Gryphon Pride, 1: Prologue
Moonlight shone forcefully through an open window, unveiling a small colony of rodents scurrying across the wooden floor. Their little paws scratched against the ground and occasionally one such creature would slip and slide into a wall with a dull thump effectively shattering the fragile silence. This drew curse filled shouting from an unknown direction the hall.
"Damned rodents, can't let me think in peace but one night can they? Ooh, if Only I could get my claws on them I'd show them how sharp these talons really are!"
All of the colony's inhabitants fled suddenly for fear of being forced into the rigorous tests the mad doctor was known for putting their kind into. It had been many moons since such an event had occurred, but one could never be too careful when Dr. Field was involved.
As all the rats had left, the air became quiet and only the dampened scratching of a talon on parchment through the large oaken door could be heard. Thaumic Field was not exactly known for being the happiest of Gryphons, well...... not many Gryphons were known for being happy in the first place but that was beside the point. Ahem, anyways, the old Gryphon had spent a great deal of his life studying the arcane arts, such sacrifice was sure to have great rewards, but the road was taxing.
Visible upon his features Thaumic had obviously had a stressful life, his eyes were baggy and his beak turned in a permanent frown but despite this he still had hope in his hearts for his latest invention was sure to work.
Grabbing the Arcanic Steel 'wand' Dr. Field reached into his mind where the blueprints for his invention were stored. Taking a deep breath and counting to three Thaumic flicked his wrist with the motion of a well practiced idiot. As per usual, his creation did nothing, he pulled out a list and sighed, dipping his talon in an open ink pot he swiftly crossed out 'Thunder Sapphire Focus' from his list. The old Gryphon gazed at the severely depleted list of ideas.
The concept was simple, first the wand would use an Arcanic Steel base topped off by an obsidian wand cap with a mana drain enchantment placed upon it. Which would be transferred through the Arcane Conduit within the wand and carried to the 'core' which was composed of a crystalline phoenix eye encased within DragonForge glass. Once the mana flow passed through the core, it would seamlessly glide into the 'focus' which would be used to direct how the magic in the wand was cast, the focus' makeup was still on the drawing board though. But..... there weren't any more options except for one... So, if this idea was to succeed then the focus had to be the one item that was actually difficult to obtain.....
"FOR FUCKS SAKE! For once could this just be easy?" Thaumic cried to himself.
Slowly, he got to his paws and paced his way to the DragonFire candle sitting upon the antique spruce desk that was this workshops work-desk. Picking up out of a squeaky drawer a small chunk of cryptocrystaline quartz Field set it to the side before grabbing a talonful of shredded-dry bark. The old bird sprinkled the tinder in the candle's lip gracefully, obviously having committed the task to muscle memory. Wrapping his cracked talons around the small piece of flint, Thaumic brought it close to the well-burned candle and struck the amorphous chert with a small shard of weak steel.
Sparks quickly fled the rock and jumped to their close friends creating a beautiful fire. Pastel colors swirled throughout the waving flame as though the Pegasi had poured in their own Liquid Rainbow into the blaze.
Shaking himself out of the entrancing hypnosis of the Arcanic Fire, Thaumic pulled out a creased sheet of parchment Dr. Field swiftly straightened out the curling ends before pulling his ink-pot over to himself. Dipping in a talon he started writing:
"Dear Lady Civil Growth
I regret to inform you the latest focus for my wand has not met the criteria. I will be entrusting my eldest grandson to locate the elusive Grand Wyverness: Angelica. The spry Gryphon will then have to locate Blackbird's map within her hoard and bring it back without losing the dead pirate's secrets. This map will lead to the last item I need to complete my wand, let it be known that I trust him with my life, and if he is to fail.... We may never be able to reclaim our title as a proper country.
With regrets
Doctor Thaumic Field"
Looking forward to releasing his frustration in the form of a smoke Dr. Field pulled a pipe and a tin of tobacco out of a hidden compartment in his desk. Bringing the scarred flesh that was his arm back up Thaumic grabbed his steel shrapnel along with the well used flint, and before long he was outside on his balcony and the tobacco in his pipe was smoldering.
Drawing a lungful of nicotine rich smoke the ash grey Gryphon released a shuddering sigh as he reveled in the dopamine boost his brain rewarded him with for satisfying his insistent addiction.
