《Reality Crash》 V.1 Ch. 1 - The Final Hero Griff stood at the edge of a curtain of darkness and rain, the warmth of the sun beating down on his head. He appeared so tired, as he heaved in air like a half-drowned man might. The scabbard that hung loosely from his back no longer held a sword, while the one attached at his waist was just as empty. Across Griff¡¯s body numerous wounds were visible, the tattered armor that barely clung to his torso filled with multiple holes. The fatigued warrior stood up while he brushed his hands together, a new layer of dirt fell away from the mud coated fingers. Once, he had worn gauntlets, crafted of the finest metals imaginable, but he had also once had many companions with him on this venture. Seven strong they had started the journey, each one a well trained fighter who could hold their own against the worst. Griff had learned their names, their faces, and their histories. He had led them, and in leading he had learned his own weakness: he had failed to protect them when it had mattered most. Six had died during the ambush led by Lyongrese¡¯s most trusted, and Griff was forced to lay them all to rest. To Griff it felt like it had happened centuries ago, but in truth only a single hour had passed. Only one since he had dug the graves with his own two hands, laid the dirt over their still forms and said a small prayer to Aphalia. Griff¡¯s fingers slowly worked as he flexed each digit individually, testing each to make certain the fight and digging hadn¡¯t ruined them. He let out a long sigh while he lifted his gaze toward the heavens, eyes closed as he tried to center himself mentally. Both filthy hands raised to his head and ran through his short black hair. The moisture gained from the rain already seeped into the hair itself. As Griff opened his eyes he lowered his gaze once more upon the castle before him, attention fully given to the final challenge of his life. In the distant past it had been a castle that belonged to the ruling family of Shinterra, a family that had brought prosperity to the lands for generations. They had constructed the building near the start of their rule, a vast fortress that stretched toward the heavens and spread out across the flatlands of the Mythron Expanse. With enough room to house an army of soldiers none had ever dared to assault the palace, and so it stood eternal against the passage of time. Lyongrese had changed everything with his arrival, gone were the rulers who everyone had adored and respected. The towns and cities that had thrived turned into darkened hollows, battered by the cruel machinations of Lyongrese¡¯s soldiers. In the past, the bricks and mortar had shone as though the sun itself had been encapsulated within, but now the palace exuded darkness even on the brightest of days. The wondrous sky that had stayed so clear above the castle was now stained with black clouds, rain and lightning a constant occurrence. A stench most foul clung to the palace, while the trees and flowers wasted away into rot. While nobody had paid attention the soil itself had grown so dangerously toxic that the mere passage through it would often burn or ruin the flesh. Griff picked his way across the black soil that lay ahead, his foot fell light and quick. The approach to the palace held no surprises for Griff, and no ambush nor guard revealed themselves to stop him. When he reached the massive double doors that covered the front of the palace he was a bit shocked by the lax security, though he also noticed that his boots had begun to dissolve from the acidic topsoil. It was a matter of respect to knock on the door of a strangers home, and so Griff shoved both of the doors open without a single rap of the knuckles. He stomped into the massive entrance hall, his chewed up metal boots muffled by the carpet beneath. ¡°Lyon get your worthless ass out here!¡± he yelled at the top of his lungs. Within the vast and empty confines of the foyer there was no response to Griff¡¯s bellow. At one time, the chamber housed a multitude of chairs and tables, but with the acquisition of the castle by Lyongrese all of those had vanished. The only bit that remained from the past was the dark red rug which stretched from the front door toward the entrance of the throne room. Griff took a few steps forward with his gaze locked on the door ahead, it was obvious to him that Lyongrese would have hidden away inside the throne room, most likely lounging indolently on the throne itself. The mere thought of how Lyon might have treated the throne of the greatest family ever only angered Griff further. So when a shadow detached itself from the ceiling above, Griff failed to notice it, nor did he notice the shadow land on the ground behind him with a quiet muffled thump. The figure stood up straight and lifted a shining silver weapon high, before bringing the blade in a quick slash toward Griff¡¯s exposed backside. A lesser man would have fallen prey to the surprise attack, but Griff had not survived the horrors of Lyongrese out of mere luck. Once the blade reached a few inches from Griff¡¯s body the fact that it was there became obvious to him, and with a quick twist of his body he evaded the attack. Hands lifted to his face in a defensive posture, while he straightened his back and studied the shadowed figure before him. Griff couldn¡¯t help but to relax his fists, fingers uncurled a tiny fraction while his sense of danger decreased. ¡°Evelynn?¡± he whispered out while he stared at the person before him. What his opponent wore was in no ways armor, nothing even remotely close to useful for combat. Instead, it was a wedding gown crafted of the darkest hue and lightest material, a gossamer web of shadowed threads which interlaced flawlessly over her pale skin. Evelynn was a beautiful woman, one who had acquired the interest of many men in the past. Griff took a step forward, one hand stretched toward the woman he had loved all of his life. Her flawless black hair that pooled down from snow white skin, her supple red lips which promised a glorious kiss. It was only when Griff saw her eyes that he recoiled in horror, his mind beginning to snap back to reality. What had once been eyes as red as any ruby had gone empty. With pure white eyes, the dead wife of Griff stared at him mindlessly. Evelynn came at him again with the sword and let loose a horizontal slash that threatened to cut him into two pieces. The movements of her body were erratic, as if something or someone else manipulated her with strings. Griff escaped the attack with a quick backstep, but he had still become shaken by the sight of Evelynn before him. Out of all the people that Lyongrese could have chosen this was the most effective, but it also only added to the weight of Lyon¡¯s sins. Griff¡¯s hands curled once more into fists, though a trickle of blood began to come out from between his tightened fingers. He studied the weapon that Evelynn held and recognized it, it was the great sword Caelmor which had been used to slay the archdragons. It was capable of piercing anything thanks to the blessing of Aphalia. It was a weapon made by a Goddess for her faithful that she so claimed to love. When the next swing of the sword came Griff stepped to the side, nearly ready to ignore it entirely, given how poorly the corpse of Evelynn wielded it. With a sickening crack the arm that held the sword twisted and went toward Griff¡¯s face, at an angle that would have been impossible for anyone living. Eyes widened in shock, Griff swayed his head out of the way of the stab before it could skewer his brain. After a quick hop away to give himself some space to work with, Griff reached to his cheek and ran his finger along the fresh cut he had gained. His attention was forced back to the animated corpse when another bone cracked loudly as the body lunged at him, clearing the vast gap between the two of them. Sloppy attacks came at Griff at a disturbingly quick pace, with contortions of the body intermixed the sight of which made Griff wince. Any time he felt a hint of safety the puppet that was Evelynn would deny it, bones snapping even as the sword thrust at him from incomprehensible angles. To watch her body as it broke over and over again almost made Griff sob, though he bottled up his sadness which he had begun to feel and locked it deep within. It was not her fault that she attacked him, the woman that Griff loved could never be hated by him no matter what happened. As such he had yet to attack her. The thought of striking out against Evelynn was nearly blasphemous to him. However, this was a belief that had begun to shift, as the puppet¡¯s broken arms and legs bled out a black ooze that was most definitely not ordinary blood. Though puppet¡¯s broken legs should not have