For a moment, Davon simply knelt there, breathing heavily. But at the sound of rustling foliage, he shot up with weapons raised, only to see Lyla stumbling through the forest towards him. She was using her spear as a walking stick and looked about as rough as Davon felt.

The pair locked eyes for a moment, acknowledging each other’s survival with a simple nod. Then Davon calmly reattached his bow, slung it over his back, and made his way towards where he’d seen Kai get launched. A cold anger was building within him at the young man’s rash decision to attack, but it wasn’t reason enough to leave the fool for dead.

Still, once they were reunited and slumped against a tree together, Davon couldn’t help making his opinion clear.

“You’re a damn fool, Kai.”

“And you’re a coward,” Kai shot back, his voice deadpan.

“Stop it, both of you,” Lyla hissed. “We still have a quest to finish, like it or not.”

Davon chuckled wearily. “In this state?”

“Yes, in this state,” Lyla replied, pushing herself up to her feet. “We’re wounded, but so is the damn griffin. I saw what you did to it.”

“A flesh wound, barely enough to slow it down.” Davon leaned forward, rubbing his temples. “Maybe if we’d had a few more moments to get into position…”

“What was I supposed to do? It was practically staring me down!” Kai snapped.

“Aim for the wings, like we agreed. Or anywhere other than the beak,” Lyla grumbled. “What were you thinking, Kai? That’s the toughest part of a griffin.”

Kai opened his mouth, then closed it.

Shaking her head, Lyla reached under her cloak. “Now I’ll admit, fire may not have been the best choice either. I think I just made the beast angrier. But I could have used some ranged support from Davon also.”

“So we’re all to blame, to some extent,” Davon admitted, too tired to put up a fight. “But at least we’re all still alive. We still have a chance to do this right. Even if we’re in a bad way, we —”

Davon’s train of thought was interrupted by the sound of Lyla chanting in a language he didn’t recognize. Looking up, he saw a pulse of warmth ripple out from her spear, bathing the trio in a warm glow. In seconds, all the wounds and scratches on Davon’s body sealed. All that remained was a dull ache, similar to when he first woke up in the Guild House. Even the surrounding vegetation perked up in response to the spell.

“Well, I’ll be damned. That’s helpful,” Kai exclaimed, bounding to his feet with a grin.

“Don’t get used to it.” Lyla steadied herself against the tree, visibly winded. “I can only do that once per day. It takes a lot out of me.”

“A useful tool, regardless. Where’d you learn to do that?” Davon asked.

Lyla scoffed. “What did you think I’ve been doing this whole time with my spell book? Or did you think it was a journal?”

Davon decided to change the subject.

“Feels like the thing didn’t go too far,” he stated, focusing on the nagging sensation of the tracking hex as he got to his feet. “Maybe we can still wrap this up before sundown.”

Raising his eyes to the canopy, Davon glimpsed the faint hints of a red tinted sky. He frowned. The Red Dawn had completely thrown off his ability to tell time.

Shaking his head to clear both the sudden doubt and the lingering ache, he looked at his companions.

“This time, we strike together, or not at all. Agreed?”

Both nodded. Satisfied for the moment, Davon turned towards the direction of the tracking hex.

The trek continued in uneasy silence. No one wanted to run the risk of alerting their prey, or any other monster that might be lurking in the forest. They also seemed to have an unspoken agreement to avoid the argument that had led to their ambush.

Davon knew this wouldn’t be the last time they would argue about tactics, or have their plans fall apart, or face defeat at the hands of a powerful opponent. He could only try to learn from the experience, and hope the other two would as well. For the moment, he was content to accept the tentative truce.

After another half-hour of trekking through the forest, a burst of red in the foliage caught Davon’s attention. He raised his hand, signaling the others to stop, then approached to inspect further.

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It was a fresh spray of blood, just enough to be from the griffin’s wound. Looking further, it wasn’t hard to find the trail of broken, bloodstained foliage, heading in the same direction the hex was pointing them.

Davon dropped his voice to a whisper. “We must be close. I doubt it would land if it wasn’t preparing to rest.”

“Maybe we got lucky and it bled out?” Lyla suggested.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Davon replied. “Let’s keep moving for now and see what exactly we’re dealing with.”

Continuing further into the forest, the trio soon found themselves at the edge of a clearing. The ground rose gently on the opposite side. There, set in the rise of ground, Davon spotted a small cave.

“Looks like we found the nest,” he whispered, ducking down into the foliage. “I have a plan. And Kai, I think you’re going to like it.”

Kai raised his eyebrows. “I’m listening.”

“I need you to draw the griffin out, while Lyla and I wait outside to ambush it.”

This drew a furious glance from Lyla. “Are you sure you’re not just trying to get him killed?”

“I’ll do it,” Kai exclaimed, smiling broadly. “I’ve been waiting for a direct confrontation this entire time!”

“What?! No!” Lyla hissed, trying to keep her voice down. “You got thrown around like a ragdoll last time! We both did! What makes you think this time will be any different?”

