An arrow struck the griffon's back, causing it to roar.

It spun around and looked up to face Tanalia, hurling Lycia over the side of the cliff in the process.

“Shit!” Maria grabbed Lycia’s clothes, and burst from the bushes, along with Chariot on the other side of the cliff face. The griffon jerked its head to face Maria as Lycia’s scream echoed up into the air. The witch hurled a {Firebolt} at the griffon to knock it away towards Chariot and peered over the side of the cliff. A hail of pebbles and boulders was rolling down the side of the slope, kicking up dust clouds before everything crashed into the pine forest below.

Maria climbed down and slid down the gravelly slope. She kept her balance at first, gliding over the pebbles, but quickly slipped, and tumbled the rest of the way. The world became a blur. Rocks struck her sides, her legs, her back, and her chest as she barreled down before rolling into the pine forest and hitting a tree. She groaned, unable to find the strength to even get up at first. Her health had nearly dropped to half from the tumble alone.

“Lycia!” Maria yelled and forced herself to her hands and knees. She scanned the forest floor, but it was too dark to see. Beneath the shade of the pine trees, the fractured moon's soft glow couldn’t reach them. “Lycia! Lycia!” Maria kept calling her name. She crawled over to where the rubble had rolled to and felt around. Not only was it dark, but she couldn’t even see the girl.

Maria grabbed a handful of pine needles and ripped up a fistful of dirt before tossing it into the air. As the needles and dirt landed, a few seemed to float in midair, while others seemingly bounced off of nothing. Maria crawled over. Her hand pressed against something soft. Maria stopped and squeezed. It was flesh. Lycia. She felt around some more, trying to get an idea as to where everything was. “Lycia! Lycia, wake up! Say something!” Maria retrieved a healing potion from her inventory, and glided her hand along what she assumed was Lycia’s stomach, and over her breasts before finding her neck. At least she thought it was her neck. It was thin enough to wrap her hand around, but it would also be her legs. No, it was definitely her neck. A little further, she was able to find the demi-human mouth. Maria poured the liquid down her throat and tried to prop the girl up against her. “Come on, come on, come on!”

The griffon’s cries above cracked the valley. From down here, Maria couldn’t make out what was happening above. Tanalia was still up on the ridge firing arrows at it. She pulled a potion from her inventory and drew her dagger before leaping towards the creature. Her descent was slow. She must have taken a feather-falling potion.

Lycia jerked upward, groaning and coughing. Maria helped her keel over. Lycia winced away from Maria’s touch, and from the sounds of her heavy breathing, she was hyperventilating.

“Are you okay?”

Lycia didn’t respond. Maria’s healing potion was jerked from her hands and floated mid-air before having the rest of it gulped down. “No…” she groaned.

Gradually, she was becoming visible again. Her skin was beaten, bruised, and scraped. Blood was leaking down her arms and legs, her breasts had been scrapped up, and her thighs bruised— But as the effects of the potion kicked in, the wounds started patching.

“It still hurts,” she groaned.

“Where?” Maria asked.

Lycia pressed her hand against her chest tight and winced. Tears were wheeling in her eyes. “I think my ribs are broken.”

Maria sighed. “It’s a miracle if that's the only thing that broke. They should be healing quickly.”

“Why can’t they heal faster,” Lycia groaned.

“Maybe you can invent a potion that does.”

Lycia chuckled and cried again as the pain struck her. She took a few more deep breaths, before holding out her hand— the white feather materialized in her palm. “I got it…”

Maria breathed a sigh of relief. “Then we can get out of here. I’ll message the others.”

Maria: Lycia’s alright! She got the feather! Let’s go!”

“Alright, they should be coming now—”

Maria was quickly cut off by a loud crack above. An arrow, glowing bright blue, zipped away from the cliffside and ricocheted back around before striking the griffon.

Chariot: Tanalia wants to stay and kill it.

Maria: We should leave! Lycia has the feather!

Chariot: I told her that.

The griffon screeched a high-pitched cry, and dove off the edge of the cliff, outstretching its wings before taking off. Tanalia rode its back, her elven dagger plunged deep into its flesh, and her grip firm on it’s fur.

“What the hell is she doing?” Maria said.

Lycia coughed a little more and craned her neck up to watch. “Riding the griffon? Is she crazy?”

“Yeah, she is.”

Chariot climbed down the slope much slower than Maria and Lycia had. As she slid to the bottom, she drove her sword into the dirt, helping slow her down so as not to go tumbling. “She’s crazy!” were the first words out of her mouth. Chariot looked past Maria, and to Lycia, who sat hugging herself, her skin riddled with goosebumps. Chariot heaved her shoulders, letting out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Lycia nodded. “I don’t feel okay.”

