FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Gradyn moved silently through the woods. Every step was carefully placed so that he made little noise as he positioned himself to get a good angle on his target. That being a lone buck that grazed on a patch of grass nearby, unaware of the man hunting it. Slowly, he removed an arrow from his quiver and placed it on the string of his bow and pulled the string back while taking a deep breath to steady his shot. The deer raised its head to look around and Gradyn released the arrow. Immediately the deer took off running only to stumble and collapse a second later, the arrow had pierced its heart.

The young man brushed back his short, black hair and sighed in relief. The sun had risen a few hours ago and he had promised that he would be back a day ago. However, he had ventured further than intended. He would need to hurry or else Pel would never shut up about it. Gradyn hurriedly removed his arrow and then lifted the large buck onto his shoulders. It didn't require much effort due to the strength that, even despite his rather thick build, seemed unnatural.

After retracing his steps to find the seven rabbits he had tied up in a tree he gathered them and began his journey west towards home. Along the way he checked on more of the traps that were used to catch the rabbits but only found one more. It was another two hours before he found the road leading home and another hour after that before the town of Radhilt came into view.

This small town was where Gradyn had spent the last six years of his life. It wasn't too much to look at, just a cluster of wooden buildings surrounded by a wall with a northern and southern gate placed on one of the many roads that connected the northern kingdom of Marseleth and the southern kingdom of Valherin. Radhilt itself belonged to neither kingdom and instead was in the middle of a strip of land between them known as The Wildlands. The two kingdoms had decided to leave the land unclaimed after a war decades ago as a way to avoid any more conflict that would lead to bloodshed. Because of this The Wildlands became a mostly lawless place filled with mercenaries and gangs of bandits trying to make a living any way they can. Radhilt was one of the few more civilized villages scattered throughout The Wildlands that made a living off trade with travelers going from one kingdom to another. These travelers could range from simple merchants to nobles and diplomats from either kingdom. On this day in particular Radhilt would have the latter type of visitors.

As Gradyn approached he could see that a large group had made camp just outside the south gate. The many white flags with a golden gryphon head and two swords crossed behind it signified this group to belong to Valherin's military. That fact alone almost made Gradyn want to turn off the road in order to walk all the way around to the other gate, however he had wasted enough time. With some luck he might pass through the camp unnoticed, but that was quite unlikely considering there were enough tents to suggest they had brought a small army.

As he passed through Gradyn stole some glances at the equipment that the army had brought. Most of the soldiers didn't carry the typical short sword and shield that they normally would when escorting someone of importance. Instead they carried either a halberd or a spear and all had a bow strapped to their back. There was also the presence of many large ballistae. That was a rare sight as it was unneeded to fend off the bandits that plagued The Wildlands. As if to add to his concerns a half dozen Gryphons suddenly emerged from the forest to the east. The half-lion half-eagle hybrid climbed high into the sky before splitting off and flying in all directions. Gradyn stopped to watch them, the last time he had seen one of the creatures was just before he arrived in Radhilt. It wasn't a very pleasant memory.

He was about to continue on but something else caught Gradyn's eye. A particularly large tent was sporting a unique flag. This one was still white but instead of a Gryphon it had a red dragon with a sword plunged into the roof of its open mouth and emerging out the top of its snout. This sent a shiver down Gradyn's spine. He now regretted not taking the time to go around and hastened his pace as he neared the gate, only for two soldiers to step into the entrance and block him.

“What's the rush for?" The one on the right asked while smirking. His long blond hair and neat face made him look like a typical pampered noble. “You've gotta pay a toll for our protection while we're here. That buck you've got should do nicely."

Gradyn scoffed at that. “What if I don't need your protection?" He asked sarcastically and then tried to push past them.

The soldier's smirk disappeared and he quickly swung the butt end of his halberd's polearm into Gradyn's knee. The man grunted in pain as his leg collapsed and he dropped the Buck onto the ground. “You wildland trash need to learn some respect. We have been given a glorious quest by our Goddess and still trash like you give us nothing but trouble." The soldier finished by spitting onto the ground in front of Gradyn as he then turned to his partner and motioned toward the deer. “Take it."

