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Conflict Between Worlds 5; Intramural Aggression

The week had been quite long for Melvar. After the news of the royal crystals being found in the jungles of Arrenthen, the entire castle's advisory board had gotten overwhelmed with news and fear. Diplomatic missions had been sent in all directions, only to have each party come back with bad news in the nations to the south and west. The northern border connection to the western nation of Tehgol was quite possibly the worst, with threats of all out war bubbling over in the news.

However, Melvar's primary concern was of the insurgents within Talba's borders.

Once the crystals rained down on the continent accompanying his arrival, one of the chiefs and warlords of the northern tribes known as Storm had started himself on a path of self destruction and wanton violence. The crystals - which amplified one's desires while also giving them untold power and a resistance to magical influence - were easy to find and corrupted their user into finding more, so every time Storm had his tribesman collect one of the glowing purple crystals, he grew even stronger.

The more he possessed, the more focused the target he had on Castle Arrenthen. Normally, he was happy to live out his life, guiding and ruling his own tribe as well as some the the smaller settlements in his vicinity.

In the past week, Ceylon, Vaulix, Ilorek, and Valencia - four of the queen's closest friends - had been traveling all over the country by wing and by foot to observe and report, regularly making detours to Storm's tribe to check and see if he'd gone off and let his corruption kill before Valencia and Vaulix ccould find a way to cure the affliction.

First, Ceylon showed up by herself, unprepared and uneducated on the subtle nuances of how the crystals affected their users. She ended up getting into a scuffle with the locals, all of which had been corrupted by the power of the crystals she was trying to investigate. After that, Vaulix came north to help her out, knowing full well that an amplified Storm Gryphon would be quite the task. At that point, it was clear that Storm needed to be somehow subdued and healed of his corruption, so upon returning to Arrenthen, Vaulix and Ceylon insisted that Melvar join them in the midst of an impending battle.

Melvar did not want this to come to fruition. Since he was in some way linked to the arrival of the crystals, he worried that they would have a particularly strong effect on him. He had a lot of darkness buried in his heart, and he knew that if the corruption hit him the way it hit the locals of Arrenthen, he might be an unstoppable, uncontrollable storm of violence and rage.

However, Valencia and Vaulix each had potential to reverse and cure the corruption. Vaulix - the king cockatrice - had immense healing powers, which could slow and guide the power of the gems into something positive. Valencia - the bat-like ally of the throne - had mind controlling powers that could, in theory, fix and reverse the damage of the corruption. Together, they theorized that they could completely eradicate the violent and aggressive urges in one of the crystal bearers. It was still a theory, but Melvar couldn't stay by at the side of the conflict without doing something.

As the harbinger of the lightener gems - what he called the royal crystals - it was his duty and his onus to learn and advise alongside the friends he'd made here. He knew more about the knowledge stored in the gems and how to extract it than anyone else; with his expertise, he might even be able to reprogram them into something positive. Something that can help the people of his new found homeland instead of continuing to harm it.

It was a risk he was reluctantly willing to take, and he was prepared to put himself on the front line to help those who had come to shelter him; that's why he and Vaulix had been dispatched north of the castle with Valencia in tow to get a closer look at Chief storm and his horde of gems. This was his time to prove his worth to the queen while also digging a bit deeper into the mystery of the lightener crystals.

The flight from Castle Arrenthen to the patchwork of northern villages and settlements under Storm's command was supposed to take a quarter day by wing - about five hours - but they were greatly delayed by one recurring problem.

Valencia's wings weren't meant for gliding, and as such she needed to relax every few dozen kilometers. Vaulix was a biped with a broad wingspan and a light frame, while Melvar was a powerful flier that could glide on his feathers for hours without flapping if the weather was warm enough and the thermals were plentiful. Valencia, on the other wing, was a mammal with thin membranes that were better for brisk hops from tree to tree.

One solution that had been suggested was that she cling to Melvar's back, as she did with her mate Ilorek. Her form was tiny and he likely would barely feel her there, but he refused. He didn't want to be rude or ungrateful, but what he knew of the bat-lady was that she was quite adept at using her mind to prod around in others and mess with their thoughts. The talent that made her such an important part of their party was also the one thing that made Melvar uncomfortable beyond words.

In spite of the hippogryph's time in Arrenthen, he still didn't trust others using mind-powers to stir about in his brain. The gem on his forehead helped to warn him if anyone's telepathy was prodding at him, and after years dealing with false gods and deities that had only their own ends in mind, he felt that his time of being manipulated had long since passed. It was one of the reasons he was so guarded and quick to anger, especially around others that fancied themselves above the mortals of any realm.

After the dozenth stop, they finally came to land just outside of the southernmost settlement of Storm's collective. Vaulix and Melvar both landed with grace alongside a stream while Valencia plummeted to the ground, barely flaring out her wings in time to roll in a mess before ending up flat on her tail.

"I hate you both right now, but you especially, Melvar." Ever since she was denied a spot riding him, she had taken to acting quite grumpy towards the hippogryph.

Rather than respond, Melvar stepped up to the stream and ruffled his feathers to shake them of dust while he stole a drink of water.

"Come now, Valencia." Vaulix tried to calm her. "You know as well as any of us that his reasons for not letting you ride him are very personal and very valid. Besides, we're here now."

"No, we're not here. We're there, which is near where we want to be but not close enough to give my wings a rest. We're a half dozen settlements from the Chief's village, and if we walk it, it might take another half day to get there. Let's just fly it and be done with it so we can kick this moron's ass and go back to the castle."

Vaulix stepped up behind her and grabbed her by the nape of the neck, his much larger body dwarfing hers; to him, she seemed like a large doll. "We're not here to kick any ass, Val. We're here to learn about the crystals with the aid of Melvar, giving him the support he needs to interact with the gems he can find. Come on, I don't want to hear you complaining any more. Next time, I'll let you ride my back, at least half of the trip back down south."