“After that fall, I believe—”

The griffon emitted a piercing squawk. It spiraled through the air, before diving towards the forest. It quickly jerked to the side, and the sheer force of the turn whipped Tanalia off its back. The elf hurtled toward the ground. Her fall was slow though, gradual. As she broke the veil of leaves, she used her second jump to propel herself sideways, latching onto a sturdy branch and swinging gracefully in a full arc before landing on the forest floor, safe.

“Tell me you all saw that!” she yelled.

“Are you insane!” Chariot said.

“No, I’m not.”

“I think you’re insane,” Lycia said.

“I’m insane?” She looked at the demi-human. “I’m not the one who came up with the idea to strip naked and sneak up on a griffon!”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Lycia said and held up the white feather proudly.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“So did my plan!”

“Now isn’t the time to talk about this!” Maria said. “We need to go before it comes back!”

“It’s not going to,” Tanalia scoffed.

“Are you sure about that?” Chariot said, gesturing up.

The griffon was circling the four from above. It pivoted and shrieked as it dove at the group.

Tanalia double-jumped away as the griffon came down. It landed with a loud thud that shook the ground before slashing at Chariot. The knight was hurled into one of the thick pine trees, cracking the trunk. The branches shook, and needles cascaded onto her, clinking against her steel-plated armor.

The griffon turned and glared at the witch and the demi-human. It squealed aggressively. Maria tightly grasped Lycia's hand and backed away towards the slope. They could hide in the crevices. They were narrow enough to fit in. Just as the griffon lunged at the two, Maria pulled Lycia into one of the narrow gaps. They pressed themselves as far back as possible. The griffon crashed to the ground, its neck stretching into the crevice. Lycia screamed from behind Maria as the beast snapped its razor-sharp beak violently. Maria nestled herself against the wall, almost becoming one with it as she crushed Lycia against it. The demi-human's claws dug into the witch's sides.

Maria quickly cast {Firebolt} at the griffon, and blasted its face. It squawked painfully and backed away from the crevice. The beast quickly retreated, flapping its wings, and souring away.

Lycia was breathing fast and heavily behind Maria. “Is it gone?”

Maria took a moment to respond, catching her breath as she lowered her hand from her chest. “I think so.”

Lycia let out a sigh of relief. “I might have peed myself,” she chuckled.

“I hope you didn’t,” Maria said, her ass firmly pressed against Lycia’s crotch as she sandwiched the girl. The witch moved away, giving the demi-human some breathing room.

“Do you have my clothes?”

“Oh, right,” Maria said, flustered, and retrieved Lycia's clothes from her inventory. She handed them over, catching a glance at her. “Here.”

“Thanks,” Lycia said, snatching them. “Sorry if I dug my claws into you.”

“I- It’s fine. I’ll live.” Maria stepped out of the crevice, leaving Lycia to change. Chariot was slowly getting back on her feet a short distance away. She had hit the tree hard for the crack to be so massive in the trunk. “Are you alright?” Maria asked.

“I’m fine. What about Lycia?”

“She’s fine too. A little beat up, but I gave her a healing potion a few moments ago. Her wounds should be patching.”

“I’m still amazed she didn’t die from that fall.”

“I thought she did. I couldn’t find her at first.”

Tanalia approached, her hands behind her head and a smug look on her face.

“What?” Chariot asked.

“That was fun.”

“It wasn’t. Lycia nearly died.”

“But she didn’t.”

“It doesn’t matter if she didn’t, she almost did. This was all a bad idea.”

“Let’s just get going,” Maria said. “I imagine we can’t set up camp anywhere around here.”

Lycia emerged from the crevice a moment later, fully dressed, and her tail wagging.

“Didn’t want to stay naked?” Tanalia teased her.

“No, it’s cold out.”

“Leave her alone,” Chariot said.

“Uh, Maria,” Lycia said sheepishly. “Do you still have my panties? They weren’t in the bunch you gave me.”

Maria blushed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. “What? N- No, I gave them back.” She quickly opened her inventory. “Oh… I didn’t… sorry,” she pulled them and tossed them to the demi-human. It was a pair of cotton whites, with a small pink bow on the front, unmistakable in the dark of night. “Must have forgotten with the whole griffon attack, you know…”

“All of you are degenerates, honestly,” Chariot said with a groan. “That aside, we should leave quickly. We got what we came for.”