The other soldier propped his weapon up against the gate and then stepped forward to reach for the deer but Gradyn grabbed him firmly on the wrist as he slowly got back to his feet. “Let go of me or I'll remove that hand from your wrist." The soldier threatened but Gradyn's grip remained firm.

“I'd like to see you try." He said with a smirk.

The blond haired soldier readied his halberd and chuckled. “You must have a death wish. That's fine by me."

Gradyn yanked hard on the wrist he was holding causing the soldier to stumble forward and receive a fist to his face. The soldier was knocked off his feet and flew a yard or two before landing hard on his back. Gradyn quickly grabbed the discarded weapon off the gate and turned just in time to block the other guard's overhead swing. The soldier seemed shocked that Gradyn managed to block his attack. Using that to his advantage Gradyn moved in and struck him across the face with the butt end of his halberd, sending him to the ground. Without hesitating Gradyn brought the blade over his head preparing to bring it down on the guard.

“Stop!"

The blade stopped just before connecting with flesh. Gradyn looked around to see that many others had begun to surround them. He was confident enough to fight two, maybe three or four of them at a time, but he wasn't suicidal enough to take on the whole army. So, with a sigh he threw his stolen halberd down onto its owner who grunted from the sudden impact. It was then that he noticed the heavily armored man walking toward him. The man's armor was a shining silver with deep red accents, and the image of a sword being stuck through a dragon's head was painted onto the shoulders. Gradyn's heart skipped a beat, he had hoped to avoid whoever that sigil belonged to and now that he was seeing him he wanted to even more. He was very tall, almost a head and a half above everyone else, and his bald and scared head gave him an imposing look. Not to mention the large hammer strapped to his back.

“What is the meaning of this?" He asked glaring down at Gradyn who did his best to remain calm.

“They told me I need to give up my kill as payment for their protection." Gradyn explained calmly, but then hesitated as he debated whether or not he should continue. “So, I… I decided to show them I didn't need their protection."

The large man continued to glare at him for a few moments until his focus shifted to the first soldier Gradyn had hit. Gradyn glanced over as well to see that the man's face was completely covered in blood and he was holding two of his teeth in his hand as he struggled to stand. The large man broke the silence with a small chuckle as a smirk creeped onto his face. “It would seem that you do not." He said and then gave Gradyn a slap on the shoulder. The force of which caused him to stumble slightly. “I like you, not afraid to stand up for yourself. Tell me, what do you do around here?"

“I hunt and run the bar at the inn some nights." Gradyn answered cautiously. He was suspicious of the man's sudden friendliness and the unusual question.

“Interesting. Well you are free to go enjoy the rest of your day." The man said and turned to address the crowd of soldiers. “Everyone back to your stations, we are leaving early tomorrow!"

Gradyn wasted no time in picking up his deer and walking through the gate. He noticed that some of the other villagers were walking away or still standing nearby trying to act like they hadn't watched the whole thing. It wouldn't be a surprise if everyone knew what happened by sunset. News traveled fast here, especially when it concerned Gradyn. Most of the village avoided him, they thought of him as a trouble maker and claimed that he was more akin to a wild animal at times. Very few people thought differently, one of them being the butcher that Gradyn was headed to now. Gil still saw him as an animal and even openly admitted it, however he accepted it due to Gradyn's ability to bring in good game.

As Gradyn approached the town center he entered the market. Here the majority of the buildings consisted of many different shops that the people of Radhilt used to sell their goods. Gradyn ignored the many stairs that he was now receiving and entered a building he knew belonged to the butcher. Inside was a small room with a variety of meat hanging on display and a woman who was collecting the meat that she had just purchased from the man behind the counter. When the woman turned around her face dropped into a glare and she quickly exited.

“Gradyn!" The man shouted excitedly. His round chubby face beaming brightly. Gil was a short stubby man, and with a beard as long as his, some might mistake him for a dwarf if he was any shorter. “I see you brought me some more goods today. Just set em over on that table would ya." He said pointing to a table in the corner of the room.

“I assume the news of what happened at the gate has already spread here." Gradyn said as he did as instructed.

