Marianne sat silently on the edge of the bed and stared at the Gryphon. He lay curled up next to the bed and slept. Everything in her urged to caress him, to touch him, to let her awaken from the dream in which she was, but this hope was in vain. It was not a dream.
She remembered how she was approached in the streets of Nedeston and offered an assignment. This had indeed been nothing unusual, as she had a very good reputation as a messenger. Yes, she was a messenger. She brought documents from one place to another without asking questions. Surely there were enough messengers to deliver documents, but Athena was not a normal messenger. She was an Aranasera. A shadow runner.
As a baby, she was abandoned. She came into the care of Ignatius Kodar, who raised her as if she were his own daughter. What no one knew was, that he was a master of the Aranasera. And so he trained her in the art of shadow runners. When she was an adult, he disappeared one day and she was left to fend for herself. She quickly used her Experience in Aranasera to find her way around and became a messenger.
The art of the Aranasera was, among other things, to be able to move undetected, as well as to be able to strike quickly and purposefully in the event of a fight.
In a very short time, she had a very good reputation and the orders became more and more difficult but more lucrative.
A few days ago, a man in a cowl approached her and gave her the tube as a new assignment. She didn't see the face, but the pay was right. The destination was an order building and she was to hand it over to a man named "The Raven". He would reveal himself at the goal. The fastest way was the WINDRAIDER but it fell victim to the mysterious ship with the Nexuswyverns.
Marianne continued to look at the gryphon and sighed.
Duke Hawksire rolled up the document again and put it back in the tube. Then he handed her the tube. Surprised, Marianne looked up and accepted it.
"We will leave tomorrow morning. You will deliver the document and I will take this Raven to my chest," he said and sat down again on the chair.
"What's the deal with the Denerias Incident?" asked Marianne.
"Do you know what the Denerias incident is?" Duke looked at her.
"No. It was always said that the gryphons had been wiped out because of the Denerias incident. It was said that they had committed treason." Marianne seemed a bit insecure, because after all he had the uniform of the Griffin Guard.
"That's just the official explanation. The truth is different. But that shouldn't weigh you down. The day is coming when the truth will come to light, and it will be the day of justice." Duke clenched his fist.
Marianne was silent. She looked at the grasp again and after a short hesitation she stroked his feathers with her hand.
The griffin seemed to snuggle up to her hand in her sleep, which she took in surprise.
"He likes you," Duke said.
Marianne smiled and continued to stroke the feathers gently."He's wonderful. What's his name?"
"His name is Ascendary and now it's time to sleep, because we have a lot to do tomorrow.
*
"Your Eminence, you sent for me?" Dexter Demerodt stood in a small room that was simply furnished. Except for a desk, 2 chairs and a small closet, the room was empty. The man behind the desk motioned for Dexter to sit down.
Dexter Demerodt sat down and looked at his counterpart. He was dressed in a simple black habit and was already quite old, short snow-white hair covered his head and the man put the quill with which he was writing on a document into a small inkwell. He bore the name Benedict and is the head of his order.
"Nice to have you here, Inquestor. I have an important task for you," Benedict said.
"I hear." Dexter Demerodt was dressed completely in black fabric and that also affected his gloves. On the right hand there was a signet ring on the ring finger.
"An Aranasera is on the way to Cyrilon. She has an important document with her. This document must not achieve its goal."
"Is this information reliable?"
"Brother Maximus has caught a traitor to the Order in Nedeston. After detailed questioning, it turned out that this person had handed over this document to the Aranasera on behalf of the company. Brother Maximus could not find the client. The meeting took place in secret and the traitor to the order could not see the face."
"But someone is very cautious about that."
"Indeed. We know that she went on the WINDRAIDER, but according to my information, it was attacked and crashed. Brother Marcus has examined the crash site and is sure that it survived."
"Who attacked the WINDRAIDER?"
"We don't know. The remains of the WINDRAIDER had both burn marks and scratch marks, and Brother Marcus is sure that some of the victims were torn apart."
"Nexuswyverns?"
"Probably, but the WYVERN is a legend. Sailor's yarn."
"Your Eminence, I know that sounds absurd, especially since the WYVERN is said to have an incredible size according to legend, but if everything imaginable is ruled out, only the unthinkable remains. There is a grain of truth in every legend."
"You believe that the WYVERN exist? A ship that houses Nexuswyvern inside."
"What I believe and what I don't do is irrelevant here. So it's about this document."
"That's right. This document must not achieve its goal. No way. That would be a disaster."
"And what is my task in this?"
"You are our best fighter. I want you to protect Cecile."
"Sedalia? Did you say Cecile?"
