Elsewhere, far to the east of the Griffonian Empire in the middle of a large stretch of grassy plains, two griffons stood at attention on either side of a large steel vertical lift door. The door in question was one of only two doorways in or out of the positively mountainous opaque, silvery dome that dominated much of the otherwise verdant surroundings.

The two griffons in question wore dark blue, slim-fitting hazmat suits beneath black leather military barding. Rifles were holstered at each of their sides beneath the wing for easy access but the two hadn't seen any kind of action since the incident a few days ago. Even then, they'd managed to miss out on most of what had occurred that day.

Whether that was a blessing or a curse was still up for debate given the presumed death of their boss and the wanton slaughtering of the rest of their mercenary band. Still, they'd managed to somehow survive despite the rather ludicrous circumstances of that particular incident so the two former griffon mercs were willing to consider it a blessing.

Now, through more circumstances beyond their understanding, the two hapless griffons found themselves guarding the main entrance to the blasted and battered remains of a massive scientific research facility. A massive scientific research facility that was currently under heavy quarantine in the wake of the aforementioned incident.

"Hey... Folks?" began the shorter and stockier of the two griffons.

The other griffon gave a long-suffering sigh.

"What is it, Peik?" the lankier griffon replied grudgingly.

"How did we get here?" Peik asked, ruffling his muddy brown wings and turning to his partner. His blue-grey eyes were equal parts troubled and bemused as he spoke, "we were one of the most infamous mercenary bands in Griffonia a few days ago, now we're just... I don't even know."

Folkar sighed again, this time with a hint of bitterness and melancholy in his voice.

"You know what, Peik? I don't have an answer for you, " he answered after a moment.

His pale green eyes locked on the scenic plains before him. A glance at the sky revealed a seemingly endless expanse of grey. A small sniff told him it would start raining soon. He closed his eyes and let the soft, rain-scented, breeze brush across the steel-grey feathers of his own exposed wings as he ruminated on their current situation.

"It all happened too damn fast and the higher-ups ain't talkin'."

"And that's another thing," Peik said, frowning, "who are the 'higher-ups'? We don't even know who we're answering to! Or why! Some pony in a fancy uniform just showed up with a group of creepy-looking soldiers right after that whole mess, called himself an 'official from the Crystal Empire', put this giant dome thing up out of nowhere, and started telling everyone what to do!"

"Look there ain't no point in askin' questions now. What's done is done, yeah?" Folkar replied impatiently, "best to just keep our heads down and do what we're told for now."

"I don't know, Folks," Peik's expression turned dubious, "something never sat right with me about all of this, even going into this whole operation. The boss—"

"The boss is dead, Peik! Everyone's dead!" Folkar snapped, finally turning to fully face his companion, "you think I didn't know this whole thing stank right from the get-go? Of course I knew! I ain't stupid, but what were we supposed to do? Warn the boss? Refuse to go?" he scoffed, "face it, Peik, the boss knew what he was gettin' into. He knew what he was gettin' us into, but he didn't say squat."

Peik grimaced.

"So... what are you saying?" he asked tentatively, "you saying the boss betrayed us all or something?"

"I'm sayin' he didn't give enough of a damn to tell us what was really up," Folkar grimaced in disgust, "I mean why would he? He's the boss, we just do the grunt work," his frown turned to a bitter smile, "but all that cloak-and-dagger crap? All that got him was a hole in the ground while the lowly grunts are still here, alive and kickin'."

As the last two members to join the Storm Feather mercenary guild before the events in the Sky Talon Labs, Folkar and Peik had been at the very bottom of the guild's pecking order. Their story wasn't exactly an uncommon one in griffon society.

They'd been a couple of fledglinghood orphans who'd—for one reason or another—stuck together as they scraped by on the streets of the worst district in the Griffonian capital city. For all their will to survive on their own, they'd grown up to be nothing more than down-on-their-luck hustlers who'd fallen into a deep and dangerous debt they could never hope to repay.

