When Starburst first saw them, they looked like monsters out of a ghost story. They opened the cells but did not try to get them out, when the others came. Talking in soft tones saying everything will be alright now. They encouraged them to follow and had them all dressed warm with whatever they could find.

They led them away, as the monsters walked past or tried to move out of the way. As to not scare everypony, that was over two years ago now. Starburst found out they were called cryx, and the ones who were helping them were called unliving, a kind of undead.

The cryx lived underground, but knew she and her friends could not stay living underground forever. Yet they had thought of that, they moved everyone into an abandoned village that had overgrown trees all over it. The cryx made sure any roads to it were blocked off, lost or removed, they were teaching her and her friends a lot.

One of Starbursts friends asked when they could go home, or see their parents. This made the unliving sad, Starburst understands now why they couldn’t send them back. They were in the heart of the griffon empire, with little hope of leaving without being found out. Yet it wasn’t completely hopeless.

The unliving were hoping to send them home one day, however for now they will teach them, care for them. And make sure they were safe, Despite all this Starburst couldn’t help marval at the large metal golems they used. Some of the older Ponies or Yaks asked if they could join, Starburst played with her amulet that was given to her by one of the unliving.

It was the symbol of their god, the dragonfather. From what she understood, their lord wanted the living to live happy peaceful lives. Yet also offers sconed chance for the dead, to redeem themselves or make up for past sins.

Still they were not safe and they understood that, they knew about every escape route, hidden tunnel and knew the woods better than anypony.

“Starburst, lunch is ready!”

Called out one of her yak friends, Starburst smiled as she put the amulet around her neck. As she jumped off a rock and ran back.

“Coming!”

She called with a smile, as she ran home to her new family. Yet offered a prayer to the dragonfather thanking him, and the cryx who saved her and her friends.

It was the middle of the night as a doctor and a watchman waited outside the hospital, while assistants and nurses were moving their patients ready to move them. A number of trucks drove up and parked in front of the hospital. One griffon who was a tiger-hark got out of one truck and walked over.

“This them?”

He asked the doctor, as other griffons started leaving the trucks and loading them up with the sick, crippled and anyone else who was seen being a waste to treat. The doctor nodded, as the tiger-hark griffon handed over a bag, as the watchman took it and opened it to look inside. The watchman closed it up and nodded to the doctor.

“I am glad we could do business together.”

“Yeah, yeah you know the deal. Don’t ask questions, we were never here, and your patients died in another hospital.”

The griffon added giving them the paperwork to the doctor, then was about to go when he saw a young griffon that looked like they were half starved and lost all their feathers.

“He is surfing from a rare disease we can’t cure. The only reason he lasted this long is because his family is paying the billing.”

“Sucks to be him, you know how to contact me. Just remember we can’t do big jobs like this everyday, once a year at the most, no more.”

“You’re the ones paying me, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

Replies the doctor as the tiger-hawk walks back to the truck once they’re all full. The trucks started up and drove off, the tiger-hawk griffon looked back in the mirror as they drove away. It would be an hour to leave the city border, another three to get to their meeting point. The annoying part was it was never in the same place.

They took an old road off the main road deeper into the woodlands, it wasn’t easy to drive though. But they were almost there when they saw him. The hooded griffon stood in the middle of the woods with a lantern in their claws. However the griffon wasn’t alone as two other hooded griffons stood ever side of him.

“Unload the trucks.”

He told the driver, as he got out and rubbed his talons walking over to the hooded griffons. He heard thunder, it was going to rain soon.

“Hello there, my name is Rout. And-”

“No names.”

“Right, right! Sorry, didn’t mean to upset you mate. I take it, you want to see the stock?”

Rout said, as his men started pushing the patients out of the trucks and told to stand in one place. Rout was worried, he had been working for this griffon and didn’t know anything about them. As the hooded griffon watched them.

“There some younger griffons this time around?”

“Oh yeah, the doctor said he couldn’t do anything for them. So I took them off his claws, that won’t be a problem will it? I mean you only asked for anyone who was sick or dying, so I thought-.”

“It’s fine.”

The hooded griffon said, as the other two hooded griffons walked up and dropped bags in front of Rout. They then stepped back, as Rout carefully opened the bag and smiled. Gold bars and cut diamonds, Rout knew this would be a good payday. Most of the time it was one or the other, but never in this large amount.

“Thank you sir, same time next week?”

“No.”

Rout stopped what he was doing and looked at the hooded griffon, he was about to reach for his knife when they told him why.

“They’re getting suspicious of your group, you can’t go back the way you came.”

“Shit, there must have been a rat! Or one of the birds got roasted.”

Rout hissed, waving for his men to grab the bags and load them up. The patients looked confused and worried as they huddled together. Watching what was happening.

“There is a way out, take that road deeper into the woods. Keep driving once the road ends and you’ll find freedom. It’d be better for you to split up.”

“Thanks mate, once things cool down. I’ll look forward to working with you again!”

Rout said, as the trucks drive deeper into the woods. They drove for an hour, and it was already raining. They had to stop because they were lost, when he noticed one of the trucks that had split off earlier was speeding up towards them!

“Hey stop!”

Rout called out waving his arms, he took to the air as the truck cracked into the parked one. Rout was livevid then landed as one of the griffons opened the door and fell out of the truck. He lands and walks up to them but then stops, as he sees the blood.

“What happened!”

“We were shot!”

Called out the griffon crawling over to him. Rout then saw the mess all over the windshield from the passenger side. They were shot at going by the holes in the glass, yet why didn't he hear any gunshots?

His minion was already helping up the wounded gang member as he saw something sitting in the truck. As he slowly got closer, he saw a griffon sitting in the driver set, next to the dead body. Loading a pistol, Rout quickly took out his knife and threw it at the griffon but it passed though them like water and stuck into the dead body, it was like they were a ghost. It turned its glowing eyes to him and he realised he was wrong, it was a ghost!

“Get in the truck, get in the other truck!”

Rout shouted, as they hurried. While the ghostly griffon slowly steps out, watching them, get into the other truck. Rout got in the driver set, he started the engine but it stalled. He looked back as it slowly walked toward them.

“Come on boss start the truck!”

Yelled the other gang member in panic, while the wounded griffon was bleeding out. He managed to move the truck forward but it now had nowhere to go. Rout quickly changed gears and reversed thinking he could run it over!

And he did, he stopped once the back of the truck crashed into the other truck again. Rout looked up and saw nothing, he was starting to relax until he saw it rise up from out of the ground. The ghost waved a boney talon at them as it pulled out its sconed pistol.

“Boss, start the truck…”

Rout struggled to get the truck in gear, however the gearbox was not responding.

“Boss, start the truck!”

“It's stuck!”

He yelled back, as he was trying to get the gear box to work. The ghost griffon took aim and started shooting at them! It wasn’t even trying to hit them, as Rout had to deal with his men screaming in fear and keeping his own fears under control.

Rout at last got it in gear and ran over the ghost again, driving deeper into the woods. Rout pants as he thinks they’ve got away, he smiled turning to his underlings only to find one was dead. And the other had a hole in their neck trying to keep the blood in and breath at the same time. He turned back to the woods trying to find a way out.

“Shit, I’m going to need to hire replacements now. Do you idiots have any idea how hard it is to find good help!”

Rout turned back and saw sitting next to him, loading there gun again while the dying griffon holding there bleeding neck was pointing at it. There was a snap as the ghost was done and pointed its gun at Rout, the last words he said as the truck was about to run into a tree was.

“I don’t want to die…”

“Don’t worry everyone, you’ll be alright now. We’re here to help you.”

Said Mordan as he guided them back, they were already feeling the bite of the cold. The rain didn’t help, they didn’t have much choice but to follow him. As he showed the way with his lantern, the two mechanithralls brought up the back of the group. These ones were ordered to catch them if one of them tried to run.

They reached a small camp, this was the stop gap. This is the point where they can choose what they want. They were all given hot soup to help warm themselves, the weak were being helped by the unliving who hid what they looked like.

“Now then, you’re wondering why you were brought here?”

Mordan asked, keeping his hood over his head. As they gather the sick and injured looked at each other, confused.

“I think I know, we’ve been deemed too weak and you’re going to kill us?”

Said the crippled soldier, as it was clear he was missing both an arm and wing. Mordan shook his head no as he started to speck.

“No, we’re not going to kill you. Why would we take you to the middle of the woods to do something so simple. When the doctors could have just poisoned you in your sleep?”

That got everyone's attention as they looked at each other, it was true. There were far easier ways to kill them then taking them into the middle of the woods. Yet they did not understand why they were here.

“I’m here to offer you something we were never given, a choice. Come with us and we will cure you of your sickness, we will return your lost limbs stronger than ever. We’re offering you a second chance at life, you may not be able to return home. But if you do not want to join us, we understand. You can remain here, and hopefully someone will come for you.”

There was meaning to his words, they all knew no one would come looking for them. And it was clear they were sold for some unknown purpose. Yet the one who looks the worst out of them all, tried to stand on their boney legs, as they were helped to stand.

“What you’re saying is, we can become strong again if we join you?”

“No, I’m offering something far more powerful than being strong. We’re offering you freedom. Freedom to choose how to live, what you believe in, wanting the simple things as someone to say. It's okay to be weak.”

“Then… I’ll go with you.”

