After leaving Mira’s store Arad and his celebration handed by the market to get provides and meals. They even returned to the blacksmith to purchase a couple of silver weapons, which price them rather a lot. Lastly, they stopped by the stables to hire a carriage to Oakedge.

“How lengthy will it take to get there?” Arad seemed on the driver as he noticed him pack numerous rations.

The person seemed again at him, “Two days, I should get again, so it is 4 for me.” He smiled, “The village there has a meals scarcity after the winter, so I do not suppose resupplying there will likely be an possibility.”

Arad seemed towards Jack, “Is not this an issue?”

“No, I packed sufficient for every week. And even when we wanted meals, we may all the time hunt and forage.” Jack replied after which stared at Arad with a smile, “Do you even eat that a lot?”

Arad seemed into his abdomen. He nonetheless had a variety of salamander corpses inside. He may even final a month with all that meals. “I do not need you to starve.”

“Me? You are considering of Aella, aren’t you?” Jack smiled, “You may’t have her shed extra pounds, do you?” SMACK! Lydia approached Jack from the again, smacking his head. “Get again to work,”

Aella approached Arad, “Most of our rations are salted meat and dry bread. I’d be foraging as we transfer.” She smiled, “We elves will not starve so long as we’ve entry to a forest.”

“Is that so?”

Aella approached Arad, whispering in his ear, “It is a secret most elves do not speak about, however we are able to eat grass like sheep. So long as there’s greenery, we are able to survive.”

“Consuming grass?”

“You additionally eat lettuce and spinach. It is the identical for us.” She replied, hopping into the carriage after loading every part.

After a couple of hours of quiet touring, the 2 horses drawing the carriage began to get nervous.

***

“Have a look at how stunning he’s,” From the crypt forest of Claug, the inexperienced dragon watched Arad by means of scrying magic, smiling in amusement. With its tail wiggling, the dragon lifted his head and growled, “Do it, present the child the tough actuality of the wilds.”

“However mistress Claug, he is nonetheless younger. What if he died?” An outdated, humanoid lizard gasped, bowing earlier than the dragon.

“You kobolds agreed to serve me in change for cover. I do not keep in mind providing you with the correct to recommend something that is not associated to your well-being.” Claug glared at him. “Your folks aren’t going to be harmed by this. So do it.”

The kobold bowed, “As you order.” He stood, waving his wand and inflicting the crystal orb Claug used to look at to glow.

“Assault him, winged one.” The outdated kobold growled as Claug smiled.

***

SWOOSH!

Arad began to really feel one thing was off. The hair on his head stood as a shiver ran down his backbone.

“One thing is coming,” Aella stood, staring on the carriage’s ceiling.

Arad lept out towards the motive force seat and stared on the sky, lifting his workers.

The motive force panicked, recognizing a small black dot within the blue sky, “Is {that a} fowl?” He gasped.

“It is too large to be a fowl. Drive into the bushes, now!” Arad shouted, the tip of his workers flashing crimson, [Firebolt] [Firebolt] [Firebolt] [Firebolt] [Firebolt] [Firebolt]

Aella jumped above the carriage as Arad’s spells flew towards the beast, pointing her bow on the sky and shouting, “A griffon, it is after the horses!” BAM! She launched an arrow from the metal bow.

The ferocious avian carnivore with the muscular physique of a lion and the top, forelegs, and wings of an eagle dived down, pulling its wing’s collectively to speed up as properly reduce the uncovered space of his physique.

Arad’s spells missed whereas Aella’s arrow bounced proper off the monster’s rock-hard beak.

“It is a educated one,” Aella pulled one other arrow.

Lydia leaped ahead, swinging her sword, reducing the horses free and smacking their again together with her scrappage. “Run into the forest!”

Feeling the hit, the horses freaked out, operating away.

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

Aella instantly fired an arrow aiming at his eye. The griffon wiggled his neck, dodging prefer it was nothing.

“Cease!” Lydia grabbed Aella’s hand, “Do not transfer. He ought to go after the horses.”

Aella pushed Lydia’s hand away, “Did not you hear me? This factor is a educated griffon. Have a look at its legs.” Aella fired one other arrow.

Upon wanting nearer, the griffon had the marks of shackles on his entrance legs.

