this already”

A moment passed


And then...


He sensed it.

He sensed it get closer before he could see it. Behind dots of snow filling the air, he saw it begin to form, like death arriving to take another life. Its silhouette formed off in the distance, like a speck of dust in his eye, getting clearer and clearer by each passing second. He knew that meant something, maybe mercy touched the gods and they sent death to take him once and for all. It took him a moment to realise that that was not death, but something far worse. Its face was obscured by darkness, but the form of such infamy could not be mistaken.

An anthropos.

It walked on two legs, with a club its hands black as an obelisk. It had dark grey skin, and on its face an expression one that he could not understand from that distance. The mass arose from the ground and retreated behind the walls as to not be seen, after which is stared in amazement, and afterwards, disappointment. To him, it was like the phantasm of a poet and insanity, a beast that allied with the senseless chaos of the universe, a barbarian disregarding the barest of logic, only there to cause havoc. There was no salvation coming from such malice, such brute and unthinking nature. What a shame, to leave this earth as winter neared its end and spring blooms around, decorating it with life. Then again, with such a being straight out of Kόlasis, that wouldn’t last for more. It walked slowly towards the entrance, close enough for him to make out details of his face despite the darkness, its heavy breathing giving away that it had strained itself, probably ripping the entrails out of some poor creature. What business did it have at this place? had it heard word of what can be done here?

As it got closer, it stopped, gazing at the vast size of the den. For those few seconds that passed, they felt like minutes to the mass, trying to grip itself in its ephemeral form. What was it doing gazing at amazement, why did he have the expression the young have at the prospect of the magnificent?

“How would it know of me...no, that is absurd.” he whispered

Once those thoughts started materializing, the beast begun to move to closer again to the den as he watched curiously. During its walk through, the mass begun to notice something, a change of some sorts in the face of the anthropos, a change in expression, the realization slow at first, then retreating to confusion. The anthropos looked around, taking a look at its surroundings, focusing a bit on skeletons before reacting to them with shock. Seemed to the mass that it had finally realised that under the snow that had not been grey putrid rock, but the bone remains of those who met their end by an arrow or a sword. It was amazed by all of this, and so had been the mass too. He expected it to simply march on, totally indifferent at the torn remains of warriors it would enjoy ripping in half. Instead, it looked shocked, shocked at the products of fighting that took place so long ago. It changed its expressions, and while it could not see that well, he could detect a bit of tiredness just from looking at how it moved.

It took more careful looks in the snow around him, its eyes subtly glance from place to place, searching, forming a plan. It crouched, its legs somehow managing to keep it steady even like this as it lowered its head from pain. A moment later it unstrapped a bag from its back and began rummaging though its contents, most of them looted he speculated, before pulling out a an exquisite made grey bottle and some bandages.

From there, the mass gazed in profound attention, as the anthropos begun to try and treat its wounds. He stared dumbfounded as the human somehow rolled up its fur, used some of the liquid on its wounds and grazes a bit, and then patched them up with some sort of bandage that stuck to its skin. Now this was a spectacle he wished he was up close to see.

But still, had this not been the beast he had expected to hear in the words of the young, bouncing around as a mere myth, a force of chaos whose every glance promised thoughtless destruction, like a fire that burned from now until the end of time; Why did it think, not with malice, but with rationale? The more he thought about it, the more confusion ended up piling in his mind.

In the minutes the mass spent thinking about it, the anthropos had finished treating its wounds. As it stood up and begun approaching the entrance, the mass could see new details forming. Around its head a helmet with glass on top of it, a scarf and some sort of cloth covering most of its face except its eyes, on its chest there were bags strapped, probably the place where it stored pieces of the club. Moreover, that had not been black skin or fur, but clothes, sewed and tailored specifically for his kind. Who would have agreed to do such a thing, and with what materials as such that; What poor animal had been hunted just to make such ornaments?

As it finally reached the threshold of the entrance, he could only stare, again in amazement. It had been the only thing he could at that time, just stand his ground, watch and think, think of what curse or gift it had been sent, a form of chaos and order, an object of fear and pity.
This, this had been a clever animal, a dangerous one, but still an animal, containing the same emotions and thoughts as every living wyvern, dracilian, gryphon or whatever that ever existed. It could be controlled, persuaded, hurt, healed, negotiated, and most of all, killed. That was just what he needed, to lure him in and let him become the instrument of his will, ready to set me free once again.

The feeling of sudden euphoria one gets when enlightened didn’t last long for him, fear and paranoia setting in, despair entering his mind. What if it became discouraged by the lack of lighting and left? What reason was it to be here, though, other than to explore the area? What if it was forced to enter the den, and no action on his part was necessary to lure it in?

He let himself get ruled by fear, and in a moment of terror he acted out before he thought...



It stood there as blinding white light separated itself in the deserted hall in two as it shined throughout the empty shackles within the cursed structure. It was a vast and endless hall that crumbled in its isolation, a impenetrable blackness sheltering it from the rays of the sun. The walls stretched up twenty meters high, mostly bare rock and concrete. Little could it see through it, but the stagnant remains of carcasses, rusted metal following at hand and a heavy coat of dust gave away how long they have been kept untouched.

The white light had insensibly appeared out of nowhere, bouncing off the walls as it made quite an impression, even if it was confused. The light wasn’t there a couple of minutes ago; So why did it appear now; Maybe somebody already taken shelter there. . . .

The creature was getting quite nervous, its shaking hands either from stress or from cold gave that away, as it was getting quite discouraging. The inside of the structure looked already occupied, thus trespassing territory here could end up in lot of trouble. Furthermore the whiteness of the light was unnatural to its tainted eyesight. It did not have the color of any kind of fire, or lamb of any shorts. It looked magical, almost cultivating. It gave it an inner craving to set foot inside the structure just so it could see for itself.

But it paused, thinking that this wouldn’t get the best of itself. As pleasant as the sensation was it wouldn’t let get distracted from what was at matter.

Its nervous stance had disappeared, now replaced by that of curiousity as it took a couple of steps near the colossi entrance. The creature wouldn’t let itself get too excited though, so each effort to get near the blinding light was made with caution.

And it still wondered;

Where was the light coming from?




He saw the face of luck, and at that moment, she blessed him with her touch.

His judgement had been correct, as a simple trick of mind was all that was needed. To trick its mind into thinking that there was the light, its sense corrupted by an external force, it never suspecting that it may have been so. It was improbable that such a thing could happen, for even at his wildest of dreams could the mass have thought that he would ever manage to trick an anthropos in such a way. Maybe if he had still had things to dream about, or even yet, could actually dream.

Yet, it had worked.

The mass saw its nervous stance disappear, now replaced by that of curiousity, as it took a couple of steps near the colossi entrance. He could even see each effort to get near the blinding light be made with caution. Despite its best efforts though, it still made quite a racket. He chuckled as it unintentionally stepped on cracking bones, stopping at each step in painstaking terror that he might have alarmed somebody. It wasn't helped by the echoes that went throughout the structure. How should it know that no gryphon has taken shelter in this place, no gryphon alive anyways. The mass looked at it, as it clanged close to the wall like some kind of lizard, hoping that the darkness concealed it. He doubted it could even make out the stairs, let alone the gaping holes into them. It almost made him pity that it had to do all of this just sate his hunger for the unknown.

As it got near the light it paused to take a breath for a second, trying to inspect if he had missed anything in the midst of terror. It was met with complete silence, save for the mass chuckling as he watched it get worried over nothing. But it couldn’t hear him now, could it; It gripped its staff tighter, the beast’s shaking arms giving away its distress. It let a big breath out of its mouth, as it passed into the white barrier separating itself from the darkness. At that moment, The mass decided to stop the infection that had played with its senses just to see it react. Not in a decades had he been touched with the claw of rest, both in mind and in body. He had forgotten how laughter had felt in all of that time, he had forgotten how little hope had taken place in his heart. Maybe this was a sign that better days were ready to come.

It stopped dead in its tracks, standing in confusion. The mass had let the light fade out of existence only to be replaced by darkness, leaving it standing there like a fool, its face betrayed what it was thinking. It just stared at the hallway barren upfront, knee deep in dust and littered with garbage or debris. For a small second he did something which he hadn't had the pleasure of doing for years now.

He chuckled.

