Kapitel 23 - Wyvern

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 Kapitel 23

Wyvern

Somewhere high above the clouds.

The WYVERN moved slowly.

A nexus yvern landed on the deck of the huge flying ship.

He wore a message tube around his neck.

A man stepped through a door onto the deck and walked to the Nexuswyvern.

Carefully he took the tube from the animal and went back into the ship with it.

His path led him through several corridors to a gold-decorated door.

He knocked.

"Come in," said a calm voice.

The man entered the captain's cabin.

A man sat leaning back on a noble chair. The feet rested on an old ebony table.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"The messenger is back." 

"Put the message on the table and leave. I don't want to be disturbed."

"Very well." The man put the message on the table and left the room again.

The other man raised his hand and let the tube float in his direction.

It opened and a parchment floated out and landed in his hand.

He unrolled the parchment and read the message.

His features changed from interested to thoughtful.

He sighed and shook his head.

With a short wave of his hand, a crystal ball floated in front of his face and enlarged.

Fog filled the sphere and then slowly dissipated.

A hooded figure appeared in the sphere.

"What's the matter?" asked the figure.

"I just received unpleasant news."

"Don't be asked, my time is precious."

"Alcazar has reappeared. His air fleet was discovered 3 days away over the sea. The Nexuswyvern network is paying off."

"That fool. All right. Then we can finish him off once and for all. What about the aranasera?"

"We haven't found her yet. As sorry as I am."

"Very well. Keep looking! I want them! Her and the document!"

"Very well."

Without another word, the hooded figure disappeared into the sphere. 

The man shook his head.

Then he got up and went on deck.

"Make ASTAROTH clear. I'm going to look for the Aranasera in person now!"

Chapter 22 - The Shadow of the Inquisition

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Chapter 22

 The Shadow of the Inquisition

Danny stared at the gryphon, which lay peacefully on the ground and ate.

"Plain text!" Duke stood between Danny and Ascendary. "Why the hatred? What have I done?"

"Not you. YOU!" Danny clenched his fist.

"Speak!" said Duke Kit in a serious voice while everyone looked at the two.

"You murdered my father!" said Danny.

"I don't understand. Who was your father?" Duke seemed perplexed.

"He was a hunter. He was supposed to catch the last griffin so that the breed wouldn't die out." Danny looked at Duke.

"Wait. Waiiit! He wanted to kill Ascendary's mother, not catch it! It was self-defense!" Duke replied.

"What are you talking about? You killed him from behind. The Inquisitors have detected the aura of your weapon. The magic sword of the captain of the Griffin Guard! In addition, the 

typical traces of griffin claws on the body. After the deed you went away and left him lying there! And why mother? There was only one griffin left, wasn't there? And that one is male!"

Danny clenched his fist.

"Boy, you've been tricked quite a bit. NOW, Ascendary is the last griffin. But your father chased his mother without knowing that there was a cub, which she defended with her life. We had to leave her body behind to avoid being caught. When I showed up there, your father wanted to kill her with a crossbow. I had to act quickly to save her, not knowing how badly she was already injured. She died and I saved Ascendary."

"YOU LIE!" shouted Danny.

"No, he doesn't," Dexter said.

Everyone turned to him.

"I was with the Inquisition squad at the time, which found the dead griffin and your father." Dexter looked thoughtfully at Ascendary.

"What?" Cecile looked at Dexter in shock.

"The order was to kill the last gryphon before he killed the king. According to an old legend, a griffin will kill the king and plunge the land into darkness.

On that day the stars will fall." Dexter stood in front of Danny.

"I don't understand..." Danny was completely confused.

"I wasn't an inquestor at the time, and I was following orders. After both bodies were recovered, the lie was spread, which you believe to be true to this day."

"What was the point of all this?" Danny shook his head.

"We didn't know anything about the baby either. The complete suspicion was directed to the captain of the Griffin Guard, who had gone into hiding. Duke." Dexter pointed to Duke. "Your father was deceived and sacrificed. For a lie. The shadow of the Inquisition is long."

Danny looked at Ascendary and then at Duke. "It ... I'm sorry. I didn't know that."

Duke looked at Danny. "It's good, boy. You couldn't know."

Cecile took Danny in her arms comfortingly.

Duke built up in front of Dexter.

"Which brings me to the question of which side you are on, old friend."

"Old friend?" Marianne looked at both of them. "What surprises do you have in store?"