“Indeed it has." Gil replied thoughtfully. “I'd been told that you started a fight but had no idea if you'd won it or not. Also, Pel came by looking for you not too long ago. He didn't seem happy."

Gradyn sighed and then made for the door. “Thanks for the good news." He said sarcastically. “I'll come back by tomorrow to get my portion of the meat." Money wasn't used often between the villagers. Instead they traded in services. In this case Gradyn hunted so that Gil could sell it to travelers or other villagers, and as payment Gradyn was given a portion of the cleaned meat to use at the inn. Sure he could clean and keep it all to himself but this way he helped out the other villagers.

“Hey!" Gil called before gradyn could walk out. “Try not to make any more trouble. These aren't people that you wanna mess with."

Gradyn nodded. “I fear it may be too late already." He mumbled and then walked through the door.

Outside the early summer sun had just about reached its peak and would soon begin making its way towards the horizon. Gradyn grimaced as he looked up at the sky knowing that Pel was likely about to lose his mind. He didn't doubt that the old man had heard about the incident at the gate by now and was waiting for him at the inn.

Gradyn took his time walking to the inn that sat isolated on the far east side of town. It was placed here in order to reduce the chance that drunk travelers would wander into town and disturb the townsfolk in their homes. The large wooden structure was broken into two parts. The one at the front served as a tavern where they would serve food and drinks to travelers and sometimes the townsfolk. The second section connected on the left side of the building and had three stories, in which the upper two held guest rooms for travelers and the first was where Gradyn lived with Pel.

The old innkeeper had found him bloody and unconscious by the river one morning while he was fishing. When Gradyn awoke he found himself lying in a bed with food and water next to him. He had told everyone that a group of bandits had attacked him and his party. Although that wasn't completely true and only Pel and one other knew what actually happened. That was six years ago now. Gradyn had decided to stick around and agreed to help Pel run the inn in exchange for living there.

The old wooden door creaked loudly as Gradyn stepped into the tavern. It was mostly empty at the moment; only a few men who Gradyn recognized to be from the village were sitting at a table in the corner. Then there was the old man standing behind the counter, sipping on a bottle of ale as he stared daggers at Gradyn.

“Where have you been?" Pel asked as he set his bottle on the counter. “You left three days ago and said you would be back well before the sun rose yesterday, and you normally keep your word about things such as this. However, I woke up yesterday to discover you are nowhere to be found and there are damn Valherin soldiers swarming the place!"

“Gods, you worry too much Pel." Gradyn said, getting slightly annoyed as he noticed the men at the table looking over. “I lost track of time, it's pretty easy to do when you're alone. I also found some deer tracks and decided to follow them." He explained while shutting the door and then walking behind the bar and into the kitchen. He knew this conversation wasn't going to go well and didn't want anyone to hear the rest of it. “You're not still afraid that I'm going to go looking for him, right?" He continued once Pel had entered behind him and shut the door.

“Of course I'm still afraid of that!" Pel yelled, slamming his fist onto a cabinet. “I don't understand why you continue to defend it, even after what it did to you." The old man took another swig from his bottle and then began tugging on his short white beard. “Even without knowing your past, everyone thinks that you act more like a damn beast than a human. Something that I think is caused by something more than the fact that you were raised by one."

Gradyn reeled at those last words. “I told you he wasn't himself. He would never attack me like that if there wasn't a reason!" He yelled back, hoping that they weren't being too loud. “I'm not in the mood to argue about this again."

The young man quickly grabbed a loaf of bread from his personal stash and then went through another door that led to his and Pel's bedrooms. He angrily took a bite out of his bread and thought about the recent conversation. A part of him knew Pel was right but he didn't want to believe it. After waking up in the village some of his mannerisms had changed not to mention his unnatural strength and senses. He had become more prideful and quick to anger causing him to often resort to violence to quickly end any dispute. Most of these instances occurred between him and travelers, and rarely did he have anything more than small verbal disputes with other villagers. In fact many of the fights he started were in the difference of another villager. The first time he could remember hearing someone call him an animal was around a year after he first woke up in the village. A drunk mercenary had tried to kill Pel when he refused to serve him any more alcohol. Gradyn had pinned the man to the ground and beaten his face till he was unrecognizable, and eventually killed him. It wasn't the first time he had killed another man though and he was more scared of the fact that the act hardly phased him like it did the first time.