been able to support her weight she nevertheless somehow stood, her arms still raised into a battle position even though they had been fractured in multiple spots. The puppet¡¯s neck had even snapped, which had caused the head to hang forward and flop about at random with every movement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Griff said, while his right hand was raised up before him. His index finger arced through the air, an action that made it look like he was writing symbols. Griff had to make an unpleasant decision, either he could leave his former wife to continue falling apart, or he could do what he should¡¯ve done in the first place. The puppet, draped in black, stalked toward him yet again, the empty gaze of the former woman focused entirely on Griff. When it leapt into action it was already too late for the corpse, as a wall of fire erupted from the ground before Griff. Like a tidal wave, it rushed forth into Evelynn and continued onward, carrying the deceased with it even as the carpet and rest of the room caught aflame. As Griff twisted his right hand and motioned upward the wave of fire formed into a vortex, one that devoured the puppet that was his wife. For a moment, the body hung, suspended in the flames. Then the pale flesh and ebon dress were reduced to ashes which scattered upward like a plume. The sword that the corpse had used against him fell with a clatter on the carpetless part of the room. Griff watched the ashes as they floated downward, yet there was no sadness visible on his face, instead there was rage. An anger which threatened to consume his very soul and turn him berserk. With only thoughts of murder in his mind Griff turned to the throne room door and began his march across the vast foyer. There was no hesitation when Griff kicked the sturdy door so hard that the hinges ripped free from the wall, the wood sent hurtling into the throne room. He stalked into the chamber without a single thought to defense, his aim instead to find the bastard who had used his wife and end him forever. Griff¡¯s eyes darted from the left to the right while he scanned the interior of the throne room, the once glorious and pristine place the royal family had ruled from. Gone were the golden furnishings, and gone were the tapestries and the stained glass in the windows. No more could one even find the most basic of furniture, nor even the chandeliers that had hung above. Only a carpet that covered the span of the room still remained, along with a single throne made of bronze centered on a dais. Long white hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, while blue eyes were framed by a thin pair of glasses. The face looked as though someone had chiseled out a flawless man from marble, with skin so smooth it defied common sense. A dark green gloved hand reached up to the glasses to slowly remove them. The man tilted his head slightly while the glasses came off. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well, I do have to admit, I¡¯m amazed you made it this far,¡± Lyongrese told Griff, while he folded his glasses and placed them gently on the arm of the throne. This was the man who had murdered so many people, who had crafted armies of monsters and legions of psychopaths. It was the monster who had the ability to break anyone in half, and was not afraid to demonstrate that ability. The evil person who had used Griff¡¯s own wife as a puppet and killed everybody else he knew. There was a reason why Griff had not leapt to the attack already, it was the mysterious crystal sphere that Lyon held in his left hand. The orb was easily the size of Griff¡¯s own head, and it had waves of white and black that rippled over it in no discernible pattern. Out of everything he had seen in all his years of fighting against Lyon¡¯s armies that sphere was a mystery which he felt would not bode well for the confrontation. ¡°Oh, are you interested in this?¡± Lyon inquired of him from the throne, before giving a low chuckle. With a creak he lazily rose from the throne, his right hand pushing gently against the armrest. Lyon reached down with one gloved hand to smooth over his loose shirt, before he placed the hand behind his back. ¡°What have you done?¡± Griff growled from between clenched teeth. He yearned to leap over and rip apart Lyongrese, to tear the man limb from limb and beat him to death with his own body parts. Yet patience was required, only an idiot would blindly attack Lyon when he held a mystic artifact. Lyongrese slowly lifted the sphere up so that it was level with his own head, gazing into its murky depths with fascination. ¡°Oh, nothing much,¡± Lyon commented, before he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I merely discovered the soul of Shinterra.¡± If it was possible for the dead palace to grow quieter, in that moment, it would have. Griff took one step backward in shock. With his eyes so wide that it almost hurt and a paled face the seasoned warrior stared at Lyongrese and muttered: ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°Stop being such a dunce,¡± Lyon chastised Griff, before he pulled his right hand out from behind his back and motioned toward the sphere. ¡°I have this do I not? Is that not proof enough? Can you not feel the life of our entire reality within the palm of my hand?¡± ¡°You should not have that! You don¡¯t deserve that!¡± Griff yelled at Lyon, his composure slowly recovering as he began to lean forward. His hands once more clenched into fists while his anger which broiled beneath the surface burst once more upward. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough damage!¡± Lyon threw his head back and laughed loudly, his empty hand lifted up as though to beg for Griff to stop with the jests. ¡°Please! No more! Stop with this idiocy!¡± Lyon pleaded, before his head once more inclined to look at Griff, a tear in one eye. With a swipe of his glove he took away that tear, then flicked it from his finger to the floor. ¡°Do you really think I care about damage?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your world too! You should care! Why don¡¯t you care!¡± Griff roared at the man in front of him, the fool who had taken a beautiful realm and turned it into a nightmare. Lyon lifted his right hand up and casually tapped at the sphere in his left hand, a tap which generated a tingle of bells. The coloration of the orb shifted from black and white to a combination of red, green and blue, before it resettled once more to the monochromatic style. ¡°You think like the ant that you are, Griff Emrys,¡± Lyongrese told him even as he sneered. ¡°You scurry in your little hole, satisfied with the extent of your knowledge of the world. You trust in your knowledge, yet are so pitifully unaware of the great things that lay beyond it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense!¡± Griff told him, while he slowly moved his fists to his sides, knees slightly bent and body tensed for conflict. ¡°Put down the sphere or not, I promise I¡¯ll kill you slowly for your crimes!¡± ¡°Suicidal fool,¡± Lyon scoffed before he lowered the sphere to waist level. He confidently strode toward Griff while his right hand lifted up, fingers curled into a fist of his own. ¡°Very well, lets see how you fare compared to your predecessors.¡± The blow came so fast that Griff¡¯s ability to sense impending danger was of no use. Rather,all he was able to do was leap backward with the blow to try and soften the impact. Regardless, he was still tossed clear out of the throne room and back into the cavernous entrance hall, his body tumbling across the burning carpet. By the time Griff stood up his clothing had already caught on fire, and with a panic he patted at the small flames to snuff them out. Hearing Lyon clear his throat, Griff looked up, cursing at himself. All he could see before his head snapped backward was Lyon¡¯s right knee seconds before it impacted into his face. The back of Griff¡¯s head slammed against the floor, softened slightly by what was left of the carpet. Before he could even have begun to recover Lyon had already placed a boot onto his chest, while he peered down at the injured would be hero. ¡°Why do you even struggle?¡± Lyongrese inquired, while his boot ground harder into Griff¡¯s chest. ¡°Go live with the few humans that still remain. Try to make something out of your meager short lives. Maybe you can even keep the last few dozen from dying.¡± Griff lashed out with his hands in an attempt to strike the ankle of Lyon, but the foot lifted free from his chest before the blow could land. Lyongrese took a quick step to the side and swung his foot back in a slow movement, then delivered a sharp kick underneath Griff¡¯s side. The hit was strong enough to lift Griff into the air and send him hurtling across the room. Griff sailed through the air in a long arc, before his body collided with the stone wall with enough force to dislodge a few bricks. His body crumpled to the ground, and only through sheer force of will did he manage to catch himself, landing in a crouched stance. ¡°Ahhh!