After the Red Dawn first reared its head, the three new Revenants spent most of their time patrolling the city walls. Every day, Davon split his focus between keeping an eye on the horizon and trying to get to know his teammates, with varying amounts of success.
Kai was easy to get along with initially, but the longer they spent together, the more concerned Davon became. Had they met before the ambush on the docks, Davon would’ve had no issues with the excitable hothead. Now, Davon found that Kai’s boundless optimism and recklessness were getting on his nerves. Not a day went by without Kai expressing his wish to get out of the city and face whatever was happening head-on.
Davon, meanwhile, wanted to approach the situation with more caution. His ideal strategy would be to scout the problem first, then devise a plan which would put their opponents in a disadvantageous position for the battle.
He had managed to hold his tongue, mostly in an attempt to avoid unnecessary tension within the group. But he wasn’t certain how many more monologues about ‘honor in combat’ he could handle before he stuck a fork into Kai’s gut.
Lyla, on the other hand, was a tough nut to crack. Even during patrols, she spent most of her time in silence, either reading or writing. Davon kept trying to sneak a glance at her books and failed every time.
When she did take part in their conversations, Davon found her very easy to get along with. Much like Davon, she was more prone to caution and preferred to calculate her moves before taking action. She even found ways to improve on his strategies, forming a bridge between Davon’s cutthroat approach to combat and Kai’s heroics.
On the third day, as the group finished their patrol of the city walls and made their way to the Revenant Guild’s mess hall they were enjoying a rare moment of peace. The good mood persisted as they collected their food and sat at one of the long tables. Davon and Kai were swapping stories about their many bar fights, while Lyla was working on something in her book.
Listening to Kai reminisce, Davon’s eyes landed on the Guild’s quest board, a massive stone panel adorned with various enchanted crystals. It had been empty ever since the Red Dawn started, much to Kai’s dismay. Yet now, Davon noticed a dull glow coming from the quest board.
Feeling the gentle tap of a knuckle against his shoulder, Davon turned to see Mia’s imposing figure looming over him. The Revenant’s usual wide-brimmed hat was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her face was framed by her long silver hair, almost like a veil.
Ignoring the trio’s surprise, Mia placed a piece of paper on the table and walked away. Davon shared a look of confusion with Kai, then grabbed the paper and read it out loud:
“Quest board is active again. The Guild wants all of us in the field. Don’t get yourself killed. Good luck.”
“Such a vote of confidence,” Davon grumbled as he put the paper back onto the table. “But I suppose we can finally get out th—”
Looking up, he saw that Kai was already rushing to the quest board.
With a heavy sigh, Davon pushed himself to his feet and caught up to his brash companion, Lyla following close behind. As the trio approached the quest board, the stone slab suddenly lit up with a single quest marked ‘Novice.’ Davon’s eyes narrowed suspiciously when he read the objective.
“Griffin hunt… that doesn’t seem very novice to me,” Lyla remarked, voicing Davon’s thoughts. She was leaning against her spear, something Davon had noticed her doing when she was nervous.
“Nah, it may just be just a warm-up for Revenants!” Kai replied enthusiastically as he cracked his knuckles. “Or… well, that’s what my brother used to tell me, at least.”
Davon shook his head and reached out towards the quest board. As soon as he touched the stone, the words on it shifted:
“Tracking hex active. Good hunting.”
The message vanished. Seconds later, Davon swayed as a sudden headache gripped him, blurring his vision. He doubled over, gasping against the pain.
Then, as quickly as it had arrived, the headache subsided. Davon blinked to clear his vision, noting that Kai and Lyla had also grabbed their heads and were breathing hard.
“Well, that was uncomfortable,” he commented. Straightening up, he noticed a nagging feeling in the back of his head, pushing him towards a specific direction. “Can you two feel that as well?”
His companions nodded solemnly, Lyla leaning heavily on her spear.
“Then I suppose we have our target.” Davon raised a hand to touch the bow strapped to his back. “Let’s go.”
—
A few hours later, the group found themselves deep in the forest surrounding Walden’s Hold.
Davon kept a keen eye on his teammates as they traveled, trying to gauge how they were feeling. It was easy to guess that Kai was excited for their first quest. The young man stayed in the lead the whole way, practically skipping ahead of Davon and Lyla. In contrast, Lyla was dragging her feet, using her spear almost as a walking stick. She had brought her books along, of course, but hadn’t looked at them once.
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Slowing his step to fall in with her, Davon put on his best attempt at a comforting tone. “Nervous, Lyla?”
The petite woman looked up at him and furrowed her brow. “More like worried. We didn’t receive any training before being sent on this quest.”
Davon considered his next words carefully. “I’m certain they wouldn’t send us to die needlessly. Although I admit some training would have been… preferable, we just need to think this through and we’ll be fine.”
“What’s there to think about?” Kai scoffed. He turned to face his companions and continued walking backwards, spreading his arms wide. “Just stick them with the pointy end and leave taking the hits to me!”
Davon sighed in exasperation. He was tired of having this same old argument with Kai. “This isn’t a bar fight. Just running at the enemy isn’t going to be enough. If you had any real training, Kai, you would understand the value of a plan.”
“You’re thinking yourself in circles, D.”
“Oh really? Tell me, then: what will you do if the griffin flies out of your reach?”