She stuck her tongue out at him and bared her sharp fangs. "Don't tell me what to do, Vaulix. You may be a king to these people but you're still the bitch of a healer to me and you will be for as long as I know you." She pulled away from him and walked over to Melvar, patting him on the haunches. "So how about you, ready for another flight?"

Melvar gulped down a beak full of water before looking back at her, a few drips leaking onto the dirt. "I could have flown there and back without landing. I'm always ready. Let's just get this over with." With that, he spread his wings wide and kicked off the dirt into the air; with one powerful flap, he was above the trees and angling himself into a circle, allowing the thermals to buoy his wings high into the sky.

Behind him, Vaulix grabbed Valencia and tossed her over his shoulder and onto his back, letting her rest her legs up under his wings when he kicked off and joined the hippogryph in the sky.

The trip that could have lasted hours on foot took mere minutes to close by wing. Beneath them, hundreds of small settlements of any and every kind. There were settlements of underground dwellers with holes in the hills, avians in tightly connected nests in the treetops, and even a few smaller hamlets with farms and buildings. Most settlements had a hundred or fewer people there, with most of them going about their daily lives while the trio flew above them.

However, the farther north they went, the more depressing the settlements became. Fewer people outdoors, wilting crops, or homes in disarray. Something was terribly off with the region, and it was up to the three of them to find out what that thing was. They knew it involved the crystals somehow, but were still in the midst of figuring out the details.

It had been twelve days since Melvar's arrival, and he still knew little more than that the royal gems corrupted the users while amplifying their desires. They needed more if they were to put a stop to the budding internal conflict, let alone the imminent war knocking at the border in the northwest and southeast.

"There, that must be the prime village." Vaulix called out, pointing down towards what looked like an actual town in the middle of the jungle, with single story homes, a clear marketplace, and one massive tree that was thrice the height of the vegetation around it and a large house built in among its branches. That was Chief Storm's home, where he lived with the princess Melodi.

Melvar felt a leap in his heart as it lodged itself in his throat. He was nervous and genuinely scared at what the crystals could do to him, but he had to trust his two companions to help him if he felt the corruption snaking its tendrils into his mind. If he was to go into rage, then that was the one time he encouraged them to use their telepathy on him in order to cleanse him. It was the one and only time he would ever allow them into his mind. Once he's gulped down to put his heart back in place, he spoke up. "Should we just land, see what happens?" It wasn't the most sound strategy, but he was too large to safely land between trees in the jungle, he would need to set foot in a clearing or risk breaking a wing.

Vaulix nodded and angled his wings into a steep dive, aiming directly at the crescent shaped marketplace around the central tree where Storm was likely to be found, hoarding the crystals.

Melvar followed, but didn't descend as quick. Even though he was sure that Vaulix and Valencia could at least help him to resist the corruption, a lot of damage could be done in mere minutes. As he came in for a landing, his mind flashed back to the first time he met Ceylon, when she prodded at his mind and it made him go ballistic. He wasn't even in the presence of the crystals and was completely free of corruption, yet he was ready to slice her belly open and feed on her entrails. Had she not flirted with him - exposing his one weakness to mares and hens - he likely would have fought until one of them was dead.

Twelve days in Dalon had changed him quite thoroughly.

When he landed, he was shocked to notice just how empty the marketplace really was. From above, it was fair to assume that most of the people would be under the awnings of their merchant stands or milling about in one of the dozens of buildings that lined the clearing. Now that he was on the ground and looking around, he could see that only a few locals were staring at them, and almost none of the vendors had any goods with them.

The crescent shaped clearing was obviously a marketplace - it was perfectly designed and lined by stores and had a strip of vendors running through the middle, yet it was abandoned in the middle of the afternoon. The entire village had a sense of coldness and hostility to it.

"Chief Storm Gryphon! I, king Vaulix Arraidama of Castle Arrenthen summon you forth." Vaulix called up, his wings folding up on his back as Valencia hopped off. He waited a moment to give the chief time to respond, but after a few minutes it was clear that he wasn't responding, so Vaulix raised his hand to shout again, only to be stopped by Melvar.

"Why do you call to him? What if he's not here?"

Valencia answered for the King. "He's here, I can feel his mind, he's ignoring us to focus on his hoard of gems. Sadly, I can't dig any deeper into his thoughts; as far as I can tell, that's one of the effects of the crystals."

"Storm, I demand your presence. If you do not show yourself within three minutes, you will be held in contempt of the King." Vaulix insisted, this time with a silken threat in his voice. He was usually so kind, so that tone made Melvar a little uneasy.

Fortunately, Melvar wasn't feeling anything impacting his mind or thoughts. If there were gems nearby, they weren't having any sort of effect on him.

Vaulix had his wings spread and was about to leap up into the house in the tree when the door swung open, revealing Chief Storm Gryphon, standing tall with a spear in one hand and shield in the other. His eyes were glowing the same color of the crystals - which was also the same color as Melvar's forehead gem. Behind him came two more. One was Melodi - his princess and Talba's sister brandishing a long sword in one hand and a short sword in the other - as well as a green and black gryphon with a dagger and bow. Melvar faintly remembered seeing a week or so ago; to his memory, he thought that one's name was Toumak.

"You dare come to my village and threaten me? I do not permit you to-" Storm started, only to be silenced by Vaulix.

"Shut up Storm. We're here to help you."

"I beg your pardon?" Storm scoffed, glancing over to Toumak and Melodi - both of which had eyes glowing the same color. "What can you possibly do to help me? Have you got gems for me?"

Vaulix shook his head, still looking up from the ground. "I have no gems, but I am here to help you with this sickness, to heal the corruption in your mind and save you from your own destructive habits. But to do that, I need to be let into your heart, to be trusted. I am your King, and yet I come here with only friends, not warriors. Do you allow me into your home to help you?"