One by one they agreed, as Morda put out the fire and led them the rest of the way. They found the cave, it was so overgrown it looked like a wall of plants. They had to carry the stick in as they were getting tired or could no no longer walk. That is when they met the vipers of cryx.

“What are you?”

Asked an elderly griffon, as they looked up at the tall form of Grimscythe. To them it was like looking at death itself.

“I am an Iron Lich, it is understandable for you to fear us. After all, undead defy the laws of nature. Yet even so, we’re offering you a chance no matter how small. Now then what is wrong with you all?”

As worried as they were they told him their problems, a failing organ, a lost limb. These can be easily replaced. However diseases are more tricky, he was drawn to the sickest of them all and used his magic to ease their pain.

“I’ve only dulled the pain, however to treat this we need to find out more. Take him to Limelight and see what they can do for him.”

Grimscythe watched as they took him away, as the others were sent to see the necrotechs. To look after their new charges. Grimscythe followed after the sickly griffon, the unliving who tended to him looked worried. Limelight walked over to Grimscythe to tell him what she found.

“This sickness, we can cure him however his body won’t recover. If we had found him sooner we could have done something for him.”

“Have you already given him the medicine?”

“Yes.”

Grimscythe saw the griffon was breathing more easily now. Yet their body was so weak, he asked Limelight to watch over him as he went to get something. When he came back a few hours later she knew what he had brought back.

“Is that? The blood of the dragonfather?”

“Yes, he told me such blood should be used for one who believes in the dragonfather. However, he also told me it should be used for saving a life. It has risks, it could kill them. Or worse, turn them into a mindless beast.”

“Don’t tell me you intend to use it on that child?!”

“No, it is his choice. All I can do is offer it and nothing more.”

Grimscythe walked over and looked down at the young griffon who looked back at him. They smiled and thanked them for easing his pain. Grimscythe told him what he had in mind and the risks, this should not be a decision made in hast. He should think and then decide for himself. Besides, they had other options.

The third truck got lost as they tried to find the other two trucks, they found one but it looked like it crashed. They then found one of their gang members dead, they got back in the truck and tried to find their way back.

While they were getting the truck in gear, they stopped when they saw ghosts watching them. There must have been hundreds of them, they all watched. Most carried a dagger or spear. Very few had guns, and they were watching them.

Then the ghosts were in the truck with them, they were too afraid to act. As two ghosts went inside of them, the griffons bodies jerked terribly as one neck snapped back while the other slammed their head into the dashboard. Then they go limp in their set’s as the ghosts disappear.

That when cryx moved in to take the damaged truck apart, then the griffons bodies twitched. One beck snapped shut, while the other claw twitched. The two griffons sat up and looked to each other smiling as they got out and walked over to the cryx. One necrotech saw them and smiled.

“How are they? Any trouble possessing them?”

“Not at all…”

“Like… Gliding on… Air.”

“Still having trouble with talking, that will pass in time. You know what to do. Spread word, send miss information as to why their boss is missing. The more they don’t know the better.”

Both possessed griffons nodded and got back in the truck and drove off with it, even if the ghosts’ new hosts were killed they would stay hidden until it was safe to sneak away. The necrotech oversaw the recovery of the truck, the parts would be sold off all over the empire making it impossible to track any one part down.

The necrotech frowned at a small parting of the clouds over head, the rain clouds would soon close it up, they had to hurry now. The risk of being found out was one danger they could not afford. Not yet at this time, they would need to wait a few more years for everything to be just right.

Six years later.

The investigator, a panther-crow was reading the news in his office, his name was Maxves. It has been some time since he has done any meaningful work yet he still got paid for his work. It was reported another depo had caught fire. The news said it was rebels again, but to him something didn’t feel right.

This attack seemed to have more purpose, the effects from this would be felt on the front lines. Making it harder for the empire to supply their armies. He was over 40 now, yet he would notice these things every few years. Someone was sabotaging the empire but he had no evidence to prove it. So he kept it to himself.

Any griffon who spoke up with such things were ever told to keep their beck shut or were sent to the frontlines. His assistant was naive, and believed everything he was told by the paper. Including how the empire was fighting for its own right to rule, until we saw that building eight years ago. And how we were told to report it. The kit was new at the time and he had eight long years to find out how to survive our culture, even if he was a lion paw. He had a good head on his shoulders.

“Sir! I’ve found something!”

Shouted his assistant as he barged into Maxves office, Maxves put down the paper and started to light a cigarette. As he waved his claw to shut the door, they did and took a set at the desk.

“Well, what did you find?”

“I’ve been looking over the reports, I mean the original reports from eight years ago. I found out one of our teams took a soil sample at the site. And well, there wasn’t much but I had it… tested?”

Maxves took a puff and looked at the younger griffon who was trying to smile back trying to look innocent, it failed and he could tell the young idiot did something he shouldn’t have.

“What have you done, Chilly.”

“Now hear me out, I haven’t broken any laws. I just asked a nice hen in a department to give me her thoughts on it. I just asked if she knew anygriffon who could tell me what kind of dirt it was, very innocent not an investigation at all.”

Chilly explained, Maxves rolled his eyes and nodded for him to continue seeing if he could run some damage control over what this idiot was thinking. He then saw the small tin that Chilly put on the desk, Maxves picked up and opened it and saw a very small bit of dirt.

“She told me to go to the local bar where miners go in their off hours and try my luck there.”

“The pub? Are you sure she wasn’t trying to ask you out on a date?”

“No, I’d have to take her out for dinner later in the week. That's what it cost me to get the info from her…”

Maxves laughed, the poor lad was about to pinch his pennies for the next few weeks. He thought as he closed the tin and looked it over, Before Chilly spoke more.

“Anyway, I had to wait a few days before the miners showed up and made my way over to them. I made something up like one of my neighbours was digging up their garden and started dumping some of their dirt in mine. I said to them I thought it looked strange and wanted to ask someone who knew what they were talking about. To tell me what it was.”

Maxves was starting to think Chilly was wasting their time and hoping he would get to the point. Luckily they were getting there.

“He told me it was a mix of subsoil, clay, limestone and soot. As well as small amounts of bedrock. I think the ones who attacked were diamond dogs.”

Maxves mind was now working, piercing together this new information as he looked at the small tin in his claws. He was impressed that he managed to get so much info, there was only one problem.

“What makes you think it's the diamond dogs?”

“It is the only thing that makes sense, I mean sure I don’t know how they got into the empire. But they would be the only ones who could attack and disappear before any griffon saw them. I mean we have caves sure, but no griffon bothered to map them out have they?”

Chilly was right, Maxves thought as he rounded the tin over in his claws. Then hands it back to Chilly and tells him to put it back, before any griffon finds out and has his head. Chilly smiled and did as he was told.

Maxves smokes as he leans back in his chair thinking about all this new information. The kid was right, diamond dog attacks would make the most sense even if they didn’t know how they got there. More importantly, what did they bring with them to attack and destroy that building?

This was a mystery, and he loved a good mystery. He was about to get up when someone walked in, it was Dreed. The military officer from all those years ago, the day was about to go bad. He thought and sat back down.

“Can I help you sir?”

“Yes, we have some reports of missing griffons and I want you to find out what you can. Your kind are good at that.”

Dreed drops a stack of files on his desk, Maxves picks one up and reads it. They seemed like low level criminals, corrupt soldiers who were taking bribes or deserters. However they were all missing, he then noticed the time they went missing

“Sir? These files are at least three or five years apart from each other. And in different regions of the empire. I don’t understand?”

“I don’t care if you understand, find answers. I don’t expect you to find anything useful, this was an order from HQ. Find something!”

Dreed said before leaving, Maxves was about to take another drag of his cigarette until he saw it had gone out. This was going to be a bad day. He thought, looking between the paper and the files.

He remembered the words his father would say about their order, that once controlled everything, until a monster destroyed it all. That never mattered to him, to him the monster was a mystery. A legend that he wanted to find out more about, he took his pen and cycled around a article about a new mine being opened.

“Diamond dogs… You will have to wait until I deal with this crap.”

Grimscythe walked as he had gotten word of something strange, one of the digger teams far to the north had found something. They were in the middle of building an underground train network, to help move things around more quickly. In the middle of one of their dig’s to find more iron, they found something that shouldn’t be here.

Grimscythe saw what they found, it was concrete. A concrete wall this far underground? All digging was stopped, as ghosts were sent out to find out what was above ground to gather more information.

The ghosts report there was a small town above them, however there was one building they could not enter. It was clearly made to keep anything with magic out or to stop them from going inside though the walls.

At least on the surface, they will need to get more information before acting on this. Meanwhile, once he got back he used the newu to ask Mable if she knew anything about this? From what he was told, there was info about secret labs but this would be the first one found.

Grimscythe had an idea, a way to breach the lab and still be under cover. There was a lake nearby that was at risk of flooding, it has been known for years yet no griffon has done anything about it. The lich had a way to get into the lab and have some cover at the same time.

One year later.

The town was flooded after one bad rainstorm, most griffons left but lost most of their valuables. You couldn’t even see the roofs of houses any more, the only building that could be seen was the main information department. At least that's what it looked like on the surface.

The Vipers of cryx travelled at night under the water surface of the flooded town. They only brought a few light warjacks with them, and walked their way through the doors of the main building.