He still couldn’t get the over this. He was playing a trick on one of the greatest threats to life. It was a petty little moment, the more he thought about it, the more humorous it became. It should have been simple, yet at this silence, he can only sit here and chuckle.

“My heart hasn’t been touched for this long. What else could I do?”

He had not been in this hallway for years now, the sickly look of which he barely remembered. The concrete walls were at least still standing. There were even small remnants of holes in the wall, suggesting that fabric was hanged from it, the fabric, of course, having decayed into nothing ages ago. The beast took glances around him, its breath getting heavier, its face again betraying that it was utterly baffled by what was going on around it. The beast clearly wasn’t in the mood for this.

The mass looked down at the anthropos and begun plotting. He had all the time he needed to capture its immortal soul.


The beast mustered the courage and walked through the dead cold hallway, its hands gripped tightly, a drop of sweat rolling down his face. It approached the stairway, filled with dust and rubble like the rest of the structure. It looked for anything of value as it walked up the stairs, but it quickly lost interest, as most of the stuff here having been looted or had decayed and rusted beyond relief.

It had no idea of the age of this den.

It reached the first floor, before it another hallway, smaller in size, which diverted into different rooms, the opposite side ending with a dead end. It seemed that it could barely make out anything within this darkness, but it didn’t really care. In this breathless silence it tried to calm down, nervousness exceeding, its wide angry eyes making that clear. It seemed exhausted, hungry, and as this place was devoid of interest or of anything it could use it should have left once it realized that. But it remained still for a moment, some questions started to form in its mind. Maybe it should have shed its doubts about this place being occupied; After all, it truly did not know what it would do next, but it seemed frightened to engage whatever was trying to fool it.

It escalated into another floor only to be met by the same spectacle. Gray, dusty, deserted, ruined, the best words it could describe the rooms. It ascended even more, the greyed out walls forcing it to continue going up, finally stopping at the fifth floor.

Ah, this hallway was different. Less garbage littered the ground and the dusty air seemed less dense. It also noticed between steps an ornate door in the distance, above it a symbol unknown to the beast. Engraved on it was “Το Μάτι το Αετου”, and a symbol that left it pondering as it admired it for a moment. It was a spear, a sword and a sickle holded by a single claw, behind it what looks like a shield.

It caused a bit of awe on the beast, but it snapped out of it within the moment, as the anthropos started going down the hallway, its eyes scouring for anything of use at it neared the golden door. The quiet steps it took through the hallway diminished as it moved further along, whatever fear or exhaustion it had disappeared for now, replaced now by some excitement. After all this place was cleaner than the rest of the floors, even an animal such as itself could figure that.

But try as it could the beast could not get rid of this feeling.

Almost as if it knew that tonight its lonely heart would be filled with suffering.



He was starting to get restless, both from the slow pace of the Anthropos and the anticipation of what he was about to do. The beast slowed its pace like he Okanticipated, the suffering nothing more than a reflection in its eyes. First came the dizziness, a thing that it would have no idea who had caused it. The downside had been, though, that the mass itself wouldn’t feel or be sure if he had succeeded or failed, unless he saw the reaction of the anthropos. It took quite a bit concentration, thinking, staring, acting in ways unknown, but alas the anthropos stopped halfway through the hallway and took a couple of breaths. Exhaustion would be creeping up to it any second now, a product of misinforming and sabotaging its body.

It passed his mind though, that the anthropos might have had been hunted, something that took him longer than it should have. He had read long ago about the hunts and the struggles to hunt them, in some isolated cases, mobilizing whole armies at once to deal with them. Through beaks and snouts he heard of black demons that walked on two legs, tall as a unicorn, their heads spherical and covered in metal, carrying black mechanical staffs that fired small pieces of metal so fast that it killed a gryphon in an insta-

He held that thought for a second...

“So that's what the black staff is for!”

He would have laughed from figuring that out, lest the anthropos hadn’t captivated his attention, this time from its change in direction the moment it saw the old commander’s room entrance, once covered in bright magnificent gold, now simply left there to collect dust.

While he was concentrating on keeping it stressed, the anthropos wandered around the hallway, its attention focused at the insides of the rooms, just to be sure that it had not missed anything. It took a look on the inside of one of the rooms, the wine room to be exact, only seeing dust and concrete laid out, a single wooden table in the middle with bottles on top of it, just barely out of its vision.

He took another breath as it watched it rub its eyes, its thoughts probably questioning its sanity. It took a look around it, the creature’s face giving away a realisation that its senses had begun to mock it, asking itself if it would get out into the freezing night without madness.

It couldn’t even focus on the bottles without having its eyes strained, the state of its body tormenting and ripping it apart from the inside. He wouldn’t be surprised if it reacted the same he did, first with denial, then with anger, finally realizing that its mind was doing it deliberately to keep it at distance from insanity. That state of borderline exhaustion will be tiring him out, maybe even deplete whatever energy it had.

It headed to the door next to the wine room, sitting still, gazing at the dark gray door for a moment before raising its hand to push it open. It took a look inside, unimpressed at the dust, debris and the skeletons of the dead who had been his only company for so long. The beast didn’t even flinch seeing the dead this time, either because it didn’t care or because it had grown used to it by now.

He on the other hand hadn’t been in that room for two decades, every time passing by it in fear and anger, for reasons that he had garbed his mind into blocking. It perplexed him, what was put in this room, that which had been sealed for decades, that wished himself into forgetting it, never longing its return.

“No need in treading wild grounds,” he thought


That fear and anger had come back, like a touch of blood, waiting for the time to let it all out. He wouldn’t witness what he had best left isolated and in dust.

But the anthropos, he admitted, raised a couple of questions he wanted an answer too. What exactly were its plans, other than to stay in this place for the night and not die. It couldn’t even prepare a fire from the looks of things. The last he had heard of the anthropos, when flesh and bone had been his body, had been the one that fell into cracks of sea cliffs while being hunted off at the shores of Kythira, even if that had been three centuries ago. Their origins had been always unknown, save for the few historical records that told of their alliance with chaos. He did not see the bloodlust described by the unicorns or the Sarka, just another mortal life, rushing through ruins for reasons unknown. It may had been an anthropos, but its mortal nature shined through that broken shell.

The fascination lasted, and so did the questions, even when the human exited the room putting something in its backpack. Its mortal nature shocked and intrigued the mass, though, that it had been like every living being out there was unthinkable. With the exception of its existence, it didn’t violate any godsend law.

Then he entertained a particular thought.

“But maybe... just maybe if I found the opportunity...

...what am I about to do.”

In all his capacity to think, of all the ideas that centuries he had grabbed and let go, this was the most insane and risky. He knew that he had grow crazy by some extent, maybe in his heated rage and volition to finally achieve what he have so long wished. Yet, there was no cure for insanity. He had one good and crazy chance to do this. Even if it failed, it would be forgotten within the isolation of this great den.

“Fortuna, grant me your luck for what I am about to do.”





***




…as the anthropos pushed the door open it was slightly relieved to see a room not choke full with dust and littered corpses. The room was circular in nature, a few barren walls with some sort of worn and discolored fabric, hung and forgotten by time. There were desks littered around in the middle and there were bookcases on the west and east ends of the room. There was even a carpet or two littered around the floor. Thank goodness for that, it could use those for sleep.

Taking a complete view of the circular room, it also noticed that there was an enormous cracked hole in the wall. It was catching to the eye since moonlight illuminated through there, sparing me of the greyness of the place with its light blue undertone. This was also a perfect place to sleep for the night since the air was cleaner with the connection outside.

It moved towards one of the desks to check for anything useful, taking everything in mind. Junk, dust and broken remained lay on it,

The creatures eyes focused on one thing, a sheet of paper.

It picked up the small sheet of paper, a little burned off and liquid spilled on one side. It also had traces of blood on it, along with a fragile feel to it, giving away how old this thing was. But there was something interesting written on it.

It brought a smile to its face to say the least...



















"Ha" it laughed as it saw what it had found found beneath a mountain of dust. It's a miracle it hadn't dissolved into nothingness, something which made it wish it weren't dead, its emotions positive for a moment.

It felt bad through, I really couldn't understand the language but at least this had given it a clear view of where it could go and what it could do. Now, it finally had an advantage over the beasts that hunted him.

Oh, how did it feel. The inside of the clothes felt like a furnace, but it didn't care. This thing brought a smile to its face.

