Dragon Of Instinct, Become's The All Father.

“We’re blessed, truly the dragonfather has smiled on us all!”

Called out an old griffon, standing on a wooden box. In the middle of the street, on the edge of the collapsed part of the city. Calling out to the gathered griffons who were standing and watching, some just walked past ignoring the old griffon yet this didn’t stop the griffon from his improved speech.

“We are given a second chance, a chance to be better, to live up to our old code of honour. We should not waste this, yes lives were lost, our homes were lost but we gained unity. We became stronger together, we helped one another. The dragonfather asks not for temples, or for riches, merely that we do what is right!”

Enforcers noticed the gathering and stepped forward to find out what was going on, the old griffon saw them yet did not stop.

“The dragonfather offers second chances, for us to make right those we have wronged. For a mistake of the past. Do we not have the right to redeem ourselves? He asks nothing from us, only to choose for ourselves. Choose to do the right thing, or to stay as we are and have no hope for our future. For our children's future, if we do nothing our only path is to be used like fodder!”

The two enforcers were trying to push their way past the other griffons, however the old griffon had everyone's attention now. Now was the most important moment.

“The ones behind this, are the liars who hide behind our leaders! Who are blind to them, the dishonoured who use these lies to send our sons off to die! Yet who are they? We follow the strong yet if they’re so strong why do they hide themselves? Why do they not lead our army’s? Where are they now? Tell me, if you’re so strong, why do you not show yourself!”

“Alright that's enough!”

Called out one of the enforcers as they at last got to the front of the crowd, as one of them waved for everyone else to leave.

“You old bird, you’re under arrest!”

“What is my crime?”

The old griffon asked calmly, it was a little creepy how the old bird's demeanour changed so suddenly. Yet the enforcer did not back down.

“It is illegal to preach religion in a public space. And if you want to not get anything broken you’ll get down from there right now!”

“Very well, I’ll choose the path of the strong!”

The enforcer smiled thinking he was about to put this crazy old bird in his place. Then the old griffon hopped off the box, then slowly made his way to the enforcer and held out his wrist. The enforcer was confused.

“What is this?”

“You are arresting me are you not? I must follow our laws, even if I must preach behind bars. Do not worry, the dragonfather understands you do not know what you do.”

The enforcer grunts and puts the handcuffs on the old griffon and starts yelling for everyone to leave and go about their day. Many leave, some stay to watch. One young griffon pulls on his mother's claw and asks.

“Why are they taking the old griffon away? Did he do something bad?”

The mother didn’t know what to say, the old griffon wasn’t hurting anyone. In fact some in the crowd thought the griffon was just plane mad. But it felt like the old griffon truly believed in what he was saying. She didn’t know what to say.

“Come on, let’s go home. Dinner won’t start itself.”

As they walked away the child couldn’t help looking back. As the words the old griffon said stuck in his head, the strong lead. If they’re so strong, why do they not show themselves?

Maxves was swamped with work, it was just one thing after the next. He had to stop smoking because he was going through whole packs in a single day. He drank his coffee, it was more bitter than it normally was.

Yet the work wasn’t what was stressing him out, it was the information he was slowly getting from Dredd. It was another year, and it seemed Dredd was finding clues but then it would turn into a dead end. As if someone already removed key information about the subject matter.

Maxves got a knock on his door and he hissed to himself. He looked up and saw Chilly looked how he felt.

“Chief wants you to integrate some old griffon who was preaching about some religion or something. And before you ask, no he has no other griffon to spare.”

Maxves sighs and gets up, he is feeling his age now. As he followed chilly out and made their way down stairs, as they walked every griffon was busy. It was chaos, outside things may seem normal but the truth is things haven’t slowed down at all.

Maxves walked down into the basement as they called it. Where cells are dubbed as interrogation cells. With a single small barred window to let sunlight in. The cell door opened and Maxves saw an old griffon, a very old griffon. Who was playing with an amulet around their neck.

“Seriously?”

Maxves asked, Chilly just handed him the report and smiled. Maxves shook his head and shut the cell door behind him. Maxves looks at the griffon sitting at the table, he takes his set and starts reading the report.

“Let see here, preaching in a public space. Insisting the act to rebel, insisting to attack the crown. No ID, trying to form a cult, trying to recruit members into said cult. And lastly… Refusing to stop singing?”

“I was merely speaking my peace, I was not seeking to add more members to my flock. Is that so wrong? To speak one's mind? And I would never rebel against the crown, only the ones lying to them.”

Maxves rubbed his eyes, he didn’t need this. He had more important things to do and think about then some crazy griffon who was too old to understand. Sometimes Maxves just wished he could drink his troubles away.

“Look, I know you guys love to preach about the sky god and all that. However it is a dead religion and the crown has forbidden anyone from openly preaching about it. What you do in your own homes is fine, just keep it there and.-”

“I believe you’re mistaken, I am not a follower of the Sky god, I am a follower of the Dragonfather.”

“The what?”

Maxves perked up at this, this didn’t happen very often. Some have tried to bring new religions into the empire and were, if lucky, exiled or unlucky executed for heresy. Yet this old griffon wasn’t worried at all. Then the old griffon spoke up.

“What if I were to tell you a secret? A secret that was so well hidden you would call me a liar, for just speaking the truth. Call it heresy of the highest order, call me mad. But I will not fault you for thinking like this. You have been raised in a world where you wear a blindfold. And told, if you remove it you will die.”

Maxves frowned at this, he didn’t like this griffon. Yet they were getting off topic and this was meant to be an interrogation. Not a debate.

“I’m the one asking questions, you’re meant to answer them.”

The old griffon smiled and bowed his head, as if understanding his place in this room. Maxves frowned, the old griffon didn’t seem senile. Or stupid ever, something was up as if the old griffon wanted to be here.

“Let's start from the beginning. This, god… The Dragonfather. I assume it is some kind of dragon? What can you tell me about it, and keep it short.”

“All I can tell you is, he was brought into the world cursed. Denied the right to die as a mortal being. Then found he could speak to the dead, mortals feared him. For he was seen as a monster. In the end he told them things, to put their fears to rest about their loved ones who have passed. Their family, their friends, even their own children. He gave them closures.”

Maxves wrote this down, looking a bit worried. It sounded like this dragon was some kind of god of the dead. Maxves looked up as he thought about his next question.

“What's so good about this, god? Sounds like it is praying on your fears of death.”

“Untrue, he offers a second chance for all of us. Both in life and death. Wouldn’t you like a second chance, to make something right that you knew was wrong?”

Maxves rolled his eyes as he tried to think about his next question. He then frowned about who would worship this kind of god?

“Does your god have a name?”

“I cannot tell you.”

“Because I am an unbeliever?”

“No, because the ones in control of your nation seek his death and will kill anyone who knows of him.”

Maxves stopped as he looked up at the old griffon, at first he thought it was a joke. But the look in their eyes said they truly believe what they say. The Old griffon lends forward and talks in a low voice.

“They’re ever lying to our rules or they’re under their control. If I tell you who they are, you will be at risk. I will not allow harm to come to another for my own actions.”

Maxves is interested now, even if this old bird was out of his mind. Before he can ask what he meant, just then Chilly bursts in saying he needed to come outside! Chilly sounded alarmed, that wasn’t normal. Besides, the old griffon wasn’t going anywhere.

Once outside Maxves got an unwelcome surprise, it wasn’t the griffon who had papers under one arm with the robes clearly marking him as part of the RCG. And it wasn’t the MP’s ever, it was his brother. Logos.

“Brother. What are you doing here?”

Logos smiled at Maxves before walking up and giving him a hug, Maxves reluctantly returned the hug. Logos then explained himself.

“I work for the magical studies college now brother. Sadly, I have been called for my. Skills.”

“The only skills you ever got from grandfather was how to inflict pain on someone. Again, why are you here?”