"I don't need help, I don't know what corruption you speak of, I see only power and strength in myself and my tribe, as it should be. The strong thrive, and if they're lucky, the weak may survive in my wake." With that, he vaulted over the side of his balcony and fell to the ground with his spear raised above his head to bring it down on Vaulix.

Melvar felt his own muscles tense to leap in between the Chief and King, but it was made evident quite quickly that Vaulix wasn't worried.

The King raised his hand up to Storm as a blast of purple mist erupted from his forearm to blast Storm in the chest, knocking him out of the air to slam back against the trunk of the tree with enough force to shake the leaves and rock the house above.

Both Melodi and Toumak paused to glance at one another before following the king's lead, with them both vaulting over the balcony with a target in mind. Toumak took aim with his bow at Valencia while Melodi dove towards Melvar with swords at the ready, prepared to get into a scrap with him.

In a brief moment, everything froze, the world paused, and Melvar's mind was wholly clear. Toumak and Melodi were both prepared to kill their targets, and Storm was back on his feet and ready to lunge at the king. Nothing seemed right, yet here Melvar was, prepared to fight alongside his new friends and kill for them if necessary. That should have satisfied him - to have an excuse to unleash his full power - but it just saddened him.

His haunches coiled like a spring trap to launch him upwards to meet Melodi in the air, the strength of his crest set to match against her swords. In midair, he flared out his wings as a distraction while extending his claw forward, aiming for her chest.

Melodi twisted against him, her wrist slapping his away and deflecting his attack while the two of them crossed paths. She landed where he was, and he was able to kick off the tree to lunge back at her. The two met in a clash of swords and claws, slashing and slicing at the air just out of each other's reach. Melvar spun in place with his wing outstretched, the elbow of it slamming Melodi in the side of her head. She brought a blade up to stab him but found only feathers.

"Fool." He muttered under his breath while turning to buck at her, both hind legs extended to land a blow square on her chest with both hooves. She flew backwards and landed with a cracking sound against the wall of a nearby building, only to quickly get back to her own hooves while shaking her head clear of the disorientation that his attack had left her with.

Melvar knew he could likely kill her if he wanted. He had power well beyond what most here had even with the crystal enhancements, but one thing that both Vaulix and Talba had both instructed Melvar not to do any permanent harm to Storm or Melodi, since they were a high ranking general and the queen's sister, respectively. Instead, he had to hold back to ensure that he didn't harm her, meaning he was being careful and doing all he could to control his claws and hooves.

Melodi, on the other hand, wasn't trying for the same level of restraint. She kept at him, stabbing and slashing one sword over the other in graceful patterns, with bursts of magic exploding from the tips of the blade. Luckily Melvar was naturally resistant to magic, or he would have been worried. Instead, he ducked and weaved, avoiding attacks from every angle while also circling around her, sure to not give her a solid window to attack.

The other four were all in a whirlwind of feathers, blades, wings, arrows, magic, and sweat. Storm and Vaulix were struggling against either side of the Chief's polearm, until Storm was able to kick him away into the air and throw the lance at him. Vaulix dodged in midair and kicked off a tree to tackle storm while Toumak and Valencia rolled together, clawing and biting at each other. Valencia had his dagger while he was trying to stab her with an arrow. Over and under, side to side, claws and blades glistening in the evening light, only to be cut off by Melodi as she dove in for another series of attacks.

She kept stabbing at him, a series of unending slashes and stabs between the blades in each hand, at least until she stepped on a rock and was thrown just enough off balance for Melvar to slash at her wrists with enough power to knock the sword out of her hand while slicing her open from elbow to palm. She let out a shriek of pain as she shook her arm off, blood spatters dotting the dirt below her. "Foul beast! Wretch of the skies, I will destroy you!" She still had her other blade, so she got into a fencing position - with a two-handed claymore in her strong arm - and started bobbing and weaving in brisk attacks in an attempt to run Melvar through.

Melvar decided he was about fed up with her, so he leaned in and slashed at the side of her head with claws retracted. He hoped to merely disorient or knock her out, but she hopped back and brought the sword tip up to plunge through his wrist in one fluid motion, then pull it back out to have his own darker blood mix with hers in the dirt.

He hissed violently and bared his claws, diving in with a powerful swing. His mind had temporarily lapsed and he didn't care about her safety, and in that brief moment his talons sliced through her side, over her belly and down onto her thigh.

What he hadn't noticed prior to this attack was that she was wearing a brown leather belt - the same chocolatey color as her fur and feathers - with tiny pockets around its rim. When he cut her open from chest to thigh, he cut that belt in three places, leaving it to fall to the ground. At first he didn't pay it much mind until he stepped on the mass of leather, only to feel a hard ball of something uncomfortably jamming into his palm. When he looked down, distracted, he saw a glowing purple gem between his toes.

In that moment's distraction, Melodi cried out and lunged at him, blade sinking into his shoulder half way to the hilt.

Time stopped for Melvar. In that brief moment, his mind was totally clear and his heart was pure. However, that moment didn't last long and a burst of rage ignited in every inch of his body. He roared with the fury of a thousand lions, releasing a blast of energy that was so powerful it blew Melodi off her feet and threw her back a hundred meters into the jungle, where she landed square with her back on a tree trunk, knocking her out instantly.

Vaulix, Storm, Toumak, and Valencia all were knocked off their feet in similar patterns away from him, every tree and building creaked and groaned against the blast of pressure he emitted. Dust scattered out away from him in every direction and one of the nearby venders was obliterated into hundreds of pieces as the shards of wood and metal blasted out into the walls of other buildings and the trunks of trees.

When the destruction calmed around him, Melvar was standing in place, head down and breathing heavy. Blood was dripping down his shoulder and over his front leg into a pool around his talon as he looked over to Storm and Vaulix. The world had a deep purple hue to it in his vision, with the two fighters both appearing red. He was angry. But not just normal angry when one stubs their toe on a corner, but the kind of angry that comes when a person is stabbed with a long sword.