“Barely,” Tanalia said. “That went about as well as I expected it to.”

“At least because we had a plan things worked out alright,” Chariot argued.

“I’m not so sure about that either.” Tanalia rolled her eyes and glanced back up at the sky. “God damn it. It’s coming back!”

Maria quickly spun and looked up. The razorfoot griffon was diving straight toward them.

Tanalia quickly drew her bow, and fired an arrow, striking the griffon's eye. It veered off course with a loud, pained cry, and crashed into the trees. Pine needles rained from above as the griffon thrashed around violently. Its flowing main had been singed away, and its face wrinkled and burnt.

The four quickly scattered as the griffon charged, clawing, and snapping its beat violently at them.

“It just doesn’t give up!” Maria yelled.

“It won’t until we’re dead!” Tanalia said.

“Then let’s just get this over with,” Chariot said. “No better time to use one than now,” She retrieved one of the rage potions from her inventory and gulped it down. In an instant, her veins popped, practically bulging against her skin. She let out a loud, primal scream that shook Maria’s heart. She stood by and watched as the knight aimed her Crimson Petal at the griffon and entangled it in thorny vines. The griffon struggled and squealed as it tried to break free. Chariot ran at it, thrusting the sword into the beast's gut before wrenching it out violently, and hacking away at it like she had the strength of a thousand men. Blood splattered against the surrounding trees and the earth with every strike.

Maria stood back, keeping Lycia behind her, and her arms extended. She cast {Lightning Bolt} repeatedly, striking the griffon over, and over, and over. The griffon tried to make one final attempt at killing them, attempting to lunge at Tanalia, but Chariot sliced off it’s leg with one clean cut. It collapsed as Tanalia fired a few more arrows into it. The griffon lay still, dying as Chariot repeatedly hacked the beast.

It let out one final pained cry before going limp, it’s health bar fully depleted.

It exploded into a flurry of polygons.

Name: Maria Marigold

Lvl: 18 >> 20

HP: 1150 >> 1274

MP: 222 >> 246

Total Defense: 83

Total Attack: 45.8

Chariot turned back to look at the group. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was breathing so heavily it was like she was gasping for every ounce of air she could possibly get. Her armor and face had been completely painted in the griffon's blood.

“Are you doing okay?” Maria asked, then flinched away as Chariot spoke to her in a deep, gravelly voice.

“I’m fine. I feel… good. Really good.”

“I can’t say you look good,” Tanalia said, hopping down from the trees. “It looks like you went for a swim in a vampire’s bathtub.”

“Do you have a problem with that?” Chariot growled.

Tanalia held both her hands up. “No, not at all.”

“It should wear off in a few minutes,” Lycia said. “It only lasts for three.”

Tanalia scoffed. “Is she going to keep acting like a spoiled maiden during her period or—?”

“Oh!” Chariot screamed and marched over to Tanalia. “You pointed ear inconsiderable self-destructive bitch!” She aimed her Crimson Petal.

Tanalia quickly double jumped away as the vines burst from the ground, and nearly entangled her.

“Perhaps I should string you up naked, see if you enjoy the teasing and tormenting you insufferable—”

Tanalia fired an arrow, but Chariot was quick enough to dodge it. She screamed furiously and charged at the elf. Maria stood by and watched as Chariot chased Tanalia deeper into the forest until both of them were out of sight.

“Shouldn’t you go after them?” Lycia asked.

Maria shrugged. “Eh. If she kills her she kills her.”

“I’d rather nothing else dies tonight,” Lycia said and turned back to face the spot where the razorfoot griffon’s corpse had been. There was a small loot pile of white and black feathers, talons, a beak, and several large chunks of meat. She pouted. Her ears flattened against her head, and her tail had gone still.

“Something wrong?” Maria asked.

“No… well… I don’t know. I was hoping we didn’t have to kill it.”

“It tried to kill us,” Maria said.

“Yes, but it was just an animal minding its own business. I never meant to hurt it… just take a feather.”

Maria sighed, and put a hand on her shoulder.

Lycia flinched away.

“O- Oh, sorry,” Maria said.

“It’s fine. I’m just still a bit sore.”

“Right. Well, I’m sorry, but what’s done is done. Look on the bright side, now you can take even more of those white feathers.”

“I… suppose so. Maybe if I give all these feathers to Master Blunog as a gift it might help him see value in me. It can be a thank you for teaching me. These are hard to come by.”

Maria pursed her lips, and simply shook her head. She was doubting it at this point, but there was no real way of knowing until they tried.