Seeking some way to distract his mind he finished his bread and looked around his room. It was quite small, containing only a bed, an open window that fed light, and a chest which held all his belongings. On top of that chest was a satchel containing items and tools which he used to make his arrows, which were currently running low, he noted.

Having found his distraction he quickly got his satchel and went back into the kitchen and out a back door to avoid Pel. Once outside he didn't head straight for the gate and instead went to the wall and began walking around the perimeter in order to keep his distance from anyone who might cause issues. That didn't work however and as he approached the north gate he spotted several soldiers up ahead surrounding an unknown man. He was going to try to ignore them since it didn't seem like they were physically hurting him, until one of the soldiers pushed the man over, giving Gradyn a good look at who it was.

Once again his temper flared after seeing his only friend being shoved to the ground. Immediately he began running towards them and shouting. “Hey! Back off!" The group turned to look at him all at once. Some started laughing while one prepared to respond but was stopped by another who hastily whispered something in his ear just as Gradyn stopped in front of them.

The man who was going to say something glared at Gradyn for a few moments then turned to the other soldiers. “Come on, we're leaving." He said, before starting towards town. The others who had been laughing looked confused but didn't question it and followed.

Once they had all left Gradyn looked to see the other man lounging on the ground looking disappointed. “Damn it. I wanted to see you kick their asses." he said and then got to his feet while fixing his short blond hair. He was about a foot shorter than Gradyn but made up for it with a well toned body. “I guess they don't wanna mess with you after what happened at the gate. I wish I could have seen that at least."

Gradyn shook his head and then continued his walk toward the gate. “I'm not in the mood right now, Ardan." He said. Ardan was the only other person in the village, besides Pel, who knew his secret. He had only just entered adulthood making him a few years younger than Gradyn. He still held onto some of his childish energy and despite the rest of the village's warnings he was drawn to Gradyn out of curiosity.

“Oh, I see." He said thoughtfully and then began walking alongside Gradyn. “Did you have another argument with Pel? I was on my way over to the inn after I heard what happened. I can't believe you stood up to a dragon slayer, do you think he's after Cyv-?"

“Don't say that name!" Gradyn said harshly. “I don't know why he is here and right now I'd rather not think about it. The whole reason I came out here is to get my mind off that so if you want to tag along then talk about something else, please."

The rest of the afternoon was spent by the river making arrows and relaxing. This was a common thing between the two of them. Even though he had stayed in the village for so many years now Gradyn still didn't feel at home. He often found any excuse to get out into the surrounding woods where he could feel relaxed and at peace. Unfortunately that had to end, and as the sun began to set on the horizon they returned to the Inn to prepare for the night.

When they arrived Ardan stayed outside for a moment while Gradyn went to confront Pel again. When he entered the front door he found the place now empty except for Pel standing behind the bar arguing with another man that Gradyn recognized to be Ardan's father, the village blacksmith. “Harold, if you're looking for Ardan, he's out front." Gradyn announced, interrupting their argument. Harold turned around and gave a short glare to Gradyn before storming out. It was likely that the young man had slipped away from his job as a blacksmith to find Gradyn and would now face the wrath of his father. This wasn't a rare occurrence, Ardan preferred working with a pot and pan rather than a hammer, much to his father's displeasure.

“Thank you for that." Pel said, rubbing his bald head. “I don't get why he has to come in here and blame us for everything his son does." The old man gave a heavy sigh before looking Gradyn in his eyes. “Look, about our argument earlier. I'm sorry for giving you so much shit about the dragon. I know how much he means to you and that you weren't given a normal childhood, but you have to understand why I worry so much. You're my second chance at having a son. I can't lose you too."

Gradyn was surprised to hear Pel mention his son. It was something he rarely ever brought up, and there was a reason. Before coming to Radhilt Pel had worked at an Inn in one of the bigger cities of Valherin. His wife passed during childbirth leaving him with a son who didn't survive much longer due to disease. Eventually he packed up and left for the wildlands trying to start over.