He lunged out at Vaulix and Storm both, one talon extended to each of them as he hissed loudly, fully prepared to rip both the gryphon and cockatrice limb from limb. In his heart he could feel the impact of the corruption spreading through from the gem on his forehead and into his chest, but he couldn't fight it.

Vaulix kicked himself away from Storm and spun in the air, dodging and rolling away from Melvar's claws as the hippogryph crashed into the side of a building, collapsing the hut in a mess of boards, sticks, leaves, and ferns. "Val, we need you quickly!"

Valencia used an unfocused blast of magic to push Toumak away high into the sky, giving her a moment to breath while she lunged toward Melvar, arms spread and wings extended to partially obscure his vision. Toumak flipped in the air and spread his wings to right himself before diving back down at Val, tackling her in a ball of feathers and fur.

"Be calm, Melvar." Vaulix called out, stepping daintily towards the hippogryph. "I can help to resist the effects of the crystal, just let me heal you."

Melvar's rage was boiling and bubbling up within him, slowly growing more and more intense as the seconds passed. He got up to all fours in the pile of rubble before shaking it off, the wound in his shoulder already healed just enough to keep from bleeding or tearing while still leaving a messy hole covered in dirt and torn feathers. He blinked, glancing over at Vaulix as he tried to maintain his composure. He felt he was nearly ready to allow Vaulix his healing magic, when a sharp pain shot through his hind end.

Storm had lunged at him and had stabbed the end of his polearm into Melvar's hip, the end of it stopping and bending when it hit the bones in his upper leg. When Storm saw the blade wasn't sinking any deeper, he started to twist.

Melvar reared up in pain before kicking back, one hind hoof connecting with Storm's chest with enough force to knock him away. Before the Chief had even landed, Melvar had spun and lunged at him with beak open and both talons outstretched. He offered a series of powerful swipes that each opened up three gashes along Storm's chest, the blood pausing a moment before seeping out through his black fur. Melvar was about to lean down and wrap his beak around his prey's neck, but had two wing arms wrapped around his head, covering his eyes as a powerful force stabbed at his mind.

For a brief moment his rage was a thousand times worse, until he also felt powerful arms wrapped around his hind end, tugging him out of the mess of bush that he'd pinned Storm in. A warmth and cold mixed in his veins and chest, calming him while also disorienting him. His vision swirled into a blur as the world around him melted away, his anger dissipating into a tingly feeling that occupied his fingers and the tip of his tail.

Within seconds, he had recovered his mind from the corruption enough to shake off its effects - at least for a moment long enough to watch as a black-tipped arrow lunged through Valencia's chest, poking its way through her just under her shoulder with enough force to poke at his own neck.

Valencia coughed up blood and fell to her knees, pulling her wing arms away from Melvar as her telepathic abilities were plucked from his mind. Before he could react, he heard a voice in his head, belonging to Vaulix.

"Melvar, go. You have to leave now or the corruption will certainly return. Go to the castle, protect the queen at all costs, I will take care of this situation."

That was all he heard. His addled mind didn't have the lucidity to question his orders, doubly so since Valencia's tricks left him open to suggestion. He turned and kicked off the ground and into the sky, powerful wings flapping at just the right time to catch a slight gust of a breeze that buoyed him above the trees. He didn't look back, but flew with all his might headed south towards the castle. In the air he noticed that his shoulder and hip were both fully healed, likely thanks to Vaulix's magic.

When he finally regained his consciousness to question his decision to leave at the drop of a feather, he banked hard and turned to go back to the village, only to see a powerful burst of teal magic erupt from under the Chief's home tree with enough force to crack the trunks of the nearest trees and blast a wave of wind so far it hit Melvar, three kilometers away.

Shocked at the sudden and intense energy, Melvar stopped himself to hover in place, wings flapping idly. "N-no. Vaulix, what have you done?" That sort of blast would surely have killed all of them and anyone else in the village, a powerful explosion of energy would be impossible to avoid and could easily have turned them all into paste.

A deep sadness came over Melvar as he came to accept the fate of his allies. Vaulix, Melodi, and even Valencia, all gone. He lowered his head and reluctantly turned to carry on his flight back to the castle, devising ways in his mind he could convince himself that someone survived.

But he had been in too many battles in his life to let hope obscure reality.

Melvar managed to make it back to the castle in a fraction of the time it took to fly north. Not only did he not have anyone else slowing him down, but in a panic he raced back as fast as he could to break the news to the queen. When he arrived, the sun was finally setting to the west behind the mountains, and the air was growing cold around the capitol.

When he saw the dark slate gray of the castle bricks and the red of the awning poking up over the trees, he immediately gulped and winced, knowing he needed to prepare himself to confess his failure to the queen, his inability to protect her king.

In an act of hesitation and procrastination, he did a few wide circles around the city before angling down to land in the marketplace strip with a heaviness and lack of grace he wasn't used to enduring. The merchants and vendors all tried to call out to him to buy their wares, but saw quickly that he wasn't in the mood, thanks to the angry looks he shot them.

Once he was done facing the gauntlet of vendors, he made it to the front gates of the castle, which were flanked by two tall equine guards in full sets of armor. Part of him hoped they'd block him from entering so he didn't have to face his shame, but when they recognized him they opened the doors before he was ready to go in.

"Welcome back, Melvar." The mare said with a shine in her voice.

He bowed respectfully as he crept back into the castle. His legs were bent and his wings were held tight against his body to make himself appear as small as he could. His shame was overbearing, and he didn't dare come to the queen with an inflated chest and a sense of pride. As usual, Talba was sitting on her golden velvet throne, legs crossed as she looked down the staircase to the ground floor.

"Melvar, welcome back! I hope your trip north was well." She said as she got to her feet, arms spread as though she were coming in for a hug. Then, a moment later, she noticed that Melvar was alone and her ears drooped. "Where are the others?"