“I can answer that!”

A new voice called out, it was an old griffon. Couldn’t be more than 50, they were part of the religious control group or RCG for short that was meant to keep other religions out. In fact, some stories say they were the ones who destroyed the old sky gods temples. They were less of a religion and more of an organised group. He didn’t look well, the officer carried a large number of papers under one arm.

“We’re here for the prisoner.”

Maxves still didn’t understand, as he turned to Logos who nodded his head. Yet he didn't seem pleased about this.

“New insurgents of a cult have popped up all over the eastern part of the kingdom. They’ve been popping up all week. So far we found 48 reported sightings of these griffons trying to preach about some god. And captured about 14, the one you have will make number 15.”

Maxves looked alarmed, he never understood the ban on other beliefs. Yet he didn’t think this old griffon was doing any harm. The older griffon puts a paper in his claws and then waves for the MP’s to get the prisoner. This was madness! Yet it was all here in the document. Maxves tried to stop this.

“I haven’t finished my integration yet, I still have more questions. Besides, he is old and sick. I don’t think he really knows what he is talking about.”

“Brother I understand, but my claws are tied. The only reason I was able to find him was because one of his neighbours reported him. I was to use my magic to track him. I am…”

Logos stopped for a moment as he saw the MP’s dragging the old griffon out. Maxves also saw they also had his report with them!

“You can’t take that! That file for-.”

“You won’t need it anymore. Forget what you saw here, and find some gang to deal with.”

Said the sickly officer, as he hobbled back to the truck. Maxves didn’t like this, they had laws for a reason and this flew in the face of it. They legally can’t do this. Before they put the old griffon on the truck, he called out.

“May I have one last word with you?”

He called out, Maxves looked at Logos who just shrugged at him. Maxves made his way over and the old griffon smiled at him, then reached out to hold Maxves talon.

“May the blessings of the Dragonfather be upon you.”

The old griffon smiled as he was pulled into the truck as the doors slammed shut. Maxves watched them go as Logos left with his student in tow. Maxves stood there for a while, then felt something wet in his claws. He opened them and saw a bloody print in the palm of his claw.

It looked like the skeleton of a snake trying to eat its own tail. Only the head was wrong, the skull looked like a dragon head. He quickly closed his claw when he heard someone walking up behind him.

“Everything alright?”

Asked Chilly, Maxves shook his head as he looked at the mark in his palm again. He quickly memorised it and wiped it away. Before talking to Chilly.

“No, no I am not alright. The next time we get another case like that, we need to make sure no one else can take them before I get all my answers.”

His name was Raggal, he was old. He had been in war before, but was too old to keep fighting. He heard his son was going to war, and he died. His grandson wanted to be just like his father, once he was old enough. Once he was, he too died and he was alone. He wanted to believe they died with honour.

He wanted to believe they brought them a step closer to winning the war. Yet it still went on, more griffons were sent every day to fight. And what brought back to families who have lost their fathers, brothers and sons. Nothing but a jar of ash.

Raggal left his home and got lost in the woods. He was too old to fly anymore, his wings were too weak to carry his body. Two days of walking endlessly and he no longer cared about living or dying, on the third day he passed out. Then he was saved.

“I will never understand fools like you.”

Spoke up the officer, as Raggal opened his eyes to look at the sickly younger griffon. Raggal was in his 70’s. And seemed in better health then his fellow griffon. Raggal looked to the MP’s who were sitting on ever side of him.

“Where are we going?”

“You don’t need to know that, the less you talk the longer you get to live.”

“A shame. I was hoping we could talk about our faiths. What brings us hope, what we can learn from it and what we have in common.”

The officer looked annoyed, as he turned to one MP then pointed at him. The MP hands over his baton. The sickly griffon looked at it and smiled before using it, and struck Raggal's knee! He gasped in pain, trying to hold his leg as he jerked in response. The MP’s held Raggal in place as he gasped in pain.

“You should do as you’re told. Maybe, if you’re lucky we will just leave you somewhere no griffon will find you.”

Raggal took deep breaths as he softly spoke, the MP’s looked confused. The officer was just as annoyed. As he moved closer to hear what he had to say.

“Pain is the whetstone of the soul. This body is a vessel for the soul, what we see, hear and feel are remembered by the soul when we’re long forgotten.”

“Are you praying?”

“Do you not?”

Raggal's question earned him being struck by the baton again. This time his other leg below the knee. Raggal bit back the pain, as he reminded himself why he was here. The officer pulled his head back and moved closer. Raggal could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“You will not question my faith for the royals again, are we clear? Now who do you work for and how many are you? How did you spread to so many cities and towns so quickly!”

Raggal smiled as he leaned closer so he could whisper a word into his ear, the officer looked afraid and confused. The sickly griffon dropped the baton and quickly moved up to the driver cabin. Opening a slide door and started giving out orders! The MP’s were still confused about what was happening, they were only told to follow the officer orders. Raggal was just one of many sent out to be bait. All to be taken prisoner to find out one thing.

It looks like Raggal was the lucky one, as the truck quickly changed its path picking up speed. The officer came back and took his set, reaching into his robes and pulling out a flask and greedily drinking from it. Once he was done he stared at Raggal. While Raggal sat with the amulet hanging from his neck, smiling.

The Vipers of cryx were busy, bringing followers from other worlds to aid in their plans. They all understood the risks, and what could happen to them. The Vipers were already modifying their weapons to generate more heat. Seeing as the orichalcum had the same heating point as bronze, Ten-Lin was busy looking for other ways to kill the living metal as some started to call it.

Volter was sending orders for the western gathers to ramp up collecting the dead. The undead thrall once known as Iron Claw was being modified to be a more useful puppet. They had big plans for him, it may make their plans harder in the long run. Hopefully it should also make things harder for their enemy.

Grimscythe was looking over the list of things that were forbidden to be used in this shadow war. Helljacks that run on the souls of the living, deadly gases that could destroy someone's lungs, blood magic that can force the living to do as they were ordered, agents there will, the most important of all using souls to power their magic.

Yet all these things pale into the more deadly of weapons they could use, there must be something they can use. Something to help them find what they’re looking for, trying to ask the dead was pointless. Seeing as the griffons incinerate their dead, sometimes the bones survive. But even then there isn’t enough for a summons to work.

As for the followers who were sent out to be captured, they had special runes marked on them. That was well hidden, when one of them dies they will be summoned to one of the Iron lich's and give them all the information they have gained. Including locations of where they died and have been.

The soul will always know where it has been, even if its living body was blinded and rendered def. It still remembers, and that soul will be their guide.

Maxves made his way into a bar two hours before closing time, dressed in an overcoat, wearing a flat cap and a scarf. Making his way to a table in the less lit part of the bar. He made a call the day before on the number Dredd gave him and used the code word, he was told to come here and wait.

A griffon he didn’t know sat at his table, with three drinks. Maxves played the part of his down on his luck griffon. When another griffon sat at his table, it was Dredd putting down a bag by his chair.

“I have new information, I’ve found inconsistent reports. And missing griffons, more than we thought. As well as resources going missing, yet the reports say they’re there.”

Maxves said nothing as he drank his beer in small sips, as the stranger started talking next. They sounded like they came from the capital.

“I’m finding something like that on my end. More worryingly powerful griffons in both magic and research are missing from their workplaces. Only a few and from key research branches, I’ve tried getting in contact with their work staff but they have been moved. And are now missing. I’ve sent reports to the head of intelligence, I haven’t heard anything back yet.”

They explained taking a long drink from their beer, Maxves watched and listened; this was a bigger problem than he thought. This meant one of a few things, one the reports aren’t reaching the head of the office, or they’re a part of it.

“I think someone is intercepting my reports, too many griffons between me and high command to know for sure. I’ll need to lay low before I can gather more info.”