They didn’t see anyone as they looked for a hidden door or lift, they found a door that read main office staff only and made their way down. Papers were floating everywhere as the water had knocked open cabinets days ago.

When they found their first corpse, the griffon looked like a swollen fruit that was ready to burst. The ghosts told them about the uniforms of the griffons who worked here, and this one wasn’t one of them. The cryx used the glow of their own furnaces to guide them, as they found one cabinet ajar from the wall.

It was a door hiding an elevator, they started up the two deathripper's that were modified. One with more powerful jaws, the other had a harpoon gun set in its jaws. Once they started up they were eager to move. They opened the doors and went down one by one, the light helljacks simply walked down the walls of the elevator shaft to reach the bottom.

They told both jacks to stop before they reached the bottom of the shaft, as everyone reached it. A unliving climbed through and opened the elevator doors, they saw an orichalcum door. They used hand gestures to single what they found, a necrotach signalled for the jacks to jump down once the unliving got out of the way.

The weight of both jacks crushed the elevator. As they looked at the door, the one with the powerful jaws bit into one side of the door! Pulling on it like a dog that won’t let go of a bone, it slowly managed to move it and too there surprised air rushed out and water rushed in.

The new deathrippers were the first to move in followed by the others once inside and passed the rushing water. They heard the screams of griffons who were still alive? The door was sealed enough to keep the water out, unless something opened it. A big flaw in design, the necrotech thought. As the iron lich that joined them was trying to close the large door behind them.

As the deathripper with the harpoon mouth started shooting at any living griffon it saw, while the other helljack ran after the rest. There weren't that many, about ten or twelve of them in all. An unliving saw a discarded wrapper of a mre floating on the water, looks like they were waiting to be rescued. Yet where were they getting their air from?

The deathripper only had around three harpoons but thanks to the magic runes they returned to the jack. However one harpoon did not as one griffon still had the spear like weapon in there back. The helljack was about to run the griffon down and simply step on them when the iron lich in their group spoke up.

“Wait, I want words with this one.”

While the others were being killed or taken prisoner before the jacks reached them, the unliving brought this wounded griffon over. The iron lich was the one with a dog skull for a head. The griffon was in pain yet why did the harpoon not return to the helljack? It was only after reaching down and moving the griffon shirt aside he saw they were wearing a orichalcum vest.

“Clever, my name is Voltear. That may stop magic but you can’t stop a spear of metal flying at you. Over a hundred psi, I’m sure you understand what I mean.”

The water was still flooding in, it only stopped once the difference in water and air pressure were roughly the same. They had to move to an upper level or risk their new prisoners drowning.

Voltear saw they were going into shock, he ordered them to remove the vest and spear. The vest was the first thing they took off. It wasn’t hard, the spear was the problem for now. A unliving grabbed it and with one pull, it was free! The griffon gasped in pain as his own life blood was pouring out of him, the lich cast a spell on the griffon and the pain was gone.

“Feel better?”

“Y-yes, what did you do?”

Asked the griffon, as he looked back at the monster that looked down at him. Voltear had no face to smile, but that's what the griffon thought the diamond dog was doing.

“I simply used a spell to block the pain, many members of my order know how. But I have a question, what are you doing down here? And how are you still alive?”

“This place was built to be a bunker, in the event the war went poorly. I won’t say more than that…”

Voltear knew of ways to get answers yet for now it was unneeded, as he saw a unliving wave him over. He dragged the griffon with him as he went into the next room. There were maps, and files in boxes. It looked like the griffons here took some effort to save the more valuable information. Voltear let the griffon go and looked though some of it.

“What is this? Hidden labs, secret plans for the war, the subjugation of other races? Oh my, your empire is very bold. Not every smart but bold.”

“You know nothing! With the doctor on our side we will win, with his invasions we will crush the other kingdoms and rule this world!”

Voltear stopped listening once the griffon started his rant, he was smart but seemed ignorant about the facts. One of the biggest ones standing right in front of him now. Voltear got annoyed and cancelled the spell, the griffon body suddenly went rigged and he fell over dead. The spell was the only thing keeping the griffon alive. He rubbed his chin and ordered them to take some of the files.

They were put in glass jars so the water didn’t ruin anymore of them, it was time for a change of place. He ordered for the rest of the griffons to be killed and to take their bodies with them. Even if ignorant, a brilliant mind is still useful to them. As they took the last corpse Voltear looked back and smiled to himself, as he opened the large door letting the room flood and destroy anything else useful.

It will be weeks or even longer before anyone could get down here and try to look for survivors. The vipers of cryx had new targets, and they were planning to hit every last one. But first, he had a new minion to build.

The last thing he remembered was dying, and falling into the dirty water. After that was nothing, yet he could still think? Why? He should be dead, shouldn’t he, yet if he could still think that means he's alive!

I’m…

Curse them all!

Don’t hurt me!

I was left shocked by the sudden intrusion of my mind, what was that? Who was that, where did the voices come from? Why can’t I see anything!

Who is there?

Please I didn’t do anything wrong.

Who are you! Why can’t I move!?

W-why can’t I feel anything?!

Calm down both of you, now what are your names?

My name? My… name… I can’t…Remember…

What is happening? Why can’t I remember my name!

Alright, alright calm down! I’ll tell you my name… It’s…

You can’t remember ever… Can you?

No, no I know my name. I know I know it, it just. It is just the blood loss that makes it hard for me to remember that all. I need to calm down, I need to get back and tell the others about the new threat and then I can. Suddenly I could see, it was dark and the soft glow of lights was all there was. I was underground, I could see the stone ceiling and floor.

I saw a number of undead walking around, cutting, drilling, attaching metal to other bodies. It was like I was in some mad workshop! Then one of the things walked over and looked at me. It blinked and then wrote something down on its clipboard.

“My lord, the overseer is awake.”

It said before walking away, I couldn’t think clearly as other thoughts started bleeding into my mind. Thoughts that were not my own. I didn’t have time to be a prisoner! I needed to get revenge on that captain who sent us all to die! I can’t be locked away again, I can’t take the pain, please just let me die!

Shut up, I can't think like this!

You shut up! You didn’t get to watch all your friends die to a metal monster with cannons for arms!

I just want to go home, I don’t want the doctor to cut me open again!

Wait, doctor. What doctor?

D-doctor I don’t remember his name but he wasn’t a griffon, he said he’d make us stronger. All he did was cut me open and put things inside! It hurt, I begged him to end the pain, but all he did was smile! I knew he didn’t care… At that moment I realised what we were… Guinea pigs. We were lab rats to him!

I think I know him, he was there on the day we were about to be sent off to die. He said, just send us ahead anyway. And his test batch will clean up the rest. He will pay! I won’t rest until he suffers for what he did!

I needed them to calm down, their anger and fear were not helping. As I felt some of it bleed into my own being.What was happening to me, to us? That when I saw him walk over, it was him. The monster I saw before I died, Voltear!

“Good, very good. You’re aware, yes? Attach their vocal systems. Let's see what they have to say.”

There was a mechanical click as he felt something and found his voice. He wanted to speak but the other two spoke up first.

“What did you do to us!”

“Are you going to use us like lab rats!”

“Calm down now, I need you to answer some questions first. Do you know who I am?”

“Voltear…”

“Good you remember me. I have turned you into an iron lich overseer.”

Voltear explained, I was shocked at what he had done. He has taken our three souls and stuck them in the same body, letting our souls mix together. I didn’t believe him/Why do I know things I didn’t before?/So that is what happened to your friends… I’m so sorry. What?! No. Nononono! What is happening to my mind!?

“We normally do this with souls that are compatible with each other, best friends, triplets, and families who work in the same field. I wasn’t sure how you’d turn out, Nuk.”

“Nuk?”

“What a Nuk?”

“Your name, it is best to remove the names of an overseer's past. We don’t normally, however we thought it best in this case. It makes it easier for the souls to mix together.”

“That is not my name!”

Voltear looked at one of the others and said something. I then felt my limbs for the first time, it was wrong. I could feel my new arms, all three of them and metal tentacles. I felt my form flout under my own power and looked at Voltear.

“Will I get revenge for what they did to us!”

“Will I make them feel the pain we felt.”

“No! I am loyal, we cannot betray die leucht!”

“They left us to die!”

“They toured us! We’ll never go back to them!”

“We, no! I… Am loyal!”

Voltear watched with interest, two of the souls were binding much faster. However one soul was resisting, if it kept resisting it would only drive itself mad while the other two grew stronger.

“I welcome you into the Vipers of cryx. Tell me will you pledge yourself to cryx? Will you join us in bringing down the ones who wronged you so?”

“Yes/Yes.”

“No! We are, I… I am! L-loyal…”

“We’re loyal to Cryx, to the Vipers of Cryx. And we will be, Die Leucht end.”

My mind was splitting, as memories not my own flood my mind as I lose some of my own. I had to hold on, to something so that I can still warn everyone about this new threat! I am loyal to/Cryx. No! I am loyal to/Volter. No! I am/Nuk. I am Loyal, I work for… What is happening? Why can’t I remember!? I am loyal, I am loyal! I am Loyal! We are/loyal to!/Voltear and the Vipers of Cryx.