Pain, excruciating, yet wonderful. It put its rifle down and enjoyed the pain. What a thrill it had been, ha...

What was madness.

What did it seek. The opiate of my foolish mind is madness. How lovely.

It is incomprehensible to those that do not experience it, or that do not know about insanity. They are weak spirited. For if you keep telling them that they are insane and at one point they will start thinking they are.

Aren’t they? AREN’T THEY?

They are...

• • They....

• • • • • • • • • • [list]Don’t wait.

[/list][/i][/b]

Destroy the teardrops.

• • • • • • • • • • Destroy them.
                    They are escaping.

Colorful very

• • • • • • • • • • [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]The children are dying

[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]

red blood good

• • • • • • • • • • [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]Crucified on the balconies.

[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]

• • • DON’T WAIT.

Sing the song that will end the earth

Sing the song that will free his hollow soul

Sing it with your hands

• • • • • • • • • • [list][list][list][list][list][list][list]Friend of despair and sorrow.

[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]

• • • • • • • • • • [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]Mourn your sickness.

[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]

Child of luck and punishment.

He is banished in s...

...

No...

Ha- have I... have I gone...? I need to lie down yet... yet...

I never knew of this.

• • • Its coming back again.

I can hear the words after midnight. It never crossed my mind.

Never should have gone into this place... Oh, it hurts... Forgive them...

The patriots who breath half air half ether.
Above the remains of those that let you breath.

• • • • • • • • • • [list][list][list][list]Those will still remain to see.
                    Within their expressions of
                    solace and shrieks of torture

[/list][/list][/list][/list]
[/i]

• • • • • • • • • • [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]Those will still remember
                    as they rise to their slow
                    movements of repulsion

[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]

• • • • • • • • • • [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]They will scream
                    you will hear a voice wet
                    to the bone.
                    Cease like the others before you.[/i][/b]

[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]

“So he disappeared in the middle of the night?” asked one of the Palatics.

“Seemed so, but he was found later by one of the reserve guard. To say that it was gruesome would be understating it. Whatever beast did this will not escape the wrath of the gods, unless the place where Polynice’s carcass had been found was indeed a burial. Pitiful excuse in my opinion. No wonder Ageleia refused to come. I wouldn’t either after learning such news.” they continued speaking.

Phonitheia had been patiently listening to the conversation nearby, glancing around from time to time as she ate barley bread dipped in wine, served with honey. She was at the temple of Silenus, sitting on cushions while food was being served. Olives, almonds, honey cakes and pitchers full of wine were being brought forth by the followers of the temple. The senate had hastily organized this Triumph a few hours ago. They wanted to pay honors to those that would surely fall during the hunt, and since she was fairly well known, she with other notable individuals were there to give them blessings and to increase their morale.

The Temple of Silenus, unfortunately, hadn't been used for weeks and there were few followers to take care of it. As a result, the honoring Triumph was done in such a hurry that there were many unfinished preparations. That didn’t bother the other gryphons, but it left a bad taste on Phonitheia. She disapproved the section of the temple they had chosen to hold the Triumph , at the back of the temple, a square room with only one balcony. Still, it was a big balcony, huge red curtains made from light linen near the balcony, gryphons and couches spread around. Still, it baffled her as to the decisions of the Senate.

She glanced around once more. From where she was she had an excellent view of the sierra of mountains that was Minerva. She could hear a cloud of joy from behind, conversations between comrades, all happy to talk and share their experiences. Followers, guards and Palatics sharing meals together, it made the atmosphere soothing, even if she didn’t want to participate. She was anxious for this ordeal to end as soon as possible, for she knew that if this went on for too long she would be asked to participate, breaking her oath, like the oath of many other old gryphons, that she feared. Why else would they hold the Triumph at a time like that? Needless to say, she wasn’t happy about that.

“Phonitheia, I must ask you something.” she was being addressed by a white feathered Palatics, his size and face betraying how young he truly was.

“And who you might be, Palatic? You look too young to have fought in war.” she replied, still facing the balcony as she looked outside.

“Oh, I am Laco, son of Isidorus. I recently came back from my training in Leukos” he said with a touch of uncertainty and shyness creeping in his voice “You see, I am a worryful being, like most gryphons my age. I - we lack certain virtues found in the old, the experience. I must ask, why aren’t we led by heroes such as you?”

“Then is that so, Laco; Am I a hero?” she turned to address him “I’ve seen things in my life that you wouldn’t believe, things never uttered by me or any other gryphon who stood by my side; but I am a mortal, just like you, and I am just as anxious and worried as you.”

“It may be so, but in order for us to take down this myth, shouldn’t gryphons like you, old and wise, be up front of us leading us to kill this thing.” he replied.

“Is that what you want, Laco? See me arm myself so I can head to the spirit of death while you stand close behind me? Don’t you want to go on and win glory for yourselves? or would you rather let it be awarded to others.”

“No, no, no, do not let my words become evidence of my youth. It it just that I have not been in this earth long enough to have tasted glory and celebration. What will come out of this, that I will be brought back a dead corpse” he tried to explain.

“Let me tell you Laco, supposing you return from the hunt alive, with the head of the beast in one claw and a sword in the other, you would be able to live on forever, ageless, immortal in the memories of the generations? If you do so, neither would I myself be asked to go on fighting in the foremost, nor would more gryphon lives need to be lost.” she told him in response. Laco, holding back on a reply, making the nature of this mission more brutal and rewarding than it seemed. The truth was that she didn’t think that the terror of the anthropos would pose that much of a threat, even if old tales told otherwise. Then again, she hadn't been informed of its full capabilities. Word had it now that it managed to take out Prometheus’s guard. It made her frown, even if they may have been nothing less than rumors that popped up the last second..

She took her mind off the subject and glanced over at where the others were. Tiganites were now being served, a personal favorite of hers. She moved past Laco, still thinking about what he had heard, closer to one of the clay tables and picked a couple of them, all the while gazing into the night sky. The stars and moon had come forth and blossomed this night, each one of them as beautiful as the heavens themselves, illuminating their beauty for all to see. The night itself was calm and silent, a breathless infinite sea of stars scattered all around rising in their clouded majesty.

She snapped out of her dreaming though, not forgetting the pleasant conversations taking place behind her while followers and Palatics ate and drank. Phonitheia moved closer to the party, the night sky and the stars bringing her a sense of euphoria and good mood. She’d decided to partake in the conversations discussing recent matters. A few gryphons presented gifts to them out of good will, something she had to refuse. She would be giving them greater gifts after all, they were the soon to be heroes.

She was unfamiliar with many of the Palatics. She could recognize at most a few of them out of the two dozen of them, most too young for her to remember any important feats. A couple of them, though, she knew very well.

There was Kallisto, young in age but with the charm of a god, impressing some of the followers and guards with his natural beauty. Even Phonithia batted an eye when she first saw him three years ago on the Pythian Stadium. It was so noted in fact, that rumors started circulating that she had taken Kallisto at her temple for some business the same night she saw him, rumors that had been, sadly, true.

On the other corner was Euthimia from the Irian shores, lecturing a couple of guards about importance of courage and good will. It was strange because she reminded her of when she was young and full of spirit, talking about her deeds from training to her climb to taking out threats by herself, stories that she has been repeating ever since..

Finally there was the old Nikomedes, whose age rivaled that of hers, sitting near one of the clay tables eating honey cakes and drinking wine. She accomplished many great feats with Nikomedes, but fate had never brought them together long enough for her to learn of his deeds in depth. From the Chaos incident, to the expeditions to the unknown lands, she never had the chance to form any long term bonds with him.

She approached him, just as he became aware of her.

“So you, Phonitheia, have you come to enlighten us with your wisdom, or can you not wait any longer for sleep to lay bare in your body.” he spoke with a old but understanding voice.

“Enlighten, Nikomedes? I am simply here for decoration, to give hope to the young and reassurance to the old. But I happen to enjoy myself here, so much so that I wish to stay until sleep carries me back home”

“Aye, but no good can come out of morale alone. Reassurance can only get you this far before you must go by the sword again.” he paused to take a sip of wine. “But whatever mistakes and misfortunes come I blame it on them.”

“Them? Surely you mean the gryphons at the Eastern Oroi?” she asked.
“No, not them, they are doing what they are supposed to. No, tonight I blame the senate. I blame the representatives and everybody in between for the the ongoing torture that will be this whole hunt.” Nikomedes said with bitterness and worn look.