The retired adventurer took another draw as he pondered how his life had come to relying on annoying teenagers to get the job done. Oh, yes, maybe it was when he lost his back leg and tail to a raging serpent.
That was definitely something, though it did help him get his brother out of his gambling debt, so it was overall worth the loss of a some measly appendages.
Releasing smoke from his nostrils like a speeding locomotive shoves out steam Thaumic puffed his pipe a few times before spreading his wings with a loud whoosh. He craned his neck around and studied the scarred flesh of his molted wings, no longer suited for anything other than a quick glide. This was the same activity he had done since he got into his later years. Wishing to be young again, to be able to fly with his late mate, Cub Smith. She was majestic when she flew, her amber feathers reflecting the morning sun against her dark silhouette, with her maroon fur flowing with her light feathers in a swirl of color. But those days were over, he would hear her laugh no longer, and they would share no warmth on the frigid northern winter nights.
A lone tear streaked down the unfortunate Gryphons face, he raised his wing and wiped his face before extinguishing his pipe and walking back to his pine furnished lodging. Shuddering, Thaumic grabbed an envelope off his desk before folding the parchment and stuffing it hastily inside. Grabbing his seal stamp Dr. Field dipped it in the hot wax before pressing it upon the envelope and effectively securing it.
The widower let a small smile grace his face as he thought about his draconic friend: Garneiri, she was the one who provided the DragonFire candles he used to post his mail. She was sweet if a bit shy, her scales were a ferrous color and they sparkled when the moonlight hit her at the right angle......
Shaking his head, Thaumic let the smile grow into a grin before setting the envelope into the flame, the letter was engulfed in the dancing flames before the ash floated to the balcony in a shimmering cloud. Quickly zipping through the starry sky, Dr. Field had but one thought:
"I'm getting too old for this shit....."
Author's Note
Hello imaginary viewers! Lookey here okay? I am not necessarily new to writing, but I won't say I'm good.
If you see any errors feel free to correct me, thank you for reading!
2 Like Father Like S....Daughter
Gryphon Pride, 2: Like Father, Like S....Daughter
The sun rose over the East hemisphere of Reverion in a beautiful swirl of pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges. Inhabitants of this side of the globe gazed at the breathtaking scenery reinforced by the clouds, on the horizon, reflecting what was already a gorgeous phenomenon. But in a smaller area, the citizens of Avesroar went about their day opening shop and walking to work. In the background, one might hear a series of yelps along with the rapid flapping of wings as one Doctor Thaumic Field made a quick descent commonly known as a crash.
It was known quite well that once a Gryphon reached about 85 years of age their wings became mostly for show, as they molted and became fairly weak. So this kind of thing was very common, the only part of this accident that turned an eye was as the impact occurred. Thaumic's weird ass "latent" magic created a quick shield, absorbing the shock and keeping the old bird safe. This was definitely NOT normal among Gryphons, for their bodies were not designed to use their mana reservoir for any activity other than flight. So, when Dr. Field shook it off like nothing was wrong, a scrawny little Gryphon definitely noticed, he silently ducked into the darkness of an awaiting alley to prepare for for the next meeting with the boss' second in command. His report consisting of retelling Thaumic's unmatchable sailor's mouth and the shield bubble that sprung out of what could be nowhere.
Back to our good pal, slowly, the seemingly flightless bird that was Thaumic got to his talons sputtering and coughing, losing a few secondary flight feathers in the process. Once he was up he began his trek down the market road looking for his daughter's stall.
After many mistakes involving shouting at strangers Dr. Field came across the golden Gryphon in a heated argument with a customer complaining about how her pumpkin bread was too stale to be sold at the price of four Grintees, or something like that.
Angrily she rebutted with "Listen pal! If you want authentic Goldy's Bakery Bread, you better not argue with me! I am in charge, and I can tell you this bread WAS baked this morning, so pay up or SCRAM!"
The burly, bumbling Gryphon grumbled to himself as he dug his claw into his vest pocket and pulled out four of the Gryphon Empire’s national currency units and threw them on the counter. Golden Crest smiled to him sweetly, handed him a baggie and exclaimed "Thank you for your business!"
As the feisty Gryphon turned to deposit her money into the safe box she caught site of the ash grey feathers, which could only belong to a Gryphon whom she held near and dear.
"Huh, dad's here" she muttered absentmindedly.