I wanted to scream, but couldn’t as this new being that was made of the other two was growing stronger. It then started taking parts of our mind, pulling away anything it deemed useful. All my mind could do was scream in fear, as we became smaller, lesser. Soon fear started to fade, before… Before… We’re born, we’re Nuk, we will have our revenge.

Maxves had found some leads, but most of them led to dead ends. Yet he was putting together what had been happening. He talked to anyone who was willing to talk, friends, family, co-workers, locals in pubs. It wasn’t easy, Maxves almost used up every favour he ever had to find something useful.

These griffons were criminals, gang members or corrupt officers. Yet the leaders and their important members of their groups would go missing. Ever before or after the local enforcers try to bring them in. The problem was there wasn’t any useful information about where they are now.

Too many rumours and not enough evidence to say where they are or if they were working for anyone else. He managed to trace some of the money, but it only ended up back to other gangs who were wiped out before. And all their stolen gains went missing, after a convoy was attacked. Close to 80 years ago.

“There must be a pattern, gang leaders don’t just go missing. Without some griffon trying to replace them.”

Maxves sat down and started smoking again, his already gone through three packs in this week alone. He scratches his neck looking at the files and the info he has gathered. Whoever is behind this, they’re keeping a low profile. He thinks to himself as Chilly bursts in and looks panicked.

“Sir it that griffon, his back!”

“What? The lieutenant? I’m not even finished my investigation yet?”

“I don’t know why he is here, he just showed up and ordered for you to see him.”

This was just what he needed, it only a year and his only started a few weeks ago, because of work. Maxves hadn't even laid down the groundwork yet. Still he couldn’t keep Dreed waiting.

“Alright I need you to go downtown and ask what happened to the gang that went missing 15 years ago. They were called the broken talons, find out what you can and get back to me once you're done.”

“Wait, downtown? The dock by the river? You know there aren’t many enforcers down there right?”

“It will be easy, don’t ask who you think killed them. Just ask around what happened to them, just be respectful. Ask what they think, not who did it understand?”

Chilly nodded quickly with a worried look on his face as Maxves walked out, Maxves walked down the stairs and saw Dreed with two soldiers with him. Maxves walked over and stood in front of Dreed.

“Lieutenant Dreed, I’m still investigating the missing griffons. I know it's only been a year, however I’ll need more time to-.”

“That is not why I’m here, I need you for a different matter. Come with me.”

Maxves followed Dreed out, not much he could do about it. And going by the fact the commissioner wasn’t yelling up a storm he has been informed about this. Maxves got in the car with Dreed, as the soldiers got in the front and started driving.

“Tell me, you know about Goldenclaw valley?”

“Yeah? Heard it got flooded a few weeks ago. Everything was destroyed, homes, banks, shops.”

“One of our information facilities was hit there. I want you to come with me to look over the site. See if we’ve missed anything, this site is top secret so you will not tell any griffon about this site or what is inside.”

“Wait, we’re going to goldenclaw valley? Sir with respect, that's months of travel by car.”

“We won’t be taking the car, we can be there in three days by train.”

Maxves was surprised by this, he wasn’t expecting that also how could he help? Not only that he had to keep his beck shut about anything he finds, including about this top secret location.

Three days later, Maxves saw the damage for himself. Some houses were washed away, while others collapsed in on themselves. Maxves saw families picking at what was left of their homes trying to find anything that was important to them.

Dreed walked on, as Maxves followed. They walked into the main part of town and he saw the ruined shops and places for business. That is when Dreed walked into a building with a large number of soldiers standing around and outside it. The strange part was there was a huge machine that was pumping water out of the building. Maxves followed right behind him as they entered the building.

They were both patted down before being allowed to go on inside, Maxves saw the damage to the inside of the building. They walked down a flit of stairs before reaching a scaffold of ladders, and down they went through an elevator shaft.

Maxves had no idea how deep it went, once they reached the bottom. He saw a lot of griffons in uniform walking around. And carefully trying to recover the wet papers that were stuck to everything. Whatever was written on them was probably ruined by now.

“Lieutenant Dreed! What do you think you’re doing! You can’t bring a civilian down here, especially one of them!”

A soldier with the same uniform as Dreed stormed over. They looked to be the same rank, Maxves was looking at the room, anything important was most likely already removed. He didn't think Dreed would have brought him down here anyway, if there was something important still here. Maxves could see the water line where the water stopped before flooding the whole room.

Wait, if the room was flooded why is there a clear watermark from where the water settles. That meant this room was somewhat sealed, before the room flooded. So why did the room fully flood?

“It is fine, he is under my supervision. All classified files and materials have been removed. Or were destroyed during the flood?”

“That is not the point! You will not get in my way and-!”

“Hay!”

Maxves called out standing in front of the wall and looking at the water line. He stared at the dirty wall as he tried not to step on any still wet paper.

“How long could the griffons live down here for?”

“A year, but we never thought the town would be flooded so we never accounted for that. So a few weeks, if the supplies aren’t ruined. The door was made to keep magic users out, not water.”

Maxves walked around soldiers as he made his way to the door, he was carefully looking it over looking for anything amiss.

“What is the theory about how this room flooded?”

Dreed looked to the other griffon who looked back at him in anger then had a thought and a smug look on his face. Dreed could tell the other lieutenant was going to try and find a way to use this agent him.

“The ventilation shaft, water lines show water started coming in from there and flooded the room. Killing everyone before the others escaped.”

“Doesn't fit, the water line on the wall shows where the water stopped. Best guess the vent collapsed from all the derbies and mud from the flooding. Also, how many griffons were down here? And how many did we find?”

“On record 23. Nine of them are unaccounted for…”

Dreed answered not missing a beat as he watched Maxves work. Before the other griffon could speak up Maxves asked a question that made everyone look at him.

“How far is it from the surface? I don’t mean from the elevator shaft, I mean from this room to outside. Above the water level, don’t need to give me numbers, just tell me would they survive?.”

Everyone looked at each other, as they did the maths. It would be hard enough to open the door, someone would have to wait until the room was almost flooded before trying to get out. The most a griffon could hold their breath for was 42 seconds, water wasn’t a griffon best friend.

Throw in things like their feathers being heavy with water, and how far it was from the surface without any kind of light to guide them. It was unlikely the griffons got out alive.

“They wouldn’t have made it out, they would have drowned before leaving the elevator shaft.”

Said a random soldier talking out loud, Maxves thought as much as he found what he was looking for.

“Did any griffon notice these teeth marks?”

“What?!”

Both lieutenants walked over and saw what he was talking about. One of them moved a lantern over and saw clearly teeth marks on the metal. They were big, yet they had no idea what kind of animal could have done this.

“I also noticed this, the seal around the door was pulled out from the room. Meaning something outside opened the door.”

Maxves stepped away as he went back inside looking over the whole room. Using his mind to rebuild what the room once looked like. It wasn’t perfect, however it was enough for him to get a picture about what happened here.

“My guess is only around, 17 were originally here in this room at any one time, somewhere between 15 of them were trapped down here. Some griffon panicked, tried to get out and was hit in the back of the head. That didn’t kill him, them landing on the corner of that table did. Crack their skull.”

“Then they agreed to wait it out, they had enough food and water down here to wait for help. What they worried about was air. Going by the water line on the wall they were waiting down here for, 15 days into the flood. Around the 17th day, is when the door was forced open and flooded the room. Without more information that's all I got. We’ll need the missing bodies to find out more, if whatever did this didn’t eat them.”

Maxves told them and everyone was staring at him, Dreed thought about it. That was one theory, It was better then they all went crazy and tried to get out and died.

“Dreed, take your friend and leave before I call the MP’s, and have you both locked up until the war is won!”

Dreed just nods and waves for Maxves to follow. They left the building and stopped at the train station for the trip home. Dreed watched as Maxves lit a cigarette and started smoking. The lieutenant then asked something.

“There is something else, isn't there. You have another theory. Other than some kind of new monster came here and ate them?”

Maxves blew out the smoke and looked up at the sky, he rolled the cigarette in his claws looking down the train tracks.

“My other theory depends on my next question. Was there anything in the way to that room?”

“No… In fact, the reports say the way down was already cleared. As if some griffon else cleared the halls to get down there.”

“My other theory is we’re dealing with something new and unknown to us. At first I thought sea ponies but the lake is locked off from the sea. Nowhere for them to go or to get here in the first place. Whatever we’re dealing with, got what it wanted and left. It didn’t need the files when it could just grab the griffons who saw what was on them every day.”

“Are you saying our officers were kidnapped?”

“I don’t know, I don’t have enough information to work with. Anything else would be guesswork at best...”

Maxves replied, taking another drag of his cigarette. He could see the train now as he blew out another puff of smoke.

“I'll see if I find anything else. If I do, I’ll send it your way.”

“Why?”

“Because I believe, sometimes the best griffon for the job. Is the one who never gets any credit.”

“By the way, what happened to the elevator?”

“We think the flood water crushed it, it was the first thing we removed.”

Said Dreed, as the train stops Maxves get on but Dreed stay behind saying he had more to look into. And for Maxves to get some sleep, Maxves took a seat and closed his eyes. His mind is a maze of information. Trying to work out this puzzle. Missing gang members, information officers bodies going missing.

Unknown force that could be hiding in the shadows. He needed more information, the only way he was going to get it. Was if he let himself fall into the abyss and look for himself. Everything he worked for, his job, even his standing would be at risk. Should he risk it just to know the truth?