“Oh, I see now.” she replied, finally understanding what he was talking about. “They don’t have any money to send Palatics over to the Eastern Oroi right?”

“Politics, my dear Phonitheia. Not to speak of the failed Agnostus expeditions, which nearly emptied your banks so much we had to spent money from the Hegemonic Bank, the corruption in your senate itself would be enough to hold you back.” he took another sip “Then again, the representatives themselves decided to help by threatening punishment if we dared open the Hegemonic Bank again. But now I am repeating things you already know, so lets leave that aside.”

“Thank goodness, last thing I want is a lesson on politics.” she paused “Speaking of which, how did they manage to convince you to sign up for this.” she asked him

“They didn’t,” he said while taking a bite out of a cake “I have some old debts that certain gryphons have not forgotten. If I were to not go, I would have to sit here for three months paying this cursed debt. So let them have me, I will be back at Iria in less than one week.”

“Ha, strange, for a moment I would have assumed you would have been the first one to go in.” she chuckled.

“Aye, it would be a lie for me to say that there wasn’t a small part of me that wanted to go into this.” he laughed. ”But I tell you, I am not deceived. What will happen surely will be lost in the minds of broken warriors. Our efforts will accomplish nothing.” he finished

Phonitheia frowned when she heard him say that “Nikomedes, I hope that that wine has not hit you very hard. Don’t tell me you will be inciting such words on the way.” she turned at him confused.

“Nye, the wine is still on its holder, yet to influence my soul and let my evils infect other gryphons. Everything that comes out of my beak speaks from the honesty of my mind, not my heart, for now atleast. I do think that this will be one of my last days, sought to fight a beast known to ages as the most powerful” he paused to eat some bread dipped in wine before continuing “This is, however, music to my ears. I would rest happy to die for the land I has sheltered and fed me fifty-three years of my life” he told her with a slight waving of his claws. He would had continued, had not Phonitheia interrupted him.

“You spouted the same words years ago when we were in the unknown lands. Each time we came across a Amphisbaena you prayed to Silenus and charged at the beast.”

He turned to face her again, laughing “Ha, you should have seen when I first saw that Golden Phoenix back at Authania’s keep. I do not think that I will ever hear the words of forgiveness come out of its master’s beak for as long as I live” he chuckled again.

Phonitheia laughed alongside him. The tales she had heard from Nikomedes always brought a smile to her face. A gryphon such as himself did a lot of foolish actions at his youth, though that did not show with his age. He let his white feathers grow so much, that he begun to look like the philosophers of Critus. The only feathers he checked on had been those on top of his head, and even then, several of them fell down on his sides from the length.

She reflected on that, reminding her that Nikomedes was on the mission too. If anything, this could very well be the last time his presence would grace this earth. It brought dismay in her heart, but her mind quickly withdrew that. He was too smart and experienced to lose his life to a simple myth.

Once she regained her composure, she talked to Nikomedes with a more serious attitude “So, how do judge your compatriots?”

“Ha,” he said as he took a couple of olives and put them in his beak “A lot of youth among us, a lot of unprocessed and inexperienced gryphons sent to take this thing down, cheaper to send those rather then anybody with guts. I‘lI wait until I see them hunched over the corpses of their comrades, bleeding, powerless to help them as their last breath leaves their body and they are left with one less gryphon to live. That’s what fate did to me. There is no reason for fate to spare them.”

“Their fate was already sealed when they ended up with you,” she replied “You will most likely put down the eager fire inside them just by your words alone.”

“They’ve mustered the courage and the will to become Palatics, pushing their bodies at the brink of perfection. They had it coming.” he replied.

“So you’ll shatter their spirit into a million pieces? The young must not be put off by adventure, in fact, I believe they should seek it.” she answered back

“Maybe it should be so, but then again, I am perplexed too at times of my own self. I view the world comically, yet other gryphons keep telling me I kept the cynicism that was common among my parents. Maybe I am growing mad.”

“You are turning old, thus, you are turning wiser Nikomedes.” she tried to reassure him.

“Have I grown too wise? that I do not know. Neither of us appears to know anything great and good. We fancy that we crawl over the slain corpses of our comrades, friends, sons and fathers, knowing how to lead more gryphons to life and death, that although we know nothing, we appear to be wiser thanks to our adventures and wars, but the only thing we must surely know is how to fight. I find it disturbing that is the only thing we can offer to the young that we can be sure they will take at heart.” he said restless, taking a sip from his wine.

“Maybe.” Phonitheia stopped to think, sort of taken aback at Nikomedes suddenly getting philosophical at her “Yet, maybe that’s all it needs to be” she glanced away from Nikomedes, gazing at the nighttime instead “This world is a circle, that’s how the gods meant to make it. I have young ones and they will grow up, following the steps I once took and flying where I once flew, dreaming for the same glory and wealth as I had. If it may be so, then they should do it, rather than spend their life away from danger, never taking any risks for the fear of getting hurt. I am happy about that Nikomedes, even if that may be horrible in your eyes. ” she said while eating olives.

“I know such pains, so let us leave it at that.” he said to her while letting out a big sigh “But tell me, you bore the pains of childbirth?” Nikomedes asked, totally surprised by such a thing “I may have spent too much time philosophising. I didn’t know that you and Dion had managed to do it before he passed away.”

“A couple of months before his death I gave birth to Sapho, though unfortunately, he wasn’t there, due to the illness. Mentioning it, bearing children was far more of a difficult task that summoned all of my knowledge. A task that requires compassion, one filled with many surprises. I honestly don’t know what to expect of them these days. It may be so that all this time, they may have infected my soul with their childish nature.“ she laughed

“Ha, such a hard task indeed. I know, for I have two sons and two daughters just out of Iria, all planning to become infantry.”

“Oh, I assume everything went fine. I’ve heard ” she said.

“Don’t worry, they all passed by childbirth with no death, and my wife Algerina has lived through them. This is why I love the wealth I have, since it says me from having to witness the death of newborns, or even, the death of my wife. I should tell you all about my gryphons when I get the chance. Phobos and Kronos have superb skills with the bow, while my daughters, Oresteia and Aligenia each have different goals. The first wants to become a follower under the Temple of Leto, the latter wants to become a Palatic.” he paused to take a sip of wine.

Phonitheia smiled when she heard that “It’s been years since I have seen you Nikomedes, so much so that I hadn’t realised that you had a family. What other news do you bring from there?” she said moving closer to him.

“Not a lot. I live just barely outside the city, I like the extra space to be honest, plus I meet a lot of merchants and artisans coming into the city. I tell you, I’ve heard a lot of things and rumors all around. Once I heard some Minervian claim that you retired due to Dion’s death.” he told her

“False words. I shed all of my tears and made peace with his death years ago.” she started stoically, trying to contain her irritation. "Plus, I have gryphlets I would rather teach by my own, rather then leave them under the guise of strangers. I am done with those times.”

“I make no accusations, Phonitheia.” he said “I simply tell you what I have heard from some individuals. I will be honest, I’ve heard worse about your compatriots.”

“I do hope so. I am still worried as to what will be said of me after death takes” They both sat in silence for a few seconds, contemplating what they just had said. It didn’t last long, as they both started chuckling at each other while eating nuts and honey cakes.

“So” started Nikomedes “Are there anymore subjects that are in need of resolving? We still have some time before all the food is eaten”

Phonitheia tried to think of something, getting engulfed in her own line of thinking.

“Certainly there is.” she suddenly exclaimed “Until now, it hadn’t passed my mind, but such tricks does the mind play. I am afraid that either Keratios or the senate may be on the lookout for me, to make me shed the oaths I have taken to hunt this beast down, through that remains unheard.” she told him.

Nikomedes turned to face her quickly, taking a second to stare dumbfounded

“What kind of bastardized senate would dare to rip you from your seat and throw you between young and inexperienced gryphons after all you did? What politician, even the most corrupt one would have the guts to choose you when they already have me to command and follow orders.” he said worryingly.

“I don’t know, but Keratios is increasingly getting ruled by fear. I know he wants to protect us as much as his claws can. I just do not think that the city picked the right gryphon to rule us”

Nikomedes was quick to reply “You are afraid Keratios himself would dare do such action. I may be harsh on that gryphon but even I know where his heart’s intentions are. But let’s not dwell deeper in that lake further, though. What do you seek?” he told her reassuringly.