“I understand, Pel." Gradyn said, placing a hand on the old man's shoulder. “You're pretty much my second father and I don't plan on leaving any time soon."

Pel gave him a gentle simile and then pulled the younger man into an embrace. After a moment he chuckled slightly. “I thought I would be number three?" Pel said inquisitively.

“No, he never really felt like a father," Gradyn explained and then broke the embrace. “He was less fatherly and more like a friend. Especially because we were both children. In fact, I'm actually older than he is."

Pel looked confused at that. “Wait, how did you two survive? You said you were seven when he saved you, and if he was even younger than you, then there is no way a pair of children survived on their own for 8 years. Especially near those mountains."

Gradyn laughed. “Apparently his kind mature very fast when they are young. I don't know how or why, it was one of the many things he never told me."

The old man nodded knowingly as he began looking around the tavern. “Well that's enough chit-chat. We need to get this place cleaned up a bit. I have a feeling that a few of those soldiers may show up tonight looking for some booze."

The two men began to hastily prepare the tavern for the night. Gradyn prepared the bar while Pel made sure they had enough supplies to keep people fed and drunk. Eventually they were joined by Ardan who had managed to escape his father and was now ready to get right to work in the kitchen. After about an hour a group of the villagers rolled in looking to have a couple drinks away from their families, and Gradyn shared a drink with Ardan while the food cooked.

It wasn't long after that when loud laughter was heard outside the door before it burst open and a dozen soldiers spilled in. Among them, Gradyn recognized the man who had pushed over Ardan and the blond haired soldier that he had nearly killed. The last one to enter was the large bald man that Gradyn had spoken to at the gate. He no longer wore his heavy plate armor, and was instead dressed in a simple black tunic with the dragon slayer emblem on the left side of his chest. The other soldiers were similarly dressed but with white tunics and the Valherin military emblem on their chests.

“Go see if Pel needs any help in the back." Gradyn whispered to his friend who was staring at the soldiers. Ardan nodded and got up without a word and entered the kitchen. As the soldiers settled around the largest table at the center of the room, one of them approached the bar and requested a round of drinks. Gradyn nodded and immediately began working on the order, after noting it down on a small piece of paper he kept behind the bar. When he delivered the drinks to the table one of the men asked that they be served food and to have another round of drinks ready. Gradyn nodded and then entered the kitchen to relay the message to Pel and Ardan, who was not pleased to find out he would have to rush to make more. Upon exiting the kitchen Gradyn was surprised to find that most of the soldiers had already downed their drinks. “This is going to be a long night." He mumbled to himself and then began working on the next round.

After the third round they were served their food, which ended up just being a simple stew. Gradyn watched as Ardan and Pel served them, however he felt his pulse increase when the dragon slayer stood with his food and made his way toward the bar to take a seat in front of Gradyn.

“Another round of drinks I assume?" Gradyn asked, trying to remain calm.

“I think I'll take another for myself." He said and began eating. Gradyn nodded and then took the slayer's drink and began pouring.

When he handed the now full drink back, Gradyn decided to take a chance. “So," He asked, “What brings you out here to The Wildlands?"

The slayer just smirked at the question. “It seems my reputation doesn't spread as far as I thought." He said and then motioned towards his chest. “I am Vartis Laggard. It is my job to kill anything less than human, and I am here hunting my favorite prey, a dragon." The sadistic smile that developed on the man's face caused Gradyn's temper to start to rise. “You see," he continued, “a little over a month ago a merchant started going around Valherin claiming to have seen a dragon flying from the Stone Forest Mountains in this direction. I've come to investigate."

It took everything he had for Gradyn to remain calm. Could that dragon have been who he feared it likely was, and if so, what was he doing. “I see," He said looking away, “and have you found anything to lead you to this dragon?"

“Not quite yet, although I think I might have something soon." Before Gradyn could respond his attention was drawn to one of the soldiers who had started yelling at one of the villagers. He instantly recognized it to be the one who he had fought at the gate. “Are you going to handle that?" Vartis asked following his gaze.