Two years later.

A transport train was in the middle of its 9 hour journey, the soldiers inside had already spent six hours in the train cars. Many were talking and chatting about going to the front, the recruits were the most eager to prove their worth. The older ones had a more grim outlook about the war.

The strange part was a new unit that was assigned to them, they were called legion company. Strange name for 30 soldiers, they didn’t even make up a third of the full force that was going to support the front. They weren’t even that big, about two hundred bodies and four train cars of supplies in total.

They were all being sent to a muster point, there should be over three thousand griffons in total once they get there. Before moving on to the battle.

“Your turn.”

Said one of the squad mates who was playing cards, they were using a supply box as a table. As they sat on their bags of gear as makeshift chairs. There wasn’t a lot of room in the cars, they could pack 40 bodies in each one. There was hardly any room to lay down, and the bathroom was a small room with a set and a hole in the floor.

“What do you beat? Will we fight ponies or yaks first?”

“My beat minotaur's, they know how to fight smart. If you let them, yaks are dumb but can take a few hits.”

“No, no no. The ponies are the smart ones, but are cowards. They make the dumb ones fight for them.”

“I heard some ponies are fighting at the front though?”

“Like I said, they make the dumb one fight. The ones who know magic know they can’t stop us!”

They laughed, as they played while their captain heard it all. He looked out a gap in the wall and saw the sun was setting, he looked at his watch and saw it was time to check in with the lieutenant. He got up and stretched his back before walking past the game.

“Going to report to the cry baby captain?”

Asked one of his troops, the captain smiled back and told them. He could report them if they weren’t careful about that kind of talk. They laughed and nodded their heads. He grins and walks into the next few train cars. The captain gives a friendly greeting to his fellow captains as he walks through to the car that had the lieutenant staying in.

The lieutenant was newly ranked and had a lot to prove. The problem was he tends to throw a tantrum when things don’t go to plan or something is delayed. It was a problem, the lieutenant was already getting a reputation for being a winy, stuck up, loud mouthed, peacock.

It was not flattering at all, if he was honest with himself. But as long as the captains kept their griffons in line, and made sure they didn’t say anything out loud. They should be able to move on to the front and earn their pay.

“Good you’re here Captain Brimstone, how are the troops?”

“Good sir, they’re in high spirits.”

“Good, good… Tell me, have you met the new unit that is joining us today?”

“The New legion unit sir? I haven’t spoken to any of them yet sir. I saw their captain earlier today but he said nothing. Why is something wrong?”

The Lieutenant looked uneasy, as he picked up a bottle and started drinking straight from it. Brimstone looked alarmed as the Lieutenant had downed more than half of it. They gasped for air before saying more.

“I don’t trust them, they don’t talk. They don’t relax, they don’t even make jokes. The insane thing is, I don’t think they sleep! They creep me out, I can’t stand being in the same room as them! Their captain is the worst of all, he finds faults with everything with every unit! He somehow expects every griffon to be perfect, yes that is the dream but even I know that is impossible!”

Brimstone tried to calm him down, as the train suddenly stopped. The lieutenant almost fell over as he dropped the bottle to save himself, however the liquor was lost. Brimstone first made sure the lieutenant was alright, before opening a window to look outside to see what was happening.

Rain clouds were coming in as he saw the train wasn’t moving. Before the lieutenant could say anything. Brimstone said he’ll find out why they stopped and report back. He steps out and flies to the front of the train. Once in the sky he saw why they stopped, the tracks were damaged. He lands next to the train as the train driver steps out to have a look too.

“What happened here?”

“You guess is as good as mine, the track all busted up that what!”

Brimstone ignored the train driver and walked up the tracks, the tracks looked twisted and bent out of shape. One side of the track was twisted up and snapped from the metal. It looked very strange, he couldn’t think what could have happened. Maybe a troll got so hungry it tried to eat the train track?

“What's going on here, why have we stopped!?”

Yelled the lieutenant, as Brimstone gave his best. I am following your orders and will go with you till the day I die face on. Before reporting.

“Sir the track is damaged, we don’t have the means to repair it. We will need to go back and take another train sir.”

“You can’t be serious! We’ve spent six hours getting here! We can’t turn back now, can’t we fly the rest of the way?”

“Sir, I don’t know how to tell you this. If we were going by truck or car, it would take two or three weeks to drive to the meeting point. To try and fly will take even longer, we also have the supplies and equipment that needs to go there too and-.”

“Yes, yes! I understand! It will take even longer then going back, fuck!”

Brimstone made his way back to his team, he saw how low the sun was on the way. The soldiers were now turning on the lanterns in and on the train cars as it was starting to get darker.

Brimstone went inside and saw the griffons look at him, he told them it was nothing to worry about. The track was out and they had to go back, every one complained as the only thing they’ve had to eat for the past few hours was bread and canned cold meat. Brimstone was never sure what they put in the tins, but half the time he was sure it wasn’t cow or chicken. Meat was never meant to be yellow.

The train had to move more slowly going backwards, meaning it would take longer to get back. And the griffons were going to have restless nights ever staying in the train cars. Or staying up all night waiting for the next train.

It was about half an hour into the journey and every griffon was settling to sleep for the trip back. Brimstone heard there would be look outs, then there was a shudder and got up. The train was picking up speed. That wasn’t right, he quickly woke every griffon up.

“I want two of you to check the last car in the back, make sure the look outs are alright. You two come with me, we’re going to the train to find out what's going on!”

Brimstone hurried as he walked though the train, his first worry was when he didn’t find the lieutenant in the logistic car and moved on past it. He passed several more, as the other captains had woken up their own griffons. However one captain and a few of his griffons were missing. The train was picking up more speed!

By the time he reached the train cabin, Brimstone was shocked by what he found. Two soldiers were holding the train driver and his assistant while the captain of these griffons and the lieutenant looked smug.

“What are you doing! Do you have any idea how dangerous this is! You could derail this whole train!”

“Captain, I am not going to spend the night in this train, I am taking us back quickly. And I am going to find a nice hotel to sleep in. Then we will worry about getting another train to the muster point! I will not be made a fool of because of some idiot! Didn’t bother to find out the track was broken!”

This went on for about ten minutes when one of Brimstone griffons, pulled on his arm to look at the last car. There was a bend in the track and they could see them, they were waving their lights.

“Something wrong, stop the train!”

“Oh I don’t think so I am not stopping this train for any-.”

Suddenly it was as if the world stopped, as the last train-car suddenly flew into the air. Then the next one, then two of the supply cars were next. Both Brimstone and the other captain rushed for the controls, even the train driver was yelling and the soldiers who were stopping them acted to help them. They all grabbed the brake and pulled.

The horrible screeching sound was all any griffon could hear. Brimstone looked back, as he saw griffons try to fly out. Only to be pulled back by the speed of the train, making them slam into it and hit the ground or roll under the train-cars. Brimstone looked up as he saw more than half the train-cars were already in the air at this point and more were about to join them.

“Hold on!”

Brimstone yelled, as every griffon grabbed a hold of something solid. The lieutenant looked on mouth agape at the chaos that he had made with his own claws. He looked back at Brimstone with a look of dread.

“I’m… Sorry…”

The last thing Brimstone saw was the train in the air spinning. The lieutenant was gone and he lost his grip. He felt pain as one of his wings hit something hard, the last thing saw was the ground then. Darkness.

Brimstone jerked awake gasping for air and in pain. He looked around and saw a number of wounded griffons in a half smashed train car. Some were crying in pain, while others were moaning for help. He also heard rain.

Brimstone pushed himself up and walked out, he couldn’t believe what he saw. There were a number of fires and destroyed train cars, the train itself was on fire and the front end was buried in the dirt. It was raining hard, not a good night.

“Captain!?”

Brimstone saw one of his troops as they ran over to him. They were thanking the sky god that he was okay, Brimstone was still confused about what happened. And winced at the pain in his wing, and found it was tied up to stop him from damaging it more.

“Slow down, slow down! Now tell me what happened, is every griffon alright?”

“No, no sir. Most of us were lucky, one of our guys tried to fly out the door when the train-car hit something. Next thing I know, we’re spinning in the air before the car rolls. Most of us got away with a few bruises, but three others went missing. By the time we got out… It was like this. You were out for an hour sir.”

Brimstone looked at the carnage of it all, this wasn’t even a battlefield it was an accident. The error of that lieutenant stupid.

“Wait, where is the lieutenant?”

“Sorry to say this sir but, his back is broken. If we can’t get him out of here soon…”

Brimstone ordered for him to show him. They made their way to a gathering of griffons, who were collecting the supply's that didn’t get destroyed in the train wreck. The other captains who survived were giving out orders, while a medic tried to treat the lieutenant. Brimstone saw the lieutenant had a far off look in his eyes, it didn’t look like he would last much longer. So he fell back on his training and spoke up.

“Gentlegriffons. What’s our plan?”

“Holy shit, Brimstone up and about. About time!”

“We’ve lost more than a hundred griffons. Wounded or dead, the rest are gathering what is left of our gear. Hopefully they will find out we’re missing and send help, in a few days. A week…”

“You can’t be serious can you? I just woke up in a damaged train car full of wounded soldiers who need help now! We can’t just ignore them!”