The griffon was looking at one thing else moreover the horses. It was Arad.

SCREECH! The beast appeared like a horrid combine between an eagle screech and the roar of a lion. The motive force cried, leaping into the carriage and operating from the again.

The griffon charged towards Arad, and Lydia leaped between them together with her defend, blocking the beak strike.

GRWAAAAAAAAAAAA! Lydia swung her blade on the griffon’s head whereas pushing it together with her defend, “Do not mess with my employees!”

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

GWA! The beast tilted his head as if confused and instantly swung his proper claw, smacking her towards the bushes.

“Informed you to watch out!” Aella screamed, firing two arrows on the griffon. Solely now, she realized that utilizing a heavier bow dropped her firing pace.

CLING! Jack, who was speculated to be within the carriage, appeared behind the griffon from the bushes, pulling a metal string with a smile.

The wire tied the griffon’s 4 legs collectively. Jack wished to journey the beast.

The griffon pulled his leg, straining the wire and pulling Jack like a doll. “JACK!” Lydia shouted, dashing to catch him earlier than he hit the bushes.

“That was dangerous. What if the griffon attacked you” Lydia glared at him. Jack did not have heavy armor or any abilities to defend himself.

“Hehe,” Jack giggled, “All fear, however no balls.” He smiled.

“What?” Lydia stared at him.

The griffon’s imaginative and prescient blurred as he stumbled for a second.

It was then that Lydia observed the white goo on the wires, “Cognitive unbalanced materials. It is a toxin.” Jack replied, “Kill him now!”

Aella and Arad charged on the monster. She fired two arrows at his face whereas Arad swung a fireplace blade at him to finish all of it.

Simply earlier than the hits may get him. The griffon flapped his wings, inflicting an enormous mud storm.

BAM! The griffon leaped ahead, bitting Arad by the top and grabbing his shoulders along with his claws.

Arad felt his neck crack. ^I’ll remodel. There isn’t a different alternative.^ However earlier than he may do it, his physique felt weak, and his imaginative and prescient blackened.

FLAP! FLAP! FLAP! FLAP! The griffon flew away with Arad, rapidly escaping Aella’s vary.

“Give him again!” Aella shouted. ^Why is not Arad remodeling?^ She thought. She then glared at Lydia and the motive force. ^Arad would have reworked.^

“Rattling it!” Aella growled, operating after the griffon and climbing a tree.

“Aella, the place are you going?” Lydia shouted at her.

Aella turned her head together with her eyes glowing inexperienced, “Hunt that factor,”

Lydia took a deep breath. They should relax. “The griffon is heading in Oakedge’s path. We must always comply with our plan.”

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

“Don’t be concerned. Chief has extra energy to spare than us.” Jack replied, evident at her.

Aella scratched her head. Arad is a dragon, so she must relax.

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

“No manner, I am going again.” The motive force gasped. He did not need something to do with such a monster.

SWOSH! An arrow blazed throughout his face, taking a piece of his ear, “Did not you hear me, human?” Aella glared at him. Her blood began boiling. It wasn’t simply the contract between them. She began wanting to remain by Arad’s facet.

Lydia needed to intervene, “Pay attention,” She mentioned, wanting on the driver, “We would have simply misplaced a celebration member. Both take us to Oakedge or go away us the carriage and retrieve it from the church later.” She smiled, therapeutic his ear.

“High-quality. If that lengthy ear was as good as you.” The motive force growled.

Jack approached him, “Give the lady a break. She simply misplaced her husband.”

The motive force seemed in Aella’s path, the place she was grabbing the horses. “I see. I want my spouse can be that obsessed with me.” He mentioned, with a tragic face, “I wager she’s going to have fun my demise. However that does not matter. I’ll drive you there.”

The motive force stood with a smile, “Let’s go,”

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

“Form of,” Jack scratched his chin.

“Unlawful relationship?”

“You are not one to speak.” Jack stared at her, “You virtually obtained me caught, keep in mind.”

“That was your fault.” Lydia punched him within the shoulder as they obtained into the carriage.

***

Claug laughed, rolling round like a sheep. “A griffon took down a wyrmling.”

“Woman Claug! Unhealthy information!” The kobold rushed at her with the newest information.

“What?”

“The griffon obtained killed.”

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

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