"Yes. She is the only one who can find this document. I want you both to set out and protect her. And I want you both to forget your common past, because it is about the concerns of our order. Here is the pass that grants you access everywhere. And now don't waste any time." Benedict pointed to the door.
Dexter nodded, took the roll, and stood up. He bowed briefly to say goodbye and left the room.
"Hello Dexter," said a soft voice next to the door.
Dexter turned and looked at the young woman in the dark purple robes on the wooden bench.
Marianne stared at the Gryphon in disbelief and still couldn't believe it. Slowly she tried to get up from the pile of leaves, but the Gryphon hacked in her direction with his beak. She quickly let herself fall back into the leaves. The Gryphon kept an eye on her and walked up and down. He did not turn his head away from her. What was he waiting for? It was clear to her that she had no choice but to lie down.
She sampled the Gryphon. He seemed to be young. Adult Gryphonscould reach the size of horses, but this one was smaller. It had extraordinarily shiny, snow-white feathers, which was very unusual, because Gryphons had actually much duller feathers ... when they still existed.
Marianne had been ten years old when she had seen the Emperor's Gryphon Guard in the Capital up close. They were incredibly majestic animals and they had been the pride of the kingdom. But then the DENERIAS INCIDENT occurred and the Gryphons fell out of favor. One by one, they were hunted down, and by the time Marianne was 12, the Gryphons were extinct. The last Gryphon had even dragged his hunter to his death.
Footsteps approached and tore her out of her thoughts. Marianne turned her head in that direction and seemed to freeze.
"The ... That can't be!" she stammered.
A man in white-gold Half-Armour stood in front of her. The Breastplate was emblazoned with the coat of arms of a golden Gryphon, which was slightly covered by a golden fabric sash. On his back was a two-handed Sword. A uniform of the Gryphon Guard, the defunct Gryphon Guard.
The man went to the Gryphon and gently stroked his feathers with his hand. Then he turned to Marianne.
"Who do I have the pleasure with?" he asked, while the Gryphon lay down on the ground on the man's right side but still did not let her out of his sight.
"I ... My name is Marianne." she answered.
The man nodded and held out his hand to her. "Duke Hawksire."
When she answered, it chilled down her spine. Hesitantly, she grabbed his hand, but instead of shaking it, he pulled her up.
She stared wide-eyed at Duke, whom she estimated to be in his mid-forties. "How can that be?" she stammered. "You ... You are ... dead!"
Duke looked down at himself and looked at the Gryphon. "Do I look dead somehow?" To Marianne's surprise, the Gryphon shook his head.
"It seems, young Lady, that the news of my death was a bit premature." A slight smile was reflected from his lips.
Marianne, on the other hand, looked at the Gryphon, who continued to keep an eye on her, but was much more relaxed, which was certainly due to Duke's presence.
"How is all this possible? You are actually dead and Gryphons are extinct," she stammered. The Gryphon then looked at her smugly, which made Marianne take a step backwards. "He ... He understands me?"
The Gryphons she still knew had been more comparable to horses in nature and intelligence, but this Gryphon understood her, understood her language. She was completely confused.
"Yes, he does, but we should get out of here. Just in case the Nexuswyverns should come back. Follow me." Without waiting for another word from her, he walked past her and went deeper into the forest.
Uncertainly, Marianne looked at the Gryphon but followed Duke after she realized that she should go between the two. The Gryphon followed her.
"Wouldn't it be better to see if there were any survivors?" She asked, dodging some branches.
"You mean beside yourself? Do you really believe that?" Duke replied without turning to her.
Marianne bowed her head sadly. "No..." She kept in mind what the Nexuswyverns were doing to their victims, and an uncontrollable rage welled up in her. And she was to blame for it ...
Instinctively, she reached for the tube on her back. The Tube was still there and seemed unharmed, despite the fact that she had been lying on it. Marianne breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a great pain ran through her body. She began to stagger and her eyes went black. Then she collapsed and merciful unconsciousness surrounded her.
*
Marianne opened her eyes. She had a headache. Splitting headache. She grabbed her head and felt a bandage. She closed her eyes again for a moment and took a deep breath. Then she opened it again and began to look around.
Marianne is laying in a simple wooden bed. The room was also very simply furnished. She realized that she was laying in a wooden hut that seemed to have only one room. On a stove stood a pot in which water boiled, two simple cabinets and shelves were on a wall and in the middle of the room was a table with a chair. In front of it lay curled up the Gryphon. He was asleep. Duke sat in the chair and looked at her.
"What ... what happened?" stammered Marianne.
"A Nexuswyvern has caught you with its poisonous spikes, Marianne. However, he won't be able to harm anyone anymore." Duke had his legs crossed and held a book in his right hand. He was no longer wearing the Gryphon Guard armor, but wore green leather clothing.
