Disclaimer: Don't own.

AN: Personally, I despise having to give the old guard Yuke a Shella Mark each time I want to visit the town.


The caravanners stood, mute and nearly paralyzed with shock, staring at the ground, the final resting place of the Griffin the defeated just moments ago. Griffins were a new, unexpected addition to the monster population in Veo Lu Sluice to be sure, but that was not the reason for their surprise.

As the monster's defeated corpse faded away, it left behind a Shella Mark. A Shella Mark! What exactly was a Griffin doing with one of those?! It wasn't a trustworthy person!

Did it kill a traveler who happened to be carrying one? Or a more benign possibility, did the Griffin pick the Mark up after someone dropped it to free up their inventory? Unlikely as it seemed, did the beast fly into town and buy one? Monsters were known for carrying cash...

Whatever the answer was, one thing was certain: A Griffin is not a friend of Shella and it was a good thing they killed this one. Who knows? Had the caravanners let it go, it may have gone to Shella and massacred the town.

That old Yuke who keeps the bridge will let anyone in as long as they carry a Mark...


AN: Now imagine the caravan's surprise when they realize that almost every Griffin in that area, and some Giant Toads, carry Shella Marks. They're preparing for an invasion!

Also, no Griffin would really need a Shella Mark to get into the town. They can fly!