Thaumic started a countdown in his mind '3, 2, 1...’ “Oh god”
The grey Gryphon was tackled to the ground in a glomp of epic proportions as he had the life squeezed out of him by polished black talons.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to visit!" Screamed Golden as she continued to try and meld her father's feathers into her claws, making him fairly uncomfortable.
Thaumic grabbed at the air and silently squawked as he tried to pry Golden Crest from his being and signify his need of precious oxygen. He had began to go limp before Ms. Crest let him fill his lungs with the greatness that was a breath of sweet, cool mountain air.
It took a while, but his damaged lungs caught up. The old Gryphon started speaking to his daughter in a scolding tone, "Damn Goldy, you know I'm not as young as I used to be. You can't just give me a flying fuckin bear hug like that...." Taking another breath Thaumic spoke up "I saw your little outburst, is business really that bad? You normally wouldn't be selling to customers like that and you shouldn't have to put up with their shit either”.
Golden paused in the act of burying her face in his chest to defend her change of business practice "You're right, normally I wouldn't deal with assholes, but as of late, business has been slow, and since the economy crashed, nobody has had any need of baked goods.... So I have to deal with shitheads like that."
She was visibly upset, if somewhat angry, about the shitty customers she had had lately considering this business had been the one thing her late mother had passed down to her. The entire business was totally useless because a dumbass prince was completely convinced the entire taxpayers budget was his to spend however he pleased. 'Fucking inbred royals' she thought.
"Oh buck up kid....." Thaumic trailed off, looking somewhat uncomfortable. He started up again, "I can fix your business.... actually every fucker's business in the kingdom." He stated with an arrogant smirk on his face.
Golden looked up in annoyance mixed with curiosity "What? How?"
"Between me and you, I've got a
great plan to fix the country..... Remember that wand I told you kids about? The one you called me a dumbass for?" Dr. Field asked grumpily.
Ms. Crest sighed in resignation, she thought her poor father had gotten through this 'stage'. "Dad, not this horse shit again.. Even though our family has a magic bloodline, you KNOW that we can't control it, hell, if we could then Forest wouldn't be in jail for murder, would he?"
Thaumic's puny little inkling of a smile dropped, a frown took it's place, muttering something about lazy ass gestures. Obviously Goldy still thought that her brother Forest Glider couldn't have controlled that death spell. Deep down they both knew that their magic was tied to their emotions, and Forest wouldn't have killed that pony if he didn't want to. It was likely to happen considering the emotional fire their family shared.
Eager to switch topics, Field quickly spoke up "Speaking of family, have you seen your sister Grey Flier? Or better yet, have you seen Bleak Light? I'd really rather not deal with Grey, she grew up to be a pretty big bitch."
Golden pulled away and walked back to her stall in a thoughtful state "Yeah, she is a bitch...... Anyway, I believe Bleak is at Glide Cliff training his little sister."
Field cocked his head in a questioning manner, "Burst still hasn't learned to get her skinny ass off the ground?"
Goldy looked at him "You haven't heard? The doctor, a REAL doctor, has diagnosed her with an empty mana reservoir, the chance of her ever being able to fly is less than anything hopeful...." She admitted with a saddened look that broke Thaumic's hearts.
"Oh, I uh... didn't know, I'll be sure not to bring it up." He said with a stiff look on his face. "I'll see you later Goldy........ Oh! and remember, don't take anyone's shit. Be that raging inferno you were as a cub, or at least smack a fucker for me!"
Crest gave a sad little smile and waved at him as he departed, thinking about how she ever turned out normal with a crazyass father like Thaumic...
A dark silhouette spoke up in a raspy voice "And you think he's key to our rule?" It asked impatiently.
A quivering voice replied eagerly, emanating from a small Gryphon "I believe so Flag sir, if we could just capture this citizen, then we could make him use his magic for us. This would turn the public in our favor and we could strike while they are fooled." He ended confidently.
"SILENCE! Be wary of how you speak to me, worm!" cried the one addressed as 'Flag'. "I will see about getting some of our recruits to inspect this Gryphon you speak of, NOW LEAVE US!" He roared.
The last thing the courier heard as he scurried away was "Contact Evajoy, inform her of the caster."
Author's Note
I have no computer, this has all been written on my phone...... HOORAY!
Aww, look at that, Goldy runs a bakery! How cute!