Maxves saw how the griffon was eyeing his drink and pushed the mug over to him. As the griffon downed the rest of it. Dredd looked like he was deep in thought, then gave a nod. The griffon slowly got up past Maxves before patting him on the shoulder then walked out, looking like he was very drunk. At least putting up a good act.

“I have more files I want you to look through. They’re in the bag.”

Dredd spoke softly, pushed the bag over with his foot while drinking his beer. Maxves nodded and waited for Dredd to leave next, Maxves had another beer before picking up the bag and paying for everyone's drinks.

Maxves took the less lit streets back home. It was better no one knew what he was doing out so late. Besides he knew everyone patrols and where they should be, including the ones who were dirty. Sometimes it was useful to know one enforcer who was not on the up and up. More so for undercover work.

Once Maxves was home and made his way to his hidden office, he got to work. Reading file after file. Some of them were medical reports, the problem was some of these griffons seemed a bit young. As well the files didn’t say what they were treated for.

The next one talked about the number of soldiers, the numbers were not adding up. The numbers were bloated, ever someone was lying about the number of troops being sent out. Or someone got the number of dead wrong. At the same time no one knew who these other griffons were or where they came from.

Maxves was getting a clear picture, however he was still missing information. This was big, this wasn’t normal. The griffons army was all about honour and telling the griffons what they were planning. No details just enough to earn everygriffon confidence. Still something was very wrong, it didn’t add up. No matter how much they said otherwise.

He hid his diary, and burned the files in his metal bin. Maxves sat there thinking for a long time. Who was behind this, who was really in command, what was. He then remembered what the old griffon said. He cleaned up and went to bed, he will need to find that old griffon. Hopefully he wasn’t exiled yet.

Raggal had a bag put over his head before being out in another truck. He overheard the officer staying to explain something before he was told to leave. They travel for hours before he is taken somewhere, Raggal was a prisoner for three days.

For three days he only knew this small cell, and the small opening in the door that food and water was was placed though. Even then it wasn’t much, he was then taken into a room with a single light over head.

Raggal carefully looked around, he hid his amulet by swallowing it. He didn’t want to risk them taking it from him, Raggal prayed for strength for this will be the hardest task of all. He closed his eyes trying to calm his heart and heard the door open.

Raggal didn’t know who this griffon was, they were big as a tiger hawk. Yet not a tiger hawk, then Raggal was given a beating. Once it was over his eye was swollen, and he was sure a rib was broken, maybe two? Then another griffon came in, then came the questions.

Who are you, what is your name, where do you come from. Raggal knew these were meaningless questions, they wanted to build a profile to use later for some other meaningless act to keep their control. Raggal asked a question of his own.

“What is Die Leucht?”

Raggal got hit in the face for his question. He spat blood and found it hard to breathe, yet he knew. He knew his brothers and sisters were being treated the same way.

“Where did you hear that name!”

The integrator was getting angry now, Raggal smiled as he had nothing to fear. Raggal told them nothing but asked questions of his own. They tried drugs, but thanks to the dragon father's blessings, his mind was clear. They tried magic yet he knew nothing about what they wanted.

So there was no risk when he was taken, his mind was like a clear stream. Yet they wanted an ocean of information he didn’t have. He didn’t know who they were, what they were, only that they gave him a chance to talk to his son again. That was enough, Raggal was a mess after two days of being worked over. Yet he held on, they said they would kill him if he didn’t tell them what they wanted. Raggal smiled at them.

They drowned him in a bucket, his lungs filled with water and his heart was failing him. When the end came he welcomed it with open claws. His soul was free, it was like lightning; everything rushed past him as his soul was being guided back.

Raggal appeared in front of one of them, only now did his soul understand they were a lich. No, they are an iron lich. Grimscythe turned to Raggal soul as it stood before him. Raggal smiled as his mission was complete.

“I know where they are.”

Grimscythe moved closer and looked deeply into Raggal soul, looking for signs of any mistake. There were many, yet this will bring them closer to their foe. Grimscythe voice was hard as if he had done this many times before, and then he spoke.

“Show me.”

Another body was being pushed into the incinerator, the griffon job was simple, she just burned the bodies and got paid. She didn’t look at who they were under the white sheet that covered them. Or the spots of red that stain the fabric.

It was easier to sleep at night if she didn’t look, on the way back to the morgue she thought she was done. Just as she thought she could go home, another body was brought in. She filled out the paperwork and pushed another one to the incinerator, she had to wait for the last one she put in to be done.

She opened the door and pulled out the bed for the incinerator, she stopped finding the bones were still intact. That wasn’t normal, normally the bones would have burned to ash by now. She saw strange markings on some of the bones, yet they were too badly damaged to see what they were.

She then saw something else, she got some tongs and pulled out a strange necklace. It was too dirty to see what it was so she put it to one side and was going to put the bones through a second burn. She then bumped into the trolley when the body arm fell from its side. She really didn’t want to touch it, she was about to put it back when she saw something.

There was a scar on its arm, hidden between the fur and feathers. She was confused. She went back into the other room and looked at the paperwork. It said the griffon died from drinking too much, there was nothing about the scar on its arm. Or going into surgery, she reported it, it was part of protocol after all. If they found anything that wasn’t on the report.

It will be a few hours before some griffon comes to see her, meanwhile she cleans the necklace. She had never seen something like it before, it was carefully made to not be too heavy yet not too light. However, why wasn’t it removed from the body? She guessed it didn’t matter and pocketed it, so she could sell it for a few coins later.

A few hours passed and a griffon came in tired, annoyed and carrying a bag full of tools. He adjusted his glasses and let out a yawn, he was raver scrawny for a panther crow.

“Do you know what time it is? I have to go to work in three hours.”

“Don’t blame me, just following the rules. I’m meant to call someone if I find something.”

Being a Lion Eagle she had a slim body, yet she guided him to the two tables. One with burnt bones, the other hasn’t been touched yet. He looked between them before she explained.

“One body, after running it through the incinerator I found marks on the bones. The other body has hidden scars with nothing about it in the report. I need you to look it over and fill out paperwork about what you find.”

He frowns at her and walks over to the tables. He gets out his tools and puts on gloves over his claws. He takes out a tape recorder and starts it.

“Investigation report, full filling protocol 12 of discovering anomaly on the bodies. Subject one. Already went through the cremation however bones are still intact and showing markings on the bones. Maybe from an animal bite, strange markings on the ribs, femurs, forearms and the back of the skull close to the neck. Too many to be just from an animal attack, report reads subject died from falling on their head. Yet the skull is intact.”

He then looked to the other body and pulled the cover off, he read through the report and frowned at it. He parted the fur and saw a large number of scars on the chest. All of them neatly lined up along the bone.

“Subject two. Shown to have abnormal scars all over their body. Looks like medical scaring yet the report does not mention anything about it. Reports also say the subject died from alcohol poisoning. Yet the state of the body doesn't match the report. Moving to an exploratory autopsy to find out why the body has these scars.”

He got to work, cutting into the dead body as the other griffon looked away. It will take awhile and he liked talking to someone.

“What is your name? I'll need it for the report.”

“Really? My name Linda, just hurry up and do what you need to.”

“Nice to meet you, Lenda, I’m Worbal. My family were doctors, they had high hopes for me but I didn’t make the cut. Pardon the pun, I just couldn’t work with patients. They were too loud or violent. So I moved to where my skills could be used elsewhere.”

He said, parting the skin and finding some scarring on the muscle, he got his scalpel and started to cut into it to follow the scarring.

“You’re joking right? No griffon picks this kind of job because they’re good at it. They do it because they don’t have any other choice. You come from a low bearing. Any job is seen as the best you can hope for. For any griffon who comes from a noble house, the best is demanded of you. There is no place for second best, you win or you’re a disappointment.”