“You see, I spend most of my time today with my gryphlets, so much so that I didn’t have time to ask the politicians or the librarians for the forbidden history behind the old myths about the capabilities of the “Anthropos”. I have read about the history of the Anthropos as mere beasts, that appear every ten years or so in either the unknown lands or some other nation while they run rampant outside the reaches of this world. Beyond that, I was hoping that you would share an insight to what the senate keeps clear of the citizen’s eyes.”

“Huh, what makes you so sure that I, old Nikomedes from Iria, would know of such history, more so than one of the closest gryphon in the enti-”

“You were a Librarian under the Library of Iria. Archekantos Timo told me everything about you a few years ago when he was still alive.” she grinned.

“Well, I guess I have been found” he replied.

“Do not fret, time is on our side. I doubt that those honey cakes are ending anytime soon. But if I had to speculate about you, I am thinking an hour at most.”

“Ha, if they get the roasted piglet I could remain here all night. I will hold some for you if you stay, but my stomach makes no promises” he told her.

Phonitheia just shrugged the last comment as she prepared to listen to Nikomedes. Nikomedes tried to concentrate for a moment before starting his tale.

“So Phonitheia, whose anxious heart now obliges me to tell you this tale.” He started off with a calm look on his face, totally engulfed as to what he was doing.

“Let me tell you about the creature known as a ‘Human’...”


Aristi raised his head and looked up front, a stone room with dozen or so seats empty, save for a few unfortunate souls laid out before him. For years he has been avoiding and cursing the Hospitums, all the times, dangers and illnesses brought death to gryphons he knew and loved. It was unfortunate that he had to do so again, no less for his brother this time..

The stone room was like a corridor with rows stretching all the way to the end. Three beds in each row, rows of windows near each bed as big as a gryphon, letting the cool night air flow through the room. The room made him shake, not from the wind, but from what he had gone through, growling as he walked down the room in search of Forea.

A lot had happened today.

One gryphon was left dead, another ten were wounded, and one of them nearly lost his wings. The thought of losing his brother pained him, so much so that it reminded him of older peaceful times, when the two brothers spend time together under breathless songs and glorious feasts. But that had been before Forea got injured, now deep inside him lay the yearning to forget what he had seen.

He walked through one of the lanes, a few sleeping ill and injured gryphons dreaming blindly of a dead past. It made Aristi cringe in fear, like he was being taunted, seeing him again in such state. He increased his speed, his panting increasing from the beak trying to cool himself as he went from bed to bed, searching for his brother from the edge of the eye. He silently cried as he spotted Forea lying down in a bed, isolated from other gryphons by quite a few beds, one of his wings bandaged down, blood betrayed where the stab had been inflicted.

He paused, a breath to calm down, before he approached him slowly, his motionless body giving away that he had been asleep. He got closer to the bed, the damage to the wing became more clear, a clear line of blood on the bandages atop of the wing, the nightmare that he had witnessed coming back at him. The desire had been burning inside Aristi to talk to him, and the same must have been for his brother.

He stroked the feathers on his head, trying to wake him up as gently as he could. Slowly Forea started waking up, first with changing emotions, than a rising claw to get rid what had been on his head. He opened his eyes only to see before him Aristi, his face quickly turning to delight as his brother hugged him as tightly as he could.

“I missed you Aristi” tears had formed in his eyes, happiness that had been everlasting as this seldom having been experienced.

“I would die before I saw you suffer. Mother said she visited you when you were unconscious, she cried over you.” he spoke silently to his brother, gripping him tighter as they cuddled their heads together out of compassion. They kept doing so time and time again, their claws hugging each other, a wave of happiness flooding both brothers. It took them a minute before they finally calmed down, questions finally settling in.

“Aristi, where’s mother, I want to see her.”

“Forea, we were both crying about you, but she is working hard right now. How about your wings? Will they be well?” Aristi asked with a look of concern in his face.

Forea whipped his head up “The healers were cautious, and let the surgeons take care of this. A fragment of the blade it's still inside the wing’s arm, but they told me it will be removed with a few slight moves. They told me skilled surgeons from Asclepius’s Sanctuary will arrive tomorrow on all watchtowers, through I am confident that our surgeons will do the job just fine.”

The last comment left Aristi thinking of something, for a split second he stared confused at his brother before coming back to talk about the day’s events “There’s more to it than that. Have you heard of the ambush with Apotheus?

The relaxed posture disappeared as Forea allowed himself to get frightened for what had happened “Do not tell me, has he too?” he whispered

“Not him, but a few of us got injured. Leido isn’t doing very well, but I am certain he will make it.” he tried to reassure his brother.

A breath of relief left his lungs, the look of concern and worry leaving his body “Let him be strong, and pray that he doesn’t welcome death with madness. Only the insane and the poets do so.”

“Ha, but don’t you pride yourself a poet, Aristi;” he said as he perked up.

“True, but life would be bitter without poetry, it surrounds my thoughts all day,” he answered back as he run his claw through the feathers of his head.

Aristi was quick to reply “Well, and what if your hope is what fuels your dreams? Surely life is what makes the arts so enduring, not the other way around.”

“True, but each gryphon was born different by fate. No art like that of poetry and theater has inspired gryphons to be hopeful of tomorrow. I spent hours yesterday writing in those empty books I bought from that merchant at Minerva.”

“Oh? where have you put it?” he asked.

“Well that depends. If you look to your right it should be under your left paw, and if you look to your left you should have already stepped off of it." he said with a dumb grin on his face. That brought a look of comfort to his brother, the reminder that even at such times their playful and tricksters nature would never abandon them.

He looked on both sides, as he cursed himself for not realising he had stepped on his brother’s book, ending his cursing when he saw a leafy blue-green book under his left paw, as he reached his back legs to get it.

Picking it up, he noticed how deliberately crafted it had been. It had been binded with such care that he felt that in his hands had been a book handled by the librarians of Minerva themselves. The book was big and nice to the touch, at least a hundred pages long judging by the thickness, all around the front a fancy tolling that looked like the sun, in the middle a silhouette of a unicorn engraved. Books already had already been somewhat of a hard commodity to get in the league, let alone in the Eastern Mountains, but to hand out something like this was beyond his comprehension.

He raised his head and looked at at his brother, for a moment sharing the same feeling he had when he first received the book, nodding his head as if to say ‘Go ahead, take a look’.

He gazed back at the book again as he carefully opened it. Revealed to him, the first page, filled to the brink with words, no speck of space left wasted. Top to bottom lines separated where one poem started and the other one ended. Reading a few of them surprised him, all written with feeling and passion that made this cold winter night afternoon more comfortable. The moon shined down on them as he came together, and a canny thought crossed his mind, for he never let a good teasing go unnoticed. He picked on of his brother’s less well written poem and started reading it out loud.

“Ha! a blind gryphon must have written this.” he said with a grin on his face.

“Doesn’t help, that it was read by a blind one too.” Forea deadpanned.

“From experience, I can tell you we are all blind when arguing with other gryphons” he was quick to reply again.

“And where did you learn that?” he asked.

“In many places, but I can tell you that I didn’t have a knife stuck in my wings when I was learning such things.” he said before putting on a grin, trying to contain his laughter as his brother shot him a deadly look before continuing.

“Ha! next time you try to jump on a beast from beyond time and see how it feels to experience a blade entering your wings.” they carried on for how long they didn’t care, the company of each other, the tender touch and brotherly love keeping them together. They lived for such moments after all.

Finally, after they had spent time together, letting out their anger and stress through talk and cracking jokes at each other, they finally rested for a moment. But in that rest, a question came into Forea’s mind, one that he had held back in the shadows of his mind ever since he had woken up this morning. He had other questions to ask to his brother, but this one had come first.

“So, where had you wandered? I asked the surgeons, they didn’t see you either.” he asked.

Aristi was startled by the question, though he tried to regain his relaxed posture. He had forgotten what he even had come here for “I tried to visit you, but the surgeons told me that you been threatened. By the time they would let me in, I was with Apotheus and his partner,” he said in a stressful voice.

“And where had you been with him.” he continued on, confused by the sudden change of tone in Aristi’s voice.