¡± was all he could manage to utter, his one knee touched down against the ground while both hands pressed temporarily to the cold floor. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re faring better than Maerdor,¡± Lyongrese told him. ¡°I would clap for you, but my one hand is a bit full holding all of reality.¡± Griff coughed up a bit of blood as he struggled to his feet, and then lifted both hands before him. An intricate pattern was steadily carved into the thin air before him, before he flourished his hands in the direction of Lyongrese. ¡°Stop joking around!¡± A wall of blades emerged from nothingness, sharpened spears and swords that hurtled toward the deranged Lyongrese. ¡°Why are you so bad at magic?¡± Lyon wondered aloud, while he casually waved his right hand in front of himself. Every single blade struck a wall of granite that had formed much like they had. The granite then fell to the ground along with the innumerable blades. ¡°I mean, seriously? Blade wall drawn by hand? How are you a Divine Guardian when you can¡¯t even cast magic by pure thought?¡± Griff did not respond to him, his hands had already moved about in the air once more. With a flourish of his hands the world around him grew hazy, a sphere of mist erupted outward with tendrils of white. A fog bank had appeared in the foyer and it showed no sign of stopping, as it coated every patch of the room with a white haze. ¡°A smokescreen? Smart, but what¡¯s the point?¡± Lyon asked, before he began to chuckle in a low tone. ¡°Even if you¡¯re able to hit me you can¡¯t kill me. I. Am. A. GOD!¡± There was a cracking noise as though someone had stepped on a pane of glass, and then Lyon began to realize what had happened a moment too late. Down slowly fell the pieces of the sphere, while the container that held back what he called a soul was opened. A well placed toss of a sword, one which had been used against Griff by his dead wife. ¡°Who said I was aiming for you?¡± Griff retorted, before he spit in the direction of Lyon. He had gambled, the so-called soul of Shinterra being broken free might help him, or it might end the world itself. For all he knew it could do nothing, but no matter what he considered it a winning scenario so long as Lyon suffered. ¡°You fool! You idiot!¡± Lyon screamed from his place within the fog bank. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done!¡± Griff would never need to hear more as all he felt was a blast of pressure from in front of him, a wall of sheer force that tossed him like a rag doll through the stone wall behind. Even as he rolled across the filthy ground and muck outside he could feel his mind slipping, consciousness fading away from the abuse it had taken. A moment later and he was gone into the darkness of sleep, even as the world around him shook. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï It was the cry of animals that awoke Griff from his slumber. He groaned even while he struggled to push against the dry ground beneath. About him the flow of air blew fresh, while every sense in his body warned him that something was off. The tired and battered man stood up, his body hunched over from the pain brought on by the action. Darkness enshrouded him as the night had fallen at some point, the cool air coated him even as he struggled to regain his senses. He coughed once more, a bit of blood sent up from his injured lungs. Griff¡¯s mouth felt almost as bad as the rest of his body, but he had felt worse a few times in the past. All in all he could safely guess that he would survive to recovery, unless Lyongrese or someone else came along and murdered him. With a trembling finger he traced a simplistic symbol into the air and released the spell. A white light imbued his body which began the slow work of healing his wounds, the shallow scratches the first to vanish. Griff straightened his back with a grimace, a deep inhalation of air pulled in while he opened his eyes wide. It was the first thing he saw that made Griff freeze where he stood, mouth hung open as though he was no more than a bumbling oaf. Of all the people in Shinterra Griff was arguably one of the most well traveled, having gone from the scorching Savage Fireplains all the way to the Frostbound Prison. Each place had held it¡¯s own natural wonders, creatures and even ruins from ages long since past. So it was easy enough for Griff to recognize that he stood within the confines of the Dragontooth Forest. It was an infamous place filled with all manners of deadly creatures, including the Rattan and the ancient dragons. Griff had explored it almost eight years prior in a single venture that taught him the harshness of the place. Yet what he viewed now was not the Dragontooth Forest he had grown to quickly loathe, but something significantly odder. The vast pillars of metal that stuck up out of the forest was what confused him, massive columns which stretched so high that some threatened to scrape the clouds. Inside each of the towers he could see a multitude of glass windows, and beyond those people moved in such great numbers that Griff¡¯s mind staggered. ¡°Where the hell am I?¡± Griff asked of himself, before a gigantic dragon swept overhead and hurtled deep into the labyrinth of metal and stone. V.1 Ch. 2 - A Night To Remember As Claire stepped out of her aged car, feet touching down into a puddle of water that stretched across the parking lot, she looked at the flow of people coming to and from the nearby bars. Her light jacket fluttered as the cool fall breeze slipped past the skyscrapers nearby, one hand lifting up to brush at long red hair. In her right hand she held a small purse which had a leather strap, while her keys jingled quietly in her left hand. Claire stood at six feet in height, tall compared to a lot of women that she personally knew. Her red hair reached down to her waist and laid straight, failed attempts in the past at styling it had forced her to keep it simple. She wore a sleeveless dark green blouse which was conservative in design and a skirt with a hem that reached halfway to her knee. About her waist was a black belt made of leather with a silver buckle, while a cheap watch adorned her left wrist. With her half-empty left hand she tugged at her jacket that covered her body, the front left open due to what she considered warm weather. About her the parking lot buzzed with activity as people came and went, most of them dressed lightly and traveling in groups. A few of the people had already finished off their night and were getting into their cars to leave, an early departure compared to the younger crowd who had arrived moments prior. ¡°Come on Claire, you know that he¡¯s the better looking one!¡± Andrea called out a bit too loudly from the passenger side of the car, her hand shoving the door closed with enough force that it made Claire grimace. It was an old car but one she had adored and refused to give up on. The mechanics constantly told her that it needed to be scrapped, but somehow she managed to keep the Miata from the junkyard. A gift almost twenty years prior from her parents it had proven a stubborn machine, one that Claire would keep on driving until someone pried the keys from her cold dead hand. ¡°Jake¡¯s alright,¡± Claire admitted to her best friend, a smile finally slipping onto her face for the first time that day. She studied her friend carefully, making note of how her skirt was far too short to not reveal everything if she bent over. The loose and open low cut blouse coupled with the skirt made it clear what Andrea was looking for. ¡°What about Phil?¡± As the pair walked away from the car Andrea gave a shake of her head, the golden locks of hair bounced in the lights cast by the nearby buildings. ¡°Bit too much like a brother, y¡¯know?¡± she answered, then she began to giggle. ¡°By the way, you sure you want the heels? Remember last time?¡± Claire ignored the laughter of her friend as she lifted the purse strap to her shoulder and deposited her keys into it. ¡°Come on Andrea, this is my only night out for a while,¡± she reminded her, the smile that had been there moments before already gone. ¡°Lets just see if we can find the guys and relax.¡± The further from the parking lot they went the more people they encountered, some of them drunk already and wobbling dangerously. Andrea walked close to Claire while her arms crossed over her chest, a slight shiver running over her body. Without looking Claire already knew that her friend was cold and slid her jacket off and gave it to her. ¡°Use this,¡± she told Andrea, who gladly accepted it and donned it as quickly as possible. ¡°Hold on a second!