“I won’t let it. One good swing, and I’ll take one of its wings off.”
“And if it’s faster?”
“It won’t be. We’re Revenants!”
“Oh, for brine’s sake…”
Davon rubbed his temple as the frustration set in fully. It seemed like he couldn’t say anything to sway the hotheaded fool, especially when all the sentences forming in his mind were full of the many colorful words he’d learned from other sailors over the years.
“Alright, stop,” Lyla commanded, her voice uncharacteristically sharp. “We can’t hope to take on this beast if we’re at each other’s throats, especially without any training or experience.”
She slammed the butt of her spear into the ground to emphasize her words, staring down each man in turn.
”Kai, confidence is good, but what you’re suggesting is plain idiocy. And Davon, a plan is good, but you need to trust in us as well. You are thinking yourself in circles, trying to find a way to fight without relying on your teammates. Let’s find some middle ground instead of arguing until the sun sets… please.”
Davon exchanged a look with Kai.
“She has a point,” Kai admitted, kicking his feet in annoyance.
“Look, Kai.” Davon fought to keep his tone level. “We can do this in a way that plays to all of our strengths, but I need you to promise me you will be at least a little patient.”
“Fine,” Kai agreed reluctantly. “That’s a promise. What’s your idea?”
“First things first, we need to make sure it can’t escape,” Davon replied. “I suggest we start with a sneak attack. Track the griffin until it lands, surround it, then all move in at once. Aim for the wings first, of course. After that, it’s on you to keep it busy, while Lyla and I strike at its sides.”
Kai took a moment to think, then nodded. “I’d prefer to do it without the sneak attack, but alright. Let’s track this beast do—“
The sound of heavy wingbeats cut off the rest of his sentence.
Davon rushed for the nearest tree and placed his back against it, eyes locked on the tiny breaks in the canopy. He cursed silently at the sight of a massive shape flying overhead. Why hadn’t they kept their voices down? Now the griffin was hunting them.
Burying his panic, Davon looked around for his teammates. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted both of them under cover.
But his relief was short-lived. The next instant, the griffin broke through the canopy and landed almost directly next to Kai. The beast clicked its beak fiercely as it looked around, its wings spread to their full impressive length.
Davon’s mind went into overdrive. He turned towards Lyla’s hiding place, trying to think of ways to communicate without alerting the griffin.
Then he heard Kai yell out in rage.
Time slowed as adrenaline kicked in. Davon turned back towards the griffin just in time to see Kai’s axe collide with its beak… and bounce clean off. Before Davon could do anything, the griffin reared up on its hind legs with a terrible shriek, then brought both of its huge front claws down on Kai.
At that moment, golden light erupted from Kai’s position, illuminating the forest gloom in a dazzling display. When his eyes refocused, Davon saw the griffin had smashed its claws into a golden barrier emanating from Kai’s axe. Kai was holding the weapon high in both hands, struggling against his enemy’s claws.
With no time to waste, Davon slung the bow from his back and drew its ethereal bowstring. The crackling of energy echoed through Davon’s ears as he pulled the bowstring back, aiming at the bones in the griffin’s left wing. Davon took a deep breath, steadying his aim, and let loose.
He watched for what seemed like an eternity as the arrow flew towards the beast. Its aim was true. But then, at the final moment, the beast raised its wings in anger.
The arrow made contact too low, sinking into the beast’s flesh as the energy dissipated. Davon’s heart sank. A successful hit, but not nearly enough to ground the griffin.
Angered by the pain, the beast turned and locked eyes with Davon. Memories of facing down the fish-man on the docks echoed through Davon’s mind. Only this time, there was no older Revenant to rely on for backup. He braced himself against the wave of terror that threatened to overwhelm him, woefully aware of his inexperience.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Davon spotted a flicker of flame approaching the griffin from the left. Lyla rushed the beast with a ferocity Davon didn’t expect from the petite woman, her spear blazing with enchanted fire. The spear pierced the griffin’s flank, and Davon promptly covered his ears to protect himself from the beast’s bone-chilling shriek.
The griffin swiped a claw at Lyla. She managed to raise her spear in time to prevent the blow from being lethal, but its force still sent her flying into the foliage.
A desperate war cry followed as Kai brought his axe down hard on the griffin’s backside, causing the beast to stumble. A second later, the griffin bucked its hind legs, cutting short the young man’s shout of triumph. Davon watched as his second companion was sent crashing into a nearby patch of ferns.
Stubborn defiance filled Davon’s heart at the sight of his companions being thrown around by the foe. As the beast turned to stare him down once more, Davon unlatched the limbs of his bow and raised the twin swords in preparation.
The beast reared up and leapt at Davon with terrifying speed. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Davon dropped to the ground in a bid to make the griffin’s leap overshoot him.
His gambit was almost perfectly successful. Davon’s heartbeat echoed as the beast narrowly flew over him, one of its claws grazing his shoulder. Quickly, he stabbed upward at the griffin’s belly. It was an imperfect strike, but it was enough to send a streak of blood across the ground as the beast bounded away, shrieking in pain.
Rolling to the side and pushing himself onto his feet, Davon caught a glimpse of the griffin beating its powerful wings. Then it took off, tearing through the treetops.
Davon slumped to his knees, his mind reeling as adrenaline slowly ebbed.
They had survived. They had even wounded their quarry.
But it got away nonetheless.