It was a classic tale, one that normally ended with the griffon in question either a debt slave or dead in a ditch somewhere. Thankfully, it was Asger that found Folkar and Peik first, dragging their flanks out of the literal and proverbial mud and only asking for one thing in return.

"Just do what you're told, no questions asked, and I'll make sure all your money problems disappear."

And just like that, Folkar and Peik had joined the Storm Feather mercenary guild. They'd accepted Asger's offer with visions of wealth and glory in their sunken, weary eyes, but the reality had been anything but rosy. From the traumatic horror of real warfare to the undisguised disdain and mockery of their fellow mercs, the next few months had been an exercise in unwilling servitude and abject misery.

Peik—bless his simple soul—never lost faith that things would get better once they'd made a name for themselves, but Folkar knew better. Folkar knew they'd been played and that things would never get better, but back then, just like now, they had nowhere else to go. All they could do was endure and press on. All Folkar could do was accept his lot in life.

But now Asger was dead and his guild completely wiped out.

Now the two were back where they started, alone, and with nowhere to go... but rather than despair or regret, Folkar found himself feeling a sense of relief. The more he thought about it, the more it began to feel like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He began to feel like their decision to back out and flee when they caught sight of those freaks tearing their guild apart was the right one. He'd felt no sympathy or sense of camaraderie, only an all-encompassing fear. The protection Asger provided them hadn't been worth being a part of that massacre, not even close.

In the end, after all the abuse they'd suffered over the last few months in Asger's 'employ', it was Folkar who had the last laugh. He couldn't speak for how Peik felt about the whole thing, but if Folkar was being honest with himself. that he'd survived while his supposed betters had all died like dogs felt better than he could've ever imagined,

"I suppose you're right," Peik replied, snapping Folkar out of his grim thoughts, "all that scheming and posturing didn't really do him any good in the end, did it?"

"No, it didn't," Folkar answered, not quite able to read his partner's expression or tone, "but now we ain't under his boot no more, so I say to Tartarus with him and the rest of his Emperor forsaken guild."

"But Folks... he didn't wear boots."

The comment earned Peik a wing slap to the back of the head.

"That wasn't the point, you nitwit," Folkar snapped, though without much malice, "and I don't know how many times I gotta tell you to stop callin' me Folks before you get it through your thick skull, but..."

He paused, then gave a weary sigh and shook his head.

"Look... things ain't gonna be like they were back then, alright? We got options now. I don't know what kinda options but I know they're out there somewhere," he straighten up and nodded as if trying to convince himself of what he was saying, "just gotta wait for the right opportunity to come knockin' and this time we look before we leap, yeah?"

Peik eyed his fledglinghood friend for a long moment before finally giving a small shrug and a helpless half-smile.

"If you say so," he finally said, "so we just do what the pony in the suit says for now then?"

"That's what I said," Folkar nodded, adjusting his rifle holster and turning his attention back to the field in front of him, "he's got the army, he calls the shots. That's just the way it's gotta be right now, but you mark my words, Peik, we'll get outta here and make somethin' of ourselves. Live on our own terms and not as the stooges of some high and mighty putz with an agenda."

"Yeah, that'd be nice," Peik muttered wistfully.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence as they continued to stand watch over the sealed entrance to the lab. As the silence stretched on, Peik began to frown again, another worry taking over his mind as he thought back to the distant light show he and Folkar had witnessed earlier.

Not too long after the strange rain of light started, the large steel door had been remotely thrown open. Peik was still getting over the heart attack he'd almost suffered at the sudden movement when one of those creepy-looking pony soldiers with glowing green eyes and black combat barding had rushed out of the entrance.

The pony in front was quickly followed by four other identical ponies who spread out once they were out the door, two behind and on either side in a tight arrowhead formation. They'd galloped off to one side and disappeared around the bend of the massive silver dome, all of them stepping in line like a singular well-oiled machine.

