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nAfter leaving Mira’s shop Arad and his party passed by the market to get supplies and food. They even returned to the blacksmith to buy a few silver weapons, which cost them a lot. Lastly, they stopped by the stables to rent a carriage to Oakedge.

n“How long will it take to get there?” Arad looked at the driver as he saw him pack lots of rations.

nThe man looked back at him, “Two days, I will have to get back, so it’s four for me.” He smiled, “The village there has a food shortage after the winter, so I don’t think resupplying there will be an option.”

nArad looked toward Jack, “Isn’t this a problem?”

n“No, I packed enough for a week. And even if we needed food, we could always hunt and forage.” Jack replied and then stared at Arad with a smile, “Do you even eat that much?”

nArad looked into his stomach. He still had a lot of salamander corpses inside. He might even last a month with all that food. “I don’t want you to starve.”

n“Me? You’re thinking of Aella, aren’t you?” Jack smiled, “You can’t have her lose weight, do you?” **ACK! Lydia approached Jack from the back, smacking his head. “Get back to work,”

nAella approached Arad, “Most of our rations are salted meat and dry bread. I would be foraging as we move.” She smiled, “We elves won’t starve as long as we have access to a forest.”

n“Is that so?”

nAella approached Arad, whispering in his ear, “This is a secret most elves don’t talk about, but we can eat grass like sheep. As long as there is greenery, we can survive.”

n“Eating grass?”

n“You also eat lettuce and spinach. It’s the same for us.” She replied, hopping into the carriage after loading everything.

nAfter a few hours of quiet traveling, the two horses drawing the carriage started to get nervous.

n***

n“Look at how beautiful he is,” From the crypt forest of Claug, the green dragon watched Arad through scrying magic, smiling in amusement. With its tail wiggling, the dragon lifted his head and growled, “Do it, show the kid the harsh reality of the wilds.”

n“But mistress Claug, he’s still young. What if he died?” An old, humanoid lizard gasped, bowing before the dragon.

n“You kobolds agreed to serve me in exchange for protection. I don’t remember giving you the right to suggest anything that isn’t related to your well-being.” Claug glared at him. “Your people aren’t going to be harmed by this. So do it.”

nThe kobold bowed, “As you order.” He stood, waving his wand and causing the crystal orb Claug used to watch to glow.

n“Attack him, winged one.” The old kobold growled as Claug smiled.

n***

nSWOOSH!

nArad started to feel something was off. The hair on his head stood as a shiver ran down his spine.

n“Something is coming,” Aella stood, staring at the carriage’s ceiling.

nArad lept out toward the driver seat and stared at the sky, lifting his staff.

nThe driver panicked, spotting a small black dot in the blue sky, “Is that a bird?” He gasped.

n“It’s too big to be a bird. Drive into the trees, now!” Arad shouted, the tip of his staff flashing red, Firebolt Firebolt Firebolt Firebolt Firebolt Firebolt

nAella jumped above the carriage as Arad’s spells flew toward the beast, pointing her bow at the sky and shouting, “A griffon, it’s after the horses!” BAM! She released an arrow from the steel bow.

nThe ferocious avian carnivore with the muscular body of a lion and the head, forelegs, and wings of an eagle dived down, pulling its wing’s together to accelerate as well minimize the exposed area of his body. ．

nArad’s spells missed while Aella’s arrow bounced right off the monster’s rock-hard beak.

n“It’s a trained one,” Aella pulled another arrow.

nLydia leaped forward, swinging her sword, cutting the horses loose and smacking their back with her scrappage. “Run into the forest!”

nFeeling the hit, the horses freaked out, running away.

nBAM! The griffon landed between the carriage and the horses, exploding a cloud of dust like a storm.

nAella immediately fired an arrow aiming at his eye. The griffon wiggled his neck, dodging like it was nothing.

n“Stop!” Lydia grabbed Aella’s hand, “Don’t move. He should go after the horses.”

nAella pushed Lydia’s hand away, “Didn’t you hear me? This thing is a trained griffon. Look at its legs.” Aella fired another arrow.

nUpon looking closer, the griffon had the marks of shackles on his front legs.

nThe griffon was staring at something else besides the horses. It was Arad.

nSCREECH! The beast sounded like a horrid mix between an eagle screech and the roar of a lion. The driver cried, leaping into the carriage and running from the back.