The hippogryph took a few more steps, then laid on his belly with his beak pressed to the ground, trying his best not to sniffle in self-disappointment. "They won't be returning. I failed, my queen. I failed you by allowing the crystals to affect me. When we arrived, there was a fight, I touched one, I..." He paused to sniffle a bit, cracks in his armor showing. "I did some terrible things, I fought Vaulix, I fought Valencia, and they still sacrificed themselves for me by fending off the corruption, and releasing some form of energy blast that...." He paused again to gulp down a sob. "They're gone."

Talba's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, gone?"

"Dead. They have to be. There's no way they survived, the energy blast was so powerful it knocked down trees and decimated the entire village. Vaulix told me to leave, get away from the influence of the crystals, to fly back to you and to defend the castle with all my might. I failed, I ran. I would accept and understand if you wished to exile me." He lowered his head as far as it would go, covering his eyes with his talons.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Quite a shame, but I wouldn't worry yourself about it, Melvar." She said as she took a step down towards him, Her expression went from worried to cavalier in a split second. "If I know anything about Vaulix, I'm sure he's fine. He may be a king and a healer, but he's a lot stronger than you would imagine. He's stronger even than I, almost as powerful as Ceylon." She shrugged as she sat on a step next to Melvar, patting him between the ears. "Give it a few days and I'm sure he'll show up. He always does."

"Wh-what?" Melvar looked up at her, tears moistening the corners of his eyes. "Are you sure? No, you can't be sure, you weren't there. I was there, nobody could have survived that blast. There's no way."

She smirked and smiled at him. "I'm quite sure he's fine. Remember, we've been around for a long time. Tell me, what was the first thing you and Ceylon discussed with each other upon your arrival? She told you she was a goddess. Do you think an energy blast can kill one of us?"

He nodded. "You're not gods, Ceylon told me that. You're just immortal with immense power similar to my own. I would have died in that explosion. It was very, very powerful, I need you to understand that."

"I understand perfectly well. You'll see. I think you might need some rest, come on." She grabbed him by the scruff of his shoulder and pulled him up to all fours, guiding him towards his personal quarters.

Melvar was resistant at first, unwilling to accept that he just needed to calm down and relax, but she helped to coax him into serenity enough to get him to sleep. She laid down next to him in the custom-made nest, stroking him between the shoulders as he slipped into his nightmares, as his mind replayed the horrifying blast over and over again.

Over the next few days, Melvar barely left his personal quarters. He had been reassured multiple times that Talba was sure Vaulix and Valencia were fine, but he didn't believe it for a moment. They were at the middle of one of the largest energy blasts he'd ever seen, not even one with immense power could have kept their body from being evaporated in the midst of that.

He came out to eat, to relieve himself, and to politely nod to Talba when he saw her in the halls, but he couldn't shake the shame of failing. He knew fully well that he shouldn't have went north with them if he was worried he'd be susceptible to the effects of the crystals; it would have been worth it had he at least gotten a hold of one he could look into and experiment with, but he didn't.

While he was moping, Talba came to realize that the situation was growing dire, so she evacuated the castle of most of the staff, sending them out east to board a fleet headed across the Rissen Ocean to Koluma. Melvar tried to keep his cool during this period, and even gained just enough self control and respect to have a brief tryst with one of the garden workers, only to have her leave on him, boarding the caravan headed to the east port immediately after.

Once Mikhail, Arnika, and the others had been sent away, Melvar felt just enough confidence return to leave the confines of his own chambers and head out to meet Talba in the throne room.

She wasn't there, so he laid down between the twin thrones with his chin to the floor, looking out over the grand hall. The royal guard were all standing at attention, six on either side of the room under the balconies, as well as two more guarding the door. Another three were stationed on the second floor balconies, ready with crossbows in case of a siege on the castle.

Talba was a smart leader, she knew how to keep her people happy even in a time of imminent war even if she was oblivious to the condition of her lover.

In the time between the arrival of Toumak at the doors of the castle a week prior and the day he was lying in wait between the thrones, a dozen different messengers had arrived with news of the problems that were blossoming on her borders. To the west, at the border north of the mountain, Tehgolian hordes were preparing to attack Ambassador's fort, while also spreading their influence south, focusing much of their attention on the border between Tehgol and Untheria. Luckily for Talba and Arrenthen, the Untherians weren't as interested in attacking the border east of the castle.

All three nations were separated in the middle, a three-pronged mountain range serving as a border. The capitol of Arrenthen, nestled in the crook between the northern range and the east range, so any attacks on the capitol were nearly impossible without trekking through hundreds of kilometers of dense jungle or marching over a mountain.

Talba was a smart leader, having nestled in comfortably in the most unreachable part of the nation. Of course, that wasn't her. She wasn't the one of her line that had built the castle and planted the flag in the ground. Or maybe she was. Talba was quite old, centuries at least, and she had said on multiple occasions that she lived a cyclical life, growing old and 'dying' before using magics to revert her age to that of a hatchling in order to begin life anew. Maybe she did build the castle and form the nation in the past. Melvar had no idea how old the country was or when it was declared a sovereign state, he wasn't interested in the past since he was too busy worrying about the future.

His mind wandered back to Talba's `current status, curious where she might be if she wasn't in her chambers and wasn't in the throne room. She had a loud, powerful voice that carried through the halls of the castle well, so if she was inside she had no doubt he would hear her.

A knock came to the doors, coaxing Melvar to raise his head up while keeping his eyes trained on whoever it was. Before the guards could answer, both the tall red wood doors burst open with enough force to knock both guards off their feet, revealing none other than the Chief of the northern settlements, Storm Gryphon. He held his spear in one hand and a shield in the other, eyes as intense as the last time Melvar had seen him.

Melvar bolted to his feet and dove down off the throne plateau to land on the ground level, beak open and hissing. His purple gem was humming and glowing bright as he prepared to fight. His heart ached and his adrenaline flowed as he realized what this meant. If Storm was alive, then that means that there was absolutely no chance that Vaulix was alive, because had either of them survived the blast, Storm would have easily killed both his opposition in the wake of it.