“No griffon is saying that, besides we have another problem.”

Brimstone looked confused when he saw where they were looking, he turned too and saw the 14 survivors of the legion unit. Their captain was giving them orders like nothing happened, he turned back to the others as they explained.

“They want to push on and meet up at the muster point. And take every able body with them.”

“You’re joking. We can’t drag the wounded with us, they won’t last a week let alone-.”

“You misunderstand, they said they want to take every ‘able’ body. Not the wounded.”

“They can’t do that, they don’t have the authority. They’re only a single captain with the same rank as us, they can’t… What is it?”

The captains looked to each other with grim looks, as one of them held out a letter. Brimstone takes it and reads what is on it, in the event the lieutenant was ever killed or is not able to command, captain Cross of the legion unit will be promoted and take command of all units to reach the muster point on time.

“This is insane, they’re a new unit. They don’t even have any experience at command of such a large number of griffons. Surely this is a fake?”

“It has the command seal on it, along with high commander Cromwell and commander Frostclaw. Claw writing, We have to follow their orders.”

“What about the other captains?”

“Dead.”

Brimstone could not believe this, had command lost their minds. There was no way they could get whoever left to the muster point in the next four hours, it can’t be done. Besides that the army would only be staying there for a few days, enough time to feed the troops before moving on. They were lucky if any griffon went looking for them. That was when the newly promoted lieutenant Cross walked over to them.

“Good, another captain survived. We’ll need you to start gathering the troops and sign them tasks to start carrying equipment with us to the muster point.”

“Sir with respect… look around, do you really think we can make it in this state?”

Asked one of the other captains, as Cross stared back at him. It was unnerving at how Cross stared back at them, even the proud tiger-hark captain backed down from this griffon. As far as Brimstone was concerned that wasn’t a good sign.

“You have been given your orders, ever follow them or I will find some griffon who will.”

Brimstone looked to the others, as they too had grim looks on their becks. He took one last look at the griffon who was on the ground, their late lieutenant as the medic covered their face and got up to try and help another griffon. Brimstone nodded, he didn’t like it but there should be some time.

“Understood, can we at lest gather the dead? They don’t deserve to be left out here for the scavengers to pick for weeks at a time.”

“Very well, make it quick. You have your orders, ready our supply's for transport and put the bodies where you think they will be safe from carrion feeders.”

“We can use one of the train cars that is still intact, somewhat. At least the crows and rats shouldn’t get to them.”

Cross turned away, as the captains were left to send out their orders. Brimstone went with his griffons to try and find the rest of his missing squad mates. They started dragging dead griffons into a train car one after another, most of them he knew. And others he saw talking to their captains, the train-car could fit 60 bodies if you started piling them on top of each other.

Once it was full they started on the next one, it was a grim task and crushed the griffons morale. Brimstone started to hear a commotion as he walked over to a group of soldiers, they were arguing and some looked terrified.

“What is going on here? Get back to work!”

“Sir there gone!”

“Gone? What's gone.”

“The bodies!? I saw three of them right here, I was going to ask my friends to help me move them and now they’re gone!”

Brimstone looked at where the bodies once lay, there was blood from the bodies. Yet it looked like something dragged them off. He took a soldier lantern and held it up, offering little help in the pouring rain. It didn’t help that they were surrounded by forests on every side of the track.

“Captain!”

Called out one of Brimstone griffons and they were waving to him, he told them to report this to the others and get back to work. Once he got there, in the centre of how this all started, they were pointing at the track that was bent. It looked like something grabbed the track and pulled it up.

“What is it? Found something?”

“Sir, look at this.”

They said and parted some long grass and they found a large footprint. It was large and sunk into the earth. Whatever it was, was heavy, yet something about it was off. His griffons had worried looks.

“Sir, I think we’re dealing with a rogue dragon. You know they don’t listen to anybody. Not even the dragon lord, if one of those monsters is around here.”

“Then we’ll kill it.”

Brimstone said coldly as he went back to tell the others. On the way he heard a scream! He stopped what he was doing and started calling out, one soldier called out to where the wounded were being kept. They rushed over with lanterns and touches as they found one of the wounded was awake and pointing. They saw five wounded were missing and a trail of blood.

“What is going on, what happened!?”

“We’ve got something taking our wounded and dead.”

They had a meeting, Cross didn’t want any delays and said to leave the dead and wounded for whatever was carrying them off. However Brimstone and the others told him, if Cross wanted to get to the muster point, he was going alone. Unless they dealt with this beast. As much as Cross own unit would follow his orders, he was not sure about the rest who were watching and some griffons had their weapons at the ready.

Cross at last agreed they would slay the beast, they started moving things to get ready to ambush the dragon. While a group of soldiers were stacking boxes, they saw something. It looked like a hooded griffon stepped out of the woods and was walking over to one of the dead.

“Hay, hay you! Identify yourself!”

The soldier called out, as the hooded griffon simply grabbed the dead body by its leg and started dragging it back into the woods like a child's toy. The soldier kept shouting as their captain heard what happened. They sent out a hunting party to go after the hooded griffon, now they have a bandit who was grave robbing. Just what they needed.

Ten-lin was working on his new batch of undead, he may have been a changeling in life but under cryx he had a new master. The plan was two fold, one group would destroy the tracks up ahead, it would be an hour away by the train speed.

His job was to simply have the Slayer helljack tear up the track once they were out of sight. It was a bountiful harvest, so many bodies and so much to work with. He was also assigned Nuk, who was very useful. As he was a big help managing the large number of helljacks in their group.

“They’re coming.”

Spoke up Nuk, the Iron lich overseer. As it three skull like heads started talking in turns.

“Many of them, two squads of 12. Maybe more?”

“I cannot wait to sink my blades into them! Make them feel such pain.”

“Loyal… Loyal… t-to… Y-you. Orders?”

Ten-lin was fascinated by Volter work, yet that didn’t matter for now. As he waved a claw the helldivers spring into action, following after a necrotech with his horde of mechanithralls. They would make light work of the search party. However just to be safe, he sent out his pistol wraith after them.

“Do not let them get away, they may have weapons that can harm us. As well as you, do your best not to be destroyed.”

The ghostly griffon said nothing and faded away, Ten-Lin looked back at the dead griffon he was working on. He then looked to the next line of mechanithralls that were waiting, then at the wounded griffons that were brought to him. There was always room for improvement.

The soldiers were following the trail of blood, the thing that worried them was the fact there was so much blood. It only meant that all the bodies were dragged down this same path. They haven’t found the thief yet, but there was still talk about a dragon being out here.

It didn’t matter, with their weapons they were sure to deal with whatever came their way. There was a snap, as they all stopped rifles up pointing into the darkness of the woods. Their own lanterns doing nothing to reveal their foe.

“There, see that?”

One of them spoke up as they saw the hooded griffon laying in the mud face down. But the body they were dragging wasn’t there. They carefully move in, watching out for ambushes. They got closer and started to smell something horrible. Like rotting meat, or someone tried to cook with old fish.

Once they were close enough, they pulled the hood back and gasped in horror. It was a griffon, or once used to be. Its lower jaw was missing, it had one milky eye and for the other was a metal tube with a glass lens over the end.

It had a number of tubes going under its skin, they then found its arm had been replaced with a large metal fist. They were trying to report what they found, lucky for them the short range radios were not destroyed in the crash. But the rain was interfering with the signal.

One griffon bent down to get a better look, then the milky eye turned to look back at him. It suddenly springs to life, swinging its iron fist out hitting two of them and reaching out to grab another by the throat!

They shot at it, but it only seemed to slow it down not stop it. Until one griffon used his axe and chopped it head off. It was a bit of trouble. As the monster had a bit of metal in the way that made up it spine. In the end they managed to behead it! One griffon got a broken beck out of it, the other shoulder was dislocated.

“What was that thing!?”

“Must be some kind of undead?”

“You’re kidding right? I thought making such a thing was outlawed?”

They heard a scream, as they all took cover and took aim into the woods. Whatever it was they had the numbers to deal with it, that when they saw the glowing eyes. And things started walking out one by one. They were trained to fight the living, they were not trained to deal with the horrors of the undead.

The mechaithralls swarmed forward, as the soldiers returned fire! They brought down a few but the undead had no sense of fear. Why would they? The undead monsters had no such thing to stop their push, they had no need for food and never needed rest.

“Pull back, covering fire!”

They started to pull back, just then one soldier felt the dirt under his paw move. The griffon looked down as the ground under him exploded! And out came a machine, its boney jaw was lined with blade-like tusks. Its front legs were bladed claws, the griffon cried out in pain as he was stabbed in the leg once on the ground. It mercilessly ran its blades into the griffon chest armour.

The griffon couldn’t call out for help as each blow knocked the wind from his lungs, then a spike of pain in his chest! As one blade punched through the armour, the metal monster brought one blade up ready to go for his head!

Machine gun fire peppered the thing, as it eyeless head turned to the new attacker. It hissed and dived into the wet earth before digging down through the mud and it was gone. Two griffons quickly help their wounded squad mate, shooting back at the monsters running them down.

Brimstone watched the forest as he heard gun fire, as much as he wanted to send more griffons in. They didn’t know what was going on, all they could do was wait. Things were more organised now, griffons were trying to make meals. And set up barricades, not much you could do with wooden crates. But it was better than nothing.