Dexter turned to Marianne.

"We fought side by side back then. Inquisition and Griffin Guard."

Duke nodded. "We were a very good team."

"Until the Denerias Incident. That's when the disaster began." Dexter lowered his eyes.

"I remember it like it was yesterday." Duke put a hand on Dexter's shoulder.

"My loyalty is to the Inquisition, but we are corrupt." Dexter raised his eyes again.

Cecile looked at Dexter indignantly. "How can you say that?"

"Because that's the way it is. I've had the suspicion for a long time and now it looks like I can uncover it." Dexter turned to Marianne.

"And you are the key to the whole thing, Marianne."

"Me?" Marianne was surprised.

Chapter 21 - Meanwhile

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Chapter 21

Meanwhile

"Danny?"

"Hmmmm?"

"DANNYYYYYY!!!"

"What? Aaaah."

CRASH!

Danny rubs the back of his head. He had fallen out of bed.

Cecile stands in front of him with her arms crossed.

"Well, finally woke up? How can you sleep so deeply?" Cecile rolls her eyes.

"Better not contradict her and just nod, boy." Dexter sat in an armchair in the background and smiled.

"I..." stammered Danny.

"Don't you dare!" Cecile pointed her index finger at him.

Danny was silent.

"Now that we are all awake, we should do something now." Dexter got up and walked over to Danny.

He held out his hand, which Danny grabbed and let himself be pulled up.

Cecile looked admiringly at Danny's well-built upper body.

Dexter raised an eyebrow.

Amazing that one man managed to melt the iceberg Cecile.

"Are we locked up here?" Danny asked as he put on his leather armor.

"No," said Cecile, who followed his every movement with her eyes admiringly.

"We even have our weapons." Dexter pointed to the wall where the swords stood.

"That's strange." Danny stretched.

"Let's take our weapons and see that we find the Aranasera. Let's get the document," Cecile suggested.

Dexter nodded. "Something strange is going on in this house. Let's see that we..."

At that moment the door opened and Duke stood in the doorway with his sword drawn. The door closed again behind him.

"Where is Marianne!" he cried.

"Not here!" Cecile called back, hesitating and looking at him confused.

"No? If we did, we wouldn't be here anymore, Dumbhead!" she said angrily to Duke.

"But... Where is she then?" Duke lowered his sword.

"Maybe we should look at our strange hosts," Dexter replied snippily.

"There is something to that. Will we both get along?" Duke looked at Danny.

Danny closed his eyes, opened them again and nodded. "Armistice. Until this is over, murderer!"

"When this is over, we'll first clarify who I'm supposed to have murdered, that you attack me like that." Duke crossed his arms.

"Tell me, where is your coachwoman?" asked Cecile.

"Um..." Duke scratched the back of his head. "I knew I had forgotten someone."

Cecile shook her head with a sigh. "Let's go."

Dexter, Cecile and Danny took their weapons and Duke opened the door.

"Good morning, Lady and Gentlemen!" said the butler standing in the doorway.

Everyone was suprised. Nobody had expected that.

"Breakfast is served and you don't need your swords. We also have normal knives for cutting rolls." The butler didn't pull a face.

Duke looked at him puzzled and turned to the others, looking at them questioningly.

They shrugged their shoulders.

Duke turned back to the butler.

"I don't like to part with it. An old family heirloom."

"Well, then take it with you," replied the butler.

"For me too!" "Yes, mine too," shouted Danny and Cecile!

Dexter rolled his eyes.

The butler raised an eyebrow.

Danny and Cecile quickly scurried past him.

The butler looked at Dexter now.

"I am an Inquisitor of the rank of Inquestor. I do NOT put down my weapon! Well, most of the time not." he said and walked past the butler.

The butler sighed and followed them.

They reached the large hall again.

A surprise awaited them there.

At the table sat not only Vasques, Sedalia and Marianne, but also Lysander, the king's librarian.

And next to the table lay Ascendary, who was eating something with relish.

Chapter 20 - The Curtain falls

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Chapter 20

The Curtain falls

Marianne opened her eyes and looked at Vasques.

He had folded his hands further and looked at her.

"Welcome back to the present."

Marianne tried to grasp what she had just seen.

"Who are you?" she stammered, staring at Vasques.

"He's my father," said a voice behind her.

Marianne spun around.

In the doorway stood Lysander.

With wide eyes she looked first at Lysander, then at Vasques and then at Lysander again.