"You! I knew I shouldn't have let you live!" Melvar hissed, then addressed the royal guard. "And all of you, I need you to leave, get the queen. If you stay you will not survive. I will not be responsible for collateral damage in my queen's domain. Go!" He knew fully well that if Storm was here, then he was still enhanced by the crystals. If he had a gem on him, then there was a chance that Melvar would be affected by it, and as such he was liable to destroy any living thing in the vicinity. He didn't want to kill the guards, for they had done nothing wrong.

"Melvar-" Storm started by raising his lance, aiming it at the Hippogryph.

But Melvar had no interest in hearing this beast's words. He leapt forward with talons extended as he focused his energy, twisting in midair and knocking around the end of the spear as he tackled the gryphon with all his force, digging talons into his chest. He closed his eyes and released a massive unfocused blast of energy against Storm, knocking the gryphon back with enough force to make him burst through the doors with a torrent of brick and dust going with him as the unfocused blast also completely obliterated the front end of the castle's grand hall in a blitz of rubble.

Outside, dozens of the commoners that were int he market started to flee, with some hiding behind buildings to see what was happening while others just ran.

Storm was tossed a few dozen meters backwards, landing with a thud on his tail before rolling a few times. He flared out his wings for balance and pushed the ball of his fist down with his spear laid flat to the ground, shield up for defense as he looked up at Melvar. "Listen here, I-"

"I won't listen to another word from you!" Melvar growled as he stepped through the remains of the front gate of the castle. The entire wall, doors, and two of the pillars had been completely destroyed with bits of brick and mortar in piles between the rest of the castle and the wall. Before Storm could say another word, Melvar leapt at him, wrapping claws around Storm's body and digging his beak into the feathers around the gryphon's neck.

Storm got to his feet and flailed around, trying to grab at Melvar's limbs as he spun around back and forth. He slammed his back - with Melvar still there - against the defensive wall that circled the castle with enough force to form a crack between some of the bricks while dust and debris trickled down over the two of them. Again and again, he slammed Melvar into the bricks, until the hippogryph's beak weakened and he let go, giving Storm the opportunity to grab at Melvar's arm to hip toss him over his shoulder, then kick him in the chest with the force needed to propel him through the cart of a nearby vendor, then through the wall of a storage house.

Melvar shook himself off and rolled to his feet, prepared to engage in another skirmish. Within seconds, Storm had lunged forward with his shield up and spear outstretched, using the edge of the shield to slam into Melvar's side, which allowed Melvar to extend a wing to counteract the impact. Both of them skidded backwards away from each other before Melvar jumped out through the window of the still-standing wall of the building. He leapt around, emerged behind Storm, and gave a two-hoof buck right to Storm, which was swiftly blocked by the shield. Still, the power of the kick was strong enough to force the gryphon backwards through that wall, landing on his back.

Just as he was about to lunge in for the kill - an act that would at least partially regain him the respect he felt he needed to earn - a voice hollered out from the castle.

"DAMN IT MELVAR! GET YOUR FEATHERED RUMP BACK HERE NOW!" It was Talba, looking angrier than she ever had. She stomped her foot and pointed to the ground next to her. "AND YOU TOO, STORM! HERE, NOW, AND I DON'T WANT TO HEAR A WORD OF PROTEST!"

Melvar paused a moment, seriously considering lunging in for the kill regardless, knowing he couldn't possibly trust storm and that there was no reasoning with someone when they were under the influence of the crystals, so regardless of her command there was no way Storm would possibly do as he was told. It wasn't even a matter of if, but when he'd attack.

Yet, there was Storm, rolling over onto one knee with his head held low. "Yes my queen." He muttered, before standing back up to walk calmly past Melvar.

"What is this?" Melvar asked, mostly to himself. He didn't budge from his spot, knowing full well this was more likely a hallucination or a ruse than it was actually exactly as he saw it. He remained in a protective stance, tail swinging behind him to catch anyone and warn him if one was coming up behind him.

"I said come here, now." Talba repeated. "I won't be giving you another chance."

Another moment of uncertainty passed before he felt he had given the situation enough time to lure any would-be attackers. If he was going to be pounced or stabbed, it would have happened. When he was convinced the whole situationw asn't the result of some hallucination magic, he begrudgingly walked through the rubble of the wall and the front of the castle to stand by Talba, eyes never leaving the direct line of sight to Storm. "M-my queen if I-"

"No you may not. You will speak when spoken to and not before then." She walked up to her throne and pointed to two spots on the ground floor in front of her throne and Vaulix's. "Now stay there, and listen to me."

Storm bent to one knee and laid his spear and shield on the ground on either side of himself as he crossed one arm over his chest, the other restong on his raised knee. Melvar simply plopped his rump down on the ground, still staring at Storm out of the corner of his eye as he shuffled away, ensuring he was just outside of attack range.

He couldn't be too careful.

Talba crossed her legs, leaning back against the rest of the chair while she tapped at the arm rests. "Okay, Melvar, I suppose I owe you an explanation. Given the circumstances, I failed to give you the proper information. This morning, a messenger arrived from Vaulix in the north, telling me that he was alive and well. He's in the northern villages, working with Valencia to slow, reverse, and even cure the corruption from the crystals."

Melvar got to all fours and spread his wings in anger. "Why didn't you tell me this?!"

Talba lowered her head, shaking it gently. "That was my mistake. When I heard the news, I had to be alone for a few hours, I needed to absorb the positivity that came from the good news and I couldn't dare interrupt that. However, what I failed to take into consideration was that the messenger bird had tried flying here the day you arrived, only to be shot down and held hostage by a tribe of violent locals. He did escape, but barely in time to beat Storm to our castle." she extended a hand to the Chief.

"My queen." He said briskly. "I apologize for my actions, and I understand why your lap dog here attacked me as he did. Your kind and gentle husband along with his friend were able to clear my mind of the corruption, as the first one they targeted for their healing ability."