Gradyn looked from him to the soldier. “Will you kill me if I beat the shit out of him?"

“I didn't kill you when you did it earlier." He said with a smirk.

Gradyn sighed and began to make his way toward the two men whose argument was getting more and more heated. He didn't care what it was about, but if anyone in this village was going to end up in a fight he wanted to make sure it was him. “Hey! Break it up!" He shouted when he reached them and placed his hand on the soldier's chest and shoved him back. The soldier didn't hesitate and his fist collided with Gradyn's face a moment later. While his opponent was still reeling from the pain and shock the soldier grabbed onto his shirt and tried throwing him to the ground. However, instead of falling to the ground the Gradyn returned the grab, twisted and threw the man across the room to land next to the door. The soldier stood his face red with anger and the majority of Gradyn's shirt still in his hand. “Damn it!" Gradyn thought to himself as he turned to see the pale expression on the villager's face. He knew exactly what caused it.

Everyone in the village knew that Pel had found him half dead and bloody but no one had ever seen the wounds. Three jagged scars ran across his back and a smaller one cut across his chest just over his heart. He had done his best to keep them hidden so that people wouldn't question how he had survived having most of his back ripped out by what seemed to be a giant claw.

Gradyn gritted his teeth and turned his attention back to the soldier, but he was surprised to see Vartis standing between them. The slayer turned to look at his men. “Everyone up!" He commanded, “We're leaving." He then turned back to Gradyn, the sadistic smile spread across his face once more. “Thank you for the food and entertainment, I'll see you around." At once the soldiers stood and exited leaving the tavern silent.

The villager next to Gradyn was the first to speak. “What the fuck was that?" He shouted. “Why was he looking at you like that and what the hell did that to your back?"

Gradyn ignored him and looked to Pel who had come out of the kitchen. “I need to get out of here. He's after Cyvass." He said, abandoning all caution in keeping secrets, which he was sure would be revealed anyway.

“Why? You could just tell him part of the truth." Ardan said after exiting the kitchen with a new shirt, which he handed to Gradyn. “Tell him that you were attacked by a dragon and then Pel found you and saved you."

Pel shook his head. “I think we all know that I wasn't the one who saved him from a wound like that. I found him bloody and unconscious but the scars were already there, and how does he even know they were caused by a dragon."

Gradyn pulled his new shirt on before responding. “I don't think it's the scars on my back that he's concerned about, I remember how I got those. What I don't remember is how I got the one on my chest. I think that he knows something about it that I don't and I'd rather not find out what." He then turned to the villagers who were gathering behind him. “All of you go home and act like you haven't heard anything. If all goes well I'll be gone by morning and you'll never have to worry about me again."

The one at the front stepped up. “I still don't know what's going on but I don't want to be caught up in whatever this is. What if he thinks we helped you?"

“If I get away and he asks you where I went, just tell him the truth. All I ask is that you stay quiet for tonight so I can at least try and get away." The small group looked at each other and then nodded and left without another word. With them gone, Gradyn immediately pushed past Pel and Ardan as he made for his room. “The same goes for you two. Do whatever you can to save yourselves, I won't blame you." However, before he could open the door Pel blocked his path.

“Hang on." He said, tears forming in his eyes. “What exactly do you plan on doing? What's going to happen if you're caught? Are you leaving forever?" By now the tears had begun flowing freely as he pulled Gradyn into a tight embrace. “I… I can't lose you too." He finished softly.

“Don't worry I'll figure something out." Gradyn assured him as he returned the embrace. “I'm even sure if Vartis wants me or not. If he did I don't think we would have left without me." Gradyn then slowly separated himself from Pel and pushed forward into his room.

Ardan and Pel followed behind to watch as Gradyn gathered his bow and arrows. “I have a feeling Vartis has known that I'm connected to the dragon since he first laid eyes on me." He explained. “And after speaking to him a little bit I think he's purposely making me think I have a chance to get away. It's very likely that he has all his men watching the gates to catch me if I try to leave. However, I never told anyone this but I made a hole in the wall to be used incase of emergencies."