¡± Andrea suddenly called out, her voice raised as the ambient noise around them continued to grow. Andrea produced a cell phone from her own purse, one that Claire hadn¡¯t even noticed she was carrying until that moment. As she lifted the phone up to her ear she turned away from Claire, one finger pressed against her ear. ¡°Hello? Oh hey Jake!¡± The pair stood nearby a low hung building, one that was squatted down between two far taller buildings. Across the front numerous groups stood around while talking loudly, some held open cans of beer which they drank from frequently. Claire adjusted her hold on the purse, tightening her grip instinctively, while she waited patiently for Andrea to finish her call. ¡°Yo! Claire!¡± called out a masculine and deep voice from the right, nearby a group of long haired men adorned with dark clothes. Most of the men looked to be in the twenties or thirties, their hair so horribly wild and puffed out that Claire could only hope it was due to improper care. The man who emerged from the group had much shorter hair than the rest, blue eyes and stood a few inches higher than Claire¡¯s own height. After he stepped into view he gave a wave toward the others behind him and then quickly walked over to where Claire and Andrea were. ¡°When did you guys get here?¡± Vince wore a pair of jeans that were tight enough to make many women interested, but not so tight as to reveal too much about his body. The shirt he wore was a loose t-shirt colored black, with a small emblem on the front right part of the chest that represented the brand. He wore black sneakers that were worth at least two-hundred dollars, while his watch was far too rich for the area they were in. ¡°We just got here, I didn¡¯t know you were coming,¡± Claire told him while she kept a small distance. She made no move to hug him, nor to shake his hand or anything else. Her stance became far more withdrawn while her eyes continually looked away from Vince. ¡°How¡¯ve you been?¡± Before Vince could respond a loud screech came from where Andrea was, so horrendous that nobody could ignore it. ¡°What happened?¡± Claire asked of her friend, noticing that Andrea had grimaced and held her phone far from her ear. Nearby numerous other people who had been using their phones were suffering from the same symptom, each one holding a piece of plastic that sounded like sawblades attempting to mate. One even threw his phone down in a fit of rage, cursing loudly while stomping at it to silence the obnoxious noise. Claire pulled her own phone out and flipped it open, a screech originating from it as soon as she tried to make a call. A few people began to catch on that they could simply end their calls, closing their phones or in some cases turning them off entirely. Some of the people nearby even went so far as to rip their batteries out, as though to reassure themselves that the phone wouldn¡¯t have a chance of ravaging their ears anymore. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Andrea stepped in closer to Claire, shivering not only due to the cold but also the mysterious situation that had occurred. It was the start to an unforgettable evening that descended like a tidal wave, a moment in the history of the world that nobody would fail to tell their children about. Few noticed the changes as they began to occur, but after a few minutes some cried out and pointed upward at the skyscrapers nearby. It was a cry that caused even Claire to look, brow furrowed in confusion while she was still aggravated at the cell phone issue. A ripple in the air was how it looked, a visible turbulence that tumbled downward from the heavens at an ever increasing speed. As Claire watched one of the skyscrapers was devoured entirely, floor by floor, as the ripple washed down the full length of the building. One of the towers of metal nearby remained partially intact as a flawless bisection occurred, though the second half of the skyscraper vanished into oblivion. All around Claire chaos began to brew as the people started to yell in terror and confusion, most of the people beginning to run for their cars. Some tripped and others pushed, causing an avalanche of bodies which threatened to overwhelm Claire and Andrea. It was only thanks to the tall Vince who stepped in close to them, arms uplifted to ward off the others nearby, that they weren¡¯t shoved to the ground. When the earthquake struck it had such an intensity that nobody standing could remain so, instead each fell to the ground while crying out in surprise. There had been no warning, no build-up or minor tremors, to the powerful earthquake that ripped through the city. The noise of the buildings as they started to collapse, the cry of people on the ground at the horrible nightmare they were enduring, even the sound of cars as they screeched and crashed all filled the air in a deafening roar. After the tremors subsided Claire uncovered her head, as she had used her arms to shield from any potentially falling debris. Vince stood up slowly, face turned upward in search of that mysterious ripple. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± he asked of anybody, while his gaze continued to seek out the anomaly. Before Claire had even stood up she already noticed a significant shift, as the entire area near her was blackened with night. A few emergency lights built onto the exterior of some of the buildings flickered on, but in the end most of the illumination came down from the moon and stars above. Moans of pain and confusion swirled about the trio even as Claire clambered up from the ground, a worried look toward Andrea letting her know that nothing bad had happened to her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure but I need to get to my car,¡± Claire told them both, before she began to step past injured people and dazed individuals alike. On a better day she would have stopped to help each one, but currently her focus was on calling in assistance. They barely made it far before Andrea cried out and pointed off to the side, while she tugged at Claire¡¯s arm urgently. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she asked of her friend, while continuing to shrink in closer for protection. What had once been a regular four-lane street had converted into something else entirely, a spot of grass that grew to two feet in total height and was intermixed with wild flowers. Centered within that greenery was a black boulder that was easily larger than any rock Claire had ever seen, unevenly shaped with multiple holes gouged into it that were darker than the rock itself. ¡°Meteorite?¡± Vince wondered aloud as he stared at it. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of one that big.¡± Claire¡¯s eyes narrowed as she studied it, to her it was obvious that it was not from space as there was no impact crater. Instead she only worked to hasten the other two toward her car, all the while trying to keep her fear and panic under control. ¡°Lets go!¡± It was a noise that was familiar to all three of them, even the crowd that had managed to stand up knew what it was. A squeak that was loud, followed by a series of others, and then with a noise of nails clicking against stone the darkness of the holes turned brown. From out of the large boulder slowly emerged rats that were easily as large as any man, dozens of the monsters came forth as they carried spears attached to ropes and wore basic leather armor. Those that emerged first looked to have been drawn by something they smelled, their noses had appeared well in advance of their bodies. Each creature sniffed curiously at the air, while they began to spread out. Those who had spears were the first, but rat men who had swords and even those with nets started to appear. ¡°Something smells delicious,¡± one of the rat men chittered out to the others, who all began to agree. A hush came over the group of rat men as a large and black furred rat emerged. It¡¯s left eye had long since been lost and only a vicious scar remained. ¡°Hah! Humans! Such a welcome smell! How long has it been since we last had this chance?¡± he called out to his men while he lifted up a large sword crafted from a type of bone. With a rapid succession of sniffs at the air he began to chitter, then pointed his sword at the crowd of people. ¡°Catch or kill but bring some for dinner!