nThe griffon charged toward Arad, and Lydia leaped between them with her shield, blocking the beak strike.

nGRWAAAAAAAAAAAA! Lydia swung her blade at the griffon’s head while pushing it with her shield, “Don’t mess with my workers!”

nThud! The griffon glared at her approaching him with golden eyes.

nGWA! The beast tilted his head as if confused and suddenly swung his right claw, smacking her toward the trees.

n“Told you to be careful!” Aella screamed, firing two arrows at the griffon. Only now, she realized that using a heavier bow dropped her firing speed.

nCLING! Jack, who was supposed to be in the carriage, appeared behind the griffon from the bushes, pulling a steel string with a smile.

nThe wire tied the griffon’s four legs together. Jack wanted to trip the beast.

nThe griffon pulled his leg, straining the wire and pulling Jack like a doll. “JACK!” Lydia shouted, rushing to catch him before he hit the trees.

n“That was risky. What if the griffon attacked you” Lydia glared at him. Jack didn’t have heavy armor or any skills to defend himself.

n“Hehe,” Jack giggled, “All worry, but no balls.” He smiled.

n“What?” Lydia stared at him.

nThe griffon’s vision blurred as he stumbled for a moment.

nIt was then that Lydia noticed the white goo on the wires, “Cognitive unbalanced material. It’s a toxin.” Jack replied, “Kill him now!”

nAella and Arad charged at the monster. She fired two arrows at his face while Arad swung a fire blade at him to end it all.

nJust before the hits could get him. The griffon flapped his wings, causing a massive dust storm.

nBAM! The griffon leaped forward, bitting Arad by the head and grabbing his shoulders with his claws.

nArad felt his neck crack. ^I will transform. There is no other choice.^ But before he could do it, his body felt weak, and his vision blackened.

nFLAP! FLAP! FLAP! FLAP! The griffon flew away with Arad, quickly escaping Aella’s range.

n“Give him back!” Aella shouted. ^Why isn’t Arad transforming?^ She thought. She then glared at Lydia and the driver. ^Arad would have transformed.^

n“Damn it!” Aella growled, running after the griffon and climbing a tree.

n“Aella, where are you going?” Lydia shouted at her.

nAella turned her head with her eyes glowing green, “Hunt that thing,”

nLydia took a deep breath. They need to calm down. “The griffon is heading in Oakedge’s direction. We should follow our plan.”

n“Two days is enough for Arad to die,” Aella growled.

n“Don’t worry. Chief has more strength to spare than us.” Jack replied, glaring at her.

nAella scratched her head. Arad is a dragon, so she needs to calm down.

n“Driver! Get back to your seat!” Aella shouted, leaping from the tree to retrieve the horses.

n“No way, I’m going back.” The driver gasped. He didn’t want anything to do with such a monster.

nSWOSH! An arrow blazed across his face, taking a chunk of his ear, “Didn’t you hear me, human?” Aella glared at him. Her blood started boiling. It wasn’t just the contract between them. She started wanting to stay by Arad’s side.

nLydia had to intervene, “Listen,” She said, looking at the driver, “We might have just lost a party member. Either take us to Oakedge or leave us the carriage and retrieve it from the church later.” She smiled, healing his ear.

n“Fine. If that long ear was as nice as you.” The driver growled.

nJack approached him, “Give the girl a break. She just lost her husband.”

nThe driver looked in Aella’s direction, where she was grabbing the horses. “I see. I wish my wife would be that passionate about me.” He said, with a sad face, “I bet she will celebrate my death. But that doesn’t matter. I will drive you there.”

nThe driver stood with a smile, “Let’s go,”

nLydia stared at Jack, “Aella and Arad are married?”

n“Kind of,” Jack scratched his chin.

n“Illegal relationship?”

n“You aren’t one to talk.” Jack stared at her, “You almost got me stuck, remember.”

n“That was your fault.” Lydia punched him in the shoulder as they got into the carriage.

n***

nClaug laughed, rolling around like a sheep. “A griffon took down a wyrmling.”

n“Lady Claug! Bad news!” The kobold rushed at her with the latest news.

n“What?”

n“The griffon got killed.”

n“What?” Claug gasped, glaring at him. “The wyrmling did it?”

n“No, it was a bearded man with a hairy chest.”

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