Worbal didn’t say anything as he used a tool to push the dead muscle aside and his eyes widened in shock. As he stared at the unknown writing carved into the bone.

“Subject two, has unknown carvings made directly to his forearm bone. I am now making a cut into the chest to expose one of the rips. I have found more of the unknown writing, I do not know what I am looking at. This is outside of my field, I should make some calls to find out more. But…”

Worbal stopped then stepped away and quickly washed his talons, Lenda watched him and he then had a glass of water and rubbed his beck. She took a peck and saw the bone, and how clean the carvings were. Like someone took a drill and used it like a pen.

“You ever… Seen something like this before?”

She asked, while Worbal cleans his glasses. He looked frightened, like he found something he shouldn’t have. He started picking up his things and stopped the tape then took the tape out of his recorder, then gave it to her.

“Burn everything, you hear me. I wasn’t here, you made a mistake. And you didn’t get enough sleep, understand.”

“Wait, hold on. What is going on here? Why are you freaking out?”

“Look just, a few years ago a friend of mine got a report about something strange about a body. He came back a few hours later and was talking crazy before telling me he made a call to the head of our department. Telling them what he saw. I told him to go home and sleep on it, he’ll feel better after a night's rest. Next day, I heard his house burned down and they didn’t find his body. I don’t know how much of what he said was real, but if I were you. I’d forget what you saw and burn everything.”

Worbal left in a hurry, Lenda looked at the tape and stuck it in her pocket without thinking before dumping the burnt bones on top of the dead body and shoved them both into the incinerator. She set it going three more times just to be sure. Before filling out a report nothing abnormal happened and went home.

It was only once she was home and remembered what she took with her, Lenda went to her room and put the tape and the amulet on her nightstand. She stared at it, fearful of what Worbal said. She didn’t sleep that night and hid both the tape and necklace under a floorboard in her room. Hoping no griffon would find out about what she knew, but she knew nothing. And that wasn’t the problem, going to work and acting like nothing was wrong would be easy.

At the same time, she wanted to know. What was going on, who were those griffons? She never cared before but now, now she wonders. What she was burning all this time and who were these griffons. More than that, who did she even work for? It is only now she remembers where they were coming from, on every file it said they came from a military hospital. A hospital that didn’t exist.

Ten-Lin moved up following the soul, along with a small horde of undead. Once they found what they were looking for their next plan was to make a big splash. They found a bunker, the others were already moving to other places. The local radio tower should have its power cut soon in a day or two and the landlines should be cut soon after.

Ten-Lin saw very few guards outside. The tactics of leaving a scapthrall to be found and then blowing it up was effective. This however would be more of a problem, they had blast doors. That will take time to tear down and open, too long for their needs and this rainstorm wouldn’t last long. A few days, a week at best, they needed a better way in and quickly.

The Iron Lich had an idea, the bunker was meant to stop things from getting in above ground. Did they even bother with underground attacks? He smiled to himself as he got Nuk to send out his orders to the other helljacks.

In the bunker griffons guarded labs and research projects that Die Leucht was in control of. Many didn’t even know they were working for them. They knew nothing of the truth or why they were really here.

A group of guards were playing cards before their next shift. A number of prisoners were taken in for interrogation, many left in boxes. The ones in charge scared most who worked here, others didn’t care. Most of the soldiers were true believers who worked here, or were easily manipulated into following orders.

One guard was questioning his place in this base. He was a Tager Hawk, he was meant to be a griffon of honour. There was no honour here, not in this place. Yet his family had a debt to pay to the griffon who sent him here. He went to his bunk, as the guards traded places. Some went to bed, others left to take up patrols in the bunker.

He rested his head and closed his eyes, two more years. Just two more years and he can leave this place. He thought falling asleep. Alarms blear as every griffon got up and grabbed a weapon. He worked on one of the lower levels, there were seven levels to the bunker he worked on level three.

He ran to find out what was happening, well he wanted to but they were trained to hold choke points to stop an attacker from getting deeper into the bunker. He stopped at a map that had a level and a light next to it, to show what level was under attack. He thought it would be level one where the main doors to the surface are.

What he saw was level two light flashing, he didn’t understand. That didn’t make sense, how could they bypass the main gate and level one jumping to level two? He didn’t have time to think about that as griffons were giving orders, he soon joined them as he took aim with his rifle.

A mass of bodies fell from the stairs as they quickly got up and hissed before attacking! They were shot down before they could get within reach of a guard, he soon joined them. The defence didn’t last long as a metal monster jumped over the undead mass and charged the guards with its jaws of teeth wide open!

Ten-Lin was in a hurry, normally he would have liked to take his time but they couldn’t wait. As soon as the bunker's communications were cut off they began their attack. Before they were already digging to reach one of the main rooms underground. They had somehow broken into the armoury of this level.

He wasted no time sending the horde out and had Nuk control the light helljacks, sending them off to kill everyone in the upper levels. Only sending a few to the lower ones. The scrapthralls were already gathering the dead, while mechanithralls swarmed the lower levels.

He looked to one of the maps, as another body was thrown on the pile. Ten-Lin stopped when he heard a scream, he glared at Nuk as the Overseer was pulling the feathers off a griffon head. Ten-Lin walked over and unfolded one of his arms. The end unfolded into large scissor blades.

The Iron Lich said nothing as he beheaded the griffon on the spot. Nuk hissed at being denied his games, Ten-Lin pointed his blade at him and snapped it shut in front of Nuk's face.

“We don’t have time for your spiteful games with the mortals. We must move quickly and efficiently, we cannot linger here longer then we must. Understand me Nuk!”

Nuk growled but he understood, as he moved away to get to work making new undead. Ten-Lin didn’t understand how the others dealt with them, but in the end it didn’t matter. As he moved on looking at the dead who were still scattered in the halls. Ten-Lin even looked into a random room now and again.

One of his legs stepped on something and he moved it aside, it was papers. He bent down and picked one up at random. Before reading what was on it, it was nothing important. Not to him or cryx at least. Something about being pushed out of a territory, a front line pulling back. He stopped, as he felt a tingle in the air. Even after becoming an iron lich did not remove this one important feeling.

There was magic in the air, someone was casting magic in this place. It smelled wrong if he still had a nose. He could taste it on the air, they needed to move more quickly. As the armour in closed around his head. They could no longer waste any more time!

They had set up machine gun nests on the fifth floor. The fourth floor had to pull back because of the monsters, the third and first were lost. No one could communicate outside of the bunker. Inside however, they can.

Vibrim panted as he could still see that thing jump on one of the guards and crushed them under its own weight. It turned and bit another griffon's arm off, it then bites a griffon on the leg before dragging them back up the stairs screaming. The bullets just bounced off its armoured hide.

Vibrim wanted nothing more then to make his house proud, but this place. After seeing monsters like that, he wanted to go home. He got up as griffons moved quickly, getting as much ammo as they could from the lower levels. He soon joined them running down two flights of stairs to help take the next crate of ammo up the stairs but was stopped by a metal staff.

Vibrim looked up and froze in place, the robed griffon had a necklace of horn’s around his neck. Unicorn horns, Vibrim felt fear from this griffon. A sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, his family said magic was for the weak. However right now, this griffon he saw was anything but weak. This griffon was the living embodiment of fear.

“What is happening?”

Vibrim felt like he had lost his voice, not able to find the words. But was broken from this as another griffon pushed him aside. As a new voice spoke up.

“Are you daft! We’re under attack, we need every able body we can get to fight them off!”

The griffon with the staff didn’t seem bothered at all. He waved them off as he turned to go back to the lower levels. Saying something about how they shouldn’t be disturbing his master. Vibrim didn’t care, he just grabbed the ammo box and ran. He didn’t even know there was a mage down here, or why they were wearing unicorn horns. Wait, wasn’t that illegal?