Melvar bristled in anger at being called a lap dog, hissing and extending his feathers in a show of aggression. "I am no lap dog. And if you were supposedly healed by them, why didn't they come back to tell us that? I was left for days in sorrow over the loss of the king, and yet he sends you - the one I thought killed him - to give the news? What is wrong with you? How did you think that was-"

"It wasn't my idea, Melvar. Vaulix sent me because he knew if anyone else came down, you wouldn't possibly believe the corruption had been healed. If I could be civil, anyone could."

"Then why didn't you talk to me before I attacked you? Why did you burst in the doors and aim your spear at me? Are you utterly foolish enough to believe that's a normal way to greet someone?"

Storm shook his head. "It's just how I am. I've always been very aggressive in all my walks of life, this hasn't changed a thing. Please, accept my apologies." He kept his head low, eyes aimed at the ground.

Talba stepped up between them and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well then, I think we have all the information we need. Storm, you're healed. Melvar, you're sorry. I apologize for my lack of proper communication. Tomorrow, I expect both of you to help with the restoral of the collapsed walls, but in the mean time, come with me." she grabbed both by the scruff of their neck and pulled them up the stairs.

At first, Melvar was reluctant, but he did just destroy a solid potion of the front of the castle so he was willing to bend to her will. She never let go of his scruff as she dragged both the males down the hall and into her chambers. When all three of them arrived, she tossed them both to the side and kicked her door closed.

The queen pointed to Storm. "You, naked, now." She also started untying her dress.

Storm hesitated for only a moment, not sure of the situation before Talba snapped her fingers, somehow making the loin cloth he wore slice into two halves and fall to the ground, exposing his furred sheath.

"There we go. Now, I want you to bend over and let Melvar mount you." She finished untying her dress, allowing it to fall to the ground as she stepped out of it, naked. When she laid on her back on her bed, she waited for the two males to do as she commanded. When they refused to move, She chirped at them. "Come on, don't be shy."

Melvar lowered his head, shaking it. "My queen, I'm really not able to-"

"Well, can you at least try? Do the motions? You two have both done me a disservice by bringing literal ruin to my castle. I need to know you can get along in the most intimate of terms before I can allow either of you to leave this room. So come on, hop up on him."

Both Storm and Melvar exchanged glances before shrugging. Melvar stepped towards Talba and protested. "My queen, I'm not able to do that. He's a drake, I'm only into mares and hens. Males do not excite me and I can assure you that you would not enjoy such a show."

"I concur." Storm added. He was standing straight and proud, but the bulge in his sheath was contained and no part of it was poking out of the end. He wasn't even the least bit excited. "I'm okay with other males in certain circumstances, but if he isn't into drakes, it wouldn't be good for either of us. I'd much rather be with you. It'd be like old times!"

Talba cooed at him while she spread her legs, knees up and claws curled over the side of the bed as she propped herself up on her elbows. "Well, if that's what you need to get into the mood, then come on. Don't leave me hanging here. I just want you two to share some intimacy. I've found it's the best way to help people get over their differences by highlighting what interests they share." She winked and smiled, sliding one hand over her belly to gently rub at her meaty clitoris, occasionally slipping two fingers into herself to part her peachy lips. "But it won't quite be like old times, Storm. I was very young last time we got intimate. I as what, twelve? Thirteen? Barely a woman at that age, I'd just had my second egg." She winked, flicking her tail to blow some of her scent towards the two drakes.

Melvar grunted and swallowed hard as he felt his arousal pooling between his hind legs. His tail lifted a bit and started to slowly sway from side to side, an instinctual behaviour that indicated courtship by spreading his musk. He was a little disconcerted by the revelation that Storm was into younger girls, but one thing he had learned about this world was that the years were longer, so Talba was likely a young woman and not a child at the time of their last encounter.

Storm was very much so equally as excited. The moment Talba laid on her back with her legs spread, he was already rubbing at his sheath, peeling the skin back to expose the deep mauve fleshed cock of his. The presence of the gryphon made Melvar a little uncomfortable, but he never let that get in the way of his own arousal and desires.

"Well, if you insist." Melvar agreed as he hopped forward, bringing a single claw up onto the side of the bed. Before he could rear up, Storm stepped past him and got onto his knees, covering Talba with his arms on either side of her. He pressed his beak to hers and forced her onto her back as his erection throbbed and bobbed between them, the tip of it drooling precum onto her belly.

Melvar felt the pain of having his masculinity being challenged, so he hopped up next to her and used his head to push Storm to the side, burying his head between her legs to nuzzle at her vulva. He may have been a drake with insatiable lust for pussy, but he knew that it was better to warm her up first, and if that meant using his tongue, then he would do it.

Storm growled as he was pushed to the side, but then quickly recovered by kneeling next to Talba's head, dangling his cock over her beak to get her to play with it.

If she wasn't willing and surprisingly eager, she likely would have bitten it off, but instead she wrapped her fingers around the knot to control it, aiming the tip into her maw, tongue extending to cradle the underside of it while she gave a gentle suckle, the barbs lightly poking and prodding at the flesh inside. She smiled and winked at Melvar as the hippogryph pushed into her, using his beak to part her lips while his tongue prodded at her.

His front talons wer eon either side of her thighs, practically cradling her hips and side as he bobbed his head, enjoying the taste of her nectar. In fact, it was much nicer to the tongue than he was expecting, like a combination of peach and strawberry. Odd but pleasant.

Talba grinded her hips down on Melvar's beak while rubbing herself with her free hand. She held Storm's cock down to her mouth, her neck bobbing up and down with a swallow and a barely contained gag as she gulped down the precum he leaked into her, while also slobbering all over his length to keep him moist. Mid-suckle, she propped herself back up on her elbow, spitting his member out while she grabbed at his chest and pulled him down onto his back next to her.