"That's not possible!" 

Lysander went up to Vasques and stood beside him.

"Hello son," he said.

"Father." Lysander laid a hand on his shoulder.

"How is that possible, you're not a vampire, Lysander." Marianne was stunned.

"It's a bit complicated. He was my father before he became a vampire," Lysander explained. "I became something else."

"Just like me." Sedalia entered the room.

Marianne was now staring at Sedalia. That was too much to grasp everything.

"What ... are you?"

"Sedalia sat down at the end of the bed and took her hand.

"Close your eyes." 

Marianne hesitated at first, but then she did.

Suddenly she was standing in a meadow.

Sedalia stood in front of her and smiled. 

She took a step back and spread her arms.

Flames enveloped her from one second to the next, forming a being that lifted her up behind her.

A phoenix!!

Marianne sensed something behind her and turned around.

Lysander stood in front of her and raised his arms.

A dark cloud surrounded him and then formed into a being.

A wyvern rised behind him.

Marianne opened her eyes again, jumped up and looked at all three.

"Lysander and I are light and darkness." Sedalia smiled.

"Fate has brought us together. We have been appointed by powerful creatures as their avatars." Lysander crossed his arms.

"In a time of chaos, we have ensured order." Sedalia squeezed Lysander's hand.

"Why all this?" she stammered.

"Your blood is extraordinary, it has betrayed you," Vasques said.

"I don't understand." Marianne was even more confused.

"They're all not after the scroll," Sedalia said.

"I... What else?" Marianne shook her head.

"They're after you," Lysander said now in a serious voice. "And now we know why."

"Behind me? I mean..... why, I am an orphan!"

"You are not an orphan, Aranasera. You have a father." Vasues looked at her gravely.

"Who?" Marianne looked at all 3.

"General Denerias...."

Chapter 19 - Battlefield

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Chapter 19

Battlefield

Vladimir Vasques sat on a handsome and black stallion.

His black armor bore the coat of arms of the Royal Griffin Guard.

He was flanked by 2 other horsemen, who also wore the griffin's coat of arms.

Both had long halberds. Griffin Guard.

Vasques looked out over the battlefield.

The battle was over and the wounded were carried off the battlefield.

Another senseless slaughter.

Vladimir Vasques set his horse in moving, the griffin guards followed.

He steered his horse down the hill and then rode slowly across the battlefield.

So pointless.

Vladimir took a deep breath.

Anger seized him, but he controlled himself.

"Master Vasques!" A single horseman came across the battlefield. "Master Vasques!"

Vladimir Vasques raised his right hand.

The gryphon guards stopped with him.

The messenger reached him.

"Master Vasques! Your presence with the General is required. Immediately!"

"Surrre, we werrre on ourrr way to see him anyway," Vasques said.

The messenger nodded and rode away again.

Vasques and the gryphon guards started moving again.

His gaze swept over the battlefield again.

"AN ATTACK!" someone shouted loudly.

A group of 10 horsemen appeared on the battlefield. 

In terms of armor, marauders of the enemy.

And they had a goal.

Vasques!

He stopped, his horse jumped down. 

Seriously determined, he approached the onrushing marauders.

The griffin guards stayed behind and guarded his horse.

As Vasques approached her, he drew his 2 swords and swung them.

The marauders rushed towards him with drawn weapons.

"We're going to kill you!" the leader roared.

"You and what arrrmy?" said Vasques with a hard voice.

He swung both swords around, dancing, elegant.

The Aranasera Figting style!

Two of the riders fell to the ground, hit.

Vasque's eyes lit up dark purple and he made a big leap from a standing position and drilled both blades

into their goals.

2 other riders fell to the ground. 6 left.

The rest sprang from their horses and surrounded him with their weapons.

Vasques smiled, then they attacked.

Vasques whirled around and his blades found their target again, another 4, another 2, another 1.

The leader looked at Vasques with horrified eyes.

"Don't!" he stammered. 

"Too late," Vasques replied and his Vampire teeth flashed. He bit it.

Then he turned away and dropped the body.

As he approached his horse, he wiped the blood of the blades on a handkerchief.

More horsemen approached.

A man in golden gryphon armor led the squad.

Vasques turned and waited for the squad.

They stopped in front of him.

"Master Vasques, are you all right?" The man in the golden Gryphon Armor looked at him.

Vasques looked at him.

"I´m fine, General ...  Denerias."