Kai rolled his shoulders, smirking. “Last time, I wasn’t prepared.”

With a sigh, Lyla turned towards Davon. “You’re using his overconfidence for your own gain.”

Davon simply shrugged. She wasn’t entirely wrong, but their options were slim. “I’d be happy to hear a better idea.”

Lyla didn’t respond, but she gazed at Davon with such fury, he thought she might be trying to disintegrate him.

“Look, Kai, I don’t want you to take any unnecessary risks,” Davon clarified. “Focus on defense, and let us whittle it down from the sides. Understood?”

“Of course.”

Kai nodded unconvincingly. Davon was almost certain the young hothead would try to finish off the griffin the first chance he got. A glance at Lyla showed she was thinking the same thing, but she just huffed and looked away.

“Let’s get into position,” Davon whispered. “Wait for my signal.”

Creeping carefully through the foliage, Davon made his way around to the other side of the clearing. Once there, he waved towards his companions.

The next instant, Kai stepped boldly into the clearing, axe held in both hands.

Watching the young man, Davon had to admit that Lyla was right, perhaps even more right than she realized. Yes, he was using Kai’s overconfidence to advance their plans, and no, he didn’t particularly care if the man got hurt because of it. When all was said and done, even if Kai died in this combat, he would resurrect. He was a Revenant, after all.

A cold decision, Davon realized, but cold and calculated decisions were the surest path to success. Or, at least, according to his new way of thinking.

Ever since that day on the docks, when Rand was cut down in front of him, Davon had found himself slipping further and further into this new ‘rational thinking.’ His goal was simple: avenge Rand by cutting down as many monsters as possible. Every moment was an opportunity to move closer to his goal, or further away. Any risk of casualty had to be weighed against the potential reward.

In this case, should things go wrong, Kai was an acceptable casualty. It was only rational.

Davon readied his bow, quieting his thoughts as Kai reached the entrance of the cave.

The young man peered inside the dark cave entrance, then quickly stumbled backwards. Davon caught a glimpse of surprise and fear on Kai’s face. Finally, with another roll of his shoulders, Kai took a few cautious steps into the cave and disappeared from sight.

Left in silence, Davon felt his nerves twisting with anticipation. He pulled the bowstring taut and aimed for the mouth of the cave, ready to take a shot at the first thing that moved. Well, the first thing that wasn’t Kai.

Thankfully, Davon didn’t have to wait too long.

A pained shriek erupted from inside the cave. But rather than fear, Davon’s mind filled with excitement. He closed his eyes, briefly picturing Rand’s face.

Revenge.

Opening his eyes, Davon saw Kai leap out of the cave. Adrenaline immediately shot through Davon’s veins, warping his perception of time. He watched, almost in slow-motion, as Kai spun on his heel and slammed his axe into the ground. Just like before, a wave of golden light erupted from the axe, enveloping Kai in a barrier.

Not half a second later, the griffin burst from the cave entrance with a shriek. Tearing through the air, the beast landed with its front paws on top of the barrier. A terrible cracking sound echoed through the clearing, and Davon could see a spiderweb of cracks forming in the golden light-shield around Kai.

Then, Davon noticed an ugly scorched gash on the griffin’s side.

As luck would have it, Davon had a perfect shot at the wound left by Lyla’s flaming spear in the previous battle. Davon smiled as he readjusted his aim and let an arrow loose. Still smiling, he watched the arrow fly towards the beast, finally striking its mark.

The griffin roared. Caught off guard by the sudden surge of pain, it stumbled off of Kai’s barrier.

Then, with another ear-piercing shriek, the beast swiped a claw towards the barrier, slamming against the cracks it had already formed. A sound like shattering glass filled the air as the griffin’s claw pierced the light-shield.

Kai swung his axe in an upwards arc, effectively parrying the attack. Carrying on the momentum, Kai spun on his heel and brought his axe into another upwards swing, directly into the beast’s face. Davon watched with satisfaction as the griffin reeled backwards.

Suddenly, even as it stumbled, the beast swiped its claws manically in front of it. Kai raised his axe to block, preparing for the full force of a cornered griffin to be unleashed on him.

As Davon nocked another arrow, an arc of electricity flashed from the other side of the clearing. Lyla struck the griffin dead-on. The next moment, Davon took his shot, aiming at the same open wound he had attacked previously. The griffin’s shriek became a strangled croak as the second arrow found its mark.

The foe stumbled clumsily away from Kai with all the desperation of a cornered, exhausted creature. Davon felt no pity. He allowed himself another grim smile of satisfaction as Kai raised his axe to deliver the final blow.

With all his strength, Kai brought his axe down on the griffin’s neck. The beast went limp, falling to the ground. In the same instant, the nagging sensation in the back of Davon’s head finally dissipated, signaling the end of their hunt.

The trio gathered around the fallen beast. But before Davon could congratulate them on their teamwork, a realization struck him. He sighed wearily.

“Now… we have to bring it back to Walden’s Hold.”