“We were with Thales, the mapmaker, you know, the one we used to be friends with,” he replied, taking a big breath, as he had been anticipating his brother’s response. Forea had beensharp and inspirited, so much so that at time he blamed himself every time he had been imprecise and misunderstood.

“Oh, him. I remember, I heard he was teaching a few tricks to the guards on survival in the Eastern Oroi, in order to help find the Anthropos,” he stopped as he finished his sentence, a horrible thought entering his mind, as he had realised what the stress of his brother had been “...y- you aren’t going too, are you Aristi?”

“Forea, brother, I don’t think I could leave you in ignorance from my intentions.” he told him, with steady and calm breaths “I have asked our father to let me be part of those left to fight, and after heavy pledging he has me do so, under the protection of Apotheus of course.”

At that moment, Forea’s stared at him in disbelief, and in an instant he felt complete revulsion “Stop trying to wax poetry at me you fool! for the love of gods, have you been touched by insanity? You want to be found dead like that scout that got killed?” he shouted at him.

“Forea, I know you want to speak with wisdom but I have already decided.”

Forea was bewildered and stared at him open-eyed “Oh of course, you saw what that monster is capable of yet you still feel obligated to face it down. Do you want to shatter our lives? Do you want to be torn apart just so you can avenge what happened to me? Let that not be so, I beg you, let this be the task of gryphons more capable than us!” he begged.

“I am not doing this only for you, Forea. This is for every gryphon whose life has been infected by that illness. We were the first ones to witness it, and by god, I feel obligated as every single gryphon that goes down there to find and kill that crippled spawn of flesh.” he answered as insecurities hanged over him.

“Aristi, I know you as my brother, and I hold you close to my heart, but this,” he raised one of his claws like that of a beggar, trying to turn around what he perceived as insanity “This is not the actions of a one who is sane. Do you realise how senseless this is? Do you not see the futility,” he told him.

He felt like he was being driven off to a corner, his tactics had failed to calm his brother. He had not been this intimidated by him in quite some time, and his mind raced to try and make him understand.

“And whose actions are sane in this mess?” he asked back, trying to change the nature of the question.

“Certainly not yours.” Forea answered back.

“You don’t get this don’t you?” Aristi said.

“To be honest Aristi, no. I don’t know why you all of a sudden feel that its your honor to go fight when you know that you are fighting against a being that has no regard to honor or sanity. Why are you doing this? Are are doing this for me?” that question had been what he wanted, a reason, a chance to finally calm and to sooth the pain his brother would feel for him doing such a thing.

“Forea, believe me when I tell you, I am doing this for you, and for every gryphon that goes down there and faces that thing. I know, to you that it sounds as if I went insane, as somegryphon as Ironicos would try to attempt. Then again, you don’t get it. Compared to what I have been taught, to die fighting for a cause is the greatest virtue one can achieve, one that is meant to be written down.” he looked at Forea, his eyes betraying that he was starting to believe him “My desire is to help kill that thing, so that we may not be hunted or threatened by that beast. I want to live like a gryphon but in my mind, the minds of others, can that thing continue to exist.”

“Two fish,” Forea said to him, staring intensely “At this point, we are like two fish, connected by the tail, each swimming in a different direction. Aristi, I,” he paused looking down on the book he had written so many of his poems. He stared at it for a second before responding “Just go.”

Aritsti stared confused and kind of shocked at that answer, “You understand?” he asked just to be sure that this had been a call for encouragement, not denial.

“I understand, but do not let that be soothing words for you. I do not agree, and if fate had not trapped me here with a wounded wing, I would do anything in my power to stop you. But I know that I am powerless to do such thing. So be it. Go send that thing to Tartarus where it can be torn to shreds.” at that, the look of worry and discomfort had been abandoned.

He realised what kind of depths he had cursed himself into. Forea’s eyes gazed deep into him as he regretted all the actions that had led him in such a pathetic and depressive sight before him. It had not been his wish to die, not really. After what he had heard from his brother, he didn’t want to betray him, and return back a bloody corpse. He nodded and took off the way he had come to head home and sleep.

Forea on the other hand tried to get rid of the questions and worries. He opened the book with care, mechanically in a way, the thought of his brother vowing in front of him made him loathe himself more than he had ever done so. He reached for the ink bottle and the writing feather from behind the bed where he had hidden them, and begun writing his work.





***





***



At the Domus of Ageleia.


Wild songs filled deep in the blind overcrowded night as they diverged and laid out to be heard by Minerva and the homes below it. In one of the homes, two young and illustrious gryphons stood in silence in front of a red door dressed in leather, the first carrying a shield in one claw and a scroll in the other, the second one having its claws gripped on the shoulder of the first. The door where they stood forth and stared at, trying to comprehend what they were about to do had been the Atrium, the main part of the domus where guests were greeted. Showered in nervous thinking deep within their minds, their bodies tired but able, wishing for those terrible moments to come and go. Finally, one of them broke the silence.

“Dareius, for the last time, I have not followed you for six hours through the freezing night to let you tell such horrible news alone” he put more pressure on his grip as he tried to persuade him “You know of the pain and sorrow that Ageleia will let, to see her clutched in her legs to learn of what has happened to her son, Between us, it would be better for me to deal with her.”

“Lift your claws Leon, and let me do this as Prometheus appointed me to do. Through you may be a very close friend and partner, Leon, it is my duty to do as I was told.” he told him dismissively.

“That is not the way to do so Dareius. Am I mistaken when I talk of Phoceo who, when faced with that glance of infinite shock, Ageleia’s stare rendered him immobile, stuttering as he informed her of the sudden death of her parents, and to see her sorrow, the shock that left Ageleia in tears for two nights.”

“That is true.” he told him batting an eye.

“Then hand over the scroll and stand aside,” he told him with obvious disparity in his voice, “I beg as a friend and as a comrade. I will not shatter or break as I tell her of what has happened to her son especially in the state that you are. Let me carry out this duty for you.”

“Ah, that is where you’re mistaken, Leon. To make sense of what will happen is not my duty, nor is it for me to let my job be done by those that are more experienced and more sturdy than me. The principle which I have learned and I follow is to always carry news regardless of what the consequences may be, just as I had been appointed to do six hours ago. Again, I respect your offer, Leon, but I refuse to let you carry out my duty.” he said that as he pushed the door open, leaving Leon behind to watch and dread as his friend went in to deliver those terrible news.

He opened the door, before his tired eyes was a gryphon in a navy blue chyton. It covered half her body, obviously for the symposium she was about to attend, two claws with a tint of azure eating salted shellfish from a plate, a rare commodity in the mountains of Minerva especially during the winter, one only affordable by the wealthy. The room contained sparse furniture, Ageleia sitting on a bedstool, an opening in the in the high ceiling showering the room with moonlight as she feasted on her luxurious food. Seconds after his entrance, Ageleia noticed the young gryphon entering, almost immediately laying her eyes on him.

“Greetings, please come in.” she tells him, gazing at his untethered feathers and sleepless eyes “Your body looks like it had endured much suffering. Please, if you come from land which few fly in, I will be happy to let you sleep by for this night, through I have festivities to attend to.”

“My mistress, I come from a distant land but I am no traveller. I am a messenger from the Eastern Oroi” he answered back.

“Ah. wonderful,” she cooed, a splinter of a smile forming across her rostrum, “It must be my son. I want to read his thoughts on how he deals with the events he partakes in.”

She let the plate of shellfish by the side as Dareius just stared at her, something that she took notice of. Dareius didn’t want to betray his emotions, he wanted to preserve a stoic stance and to just get this over with. But his heart felt cold to think that he would and try as he could he could not frown a little bit. She noticed that frown, and for her that was all that she needed to realize that behind those tired eyes laid the urge to cry. He just kept looking at her and she couldn’t help but accept her gross infecting cynicism, staring at the messenger before addressing him.

“Is it because of the long travel that you frown before me,” she paused “or has something gone wrong.”

In front of her stood a gryphon with bright years in front of him, ready to tell her things that no curse or blessing would be able to shield her heart of pain. He struggled to let his voice be heard, a small headache creeping its way in as it tried to divert its mind. The only thing he did was nod at her

“Of course not, why would he pay a messenger to come in the middle of the night. I am such a fool.” she murmured, letting a huge sigh escape her after that.