Not a hoof was out of place even as they booked it across the field at a clearly unnatural pace. That had been some time ago now, but the whole thing was strange enough that it had stuck in Peik's mind. For one thing, there hadn't been any alarms raised about an intruder or anything—at least not that Peik or Folkar could hear.

But then again, the two griffons hadn't been told anything other than to guard the entrance and turn away anyone who hadn't already been in the ruined building. So it was that Peik and Folkar ignored the brief commotion. It didn't involve them and after what they'd been through, neither griffon was interested in getting involved in any way. Still, Peik couldn't help but be a bit curious about the situation.

"Hey, Folkar?"

"Yeah?"

"Those soldiers have been gone for a while now."

"Yeah... and?"

"You think something happened to them?"

"Not our business, not our problem, keep your damn head down and don't ask questions you ain't prepared to hear the answers to, Peik. There's a time and a place to investigate and this ain't it."

"Oh... yeah, I guess you're right."

"Damn right I'm right, now shut your yap and keep an eye out for—"

"Folks, check it out!" Peik exclaimed, nudging the other griffon with a wing before pointing a feather past him, "they're coming back!"

Folkar turned to see where Peik was pointing and, sure enough, he could see the black-clad soldiers making their way back around the distant bend of the dome. They strode forward at far more leisurely pace than before, but each pony still marched in perfect lockstep.

The way they moved was unsettling enough, but it was their eyes that made Folkar shiver. Each pony wore a combat helmet that matched their black reinforced leather barding. Each helmet had a visor that covered the entirety of their face save for the muzzle.

The problem was, that black visor did nothing to hide the unnatural green glow of their eyes. The irises still shone through as clearly and brightly as the sun above with none of the warmth. As the armored ponies approached, Folkar found he had to resist the urge to draw his rifle out of its holster.

Peik had barely managed to stop himself, resting one claw on the grip rather than pulling the thing out entirely. Both griffons tensed as the group came closer and for once, the stockier griffon had nothing to say for the fear in his gut. The distance between the griffons and soldiers seemed to shrink at an agonizingly slow pace, but eventually the two parties found themselves standing before one another.

For a heart-pounding moment, no one moved. No one said a word. The soldiers just stood in front of the closed-off door as if waiting for it to open. Though Folkar and Peik watched the group warily, the soldiers seemed to pay them no mind whatsoever, their own lambent green eyes locked on the steel door itself.

Then, ever so slightly and with painful slowness, one of the ponies—the one at the head of the group—turned its head to face Folkar. The ex-mercenary sucked in a short breath, his blood freezing in his veins at the attention. His frame shook and sweat began to bead on his forehead, but he held the eerie creature's gaze.

He didn't know how long they stood there facing each other like that but at some point a loud electrical buzz cut through the mounting tension. The sound nearly made both griffon guards jump out of their skin, but they quickly realized the noise had come from the door itself as it lifted once more of its own accord to admit the returning soldiers.

Both Peik and Folkar released a quiet sigh of relief as the unsettling soldiers marched silently one after the other into the dome. Once they were all inside, the steel lift door slammed shut with a loud clang, leaving Folkar and Peik alone and unharried once again.

The ensuing silence stretched on for a long moment, broken only by the far-off rumble of thunder. It was another few minutes or so before either griffon felt comfortable enough to speak and it was, of course, Peik who spoke first.

"Well... that was terrifying, eh?" he breathed before giving the other guard a worried frown, "you alright, Folkar?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm good," Folkar shuddered, then gave another disgusted grimace, "flock this place... nothin' but freaks and scientists, I swear..."

Folkar was still muttering curses under his breath when Peik spoke again, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Hey... Folkar?"

"What is now?"

The stocky brown griffon turned to his friend with his brow furrowed in bemusement.

"I don't know if I'm remembering right, but... weren't there more of those guys when they came running out earlier?"

Author's Note

I mentioned in an A/N in the first book that I'd be bringing these guys back at some point and lo and behold, here they are! And if you were wondering about the girls and the soldiers, don't. I got that covered in the next chapter...