¡± Some people could not understand what they were seeing, to them it was like hollywood had sprouted to life before them. Others struggled with the concept of man-sized rats, but were wise enough to start to move away. It was the more panicked and scared that made it obvious how bad everything was, screams of despair while they ran full tilt away from the black boulder and it¡¯s inhabitants. If the initial panic had been bad the new one caused by the rats was worse, even as the air was filled with large wooden spears that impaled people at random. Those who were unlucky enough to not die were pulled back like fish, dragged to the rat whose strength outstripped that of a normal human. Some of the rat men had even begun to bet against one another on who could catch the most, while a few stood at the ready with nets so they could drag their prey into the nest. Claire had given up on carefully picking her way to the car, instead she staggered toward the Miata on her heels while dragging Andrea along with her. While she loved her friend, Andrea had become hysterical, the sight of people dying around her too much for Andrea. ¡°Vince! Run!¡± Claire yelled, as she noticed how he stood gawking at the rats, mesmerized perhaps by their appearance. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. It was a call that snapped the sandy blonde haired man back to reality and he turned toward Claire, his feet fast enough that he caught up to the unbalanced girl in time to stop her from falling over. ¡°They can speak English!¡± was the first thing he said. ¡°Why does that matter!¡± ¡°They¡¯re rat men that speak English! That¡¯s impossible!¡± Vince declared, transfixed on what Claire thought was the most pointless fact in existence. Claire shoved Andrea toward him while she unslung her purse and pulled out the keys, the glare that was on her face all that Vince needed to see to understand how unhappy she was. ¡°Tell them that then!¡± she shouted at him before walking over the wet parking lot and to her car. A spear cut through the air near Vince¡¯s head and impaled a buick, before it ripped free and was reeled back to the owner. ¡°Uh...no, so what are you doing?¡± Vince wondered while he pulled Andrea closer to him. His gaze was not on Claire but rather on the rat men, while the confusion of before began to be whittled away by the horror of rats hunting for prey. The lock on the trunk of her car clicked as Claire turned the key, then she extracted it and opened it. As she reached in with shaking hands she fumbled with the small safe she had placed in there, struggling to input the combination that was normally so easy for her to handle. When she stood up in her right hand was the Glock that she so favored, a magazine in the other hand which promptly was slid into place. ¡°Claire!¡± Vince cried out in a panic, as a few of the rat men had begun to move away from the spear throwers. Armed with curved blades made of bone they scoured the area nearby, and one had turned it¡¯s sights on the parking lot. The rat man leapt onto a nearby car, blade lifted as it sighted the trio nearby Claire¡¯s car. A long and low hiss escaped from the mouth of the man-shaped monster, while one hand lifted up in a signal to the watchers at the nest. ¡°Come come little things, we be hungry tonight,¡± the rat man said in a high-pitched voice that made Vince grimace. Claire¡¯s response was a simple one, her pistol was lifted in a two-hand grip that was well ingrained into her. Three shots rang out in rapid succession, each bullet planted in the face of the rat man so close to them. Red blood streamed from the new holes that formed while the beast crumpled to the ground, large bone sword fallen with a clatter to the pavement. ¡°Not interested,¡± Claire informed the corpse as she let out a long breath she had held in. ¡°Vince!¡± Claire called out to attract his attention, then with a quick toss of the keys she turned her attention back to the rats. The sound of her pistol firing was loud enough that they all knew something was amiss. ¡°Get the car going, get her in it, I¡¯ll cover you both!¡± Vince, for a very brief moment, looked as though he was ready to argue with Claire. The fact that she held a gun and looked furious was enough to keep his mouth shut, and instead he unlocked the driver side door and opened it. In a matter of seconds he had the back door opened as well and guided the shaken Andrea into it. Another rat man approached the parking lot and was met by a shower of bullets, before Claire ducked into the trunk quickly for a few more items. With a loud slam she shut the trunk, her care for it trumped by the need for haste as she quickly walked up to the passenger side of the car. Claire knocked on the window when she realized the door was still locked, which caused the already panicked Vince to scramble to unlock the door. ¡°It¡¯s open!¡± Vince called out from inside the car, while he settled back into the drivers seat and placed the key in the ignition. The driver door shut with a bit too much force, the noise lost amidst the sound of gunfire as Claire was forced to fire a few more shots at curious rat men. Claire flung the passenger door open and hopped into the car, while her pistol ejected the empty magazine. While the empty magazine hit the pavement of the parking lot a new one was slipped into place. She hastily closed the door to the Miata and flashed a thumbs up to the terrified Vince. ¡°Go go!¡± Vince didn¡¯t wait for her to buckle up before he slipped the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking spot, the shudder of the car as it went over newly formed cracks in the pavement easily felt by all. A spear impaled the laminated glass and missed Vince¡¯s chest by a few inches, before Vince turned the wheel and the Miata twisted around. The scream of Andrea from in back was largely ignored by Vince as he stomped his foot on the accelerator. In the passenger seat Claire had righted herself and snapped the seat belt on, after which she began to fiddle with a radio set. Her police badge and a few extra magazines were also there, but she was far more focused on gaining contact with her precinct. ¡°This is useless!¡± she shouted after a few seconds, throwing the radio onto the backseat. ¡°Phones and radios aren¡¯t working at all!¡± Vince¡¯s eyes were locked on the road ahead, or what remained of the road that he knew from a lifetime spent in the city. What had been a four-lane path through a regular chunk of the city had turned into a mixture of concrete and actual jungle. At one point he would be forced to weave past both stationary and moving cars, and another moment would force trees and brush into his path. All around him he could see various things that were beyond the norm, giant spiders and strange lizards and even a tree that had grabbed ahold of some people with vines. Madness had descended on the world and it all seemed so unreal that he was almost tempted to believe it was a dream. ¡°One could always hope,¡± he muttered to himself at the thought, while he eased off of the accelerator and tried to keep the car at a manageable speed. ¡°Abandoned, all abandoned, why?¡± Andrea mumbled in the back of the car, legs lifted up onto the car seat and arms wrapped about them. Her eyes were wide and she couldn¡¯t seem to stop shivering, while her words continued to repeat while they grew quieter and quieter. ¡°Remember where my precinct is?¡± Claire asked Vince who was quick to nod. ¡°Good, head there. Even if everyone is dead there¡¯s an armory, if any more of those rat men show up I doubt my gun has enough ammo for them all.¡± ¡°Gotcha,¡± Vince said in response, before he spared a glance to look at Claire. In the split second he looked at her he could already see how pale she looked, eyes half-closed while she stared out the passenger window at the chaos beyond. It was a second longer than he should have spared, as when he faced back to the front window he could only slam on the brakes in reflex. ¡°Oh shit!¡± From the heavens a massive lizard had appeared with a wingspan that covered the entire reach of the four-lane road, a long tail spread out behind the beast that was covered in spikes and hardened scales. A loud roar came from the creature that could only be a dragon, while the head came down and butted into the quickly moving car. The force of the headbutt was more than enough to flip the car into the air, the entire vehicle tossed like a toy by the dragon. As it cartwheeled in the air all three of the passengers screamed in terror, before the metal machine hit the pavement with enough force to break every single window. It was a short while later when Claire snapped back into consciousness, her head felt as though it had split open and poured her brains out. She fingered at the gash on her scalp, as blood trickled from it, and found that her suspicions were wrong and she would survive. ¡°Andrea!¡± She called out while she snapped the seat belt off, falling down inside the upside down car. ¡°Andrea are you okay?