She looked at him, the feeling of knives stabbing her before ever really knowing, choking down her throat appearing to top it off. She knew it was inevitable. Bad fortune was meant to strike those that deserved it, to go against fate is a crime not even the gods would dare to commit. Even he knew it, but he was not lost in his own sea of existence, not yet. He still had an order to abide to.

“My Mistress, I am Dareius of Platos” he started with all the strength he could muster “I am here to inform you by order of the senate, that your son, Polynices, fell heroically six hours ago while searching for the myth known as an Anthropos, in the Eastern Oroi. The Senate, the Politician Keratios, and the Archokantos Prometheus sent their condolences and will dedicate the symposium to him, as well as all of the gryphons who are about to fall.” he finished before he could start stuttering, her cold soul breaching eyes almost making him do so. He held through, and even though he wanted to leave, one of his other orders was to hand a report written in a hurry by the syrgeons at the Eastern Oroi.

For Ageleia herself though, the stage was dark. She covered her face with her claws trying to contain her thoughts. What dread she felt, to learn that her only son had died in the midst of winter. Her memories felt stained, the blood flowing through her veins castrated and bastardised by the guilt, the horrible guilt, that made her silently depressed and angry. For others the thought made them cry, as all parents shed tears when they learn that their sons and daughters met death before them, their hearts conquered by sorrow. For her, through, it made her heart conquered by silent and compressed rage, a trait she had learned when she was under Temple of Ponos, a trait that had strained her fame for so long.

“My Mistress” he interrupted her as she focused her eyes on him again “I was tasked to
hand you a report of the event. Here is how we found...” he stopped from the stress, taking a small breath to even it out before continuing “Here is how everything went down, a diagnosis from the surgeons of Ekantoarchos Apotheus.” he finished with a hurried voice.

Ageleia focused her eye on Dareius, moving closer to get the scroll as opposing sides of her mind fought with each other, ready at to explode at any point. Getting closer, she took a good look at Dareius in an effort to divert her rage. He was quite young, his size making that clear, his feathers white, a few long ones on top of his head falling over the sides, finally, a thin layer of dust, snow and messy feathers giving away what he had gone through to get the message across.

She picked up the scroll from his hands, unrolled it and began reading its contents.


For the eyes of Ageleia of Minerva

By order of the senate and Keratios. A report on the death of Polynices of Minerva, Son of Ageleia and Metrophanes

Chiros Surgeon Theonomous

Three Scouts heard a loud bang in the air, speculated to be of a magic spell. Following where the sound came from, they searched and found a spot of snow stained by blood, followed by the dead Polynices in a small cave dug out on snow, one carved out by tools or/and magic.

We arrived with Chiros Surgeon Akakios and Ekantoarchos Apotheus, with several guards and younger field surgeons. In our diagnosis, we found no torn feathers, no broken beak, no wounds inflicted by claws or anything that would imply that there was a struggle between the gryphon and its enemy.

What we found was an entry wound in the chest, one that had hit and shattered the coracoid with amazing accuracy, going all the way through the lungs and into the lorax. If would require great strength and ability in the blade, if a blade had been used. My speculation is that the damage was inflicted by an arrow, which entered the skin at such speeds that it left the entry wound relatively small. After that, the inflictant must have tried to remove the arrow, but the tip must have broken or come off. Whichever is the case, it mostly likely that we will find an arrow tip inside of the dead gryphon. This does not explain, through, of the loud bang the three scouts heard before finding the body. If it may be that the creature wields magic.

With respect to Ageleia, and her son Polynices.

Signed Prokratios Miliate Milos



Ekantotarchos Apotheus.

I shall make this quick. I can say with almost certainty that the beast uses magic.

After the diagnosis for the dead Polynices, peace upon him, I took my troops and laid them near the the Dens of Herodotus where I feared the beast may have tried to take shelter in. We faced off the creature somewhere off in the canyons. This was our first encounter where the Anthropos used magic, as the beast fired invisible projectiles/fireballs out of its hands and had grey skin/fur, one that blended well with the snowstorm.

Despite our realization that our shields were useless, we attempted to swarm it. but despite our speed and determination, we met heavy resistance that left us with several wounded, their status unknown as of the time of the writing, but from my brief exposure with their wounds, they looked exactly like the ones inflicted on poor Polynices.

I send my condolences to Ageleia for the loss, and sent a message to the senate to Keratios, requesting that they follow the pleads of my lord, Ekatonarchos Prometheus.

Signed Hegon Keratios
Prokratios Miliate Milos
Proto Sophus of Leukodoria
Chiros Surgeon Theonomous
Chiros Surgeon Akakios
Ekatontarchos Prometheus



Ageleia rolled the scroll up and handed it back to him, shaking all the way through, closing her eyes as tears began forming up, her emotions swirling in an eventual outburst. She moved back to try, Dareius realising that she is trying to shelter him from her rage, cursing herself for doing this in front of him. Finally, after heavy breathing, she finally let it all out.

“Seven Daughters I had” she started “Seven Daughters I had, not one dead from even childbirth, but one Son I was blessed with, and now he has been taken away from me. Out of all nurturing mothers that exist, I am now no longer able. The blood that flows through me does not belong here. One of the gryphons that I have raised and have loved equally as others has been murdered by foreign blood, blood that is bitter and poisonous, blood that burns claws and minds, blood that has made life curse its existence!” she took a big slow breath, her body shaking slightly while she held off the tears welling up in her eyes “But in the end, I say no. I refuse to sit idly behind the walls of this city, I refuse to drink this poison to the bottom, the venom for the restless. This is what I will do, when I crush the skull of that monster with my own claws, to march above his broken body, craving its death as I finally struck down upon that life unworthy of life with swords and arrows!” the intensity of her voice peaked at that moment, the rage residing in her mind spilling over, leaving Dareius to simply watched the old and battered gryphon rage in her sorrow. She stood there for a moment, looking away while letting the anger dissolve taking big breaths, Dareius feeling the skin under his feathers burn from the heat and the stress.

A moment passed before the mourning ended, Ageleia finally letting her last big and exhausting breath. She looked at Dareius, standing in deep silence, the look on his face barely betraying the stress he was under.

She took a few steps closer, taking a moment to pause, releasing the anger that she had let out “I...“ she started, “ I apologise for my outburst, Dareius. I just...”

“I understand of your pain my Mistress, and what you spoke of entered my heart.” he managed to tell her, trying to contain what he had felt in the last minute or so, a sudden pain leaving his body as he realised that Ageleia had calmed down. He really didn’t like seeing gryphons struck by such tragedy, even if he didn’t know them. If anything he was relieved slightly that she had shed tears for him, a sign of how much she cared for her son.

“Dareius of Platos,” she addressed him, taking him off guard “Tell me, when are the Palatics leaving for the Eastern Oroi?”

Dareius scrambled to answer “A few hours after dawn, my mistress.”

“Go forth to the Senate and Keratios, tell them that I will lend myself to guide the city, to hunt down and to exterminate this pathetic being that has caused so much sorrow. I will inform my family when the morning comes and I will not tolerate this fact getting known before dawn, is that understood?” she was considerably calm when she told him that, even if she was shaking from the stress of what had happened.

“I will my Mistress” he replied back, before exiting the Atrium, leaving Ageleia to her thoughts.

As he closed the big red doors, he and Leon took flight to the direction of the Temple of Sirenus, the music guiding them there. But for Ageleia, the music fell on deaf ears.

The countdown had begun, in the deep reaches of her heart, in the tears she shed for his death, in the words she couldn’t let out. The countdown had begun and there was nothing that could ever stop it, nothing except the death of the monster that caused her such grief. Inside her, she let out cries of hatred and she vowed revenge, seeking the delight of bloodshed over that thing.

She looked up, outside of her balcony, the stars from above illuminating their brilliance like heaven, the sound of ballads and lyres echoing from mountain to mountain. Her daughters were at the symposium, laughing and taking pleasure in the company of others, unaware of what had happened to their brother. The moment would come, she knew, where she would have to tell them. She felt tired, both in her mind and spirit, cursing that pathetic life she now hunted.

So she left to go pray at the Temple of Ponos, she cursed the world beneath a dark sky. Such is the fate of this earth, bitter and brutal, only chosen broken blood to populate it.