Vibrim thoughts drift to other things that have been happening in the base. Little things here and there, prisoners he saw but never saw leave the base. A random body pushed down the hall on a table. He was restricted from going past level five.

By the time he got back to the fourth floor, machine gun nests were set up and already shooting at something. Two of the machine monsters were running down the hall, but one turned back as a bullet hit something and a jet of steam shot out from it back. It turned back as the other one stopped and roared at the griffons, before its tusk was hit breaking it off and it then turned back. Following after the other one.

Vibrim smiled as they managed to push the things back, but only with heavy weaponry. He then saw the number of bodies laying in the hall, Vibrim noticed most of them were just bones and metal.

Another metal monster ran down and tried to charge them, but the two machine gun nests opened fire. Overwhelmed by bullets, they took out one of its legs before it ended up falling over; they didn’t stop until it stopped moving. They had a small cheer!

Then they heard rumbling as if something heavy was being moved around up stairs. Then a strange screeching sound, like some griffon was dragging metal across the floor. Vibrim tried to find the noise at first, when a griffon ran from the other side of the base where the living quarters were.

“There's something digging through the ceiling!?”

That made everyone panic, before they heard a rumble from the ceiling collapsing. Vibrim heard bone metal monsters and other things jumping down from a hole in the ceiling from another griffon who ran past. These monsters were not stopping, as griffons regrouped to try and block off the new breach!

Nuk made his way down into the new breach following the undead masses, Nuk wanted to find/kill any griffons that were close by. Yet he shouldn’t forget why he was here, his task/mission was to gather information. They needed to act before the griffons destroyed it all.

This level seemed to be the barracks, the light helljacks followed after them as they looked for any threats. Nuk stopped when he saw a stairwell going down. He questioned if they should go down or not.

They then heard the gun fire as Ten-Lin was pushing his own attack. They didn’t have time to wait. They must hurry, they must attack!

“Go! Cut down the living, murder/kill them all!”

Nuk watched as the horde surged on, Nuk however took one deathripper and went down the stairwell. Nuk was pleased when a griffon ran into them and he cut them down. Nuk turned as a few griffons started shooting at him. Nuk sent out the deathripper to attack!

Nuk was pleased, as the griffons were split open. They didn’t have armour, why would they. They thought they were safe in this place, they were wrong. Nuk had a mask made for his skulls to help protect them. Just like Ten-Lin, he was going to push on but found a room with a door left open.

Nuk moved over and pushed the door open with one of his tentacles, Nuk saw a griffon. Their wings were stripped of every father, leaving the wings exposed and bleeding. This wasn’t one of them, this was… Not a threat, not a friend, a prisoner? Yes, yes that's right. This griffon was a prisoner.

“I won’t… Talk…”

The griffon spoke surprising Nuk, as they backed away. Nuk would turn so each skull could look at this griffon. The newest skull moved its mask up to get a better look at this griffon, who had blood bleeding from their eyes. No, they were wrong, the griffon's eyes were removed.

“I won’t betray them… Kill me...”

Nuk said nothing as they stared at this wounded freedom fighter, they were meant to help them. They were not meant to make contact, but the griffon was blind so they could not see. Nuk will have no choice but to bring this one back with them.

“No.”

Nuk said, their three voices talking at once as they started to free the griffon. The rebel was confused and in pain as Nuk started dragging them out. They had no care about the griffon demands about where they were going, but stopped when they were going up stairs. The deathripper followed letting out growls.

By the time Nuk reached Ten-Lin, it looked like the Iron lich had taken prisoners of his own. The lich looked annoyed as Nuk came back with a blind griffon, but then took another look at them.

“Not your handy work, they would be still riving in pain if it was. Where did you find this one Nuk?”

“Bellow, maybe others. Alive/dead we do not know. Found this one alone and blind, not disobeying orders if they can’t see us.”

Nuk was smug with itself. As the Iron lich couldn’t do anything about this for now, they moved on. After making sure their new prisoners couldn’t escape. Nuk led the next attack, they were enjoying themselves, drinking in the death and screams as the soul cages collected the souls of the recently dying.

Once they reached the seventh things felt different, they could feel a change to the air. Like something was gathering power to it. Nuk didn’t like this and reached out to the slayer up stairs and ordered it to come at once!

That is when Nuk saw a lone griffon with a staff walking down the hall. Nuk didn’t know why but he felt danger from this griffon, and ordered the hordes to attack! They ran down the hall screaming, the griffon touched something around his neck when suddenly lightning danced between scrapthralls and mechanithralls.

They all shook before collapsing onto the floor one after another. Nuk backed away, fear gripping his souls. Something they thought they were freed from after becoming one of the cryxian undead. Nuk was about to turn back when the slayer slid down the stairs, scraping it hunched back and shoulders agent the ceiling. As its small head turned to the griffon with the staff. Nuk didn’t wait as it gave one order, all three voices speaking as one again, in fear.

“Attack!”

He wasn’t sure what he was looking at first, until he used a lighting spell and could smell cooking rotten meat in the air. Undead, he thought. As he still rubbed one of the horns he was wearing. The unicorn horns were a focal point. Without them he would need to remember his spells. This was much easier and faster, just teach the pony the spells he needed and then harvest the horn.

Novat looked at the monster that was leading these things, he didn’t rightly know what he was looking at. He was expecting a lich, a thing of bone, skin and old robes. One of their enemies, not a metal thing. It looked like it was going to flee, until a much larger machine fell down the stairwell and turned to it. The smaller one pointed at Novat and yelled.

“Attack!”

The larger machine head snapped towards him and let out a roar of its own. Novat frowns as he was not sent here to fight. He used his wings to back away as the large machine charged him, Novat cast a spell that stopped the machine. But then the spell was broken as it started moving again!

Before the machine could strike him, the griffon touched another horn and teleported away. Before the griffon would become crushed meat, Novat looked at the small crater in the floor as it pulled its large claw free from the floor.

“How?”

Novat asked, confused, then noticed the glow of magic behind it, to the metal octopus. As one of it three arms held up glowing runes of magic he hadn't seen before. He could not understand the script. A fundamental part of magic was understanding three things.

Intent, type and lastly the wording of a spell. If you can understand these three things, you could in theory learn any kind of spell or magic. But there was one thing that almost all mages forget to take into account. Language. If the same spell is made in a different language, then it changes its meaning and intent. Or the whole wording of that one spell. So how did it stop his magic!?

Novat didn’t have time for these questions, as he dropped his staff. He felt relief as a new surge of magic filled his body. Holding one of the horns again and casting a more powerful lightning spell at the larger metal beast! It stopped at the new surge of power feeding into it, the machine struggled to move yet didn’t stop pushing forward!

Novat growled at how stubben it was being, he just wanted it to fall! Novat pushed even more power into the attack, ignoring the high pitched whistling coming from the machine body. How it eyes seemed to burn with pure hate, it dropped down on one knee reaching out with a shaky claw and then, it exploded!

Novat blinked as he could not hear anything, or feel anything at first. He was seeing spots as he coughed on smoke, and felt the heat from the fire. He slowly sat up and gasped in pain! He looked at his belling and saw a twisted peace of sharp metal sticking out from his belly. Novat looked on in shock, before looking at the burning remains of the machine he had destroyed. Novat then heard a voice.

“My, oh my. Looks like someone burst the main boiler. Forcing the water inside to evaporate quickly and making it explode. Not even taking into account the furnace and the fuel it was burning. That would make things worse.”

A large thing stepped over the flames, it was a nightmare metal spider. As it picked at the wreckage. Before pulling out a metal orb with something melting off of its surface.

“The new insulation worked, protecting the cortex. Still melts to overheating but we can fix that later.”

It turned its armour heard to Novat, quickly walking over to him and before Novat could act. The metal monster snatched the horns from around his neck to look at them. One of the spider legs stabbed into one of his wings pinning him there as the griffon cried out in pain!