More gun fire, Brimstone was getting worried as the radio that was found in the supplies. Kept cutting out in the middle of soldiers yelling over the other end of the radio. The few bits they did hear clearly were. Made contact, monsters, killing. Anything else was hard to make out.

Brimstone made sure there was a firing line of griffons ready to attack anything that came out of the forest. The shooting was getting closer now, they could see the flash of light from their guns.

“Get ready! Make sure not to hit our own griffons!”

The first group they saw had lost a few in their number, and once they were safely in the campsite. Some started throwing up where they stood, others threw their helmets away having panic attacks. The veterans did their best to tell Brimstone what they saw.

Then another much smaller group fell out of the woods, there were only five of them and two of them were clearly wounded. He saw one had his wing missing! While the other had a clear hole in their armour.

“What happened!”

Brimstone demanded, while the medics saw to the wounded. He heard word of undead wrapped in metal, with iron fists and claws. Tearing into them with metal monsters, they could still kill them but there were too many. Brimstone then heard yelling from the woods. He saw a single griffon covered in blood yelling for help.

Before they reached the edge of the tree line, something big grabbed the griffon leg. The soldier cried out in pain and fear. As Brimstone saw the metal monster biting down on the griffon leg and started dragging them back into the woods. Brimstone ordered everyone to stay where they are! He didn’t know what he was dealing with, more importantly he was two squads short of the search party.

The griffon held onto a tree screaming and begging for help! As Brimstone watched, then a single gunshot was heard. The griffon was shot in the head, as he went limp being dragged away into the woods. Brimstone turned and saw Lieutenant Cross who had taken one of the soldier's rifles and used it to kill one of their own.

“Captain, I will need you to ready the troops. It seems we have a… Change of plans.”

The helldiver was dragging the body behind it and dropped it in front of the necrotech, the once griffon looked down at the soldier and rolled them over. They were shot in the head, annoying as it were, the griffon could be turned into another thrall. They haven’t modified all the bodies yet, the other three helldivers geather around him.

As he looked back and saw the camp, and the lights they were setting up. The necrotech scratch at a tube in it neck, as the rest gathered behind him. One mechaithrall walked up with its arm hanging limp from a dagger in its shoulder.

He pulled it out and the thrall could move its arm again. The necrotech hissed at the blade, as he ordered another to take the blade back to Ten-lin. That is when he saw the ghost appearing next to him with its arms crossed.

“Funny isn’t it? We used to be just like them, not knowing what was really happening. The crimes we carried out under orders. Our new lord may have given us a second chance but… Our souls are already condemned aren’t they, even if we somehow make up for it, for everything we’ve done. We’re still doomed, why fight it?”

The necrotech said out loud to himself. The pistol wraith looked at him then back to the living, who were still getting ready for an attack.

“Because, we want to be redeemed. Even if it is futile, it will give us a small part of our soul back. Isn’t that worth fighting for?”

The necrotech stared at the ghost, not expecting them to answer his question. He nods and picks up the body and drags it away, as his horde follows him. It was time to get the others and plan their next attack.

The rain wasn’t letting up at all, as everygriffon was cold from the rain. Yet the thing keeping them focused was their fear. They haven’t rested in two hours, yet they would see shapes in the dark, at the edge of the wood.

They didn’t know what was there waiting, they had to not waste a single bullet. Even if they had enough to waste them. They had a few weapons that would make these monsters think twice about attacking them.

“Our new plan is to hold those things off and wait for help. It is unclear if they’re in large numbers of just a small group. Going by our losses, it will be risky trying to leave. So we will hold them off here.”

Brimstone watched Cross lay out his plan, it wasn’t a bad plan yet they had to protect the wounded. While holding off these monsters. He was worried, these things could have kept attacking following them out of the woods. Yet they didn’t, that meant something was controlling these monsters.

“I believe they have a limited force. If they truly had the numbers to swarm us they would have done it already.”

Spoke up Brimstone, crossing his arms. As soldiers were still trying to clear the dead, keeping as far away from the edge of the woods as they could. Yet this was a temporary plan, as far as he saw it. After hearing word the metal monsters could dig underground and burst out of it. They could be digging under there very paws now and no griffon would know it.

“Contact!”

Brimstone moved as did the other three captains, going to command their troops and hold their makeshift defence. Once he got there, his griffons were ready to fight anything that came out of the woods. First they saw the lights, as something was glowing. Then came the shapes with glowing eyes.

That when he saw his first mechaithrall, it stepped out to the very edge of the forest. Its hollow eyes seemed to burn with hate. His only ever seen in the most fanatic of griffons. Yet these monsters waited, one after another looking out at them. They had no feathers, all griffons could see was their pail skin. And the stitching where organs had once been were removed.

Metal replaced paws and talons, pipes snaked in and out of their bodies. Some didn’t even have their lower beck, or their eyes anymore. It was like some kind of nightmare industry line of horrors had been sent out to end them.

It got worse as he saw a bloated griffon held up by four short stubby metal legs. Like some fat tick, its ribs were exposed. As it held up a staff that had a drill on the end of it and a clamp, that would not look out of place in a factory. While tubes went in and out of it body, there was a large one in its neck. It wore a hood and had goggles over its eyes. There were no words, no shouting for them to surrender, no boat or demands. It simply pointed a metal talon at them, and the horde roared as one surging forward!

Captain Corevid was yelling orders left and right, as his troops fired on the horde of monsters heading for them. Some went down in the first shot, others used their iron fists to block the shots going for their heads!

However the true fight came when they reached them! The undead monsters would snap bone, or slash out with claws. Three fell on one griffon and simply pulled them apart! This was a nightmare, this wasn’t a battle. It was butchery! Violence in its most raw form, Corevid shot a monster in its head and it went down.

“Just how many of these things are there?!”

He yelled to take out his frustrations. Normally he would belittle his troops to make himself feel better, right now he needed every last one of them to live through this! Corevid lost his footing as the ground under his feet shifted, and exploded as a 8 foot tall metal beast threw itself out and attacked the first griffon it saw. Before running off into the rest of the camp!

The wounded griffon had a broken leg and a hole in his arm. Yet he couldn’t do anything about it now, Corevid had to maintain the line here. Any breach could mean death for them all! Lieutenant Cross was using his own troops as a kill team, going after anything that got past them.

There was shouting and a scream, as he imagined another metal beast burst out of the ground. As it attacked another griffon somewhere, going by the screams there must be a few of them running around. He saw one dragging a griffon behind it by their wing, as a number of griffons were trying to shoot the beast.

The fighting had already turned into a melee, as griffons tried to fight off the undead monsters. Using their orichalcum weapons that did have an effect, it drained whatever magic was used to keep the undead alive. He ran his own sword though one, as it was quickly being drained of the magics used to animate it. Before cutting it head off!

Captain Corevid had lost track of time, as an explosion go off, that sounded like one of the rocket tubes. That was in the supplies, Cross must have ordered some griffon to use it. Then the monsters started to pull back, they won? They had won! His brief moment of hope was shut out as two metal monsters ran though his unit, before diving back underground!

He saw one limping back to the woods, after losing its back legs. How could it still move? He thought as the undead that could still move left their dead behind. Every griffon cheered! They had won! He thought with a smile, that smile quickly faded as he looked at the dead and wounded griffons around the camp.

He told his troops to keep a look out and half of them to help the wounded. As he was doing that he saw Brimstone rushing over.

“I need you to come with me, now!”

Brimstone was a griffon of his word, not a rare thing but not common ever. Corevid followed as they went to the train-car that held their wounded from the crash. Only to find they were all missing!

“What happened! Where is everyone!?”

“I don’t know! We need to report this to everyone else first before we make our next move.”

Brimstone said, just then another captain found them and said Cross wanted everyone to see something. They followed the captain as they met with Cross and what he was looking at. It was a blast crater, not a very big one, as they saw one of the metal beasts damaged sparking and still moving! With half of it metal guts hanging out.

“There were two of them, one saw us before my troops could fire the rocket. The other one had borrowed underground. This one wasn’t as lucky, find out how it works and how to kill it.”

Before Cross left, Brimstone told him about the missing wounded. Corevid stared at the thing, as three of it legs were no longer working and it still had a mouth to bite with. The captains looked to each other as they tried to work out the best way to dispatch it.

The necrotech had lost one of the helldivers and one was damaged, Yet they fulfilled their task. The wounded griffons were taken in the middle of the chaos, it wasn’t hard. They were so forced on what was in front of them and the danger, they didn’t think about the danger they couldn’t see.

Some of the griffons were already dead, others were begging for their lives to be spared. He looked down at one that was being dragged along by one of his thralls. He lost a good number of them, but they could always make more. Then Nuk appeared in front of him as it looked to the damaged helldiver dragging itself along.

“This did not go to plan?” “Yet you managed to gain much in this attack.” “They-y… L-live?”

He nodded his head, as the sounds of heavy helljacks walked towards him. Ten-Lin walked over as the helljacks followed behind. The Slayer was covered in plates of armour, this one had a large blade like horn instead of tusks like all the rest. It also carried a shield and axe in its claws.

The second one was a Reaper, that looked like it was modified. Its left claw hand had a twin tube like device attached to it. With a pilot light attached to the end of each tube. The necrotech knew it was a flamthrower.