"Why... Am I still alive? The poison is deadly...." Marianne turned her head, took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling.
"Because I sucked the blood out before the poison could get any further. You were very lucky." Duke put the book on the table.
"Thank you...." Marianne said exhausted.
"And now tell me why they were after you." Duke folded his hands in his lap and looked directly at her.
"What..?" Marianne looked at him again.
"Don't take me for a fool, Marianne. The Nexuswyvern attacked you directly, even though there was actually a more rewarding target." Duke pointed to the Gryphon.
Marianne flinched a little and then looked at the sleeping Gryphon. There was some truth to Duke's words. The Nexuswyverns played a major role in the destruction of the Gryphons because of the DENERIAS INCIDENT.
"I.... I can´t ... it is not allowed to talk about it..." it came out of her.
"So?" Duke reached behind him and placed Marianne's Tube on the table.
"No." She started up, but the pain let her sink back rudely.
"Then let's see what can be more important than a live griffin." Duke opened the tube and pulled out a parchment. He laid it on the table and rolled it out completely.
"Don´t ... do not...." Marianne stretched her arm in his direction and then let it sink powerlessly.
Duke read the document and slowly turned to her.
"Who is it from? And to whom is it to be taken?" he asked in a serious voice.
The bullets hit the wood with full force and exploded. Shrapnel flew inexorably in all directions and drilled into their victims. Screams rang out. The mixed stench of burnt flesh and gunpowder vapor filled the air.
"RETURN FIRE!" roared the captain of the flying frigate, which had to take another volley of bullets. The WINDRAIDER trembled under the new impact and lost the oar, which meant that she could now inevitably only fly straight ahead.
"We don't stand a chance. You must evacuate the ship, Captain Morgan!" cried the first mate.
The mainmast received another hit. With a loud crash, the wood broke and the mast began to tip over.
"Damn! CAREFUL!" roared Captain Morgan, but it was too late. The mast tipped over sideways and killed 3 sailors who had the misfortune to stand in its way.
Due to the shifted weight, the WINDRAIDER leaned into an inclined position.
Some sailors were surprised by this and fell screaming over the railing into the depths.
"EVACUATE THE SHIP!" Captain Morgan roared, adding softly to himself. "... and pray that you get away."
A jolt went through the WINDRAIDER and the ship went further into the inclined position. It wouldn't be long before the ship would turn around due to the shifted weight.
A woman in half-armor stumbled through a door into the open. Another volley hit the ship and for a moment she lost her balance, but clung to the open door.
Marianne stared in the direction from which the volleys came.
A gigantic ship with 7 masts hovered not far from them. She shook her head in disbelief. The ship began to turn slowly and 2 large wooden wings folded down on both sides. In the front area, 2 flaps opened on both sides and Marianne could see dragon-like creatures. Black lizards on 2 legs, without arms but with a poisonous sting on their tails. Nexuswyvern! Warriors in black leather armor sat on them and drove their riding lizards into the open.
One Nexuswyvern after the other pushed off and flew towards the WINDRAIDER. Like a flock of vultures, they approached their prey.
Captain Morgan crossed himself. He knew there was no escape. "RAM THE WINDRAIDER INTO THE GROUND!" he yelled at the helmsman.
"What?" The helmsman stared at the captain as if he had lost his mind. Captain Morgan pointed to the approaching Nexuswyverns. The helmsman turned, saw them, and then nodded. He pushed the ship into the lows.
A jolt went through the WINDRAIDER and then she slumped forward and steered towards the ground. Among them were only forests and rock fragments. The ship would shatter mercilessly, but perhaps some would miraculously make it. That's what Captain Morgan hoped, because there was no alternative.
Marianne reached for her sword, which was on her back, right next to a leather tube. She took a deep breath. They were not allowed to get the contents of the tube.
The first Nexuswyvern reached the WINDRAIDER. They specifically attacked a lifeboat that was in the process of detaching. The claws drilled into the wood and splintered the boat. Sailors were seized and torn to pieces. The mortal remains simply dropped the Nexuswyvers into the depths. Some sailors jumped into the depths despite the heights, because they did not want to follow the fate of their comrades, but the fast flying lizards intercepted them and did the same.
The ship plunged faster and faster towards the ground and the fallen mast, still hanging from the hull, continues to turn the ship. A Nexuswyvern grabbed the helmsman from behind and he screamed in pain, but clung to the steering wheel with all his might. He and Captain Morgan looked at each other for a moment, then he was swept away by the Nexuswyvern. Moments later, the screaming stopped. Captain Morgan turned away. They had served together for 20 years and now it was over.