Storm had to fold his wings close and tight to his body to avoid having them bend and twist in the wrong direction while Talba pulled away from Melvar to straddle him. The queen was actually larger than he was, but not by much, perhaps a head or so. Still, she was big enough that her knees weren't even touching his sides when she reached around and grabbed his cock, aiming the end of it up under her tail.

Talba quickly looked back over to Melvar, winking at him and giving him a gentle nod of encouragement. "Come on, you. No reason you two studs can't trade. I don't want to see any more of you two growling and nipping at each other, just sensuality."

Melvar had in fact felt a little neglected when she pulled away from him, but with the encouragement and exposure of her plot, he was happy to get involved again. Problem was, there was a cock in his way and he really didn't feel right getting his beak wet with precum unless it was his own. Instead, he rested a talon on her haunches and hopped up, placing much of his weight on her as he leaned over to nibble and preen at her golden, flowing mane. "Hope you don't mind." He whispered at her as he kicked at the bed, shuffling forward as his cock throbbed and flicked upwards to spew a few gobs of mess all over her rump and tail.

She gape grinned at him as she felt the end of his weighty member come to rest on her hip, the pulsations matching time with his heart with enough force she could actually count his pulse. "Go ahead, you wanna share with Storm? Got plenty of room in my cunt."

Before Melvar could respond or say anything, Storm bucked his hips up hard. Talba had already aimed his tip between her lips, so when he forced himself into her, all of his shaft up to the uninflated knot sunk into her, his barbs splaying out to catch and tug at her flesh. He didn't wait for her to react before pulling mostly out to do it again, thrusting in and out of her in deep, rough motions every time.

Talba whimpered and cooed at him, pressing her lower beak to her chest as she pushed back, grinding her hips against him while her tail remained raised high, exposing her rump to Melvar.

Though anal wasn't Melvar's first choice, the queen was quite excited and he could tell that she was wet from belly to tail, soaked in lubrication and ready for whatever he had to offer her. With that in mind, he repositioned himself and tensed his member up, veins popping out as he bucked his hips. The very tip of his blunt equine cock stabbed against the round pucker of the queen, popping in with one motion and plunging deep past the median ring where shaft met wrinkled sheath.

As soon as he felt her warmth enveloping his cock, he shuddered in delight and offered another deep thrust, this time forcing her cheeks and plump pucker to swallow him to the hilt as he tensed up in pleasure. His flare bulged deep in her backside, and his veins expanded against her walls, a pleasant feeling to any drake or mare that felt it. She was so warm - even hotter to the touch than he was used to - and that accentuated his pleasure further. Oddly enough, he was turned on a little more as he felt the pointed tip of Storm's cock poking at his through the fleshy barrier between pussy and ass canals.

Storm looked up past Talba to give Melvar a sly wink as he dug his claws into the queen's sides to hold her in place, his rump lifting high to slam his knot to her lips. Normally he liked to thrust, but this time he just grinded his hips to hers and pushed her down onto his member with his powerful hands, the bulges of his knot squishing and sliding against her vulva before popping in one at a time.

The moment she felt the knot lobes burst into her and start to expand, Talba threw her head back and started to man and whimper amidst a series of cute little chirps. Her beak was open in an ecstatic gape-grin as she gyrated her hips against the two of them, pelvic muscles twitching and contracting to squeeze at the both of them, forcing equine and gryphonic members against each other, even with flesh keeping them from touching.

"Hold on tight!" Storm warned before bucking his hips up hard, slamming his thighs to hers as his knot shifted and sunk deeper into her. When he pulled away, her lips wouldn't let him go at first. Her clit was folded out in a wink as her vulva muscles and contractions squeezed around its neck. However, he was a thrusty kind of gryphon, so he pulled until his throbbing member burst from her cunt with a squishy plop followed by a notable trickle of combined fluids all over his sheath. Instantly, he slammed himself back up against her, using the lubrication to ease his knot back into her, even as it was growing in thickness and firmness.

Melvar was enjoying a more relaxed mating with her, knowing full well that his stamina wasn't quite up to where it could be. Still, he had a feeling that he needed to prove himself as worthy of the queen, so he matched Storm thrust for thrust; his longer, thicker shaft slid through the queen's snug rump, the flare of it rubbing against her flesh in patterns while his veins pulsed in time.

Both drakes were getting increasingly aggressive with their mating habits. Storm's bulging knot popping in and out of Talba's sex was stretching her raw with each motion, her peachy lips getting a hint of pink on the outside to match the ruby redness of her insides. Melvar's long and thick shaft was doing a number on her rump as well, with each deep thrust slamming his hips to hers while his flare throbbed and expanded somewhere up in her chest before pulling out, the girth of the flare seeming to tug on her before finally having it be pushed back up.

Melvar and Storm stared each other in the eyes as they reached climax, ignoring the pleasured look of delight on Talba's face as she gape grinned and trilled at the two drakes. She whimpered and shuddered as she felt the heat of gryphon and hippogryph seed erupt into her, filling her with warmth in both holes. Her toes curled and she balled her fists up against Storm's chest and Melvar's neck floof as she bent back and gave the hippogryph a beak-rubbing kiss.

Storm had his cock pop into her one last time as his knot expanded to full girth, the barbs on his length splaying out like a pine tree to tug at the queen's pulverized flesh, while Melvar slowly pulled himself out of her, cum leaking out over the both of them. His flare rested just inside her rump, and he could feel the pressure of Storm's knot against him, a warmth and sensation that coaxed another spurt from his balls and into Talba.

"Good boys." Talba crooned at them, smiling in delight before collapsing on Storm, with Melvar doing the same on her back.

Their session was brisk, but Melvar knew two things about Hippogryphs and Gryphons. He may finish quick, but he had a few more rounds in him, and gryphons could go for hours even after they climaxed.

All three of them were in for a wild ride the rest of the night. They had a lot of pent up anger and aggression to get out, and a lot of bonding to attend to.

To Be Continued...