The midnight snow storm had died down outside the camp, the illustrious moonlight finally shining down at the buildings beneath it as the inhabitants rested inside. Standing behind rigid walls the gryphons of the three guards lay inside on soft beds, the injured being treated in an unseen room, their superiors resorting to drink in order to wash their pains away. Eyes gazed deep into their own soul as they sat there, speechless over what had happened that night, their worries and discomforts piling on top their tired bodies, some staring deep into the reflection of their own thoughts, others leaving their problems for tomorrow and trying to get some sleep.

After his meeting with Prometheus, Apotheus had been left with guilt, so he stayed up and talked to his gryphons trying to learn about today’s encounter, so that once the occasion presented itself he would be in a position to use that knowledge. Yet the regret would not leave, a sharp stab that left him unable to sleep that night. All he could think was of his failure.

So obvious had his pain been that Grigoria had noticed it. Carrying a tea bottle around her neck she approached him as he had finished talking to the gryphons.

“Apotheus, you must be distressed. It’s late, look, here have some tea.”

“Bless you Grigoria,” he received the bottle. “Out of all the gryphons, I cannot imagine how this has hurt you.”

“I know, I had visited my injured son. He was unconscious, and I couldn’t contain my tears,” she stopped to think for a moment “Don’t worry though, only swords can break this fragile heart.” she tried to smile.

“I know, but I saw you before, so scared,” he paused to drink the tea. “I’m sorry it ended up like this. Many of my gryphons are feeling the same way right now.”

“Just promise me you will do your best, Apotheus.”

He paused for a moment. Had this been it, his best abilities? Tonight he had failed, and tomorrow he would have to give authority to more capable gryphons then him.

“By my word,” he started, but he was unable to finish.

“Huh? Apotheus, there something wrong?” she turned to him.

“No, nothing, I am phased by all of this. Your husband, I just can’t clear my mind over this.”

“Forget what my husband has said, you are swallowed by guilt.”

“I hope you are right.” he put down the tea “Is there something else you need?”

“Yes, there is the issue of logistics. Look, if you aren’t tired we need to discuss a thing or two. We will have over two hundred gryphons staying here for at least a week. We need to talk about where they will be posted, how they will receive daily rations, how to keep them warm.”

“Haven’t you talked about that with Prometheus yet?” he asked.

“We still are. Look we are very limited here. Tomorrow morning preferably we gather with Tholos and Metrodora to clear some things up.”

“Oh, I see. Tomorrow then.”

A gryphon from the room over opened the door, the surgeon Theonomous, a totally blank expression on his face characterised by slow heavy breathing. The time had come, and it begun weighing down on Apotheus.

The surgeon motioned for Apotheus to come near him. Grigoria had understood what would happen, an unearthly feeling loomed over her, the same one she experienced earlier this day when she had heard of her son’s injuries.

Both knew what the surgeon had to say.

“I did everything I could,” Theonomous started “I honestly did everything with what I am available. I just can’t, I can’t help him.” he stopped to take a big breath “He is going to die tonight. Slowly.”

“Tonight? Nothing else?”

“There is no way he is going to survive for more than a few hours, let alone until the surgeon’s from Minerva arrive. Keeping him alive will be an ongoing torture at this point.”

Silence overtook both of them.

“Do not tell me that thought passed by your mind” Apotheus asked.

“It has. I asked Prometheus while he was alone... he allowed me to.” the surgeon’s throat felt dry for a moment as he tried to utter the next sentence “My lord, I -- I want you to talk to him, get him to relax before I euthanize him.”

An antagonising hatred filled Apotheus as he simply stared abstractly at him. The bitterness in his mind, the turn of events that made this night worse and worse would not leave. He simply stayed there, silent, thinking.

“You are asking me... to lie to him?” he asked slowly, taking breaths in between.

“I don’t know sir. I just can’t do this alone, I can’t drive a stake through the back of his head ruthlessly.”

He knew what he had been thinking had been wrong, but that thought creeped into his mind and wouldn’t let him go. On that moment he wished he had been dead, as he couldn’t stop his emotions intervening with his thoughts. What would he tell himself in the future? That he left a gryphon live his final moments in pain, or that he sat there and lie, making the gryphon think he could have cheated death.

The voice of a gryphon he would never hear again, who’s life he was entrusted with.

They moved into the room, the door behind them closing, curtains tied down blocked moonlight from coming in, half dozen or so empty beds meant for those in emergency situations, all of them empty save but one.

“The others are at the corridor, they will last until the surgeons come.” the surgeon said.

“I see. You name is Theonomous, correct?”

“Chiros Surgeon Theonomous. Wouldn’t you know?” Theonomous asked,

“Its Prometheus job to keep us all tidy, same way I keep my twenty gryphons in line. I forget sometimes what goes on behind the scenes. I just wanted to be sure.”

They approached the bed with the gryphon in it.

Lying on his back, he was hurt rather badly, bandages tied up on his stomach and near his neck, dried out blood and dressings to top it off. He knew that sight very well, but his sanity and confidence were shattered once again.

“Apotheus?” he let out.

“Yes, Leido, its me. Don’t talk, please, you need all the strength you can for tomorrow.”

“I see... they come tomorrow?” he asked.

“They do, we expect them at most to be here by noon.” he paused for a moment “but enough of that, I cannot say I am happy with this situation, but I see your actions and I envy your courage.”

“I did good, didn’t I?” he remarked

“There is no equal to you, Leido.”

“But in the end, I couldn’t- ahh” he felt his pain intensify for a moment “ -- I, I still end up here, playing games with death.”

“Leido,” he got closer to him “I could beg for Ateo for mercy, but that would lead me to tears.”

“I don’t want to live as this -- urgh,” he paused to take a few breaths, his thoughts formed in pain “I should've known that this would happen.”

The cruelty he endure put a strain in Apotheus. There was nothing he could do, nothing that would ease his pain other than allowing him the sweet relief of death.

“Leido, your worst days are still better than death. Your actions have earned you a place in Elysium.”

“The actions which led to these injuries, Apotheus?”

“You understand of course? You escape by the skin of your beak, even if your actions would more likely put other gryphons down from fear.” he tried to explain.

“My lord. I am glad I did everything I could.” they both paused as the surgeon started preparing, moving behind the bed.

“Leido, I know you have family back at Leukos.”

“I know, I had so many places I wanted to visit with them, walk through cities, fly above rainforests and mountains.”

“Trust me, you will be able to after we move you tomorrow...” he paused, taking into account what he actually said “Leido, let it go. You will be fine. You are going to go to the lash fields Leukos where your kin will await you with a warm hug,”

“Its these thoughts I keep having. Mortal thoughts, insane thoughts.” Leido responded.

“Your thoughts are not insane, I know how you feel at this moment,” he lied again, he didn’t know how he felt, yet he still tried to comfort him “you must not fear, Leido, you will be fine.”

“I am sorry Apotheus, I was just thinking.” he paused again, the pain making it harder to speak “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If my entire existence were to end one day, would I be noticed?

“You, wha- Leido! You friends, family, lovers, you dare let them grow old without you?”

“I,” he didn’t respond to that ”I know in this instant how terrible and beautiful my future is. I know, what you are doing Apotheus... but I forgive you.” Leido ended.

“You...” how was it that he knew? That hint, that clarity in which he implied it. What words did he have for that, what words he could use to lie to him and himself of the inevitable. He stared once again abstractly, and from his spattered beak came noise but no words. His brain scattered, his emotions run wild, and for a moment, he lets his thoughts sink in.

So he cried.

“You are crying Apotheus,”

Apotheus’ fragile heart broke in front of him, across his eyes tears began to form .

“Leido, I Iied, can you not see? I tried to devour you,”

“I know Apotheus. You can let it go.”

“I... do you not comprehend what I tried to do to you Leido? I desired to end your suffering but,”

“I know what you tried to do. But I am not naive as I look. I am going to die very soon. At first I panicked... but then,” he paused to rest for a moment “but then I made peace with myself.”

“Leido, I wish I could show you everything you hoped you would have. I wish I could show you the world I am about to deprive you from,”

“I don’t wish to see the world. Ha... haven’t you seen the world Apotheus. Haven’t you seen how insignificant we truly are. I forgive you because this is the last thing left for me to do.”

“This is it then... your last gift?” he asked

“You took care of us Apotheus,” he paused his voice diminishing rapidly “And for that, I grant you this parting gift,”

“Goodbye... Apotheus.”

“Goodbye...”

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