“Greetings, I am Ten-Lin an iron lich. I have questions, are you a member of Die Leucht?”

Novat was shocked to learn that name. Only his master knows who they were and what they wanted. His master told him he was not ready to know their plans yet or become a member. How did this monster know of them!

“I’ll take that look on your face that you do, wonderful! You have no idea how hard it was to finally track one of you down. We have so many questions.”

Novat saw the metal octopus crawling over to the lich, as Ten-Lin handed the metal orb to it. As he then left, Novat growled at this thing as his anger grew. This iron lich, he would not betray his master. He would die before telling them anything.

“My master will kill you! I am nothing more than a humble aculite, an apprentice! If I could destroy one of your machines. He has more than enough power to stop you, you cannot win. For we’re-!”

Ten-Lin saw the metal in Novat's stomach and without warning, reached down and pulled it out! Novat cried out in pain as he held his belly to try and stop the bleeding. He glared at the undead who just didn’t seem to care. The lich was looking at the jagged metal before he spoke once more.

“It was a failure on our part, not your power. We didn’t know a warcaster was here, but now we do. If you know of them, I’m sure your master knows far more than you do. You will be very useful once added to our ranks.”

“If you think I’ll join you, you’re mad! I’d… Rather die than help, you…”

The lich laughed, as if that was a joke. Novat was confused as he saw shadows moved as the fires started to die down. And the only light source was from the lich’s own body. It glared at him before its metal helmet peeled away to show its face. A skull of something long dead, as its eyes glowed with a fire that will never die out.

“There are many ways to join cryx, alive, willingly or dead. Not in that order, but once you know what we do. You will be more than willing to join our ranks if not, we can find other uses for you.”

Without warning, the bladed claw that looked like suckators with one side sharpened like a sword. Reached out and cut the griffon throat like a weed, as Novat life blood left him he saw the glowing eyes of the scrap and mechanithralls watch him die. As more metal monsters growled waiting in the dark. Ten-Lin leaned in closer looking into Novat's eyes as the last thing he heard was the iron lich’s voice.

“Do not fear, we will take care of you. My new apprentice.”

Moregal looked up from his work, on the last floor. He frowned as the doctors continued their work. That was an explosion inside the bunker. He sent his apprentice to find out what was happening.

The old griffon rubbed one of the horns around his neck, he had more than his apprentice. Moregal found himself rubbing at the Null ring on his talon next, a ring made from orichalcum. If he were to take it off his powers would be ten fold. Sadly, he was old. He wasn’t sure if his body could handle that much power all at once. He needed a new ring but put it off for later.

Moregal started to get annoyed when a griffon soldier started yelling that the enemy had breached the seventh floor and were pushing to the eighth! He hissed before picking up his staff and turning back to the doctors who stopped their work.

“Keep working, I’ll need that horn as soon as you’re done.”

Moregal said before walking away, leaving behind the griffon doctors who were about to start the unicorn horn removal. Griffons ran past or set up barricades, the last floors were cargo holds. Where they kept their supplies, he was on the ninth floor; it was the most heavily guarded floor throughout the whole base. He grew annoyed at the lax of discipline in this place. Most important of all, no one past level eight knew about it.

However it could not be fully staffed with griffons loyal to them. The only way down to this floor was the frat elevator. And a single stairwell where only one griffon can walk down it one at a time. It was made that way to make it harder for someone to breach the lowest level.

The sound of the elevator started to move and filled the space, Moregal frowned as griffon soldiers ran to try and stop anyone from leaving once the door opened. They waited as at last the elevator at last stopped at the ground level. Once the elevator door finally opened, it was full of smoke.

Moregal narrowed his eyes, as the soldiers carefully moved closer. They see three glowing forms, before a jet of flame shoots out setting two griffons on fire! Moregal hissed in anger at their deaths, because he had less meat shields between him and the enemy now. As two other machines ran out into the storage area running away quickly and setting fire to other crates!

“Fools stop them! We cannot let them destroy our work!”

Moregal screamed, if one of those monsters reached an ammo crate and it set off an explosion. The damage could bring down the upper floors on top of them. If it wasn’t for the fact orichalcum was used in the building of the base to stop intruders from just teleporting in. He turned back to the one who attacked first and saw the metal thing walking out on two short legs. It had two tubes attached under its skull. Ending in a nozzle still dripping fire.

Moregal charged an ice spell but as soon as he saw it, the monster ran! It ran though crates, jumped on top of them or crushed them if they could not support its weight. Moregal caused the fools who were in the way, as the thing fled. Running off as griffon soldiers ran after it. Moregal didn’t stop charging his spell out of pure hate as he heard the chaos and saw the glow of fire behind boxes.

He was going to kill every last one of these intruders if it was the last thing he ever did! Moregal stopped as he had a sudden thought. Something was off, these things could have killed more griffons if they worked together. Instead they spelt up and started setting fires? Moregal saw the thick smoke hadn’t left the elevator yet, Moregal looked at the spell in his talon and fired it into the smoke!

Out of annoyance. It hit something as ice formed on a large metal arm, Ten-lin steps out as he casts his own spell to quickly melt the ice from one of his arms. He is still holding the necklace in one of his claws. Moregal saw it and pointed his staff at the lich in a mix of confusion and spite.

“Where is my apprentice? What have you done to them, monster!”

“Dead, I killed them.”

Moregal frowns as he looks at this thing, stepping out from the smoke. It had what looked like instance burners hanging from its body. But nothing burned inside of them, they only gave off a soft glow from within. It wasn’t neutral, he knew that much. Some kind of magic perhaps?

“What do you hope to achieve here, destroying this base will not lead to anything good for you! We will hunt you down and destroy you all! This will change nothing for the war!”

“Oh I don't think that is true, you work for Die Leucht. You little apprentice told us as much.”

Moregal looked surprised, not that his now dead apprentice told this monster about them. But it looked like they were seeking them out. Impossible, there was no way they were exposed. Their group was careful, too careful in fact. Borderline paranoid at most. Moregal needed to escape this place and warn the others. Yet the lich fired a spell at him that rots one of the wooden crates behind him into mulch.

Moregal only got out of the way in time by teleporting. Short range teleportation worked, but he could not leave the base. His greater fear at this moment was the quickly melting wooden crate. There were very few spells that acted like that. Dark magic and necromancy. Dark magic can be stopped by ever light or harmony magic, Necromancy can be blocked. But to cancel it out or stop it you needed holy magic. Something they didn’t see as needed.

The one time they needed a type of magic as a weapon and they didn’t have it! Moregal would have screamed in rage if he wasn’t fighting for his life. He was switching between spells to try and attack Ten-Lin. The Lich was slippery, as he climbed over, behind or even threw crates back at the battle mage. The fires were already starting to spread as smoke crawled across the ceiling. If he didn’t end things quickly he could end up dying in this place!

One of the light helljacks had looped back, and sent out a jet of flame at the griffon! Moregal used one of the horns and casted a barrier spell to block the fire. Moregal turned in time to see the iron lich chargeback, with its suckator claw snapped out at the griffon! Moregal used a teleport spell but only once he got away, why did he feel pain coming from his claw?

Moregal looked at his left claw and saw two if his fingers were missing. That thing just cut off two of his fingers, Moregal wasn’t angry anymore he was levied! Ten-Lin noticed something shiny on one of the severed digits. The lich reached out and picked one up, finding the null ring still on the finger. The iron lich’s head snapped back to the old griffon who growled, as magic surged around him.

“This was a mistake…”

Ten-Lin could tell this griffon held a lot of power, and he had inadvertently just cut off his limiter. So he did what any changeling would have done before becoming a lich. He ran! It seemed like Moregal had no restaurant and was using a number of ice, fire and even lightning spells to try and hit Ten-Lin. It was clear the griffon wanted the lich dead, and was more than willing to use all his power to do it!