¡± What she saw was enough to make Claire vomit uncontrollably, while she began to weep openly. It was a horrid combination of reactions that made Claire look altogether disgusting, but she couldn¡¯t help it given what had happened to Andrea. It was obvious that the backend of the car had taken the brunt of the landing, and Andrea had most definitely not survived. A groan came from the driver side and it was enough to distract Claire from the sight of her best friends corpse, as Vince stirred while he hung upside down in the seat. A loud scream came from him while he began to wake up, his left arm broken to the point that bone protruded from the skin. ¡°Vince!¡± Claire cried as she reached up to him and helped him get free from the seat belt, though he fell roughly against the ceiling of the car. Neither of the two had much time to react when the dragon tore open the bottom of the car, which to them was now the roof. The metal screamed in protest as the mythical monster ripped it open with ease, and then the massive head tilted so that one large reptilian eye could peer in at them. A loud snort came from the dragon before it pulled it¡¯s head back, then opened the mouth. It was an action that caused Claire to think of being devoured alive, an image that sent her into a panic, and so she instinctively picked up her pistol and fired at the dragon¡¯s open maw. She fired and kept going until the gun refused to produce more bullets, yet she still pulled the trigger for a short while longer with empty clicks resounding loudly. The response from the dragon was a promising one, as bullets whizzed up into the tongue it retracted away from the car in surprise. A loud hiss came from outside while the dragon flicked out a long serpentine tongue, head turned so that only one eye stared at the car in puzzlement. In the decades the dragon had lived never before had it faced such an odd creature as this thing before it. Claire could recognize an opportunity when she saw one, and her need to survive outweighed the tragic feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. With a rough grip on Vince¡¯s good arm she half-dragged him out of the car even while she also crawled out herself, a task that was in no way easy given how useless he had rapidly become with the broken arm. Instead Vince wanted to lay there and moan helplessly, acting as though the arm being broken had made him utterly inept. When they emerged from the car the dragon responded in an even odder fashion, it¡¯s head lowered and the eye squinted at the sight of two humans. The head twisted around and both eyes were visible to Claire while it stared directly toward her, mouth slightly opened while a low growl came forth. Whatever the monster had planned mattered little as in the next few seconds a black object descended from the heavens. The object smashed straight into the head of the dragon with enough force to shove the reptilian face against the pavement, before the black form began to move on top of the dragon. An already confused, scared and emotionally distraught Claire watched as a man stood there atop the dragon, garbed in almost no clothes save for some dark pants and broken boots. Whatever he had once worn on his torso was long gone, while a large gathering of scars was plainly visible to her. The mysterious man lifted up his right fist even as a white light began to coalesce about it. With a movement so fast that Claire couldn¡¯t follow it the fist slammed down directly against the head of the dragon, the force of which caused it to smash into the pavement of the road. The unknown man stood up straight and began to turn his attention away from the dragon when it let out a low growl, a noise of defiance at what had happened. ¡°Forgot you¡¯re such sturdy bastards,¡± the man commented to the dragon, before he lifted his arm up once more. He began to hammer away at the dragon for a short while, fist smashing again and again until blood flew free from his knuckles. When it was all finished the dragon¡¯s head was shoved into the ground four feet, even as blood oozed from a section of broken scales on the skull. The man hopped out of the crater he had formed by punching the dragon unconscious, hands clapping together to dislodge any grime that might have formed on them. Claire stared at this man with a face that clearly said she had no clue what was going on anymore, while Vince continued to moan loudly next to her in pain. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The man rubbed at his right hand which still bled, fingers stretched out to their maximum. His green eyes studied the woman with a quizzical look on his face, especially staring at the clothing she wore. ¡°Griff Emrys.¡± V.1 Ch. 3 - The Divine Guardian Griff opened and closed his right hand repeatedly, flexing the muscles while he tested to make certain there were no broken bones. His attention had quickly moved from the unconscious dragon to the pair of people in front of him, along with the odd metallic object. ¡°What settlement are you from?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a dragon!¡± Claire exclaimed, voice a bit too loud, as she pointed at the defeated monster. ¡°You just punched a dragon to death! With your bare hand!¡± ¡°What? No, don¡¯t be silly,¡± Griff told her before he chuckled. ¡°I only made her take a nap.¡± It was a statement that caused Claire to turn her gaze to the dragon, eyes widening to the point that it almost hurt. She took one step back in fear, before a loud moan from nearby reminded her of the injured Vince. ¡°Vince!¡± she exclaimed in a worried tone, kneeling down next to him. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll think of something!¡± Griff watched her actions with a tilted head, one eyebrow raised. ¡°Think of something? Just heal him.¡± ¡°What? I don¡¯t have a first aid kit,¡± Claire said, while she paid little attention to Griff and instead studied the broken arm of Vince. ¡°Don¡¯t move, Vince! God, why didn¡¯t I keep a kit in the car?¡± The crunch of glass caused Claire to whip around, afraid that the dragon had stood back up. Griff had walked up closer to her, looming over her while he looked down at the injured man. ¡°Do you not know the symbology?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? We need to get him to a doctor!¡± Claire told him. Griff lifted up his left hand and pointed his index finger directly at Claire, a movement that made her lean away in surprise. ¡°You really don¡¯t know this do you?¡± he wondered aloud, while his hand began to trace a symbol in the air. Where it passed a trail almost seemed to glimmer, crafting a series of swirls that made an image which Claire couldn¡¯t recognize. With a quick flourish of his hand Griff almost looked to grab the symbol before he directed it in the direction of Vince. A moment later the image vanished, after which a glowing white aura surrounded the injured Vince. Claire could only watch on with a confused expression as the bone that pushed out of the arm slipped back in, the blood flow came to a stop and the injuries began to vanish. ¡°Magic, you used magic,¡± Claire muttered, her mind racing at the thought of magic being a reality. With a glimmer of hope in her eyes she turned first to look toward the destroyed car, then back to the face of Griff. ¡°My friend! My friend died in the car! Can you save her?¡± It was a look that Griff had seen so many times over the last twelve years, a look that needed him to say yes when he couldn¡¯t. He let out a long sigh while turning his face away, no longer wishing to see the crestfallen expression that always followed. ¡°Not even Aphalia can bring the souls back, once it is past the curtain it is beyond our touch.¡± For a few seconds Claire stared up at Griff, tears in her eyes at the thought of forever having lost her friend, before Vince cleared his throat. ¡°Claire, I know this is a bad time but maybe we need to get away from the dragon?¡± Vince asked, while he jerked a thumb in the direction of the monster. Claire looked to Vince with a stricken face, before she grimaced and shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she finally admitted before she stood up. She walked over to the car and peered into it, careful not to look in the crushed backseat, her hands scrounging for anything useful. She paused outside of the car and stared at it with tears in her eyes, one hand lifted up to rest against a wheel that hadn¡¯t fallen off. ¡°Come on Claire!¡± Vince called out to her, already starting to walk in the direction of the police station. ¡°Give me a moment!¡± Claire responded, anger flaring up inside for a brief moment. She patted the car gently with one hand, though it was not the car she was thinking about. ¡°Goodbye Andrea.