He then saw what the iron lich had been doing with the first group of wounded. New machaithrall, these once didn’t seem like they were made for combat. As he noticed the large bloated gut of each undead. Ten-Lin had an odd habit of tinkering with the undead, it took both Grimscythe and Volter to get him back on task. Without one of them around he was free to invent as much as he wanted.

“So much new material. Oh the things I can make with them, they’re young? Interesting, maybe I can try making that!”

Ten-Lin was very animated as he crawled over and looked at the griffons like a prized meal. Waiting to enjoy every mouthful. There was a gunshot and the necrotech grunted in pain as he was shot in the back! He turned back and saw one wounded griffon still had their pistol. Ten-Lin didn’t even notice the danger as he watched the griffon then point their gun at him.

Suddenly a blade swung down and cut the griffon talon off, their claw still holding the gun. It was the necrotech Overbite. He growled at the griffon that was going into shock. While Nuk was busy removing the bullet from their comrade.

“Overbite, so wonderful of you to join us. I have a lot of work for you, did you bring your new pet with you?”

Overbite said nothing, as he whistled to something behind him. Three things walked out from the shadows, they looked like scrapthralls however it was clear they were still alive and in pain. They were called the Twisted Horrors, Overbite didn’t have any real plans for the first one he made. Yet a necrosurgeon said it was a good way to store healthy organs. And a punishment for the truly wicked.

And so they kept them, they were also useful in keeping prisoners alive. It was hard to escape when your blood bag could stop you and keep an eye on you.

“K… Kil… ill… me…”

Crooked one that had the eyelids to one of its eyes peeled away, and its raw skull could be seen from the top of its head. Overbite turned to it and laughed.

“Now doc don’t be like that. We still have some work for you, you know how to prepare them, yes? I showed you how, remember.”

It couldn’t shake its head, however its eye was looking anywhere other than the wounded and dead griffons. Overbite walked over and pat softly on its shoulder, as it recoiled by the touch and felt pain throughout its flesh.

“Scalpel, when I first made you I wanted you to feel nothing but pain. How many years has it been now? How long have you endured the feeling of every little contact, every movement, making you feel pain. Even moving around is pure agony. If you want, I could end the pain?”

Scalpel turned to Overbite with a new fear in its eyes and flinched at the new pain from moving its neck, the once doctor who took the lives of the young. And used them like lab rats, feared death more than this endless painful exisdance. The Twisted Horrors stepped forward, over the griffons who could not move or run away. As surgical tools unfolded from under their cloaks revealing the metal holding together their fat bloated forms.

Muscles that looked too many for any single limb. As if they were simply attached to each other, over and over again. There were glass orbs that held organs inside keeping them alive. They screamed as Scalpel worked, as he had no control anymore. Only the pain and the fear.

“Once they’re ready, I want you to start on the new line of machaithralls. These ones will be stronger and faster. However, we still need to deal with their weapons…”

“What about your new ones? What do they do? My lord.”

Overbite asked, as Nuk was finished stitching up the other necrotech who was just as interested. Ten-Lin giggled to himself as he clapped his claws, and the thrall's bloated forms started to tremble and glow.

“You will see, it should stack the odds in our claws.”

Brimstone and the other captains were looking at the remains of the metal beast, they couldn’t work out how it worked. The soldiers managed to kill it by cutting one of the many pipes in its body, once they did it lost power.

It was too heavy to bring up in one piece so they took it up in parts. They had most of its inner workings on display and its head. Brimstone has never seen this type of skull before, he wasn’t even sure what it belonged to.

The troops were already burning the undead that no longer moved. It was annoying, because as soon as a griffon pulled their sword out of one, the damn thing would slowly start up again. So they cut off its arms and legs first, seeing as the wings were already missing.

“What are we dealing with?”

He asked, as they looked at the body of an undead that was lying next to the monster. This one had its head missing, and they opened its ribcage to find pumps and tubes. With a small engine in its chest.

“Necromansy, clearly… As to what kind of griffon could do this...”

“Who said it was a griffon? It could be any number of our enemies doing this!”

“This deep into our territory? No it has to be a griffon, we saw that thing? It was giving the orders, yet how did they get so many? We don’t even use graveyards anymore.”

Brimstone looked over at Cross who for the first time looked, worried? It was clear he didn’t know what to do, who would? They were never trained to deal with undead. Yes they learned about it and how it was outlawed, but they never got any training about how to fight them.

What they were doing was working so far, but the number of wounded was growing. And if this kept up all night, there would only be 40 of them left by dawn. However, that was the best case scenario. The worst is they all die here and no griffons find out about these monsters.

“Contact!”

They rushed to their positions as soon as any griffon yelled that. As soon as Brimstone met up with his troops, he saw that waiting for them was the one who led the first attack. It didn’t move and seemed to be alone, until another one walked out from the woods. But this one was different, it was larger. And it looked like a.. Diamond dog? The two looked to each other, as the undead griffon called out.

“My name is Gaston! My lord has a message for you, offer up your dead and dying to us. And my Lord will speak terms for your passing!”

Brimstone, told one of his troops to get the other captains and Cross. He didn’t trust this thing and now there were two of them. It took a few minutes for the other captains to gather as they saw the two monsters waiting for them.

“We should kill them while they’re in the open.”

Said Lieutenant Cross, as much as Brimstone agrees. This may be their only opportunity to get their troops out of here alive. So far the monsters only want the dead and dying, yet he doesn't trust them. They attacked and murdered his comrades in cold blood.

“We should send some griffon out to talk to them. Even if this is a trap, we can at least kill them before they can spring it.”

Said captain Corevid as he started scratching his beck. That was a bad habit, Brimstone thought as he saw the monsters hadn’t moved.

“I’ll go, at least this way I can kill one of them if they make a move. I’m sure Cross has an idea about how to kill them both if I fail?”

“I’ll have rifle griffons ready to support you, make sure you kill one.”

The Tiger-hawk smiled as he held up his long sword and walked off. He told them if he dies his troops are to follow orders. It was unsettling for the captain as he walked alone, he could see them more clearly as he got closer. They were ugly things, he was sure they smelt of death and rot. They could attack at any time and yet they waited. Once he reached them, he was surprised.

“What is your name?”

Gaston asked, he smiled back at the undead. They were strange, they weren’t looking at him in hate or even seeing him as weak. It looked more like pity. He didn’t understand why they were looking at him this way. So he will give them the honour of his name, as he pointed his long sword at them.

“My name is Lorggent, the family head of house Tevottor! Captain of the 73ed combat regiment! So tell me monsters, what do you want, you honourless pigeons!”

Overbite looked confused, while Gaston looked insulted. Yet even so he kept a respectable tone.

“It is as I’ve said, my lord has no interest in the living. Just hand over your dead and dying, then we can speak of terms for your passing.”

“No interest in the living? Then why try so hard to kill us then. That tells me you’re trying to keep yourselves secret, because you’re weak! If the empire found out about your little group. You’d be wiped out in a single day!”

Just as Gaston was starting to get angry Overbite spoke up, asking a question that made Lorggent think twice about fighting them.

“You’re trying to bait us into the open, not a bad strategy but there are a few holes in it. For one, you seem to not understand our meaning. When we said, we’d talk about your terms for passing. We didn’t mean we’d let you leave, we meant how you would want to die?”

How would he want to die? Lorggent took them more seriously now, so they were planning to kill them all. Still he wasn’t about to die from these things, he took his helmet off as it was in the way. It was also a signal for the others to get ready for an attack.

“Ha! I can’t speak for every griffon else, but I will die with honour. I will die in battle! For you see only the strong can lead! The strong are the only ones with the right to do so! I am strong, our empire is strong! We are the strongest in the world!”

Meanwhile the holes into the camp had wooden crates put into them to block them off, hoping it would keep the enemy from using them to attack them from behind. One griffon soldier who was guarding the wounded, they started to hear a sound coming from the hole. He slowly went over to try and make out the sound.

“We see, so only the strong have the right to say what is good or evil? Not the action you have taken? So if you murder someone it is right? Yet if someone weaker then you dues it, that makes them wrong? The Dragonfather would never understand that kind of thinking. For you see, no matter how much power he gained, he always saw himself as weak.”

Lorggent looked confused at the diamond dog, he didn’t understand what they were talking about. Dragonfather? What was that? Were they following the orders of some dragon? That when he heard an explosion and turned back to camp, when he saw another much larger explosion goes off lighting up the whole camp!

Suddenly a harpoon shot out of the woods and hit the train-car full of dead soldiers, the chain then started to pull back. Dragging the train-car with it! So that was their plan, Lorggent turned back ready to attack! When he saw standing behind Gaston was a ghost with their arm stretched out over Gaston shoulder. Aiming it pistol at Lorggent.

“I’m sorry to say this, but you will not die the way you wanted. You shouldn’t have taken off your helmet.”

Lorggent was about to use their sword to try and block it when he felt something bite into his arm, he saw Overbite had used his vise claw to stop him, all he could do now was watch as his pride died right there, as the pistol wraith shot him in the head.

Author's Note

I'm going to leave this on a bit of a cliff hanger, as to what will happen next. Don't know if I will add more here. Or make another chapter, you'll have to wait and see to find out.

(update) By the way Twisted Horrors was just something I made up off the top of my head. No clue if that will be a real thing or not lol.