“If that's the case then why don't you stay here?" Ardan asked as he began filling a sack with bread and Gradyn walked back into the kitchen and towards the back door.

“Because it doesn't matter if he plans to leave here with or without me. He's going after Cyvass and I half to warn him."

Pel quickly followed after him. “And what makes you think that dragon even wants to see you?"

Gradyn stopped when he reached the door and turned. “There was something that Vartus said that had confirmed something for me. Do you remember about a month ago when I randomly got that terrible headache that only lasted for several minutes then stopped." Both Pel and Ardan nodded. They remembered it clearly. It had been a typical night in the tavern when suddenly Gradyn began screaming in pain as he fell to the ground clutching his head. Everyone in the tavern gathered around trying to figure out what was happening when just as suddenly Gradyn had stopped. He had laid there, unresponsive for another minute or two before he wordlessly got up and returned to his room for the night.

“Well I never really explained what happened that night." Gradyn continued. “When the pain finally stopped I heard a voice. It felt like this presence had entered my mind and then it spoke to me. I believe that was Cyvass."

“Wait," Pel interrupted. “You think he spoke to you?"

“What did he say?" Ardan Asked with a bit of excitement.

“The only words I heard were 'I'm sorry' and then the presence was gone." Gradyn continued to explain. “I'm now certain it was him after what Vartus said. Apparently a dragon matching his description was seen flying in this direction from the mountains around the same time as when I heard his voice."

Pel and Ardan were silent for a moment before the former spoke up. “Ok, I know that nothing I say is going to change your mind so I'm going to trust you. But you have to promise me that when this is all over you'll come back. I can't live the rest of my life not knowing what happened to you."

Gradyn nodded his head before once again embracing the old man. He then turned to Ardan and embraced him as well. “Incase I don't get another chance I want to thank you for being there for me, despite what everyone else says about me. He said as they parted. “Also make sure you don't leave Pel to do everything by himself. You're a much better cook than him."

“Don't worry your badass won't die that easily." Ardan said cheerfully. “And I'll make sure I do whatever I can to help out."

With that done, Gradyn the sack of bread from Ardan gave Pel one last nod and then ran out the door. He would need to hurry so he could get as far away as possible. His secret passage out of the village wasn't far but being out in the open made him vulnerable. He had seen several gryphons Flying away from the village earlier but he doubted that they were the only ones.

After a few minutes of the running the wall came into view and he began running north along it looking for landmarks. However his luck had run out. A sudden weight slammed into his back and forced him to the ground. He tried to resist but there wasn't much to be done with a gryphon larger than a horse holding him down.

“Stay still worm. We don't want there to be accidents on this short flight." The gryphon said before wrapping its talons around the man's torso, trapping his arms to his side, and taking off.

Gradyn gritted his teeth to keep from screaming as he was lifted off the ground. There was nothing more he could do. Struggling would only result in his death. Above he could hear his captor lightly humming to itself as it carried him towards the Valherin camp. The voice was decidedly female, in fact Gradyn might have considered the tune to be quite beautiful if it weren't for his current situation.

Eventually the gryphon began her sharp descent towards the camp where she roughly dropped Gradyn in front of the dragon slayer's tent. He thought to stand and at least try to defend himself but that idea was squashed as the gryphon once again landed upon his back and pinned him down. “Is that really necessary?" He complained. “What am I going to do? Fight your whole army?"

“Well I wouldn't put it past you." Gradyn looked up to see Vartus exiting his tent, his usual sadistic smirk present. “Your kind are usually prone to that sort of thing."

“What's that supposed to mean?" Gradyn asked, confused.

“Oh you'll figure eventually." Vartus said dismissively and then looked at the Gryphon. “Nice catch Sharthal. Where did you find him?"

“He was running along the wall towards the north gate, sir." Sharthal replied happily.

“Was he now? I'll make sure the cooks know to make something a little special for you." The dragon slayer said while scratching the gryphon's chin. He then bent down to Gradyn and grabbed him by the hair and lifted his head. “As for you we will speak more in the morning, but for right now you're going to take a little nap. Sweet dreams."

Before Gradyn could react a fist collided with his face and his world faded to black.