Meanwhile the light helljacks were setting fires or running though groups of griffon soldiers who got in their way. Crushing or setting them on fire before running off to continue their last orders.

One revived a new order by its warcater, the iron lich had ordered it to ambush the lich's attacker. Obeying the next set of instructions. The light helljack moved between crates, waiting as it triggered a vent to reduce the smoke that was bellowing from its smokestacks. It hid and waited, waiting for its order to attack.

Ten-Lin tried shooting back a few spells in the hopes something would weaken the barrier of magic. Yet using unicorn horns could still hold magic, but at some point that magic should run out. There were many ways to use a horn from a unicorn, shortcut to using spells was just one side of it.

Another was to leech magic from the pony if they were still alive, if one could call that living. It would be like a changeling being unable to change forms. Trapped in their true form unable to gather love. He can still remember starving to death, because he was too injured to change.

Then he was brought back, and saw the face of his new king. The one they called Asphyxious, the lich lord, the dragon father. A bolt of magic sent pain though Ten-Lin's body as he didn’t slow down and throw a crate at the old griffon. The crate bursts as a fireball hits it, sending jars of jam to hit the floor. Before the jam quickly vaporized as the griffon passed it.

The iron lich did not slow down, when he ran into the path of soldier’s running with buckets of water. The first one he swats aside, the next one he beheaded without thinking, the third he grabs and then throws them at Moregal! The old griffon swats the soldier aside with his staff.

The griffon soldier hit a crate with a snap! Bones braking, cutting off the griffon's ability to speak as they slid to the floor unmoving. Ten-Lin found another soldier that was hiding and used them as a meat shield to block Moregal next attack, the body quickly burned as Moregal landed with magic and fire dancing over their robes.

“You’re willing to kill your own? I thought you would care about one of your own?”

Ten-Lin asked, slowly backing away, dropping the body. As the scent of burnt flesh and smoke filled the air.

“Fool, they can be replaced. We’re fighting for something more, so much more than you can imagine. True power, this world will bend to our might. We will rule everything!”

Moregal shouted in rage, wanting nothing more than to end the lich here, he quickly pulled up a barrier as the lich used the horns Ten-Lin still had in his claws. Ten-Lin didn’t like using them like this, it made his soul feel ill, sick even. Like he was forcing himself to eat the bitter taste of despair and hatred. The horns he used to fire off one powerful bolt of magic started to crack! He threw them at Moregal and retreated as the three horns let out a magic explosion.

That pushed them both away, Ten-lin was surprised at how much power the three horns held. He had a plan, but this new information painted it in a new light. Moregal stepped out from the smoke and dust. A small cut over his eye, as his injured claw charged a new spell with more power than before. Ten-Lin was sure this next attack would do some damage to him.

“Are you ready to die?”

Moregal asked as lightning danced over his talon with its missing fingers. With a smile over his beck, taking pleasure in watching the lich on the floor like a wounded rat! Ten-Lin did not get up, after all he still had a few tricks to play.

“Done that, but would you like to try it?”

The iron lich asked, pointing a metal finger at something. Moregal only turned when he heard something running up behind him! When he turned he saw one of the metal beasts run up and let out a jet of flame at him! Moregal swings his staff and then quickly casts a barrier spell, after finding out the flames were not magical by nature. The griffon smirks as he knows what the lich was trying to do but would not fall for it!

Moregal spins readying to cast another spell at the lich, suddenly he heard two gunshots! Moregal at first thought one of the soldiers at last dealt with the problem and were doing their jobs. Then he saw one of the horns around his neck shatter! The magic from the horn was going out of control as three more horns started to crack, Moregal looked over his shoulder confused as another horn was missing from his staff.

Then he saw it out of the corner of his eye, a ghostly griffon with a pistol in each talon. Moregal mind was racing at this point asking himself, where did that come from! What was this griffon doing!? Were they a traitor?! It didn’t matter as the horns he was wearing were starting to go into magical overlord. Moregal dropped his staff, and tried to pull the necklace of horns free only to get a gut shot as the ghost faded away.

If he did not free the necklace from around his neck soon, Moregal laughed as he freed the horns from his neck and was about to throw them away! The horns then exploded!

It was bright, loud, and crates were left destroyed all around them in the explosion of magic. Ten-Lin slowly got back up once it was over, as a dozen boxes were on fire now, the Defiler survived as it limped over with its armour dented and cracked.

Ten-lin then saw Moregal broken form face down, bones were broken and fragments from the horns were now buried inside the griffon body. Moregal coughed on his own blood, Ten-Lin knew what he wanted to ask as he walked over and turned them onto their back.

“That was a pistol wraith. I find them remarkably useful, unlike the others I use trickery and deception to win my battles. So don’t start preaching to me about honour, or being strong. You need to be smart and if that is not enough, you need to be underhanded enough to cheat.”

Ten-Lin didn’t wait as he stabbed the griffon in the chest going through his heart. The fires were spreading now, however he noticed something of interest. The iron lich made his way over to a room, it was clean. A surgery room maybe? He thought before seeing the griffon doctors who had stopped in the middle of their task.

Backing up and crying out in fear, Ten-Lin ignored them. He was more interested in the unicorn that was on the table. Part of their skin pulled back to expose the skull and horn. It seemed they were in the middle of removing the horn. They already had all the tools right here, there was a small cut into the horn from where they started and stopped.

“Flinch, kill them, try not to aim for their heads. I may need them later.”

The ghostly griffon appeared and let loose four gunshots, as each griffon cried out before dying. Ten-Lin washed his claws, as he set Flinch the pistol wraith to get Nuk to collect their spoils of the dead. Once his claws were clean, he got to work attaching skin and flesh back to bone. Covering the skull back up, there will be scars, but the pony will live.

If they join the ranks of cryx is another question, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. Besides, when one has everything they care about taken from them. They’re willing to fight back, with even more bitter vial intent than any undead. He carefully moved the cloth aside that was covering the pony face. If it wasn’t for the new stitches he was using to hold her head together she would be pretty. She still can be, once the scar heals.

Ten-Lin shook his head, this wasn’t the time for idle fantasies. Or foolish feelings of fancy, he had a job to do. And bringing back survivors was just another part of it. Ten-Lin could not help but brush a strand of her mane aside, he regrets he can no longer feel the warmth of flesh anymore. He brushed that thought aside as he pushed the table outside, as scrapthralls gathered the bodies. Getting ready to leave this place.

It was all over the news, about how a secret bunker was attacked. It was only found days after the attack itself. Because of the fires that were left and its main doors were open. The news was struggling in trying to find anything about it, what was worse some of the local news outlets found out the army in the area had no idea it was even there!

However the information control stopped the news from spreading, this was a problem. Not for most griffons who’re told only what they needed to hear to carry on with their lives. But because many investigators were trying to find out what had happened. Only to be blocked and turned away.

A number of small towns were concerned that such a bunker was so close by and was attacked without any griffon noticing. All their questions and concerns were ignored. Not out right but in the wording of replies, saying they will look into it and nothing happens. Even the soldiers were starting to get restless, they wanted answers and no one seemed to have any.

Some towns were reporting being attacked by zombies, there were only minor injuries but homes were damaged. For the past week, the problem was the army couldn’t track down where they were coming from.

One night a large town was attacked, this time the griffon soldiers were ready. But what they saw horrified them. The zombies were their own troops, their own kin wearing their uniforms. And leading them was a two headed griffon of a long dead general.

The fighting lasted three days, as news outlets got wind of this battle and went to record it. They were shocked when they first saw the fighting. Thinking the empire's own soldiers had rebelled. Until they saw the zombies first hand, as one tried to fly up and attack them. It was quickly killed but this was a story they wanted to see.

The news spread like a wildfire about a zombie outbreak. By the time it was over, they had subdued the general who was laughing. Only now they found out he was general Ironclaw.