17 Nexuswyverns swarmed around the WINDRAIDER like a swarm of locusts, mercilessly grabbed the crew and killed them.
Marianne had seen one of the flying lizards and was rushing towards her. She raised her sword, knowing that she had no chance, but she would not give up without a fight.
At this moment, the WINDRAIDER finally lost its balance and tilted to the side. Marianne lost her balance and fell backwards over the parapet into the depths. The Nexuswyvern missed her at first, but then followed up. Marianne, falling backwards into the depths, thrust her sword in the heat of the moment against the swooping Nexuswyvern, and the sword pierced her claw. The flying lizard roared and stopped the dive. Marianne continued to fall and saw the WINDRAIDER slowly turning to the ground. Then she fell through the trees.
The next moment a jolt went through her body. She was dragged forward. Her fall ended abruptly and she felt claws on her shoulders.
"No," it shot through her head. The Nexuswyvern had caught her after all and was about to tear her apart. Over. Over and over. In the distance, the loud impact of the WINDRAIDER could be heard, followed by an explosion.
Marianne was carried further through the forest, then the claws let go and she flew to the ground with a scream, but landed easily. She fell into a huge pile of leaves.
Above the crash site, the huge ship with the 7 masts circled and picking up the Nexuswyvern.
Marianne turned over in pain. She lay on her back on the pile of leaves and breathed heavily. Every bone in her body hurt. Slowly she tried to understand what had happened and stared at the treetops above her. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. Marianne flinched and saw the huge ship flying overhead. She held her breath, didn't move, and after what felt like an eternity, the ship was over her.
She was confused and relieved at the same time. Relieved that the ship was gone, but also confused that the Nexuswyvern hadn't killed her.
Slowly she straightened up and looked directly at a large beak.
Marianne screamed and tried to crawl backwards. She quickly realized that she hadn't been grabbed by a Nexuswyvern.
Blood ran over the feathers, mixed with rain and dripped to the ground. The massive body staggered and with a drooping wing he staggered 2 steps to the side. The mighty beak was smeared with blood and a gaping wound stretched over the left eye. In addition, the griffin coughed up blood.
"That was it. You can't escape anymore." A man stepped in front of the injured griffin. The rain ran down his black leather clothes and for a moment a tattoo shimmered on his forearm. The tattoo depicted a skull in front of which a crossbow crossed with a dagger and a sword.
The gryphon remained on the spot, but sank a little deeper again.
"Not so. Stay upright. As the last representative of your kind, you should die proud and with dignity and not on the ground in the mud of your own misery." The man put a bolt in his crossbow and put it on.
"Greet me the bird sky ......"
He broke off in the middle of a sentence, blood came out of the corners of his mouth and then his head fell to the ground. The headless body remained in place for a moment, then collapsed.
Another man stepped out from behind the dead crossbowman and lowered a two-handed sword.
"Say hello to hell."
He stepped over the corpse and stepped in front of the injured griffin.
He raised his healthy wing and threatened with his beak.
"Quiet. I'm here to help you," the man said.
The gryphon hesitated for a moment, then collapsed, falling with his body on the healthy wing. There was an ugly sound of breaking bones.
Frightened, the man approached the gryphons to turn him, but the gryphon pecked at him with his beak.
"Hey. I want to help you!" He avoided the beak.
The gryphon spat blood again and lifted the wing, which had already been wounded before, in great pain.
"By the gods...." stammered the man.
A small heap of misery crept out from under the injured wings. It pressed itself against the dying gryphon's body for help, emitting small helpless sounds.
"I thought ... you'd be the last!" The man got down on his knees and stroked the dying gryphon's head. The body convulsed in pain once again as the injured wing pushed the little creature towards the man. It resisted, but the wing was stronger.
The man looked at the gryphon with firm determination.
"I will protect it. I swear that on my life," he said and clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it against his wet chest as a gesture of promise.
The healthy eye seemed to look at him gratefully, then it looked at the little bundle of feathers that pressed itself against the griffin's head and sought closeness and protection.
For a moment it lit up and a tear left it, then the shine in the eye went out.
The wing slumped lifelessly to the ground.
It was over.
The little creature nudged the lifeless body several times and expected a reaction. When nothing came, it screamed heartbreakingly and pressed itself again and again against the wet gryphon's body.
The man lowered his head and breathed heavily. Then he stretched out his hands and embraced the little body. It was now the last of its kind.
A baby griffin.
It tried to wriggle out and pecked at its hands with its little beak, but the man wore gloves.
It flapped its small wings and tried to get to the gryphon's body, but the grip did not let up despite the wetness.
"Your mother is dead! We can't do anything more," he said and pressed the gryphon baby to his chest, where the little body became calmer and then twitched irregularly.
From grief and pain.
The man looked at the dead griffin one last time, then he disappeared into the forest.
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