¡± In the distance the sound of gunfire and screams could be heard, intermingled with roars of creatures that were at least as loud as the dragon nearby them. Claire listened to it all and tried her best to stay focused, her gaze turning once more to Griff. ¡°I¡¯m Claire and he¡¯s Vince,¡± she told him as she ejected the empty magazine from her pistol and replaced it. ¡°We¡¯re heading to the police station nearby. It¡¯d be great if you could come with us.¡± To Griff this pair were a mystery, most people in Shinterra bowed to him at the mention of his name. They did not know symbology, even the presence of a dragon seemed to have confused them. ¡°Answer me this, do you recognize the name Shinterra?¡± Claire shook her head in response to that question, before she looked toward Vince to see if he knew the term. ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Vince replied, while he rubbed at the healed arm. ¡°Curious. I suppose I shall join you,¡± Griff told them, while he crossed his arms in front of his bare chest. ¡°We can talk more on the way to this station of yours.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Claire said while she turned away from him and picking her path around the broken car. While she walked she kept her eyes constantly on the move, seeking out any potential threats. The bright moonlight filtered down and lit her way readily, far brighter than she could ever have expected. Vince walked behind her by a few steps, far less focused on staying alert than she. Instead he was interested in looking at Griff, while he continued to rub at the arm which had been broken a short while ago. ¡°Where¡¯s your shirt?¡± he asked after a few minutes of walking. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer that if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Claire told Griff, a tinge of annoyance audible in her voice, while she stepped past some rubble. Griff chuckled at the question, a quick shrug stating how little he was bothered. ¡°My armor was broken already, chasing after that dragoness made it worse. I ditched it so it wouldn¡¯t hinder my movements.¡± Claire paused in her forward march, turning around to look directly at Griff. ¡°You chased after the dragon?¡± ¡°Yes, a dragoness is extremely reclusive,¡± Griff told her before he gestured ahead of them as though encouraging her to keep on walking. ¡°They only attack when someone intrudes into their nesting area. Given how many people I saw in your metal towers I expected a human to be under attack.¡± The nod and that tidbit of information was all Claire needed to turn about and continue walking, the hope that they were outside of the territory foremost in her thoughts. ¡°Metal towers? Do you mean the skyscrapers?¡± From the direction that Claire was heading the noise of gunfire was loudest, but so were the screams begging for help. The other areas had grown quiet and still, the forest inhabitants fully settled into their new homes after clearing out the humans. Claire grimaced when she remembered that almost half a million had lived in this city, and yet now it seemed quite likely that most were dead. ¡°Skyscrapers?¡± Griff inquired, head tilted to the side as he thought on the word. ¡°Accurate, I suppose. They do seem to touch the heavens.¡± Their conversation was interrupted by a moan from the right side, a soft cry that sounded like that of a child, and Claire immediately turned in the direction of the noise. What she saw was a bit of an oddity, as a young girl of perhaps eight or nine was laying on the ground nearby a gathering of bushes. The bushes themselves had purple roses with yellow stems, and a sweet smell filled the air the closer Claire walked toward it. The girl wore long hair that draped down over her face and her body was covered by vines. A tight grip clamped down on Claire¡¯s right shoulder and yanked her away from the bush. ¡°Stop!¡± Griff told her while his eyes focused on the odd plant. ¡°That is no ordinary plant, it¡¯s a honey rose bush.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous that¡¯s all the more reason I need to get that child!¡± Claire asserted in a strong tone, while she tried to tear free from the iron vice that held her shoulder. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°You idiot, look carefully!¡± Griff almost yelled at her while he pointed his finger at a spot near the bush. Nearby the bush a few corpses could be seen, each one wrapped up in vines that had impaled the bodies. The vines pulsated as though they were actively sucking liquid from the dead, yet the child that continued to randomly move near the bush seemed immune to this. The closer Claire looked at the little girl the more she realized that features were missing, including the eyes and nose. ¡°Monster bushes?¡± Vince asked of Griff while he stared with a shocked expression at the honey rose. Griff¡¯s right index finger extended and he once more traced a symbol in the air before him, a ripple forming in the wake of where he pointed. ¡°The honey rose bush uses decoys as bait to draw in others, and to make it worse it moves,¡± Griff told the other two while he finished his tracing. A flourish of his hand and a small blast of flames erupted through the air, covering the bush in fire that consumed everything. ¡°The sweet smell they use plays with your mind, so if you ever smell it again run.¡± ¡°You really do use magic, how do you do that?¡± Claire inquired of Griff while she hedged in a bit too close for his preference. All her youth she had only imagined at the potential for magic, wished that it could be real. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen real magic before.¡± Griff took a step back while he lifted up his left hand, a plea for Claire to keep her distance, before he motioned with his right hand at the pistol she held. ¡°A deal. You tell me about your toy and why it¡¯s important, and I¡¯ll tell you about the magic.¡± Claire turned away from Griff, once more walking in the direction of the station, while she lifted up the pistol for him to see it easily over her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s a gun, you don¡¯t know about them?¡± Claire wondered, before she shook her head. ¡°It shoots bullets, pieces of metal. It¡¯s a weapon.¡± ¡°Amusing. I look forward to seeing you use it,¡± Griff responded. ¡°To use magic all one needs to do is focus mentally on what you need, etch onto Aphalia¡¯s breath with your finger, and then release the spell.¡± ¡°Could I use magic?¡± Vince spoke up from the side, eyes focused on Griff. ¡°Quiet!¡± Claire hissed quietly from in front while she motioned with one hand for everyone to get down. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Vince and Griff both knelt down, though Griff moved to the front so he could look at the situation. As he scrambled forward he noticed that ahead of him the ground dipped steeply downward, almost into a valley, with a large structure peeking up out from the center of it. When he crouched next to Claire he peered down at what had caused her to get so quiet. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Well this is going to be a problem,¡± he commented, severely understating how bad everything was. Ahead of them in the depression in the land rested the police station, a four-story building made entirely of thick stone. The front entrance rested at the top of stairs, which had in turn been blocked off by sandbags and random debris. Standing behind all of the clutter were numerous officers armed with pistols, shotguns and rifles that were firing into a dark mass at the bottom of the steps. The thriving mass of shadows were a large group of rat men armed with bone-blades and shields, gnashing their teeth while trying to get up the steps. ¡°I vote we run away,¡± Vince chimed up from Claire¡¯s left side, a comment that neither of the others paid any attention to. ¡°Can your magic wipe them out and get us into the station?¡± Claire asked of Griff, though her gaze remained locked on the rat men before her. ¡°No, there are limits and I¡¯m approaching mine,¡± Griff told her, while he lifted up one hand to his chin and rubbed at it. ¡°That¡¯s weird though, the Rattan should be scaling the walls and going in through the windows.¡± Claire pointed toward a few dead rat men sprawled on the ground nearby the windows. ¡°They probably have people on guard at each one. We need to get inside, any ideas?¡± For a while Griff studied the mass of rat men, the police who fought against them and the station itself. ¡°Give me your hand,¡± Griff told Claire while he offered his left hand to her. ¡°I can get you and your friend to your station, but you¡¯ll need to trust me.¡± Claire hesitated as she stared at the offered hand, a momentary thought of how this man might not be the hero she hoped him to be, before she transferred her pistol to the left hand and placed her right in Griff¡¯s own hand. ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t do anything sketchy.¡± Sketchy? Griff mulled over that word in his head but he couldn¡¯t quite understand what it meant, so ignoring it he gently wrapped his hand around Claire¡¯s. ¡°Focus on the image of wings and the air going by you, wrap yourself in that image,¡± Griff told her while he extended her index finger. ¡°Can you do that?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Claire boldly claimed while she closed her eyes. She left the etching of the image up to Griff, and instead focused entirely on maintaining the mental picture he requested of her. Griff guided the finger through the air, tracing out a picture that resembled a single wing one might find on an angel. ¡°If you can¡¯t complete the image in your mind then you can¡¯t use Aphalia¡¯s breath,¡± Griff told her while he finished tracing the image using her finger. ¡°Do not lose your image! Now open your eyes, grab the symbol and throw it at yourself.¡± When Claire opened her eye a glimmering and silver wing had been etched into the air, a piece of artwork that made her pause momentarily in awe. Her mouth hung open slightly while her eyes widened, then she reached out and grabbed hold of what she thought could only be air. It had a solidity to it that was ethereal, a heavenly shining image which threatened to snap apart if touched too roughly, and as Claire lightly wrapped her hand around it she couldn¡¯t help but smile. With a flick of her wrist Claire cast the symbol back at herself, the glowing image warm as it touched against her body. The smile on her face widened as the sensation of warmth wrapped around the whole of her body. When Vince gasped from her side Claire looked to him inquisitively only to see his hand pointing down at the ground beneath her. Claire inclined her head to peer down at her feet and quickly realized that they were no longer in contact with the ground. ¡°Good job, now grab your friend,¡± Griff ordered her, as he stood up straight and started to walk toward the direction of the station. ¡°Focus all your attention on that spot where your friends at the station are, craft the image of your feet touching down there.¡± Claire couldn¡¯t help but stare at the ground beneath her, so awed by the fact that magic had worked for her. The words of Griff were barely heard and instead it was when Vince grabbed onto her one arm that Claire returned to her senses. ¡°What?¡± she muttered, then with a shake of her head the muddled feeling was cleared away. With one hand holding her pistol and the other gripping onto Vince Claire closed her eyes and focused. The noise of air rushing past her ears, the change in volume as she could clearly hear the loud gunshots being fired right near her. A loud gasp came from Vince, barely audible over the noise of the weapons, was the final reason as to why Claire opened her eyes. What she saw left her bewildered, she had gone from the crest of the hill overlooking the police station to the actual building itself. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot!¡± Claire cried out loudly as she lifted up her empty hand, hiding the pistol against her body in the hope that none of the cops shot on instinct at seeing it. A familiar voice was the first to cry out, a portly man who wielded a shotgun and wore thick glasses. ¡°Sergeant? Claire is that you?¡± James asked of her, before his attention was drawn once more to the hissing and chittering rat men. The shotgun fired off another shot which had enough power to obliterate most of the nearest rat man¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you made it, Sergeant, but thank god!¡± ¡°Vince, get inside!¡± Claire ordered the man who still clung to her arm, shoving him toward the door. ¡°Jimmy, Rod, where¡¯s the captain?¡± Rodriguez stood off to her right, nestled in amongst a pile of cardboard boxes and chairs. When Claire had appeared in their midst without warning he had nearly shot her in the head, a quick recognition having stopped him. Though he was crouched down low amongst the pitiful barrier that had been erected he was normally a tall man, one who easily dwarfed the others on the force. With darkened skin, black curly hair and a calm demeanor he was a hard individual to miss, especially when wielding a sniper rifle. ¡°Links went to grab some tear gas,¡± Rodriguez told Claire, while he fired off another round into the face of a rat man. ¡°How¡¯d you do that trick?¡± Before Claire could respond to that James cried out in a loud voice, before he pointed with one hand in the direction of the rat men. Off on the other side of the large gathering they could barely make out a single individual, one who had acquired a bone sword and cleaved his way through some of the Rattan. ¡°Is that Conan the barbarian?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Griff! Don¡¯t shoot him, he¡¯s on our side!¡± Claire yelled out loud enough for everyone to hear. While Claire met back up with her old friends Griff had met up with some old enemies. With footfalls so light that nobody could hope to hear them, he had snuck up behind one of the Rattan and easily snapped it¡¯s neck. Taking hold of the dropped sword his next move was to chop down another of the rat men, taking his weapon as well. As a third one of the monsters died beneath his assault the other Rattan began to notice his presence, a recognition that caused many to recoil in terror. ¡°Griffon! The Griffon is here!¡± most of the Rattan cried out in their squeaky voices, while a few didn¡¯t even waste time with screaming but simply turned and ran away. Griff face was set in a grim look while his right hand snapped out, blade cleaving one of the rat men in half from top to bottom. A flick of the left hand tossed the sword it held directly into the face of one of the other Rattan, which Griff charged at and grabbed hold of the protruding hilt of the sword. With a vicious tear he ripped the thrown sword free from the skull of the Rattan, his foot lifting up and smashing into the chest to knock it back. ¡°Now if you won¡¯t pardon me,¡± Griff said to the gathered rat men a second before he flipped up into the air. When his feet came down they landed on top of the head of one of the Rattan, and from there he leapt across the gathered numbers as though each was a mere stepping stone in a flowing river. It took him ten such leaps to finally reach the police station stairs, whereupon he twisted around and brandished his swords at the monsters. ¡°Go tell Ganash if he wants this nest he¡¯ll need to kill me for it!¡± Griff yelled at all of the Rattan, his swords still lifted into an aggressive position. ¡°Or would you rather know why they call me Griffon?¡± Those few Rattan who stood close to Griff had already recoiled away in terror, a few even whispered words such as retreat before Griff even spoke a word. When he declared his intent to protect the nest filled with humans those handful that refused to step away began to cower, the number of Rattan who had turned to run increasing by the second. Only the bravest remained after a few more seconds had passed, yet their bravery dissipated along with the numbers of their kind and they too soon turned away. ¡°We¡¯ll be back!¡± cried out one hunched over and grey-coated Rattan. As the gathered group continued to filter away Griff did not once let his guard down, swords held out evenly without a hint of weariness in the muscles. Even after the last of the monsters had turned tail and taken off after his brethren Griff continued to stand guard, the police behind the barricade watching this all with a hint of awe in their eyes. ¡°Griff?¡± Claire called from the top of the stairs, while she peered down at the odd man. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Griff began to move once more, swords flicked to discard any loose blood from the Rattan he had slain, before he turned around to look up the stairs at Claire. The look on his face was more than enough to make Claire feel a shiver of fear, a dark frown which told her immediately that something was wrong. ¡°We need to get your settlement out of here, if Ganash comes he¡¯ll bring more than a scouting party,¡± Griff stated in a loud tone as he climbed up the stairs, blades twisted around in his hand so that the sharp edges faced backward. ¡°I doubt we can stand up against a few hundred of the Rattan.¡± Before Claire could speak up a cry came not from outside but instead from the interior of the police station. A desperate cry that was quickly followed by the sound of gunfire. Claire desperately ran for the door, though she was quite afraid of what she might see when she got inside.