“How are you alive?”

Asked a captain who was here to bring him in, three days of fighting left it mark on all of them. To face their crime for using their own people like this. Ironclaw looked up smiling while the skull head dropped down.

“They remade me, gave me a gift to continue the war. To bring back our soldiers!”

It screamed, for all to hear. Even while the news griffons were being kept back for their safety, they could still hear the undead griffons voice. They were here to record the last words of a traitor to their own kingdom.

“They are everywhere, every office, every branch of our military, in the sets of our law and every shop, even have the ear of our king and queen. And you don’t even know it!”

The captain looked worried after hearing this, it was inconceivable. Yet could it be true, not all griffons were driven by honour. He had seen more than a few driven by greed, be it coin or glory he had seen it. The monster's smile only grew as the skull-like head looked up with its glowing eyes.

“We’re Die Leucht, we control everything, you’re all cattle for the war! We will build on the death of our own children! To rule the world, all in the name of Die Leucht! All hail Die-!”

Ironclaw was then shot in the head! Every soldier turned to the one who did it. A single griffon who quickly shot another two griffons next to him before trying to fly away, they were tacked and pinned down! Before the captain could give the order to do so. As he marched over to get any answers about what the private was thinking or why they just killed the undead. The griffon bit something in their beck and suddenly started to froth at the mouth and their eyes rolled back.

They poisoned themselves, the captain was shocked about this. The soldier was dead. Then to add insult to it all, Ironclaw's body caught on fire in bright green flames! Burning the body to its bones, turning into melted slag and bubbling remains. The Captain didn’t know what to do, but if anything Ironclaw said was true. They needed to get the word out and fast, he turned to the press.

“You all heard that! What that thing said, I want you to tell everygriffon about this. About this group called Die Leucht, I don’t care if you have to spread it by word of mouth, use everything! Understand! Get the word out, the kingdom is under threat by a group called Die Leucht! Go! These terrorists will be put down!”

They didn’t stick around as every news griffon scrambled for a car to get back or a phone to call their place of work. To tell the story, for every griffon to hear and read. The captain liked to think of himself as a griffon with honour, but if this was true, if their own commanders or worse their own leaders were being lied to by these traitors they needed to warn them.

“Sir, is this wise? We don’t even know anything for sure."

Asked one of the soldiers as the captain moved to send a report to everyone he could think of. The fact they knew nothing and they were able to amass a horde of zombies was something to worry about.

“That's the problem, we don’t know anything. As much as we can’t have a panic on our claws we don’t have a choice. If anything Ironclaw said was true, that means these mad birds are everywhere. That soldier who killed himself, he's been under my command for six years. And I didn’t notice a thing. Only when Ironclaw started talking about this group did he act and shoot him without orders or for the care of the chain of command. We need to act quickly, who knows how deep this goes. We need to warn the commander and if need be the king and queen as well. We’re soldiers, we’re to protect the empire and its griffons! We must not fail them.”

The next few days would be a mad rush on one side trying to warn about a group who was turning their own kin into zombies soulless monsters, the other trying to stop the spread of the name Die Leucht. This madness would be a chaotic mess all over the eastern region, however the capital and the Weston region of the empire will not get word of it.

This would last for years to come, making it harder for the military most of all. Because they were cut off from command, and the few who tried to report to HQ about this. Didn’t come back, as the information was slowly being silenced only one small region to the east would keep trying to tell every griffon to ask. Who were Die Leucht, why did they attack towns with zombies, why did they do this to their own honourable soldiers turning them into soulless undead.

Most important of all, why didn’t they know about them, why didn’t their military know about them, do their royals even know who this group was? They asked again and again, with silence painting a terrible picture. A picture that could lead into civil war, if no one could answer them.

Grimscythe got reports about the chaos on the surface. It looked like the eastern region would be destabilised for years to come. It would take time, and they needed it to plan their next move. While they hunted for Die Leucht members. Now that they had Moregal soul, they could ask all the questions they wanted.

Ten-Lin had a new unwilling apprentice, the griffon neck was stitched closed. And followed behind the lich, as an undead with a new staff and carrying a number of soul cages on their person.

“You will doom us all. Stop these monsters and you will have a place in our order!”

Grimscythe turned to Moregal, as the ghostly griffon was floating over there own body. Unlike Ironclaw, they may be able to still use Moregal. Maybe going as far as turning him into another iron lich. Maybe, but not for now. He was too much like a fanatic, they were the worst kind to make into an iron lich. Too prone to making mistakes and needless risks.

“You already did that, I am merely trying to offer our people a future where we can be proud of who we are. So we can be honourable again!”

“Lie to yourself all you want, traitor! You will never have a place under our royals-!”

“Quirt.”

Spoke up Voltear as he stood beside Grimscythe. Moregal soul was forced to obey. Unable to resist the magics in place, keeping their soul here. Moregal can struggle, thanks to his living body once holding magic. However for a soul to resist this kind of spell, required mental discipline and an indomitable will. Moregal didn’t seem to have these, ever they were lucky. Or they were just arrogant, thinking no one would bring one of their own back from the dead to get information.

“How many of you are there?”

“I do not know.”

“How many do you know by name?”

“42 by code, 13… I know personally.”

“Their names and where they live?”

It went on like that for hours, days, weeks. They asked their questions, and in the end Moregal stopped resisting. It was too painful to try and lie, to hold back on what he truly knew. Yet his soul would not know rest, for every soul had value. Even one as rotten as Moregal.

Moregal could only watch, as maggots and beetles ate away the dead flesh from his bones. And the lich’s did nothing to stop it, they asked their questions. Cutting and digging out every scrap of information they wanted and more.

Then the day came, where he had nothing more to tell. Moregal saw them dragging something hollow over, it had four arms. Long metal spines on it back, a long neck with no head. The mix of undead griffons and dogs and ponies of all things. Started taking it apart there were gaps in the metal frame, to put something inside.

“What are you doing?!”

Moregal demanded, as the necrotech’s worked. Collecting Moregal bones and putting them into the new frame, before putting the metal body together. Voltear looked at Moregal watching the necrotech’s working.

“They’re building a Soul Trapper, this unit's sole goal is to collect the souls of the recently slan. You will become one, you’re not loyal to cryx, or follow the dragonfather. Our king, our guide, our god. So we have little choice but your skills with magic would have been useful. However we cannot risk so much on you trying to warn your masters. Do not fear, you will no longer feel that any more once it is complete.”

Moregal watched in horror as they took his bones one by one, and implanted it into the new body of metal. Moregal started shouting in protest, demanding to be set free. He cursed, threatened, begged and lastly tried to bribe them. Yet they continued with their work, until only the skull remained.

Once they took that and placed it on the empty neck of the body was it complete. Voltear suddenly grabbed Moregal’s soul, pulling them free from the magic holding them in place, but a new feeling of horror and fear held him as they got closer to his new body. It felt like a hollow never ending maw, wide and hungry, dying of hunger it can never fill.

“I’ll give you anything you want! Gold, spells! Just name it, I’ll give you everything, just let me go!”

Voltear turned to the soul in his hand, for a moment thinking. Then said something that made his soul feel very cold.

“We already have everything we need, the only thing of value left is your soul. Welcome to your new body and home.”

Voltear simply held Moregal soul out to the soul trapper, as the griffon soul was slowly then quickly sucked into their new body. At first the soul trapper didn’t move then it gasped, in panic as if they were drowning. Then it slowly started to rise from the floor floating on legless feet, looking at its four claw-like hands. It looked up at Voltear who gave off the impression he was smiling at it.

“Welcome Gal. To the vipers of cryx.”

The new soul trapper stared up at the iron lich, as all its soul knew was fear and horror. But there was a hollow feeling inside of itself, that made it all so much worse. The only sound it made was an ear splitting scream!