Chapter Ten: Tawnvele's Disc

I plan on changing my Username soon, to better match me. ^_^

***

Rosalyn twisted just in time to avoid the griffin's talons as it sliced through the air. Bronze and gold feathers ringed ferocious yellow eyes as it thumped its wings and roared.

"It's never easy, is it?" Stan complained, rearing up out of Ari's shadow.

Rosalyn dodged again while the griffin roared, digging its claws into the ground. Furrows appeared, long and deep and dirt flung every which way. Rosalyn struck at its side, causing feathers to be shed in matted clumps on the ground.

Stan cracked his fingers, sending down a volley of black fire onto the demonic griffin. It roared, whirling around, only to get a face full of a flaming book and Big Bull's icy fists.

It shook then all off, stomping the ground, and sending shockwaves rippling across the environment. They were all knocked off their feet, and Marlene stepped far back, casting healing spells.

Ari went into Overdrive mode, sending a burst of the purplish neutral energy at the griffin. It took it, charging through the pain to bowl Ari over, catching him under one massive paw and biting his shoulder.

Ari twisted out of the griffin's grasp, ignoring the long gashes, and struck with a Thunder Sword spell. This just aggravated the griffin, causing it to rise into the air and attack Kisling, who was caught by the beast and thrown into the statue. He slid down, unconscious, until Marlene finished her spell and woke him back up.

The thing seemed invincible, no matter what they threw at it, it got back up, screaming and roaring.

Then, a terrible thing happened.

The griffin charged Marlene, catching her by the shoulder, finally noticing she was the one healing its prey. Before anyone could do anything, it rose into the air and slammed Marlene into the ground.

Ari panicked, rushing forward to help Marlene, casting Revive on her. The griffin back kicked him, sending the boy into the stone statue where he vanished into the depths of the tunnel. Big Bull ran to the griffin, catching its paws before it could slam Marlene again, who was still groggy.

"Get your paws off of the Don!" He grunted, shoving with all his strength. With a wild hiss the griffin collapsed backward, unbalanced, and Rosalyn struck it in its throat.

Black blood spurted from the wound covering her face and body completely. She sputtered, stepping back.

"That's disgusting!" She spat, tasting the metallic blood of the griffin on her tongue.

It thrashed wildly, claws and wings flapping too much for anyone to get close. Kisling, Ari, and Marlene all joined back up with everyone else as they watched it.

Stan turned into his solid form, sending a burst of dark fire at the griffin. The fire glanced off it, burning its feathers slightly, but not catching like it should.

"If this is your full power Stan, it's shameful." Rosalyn snapped.

Stan curled his lip. "Enough! It's not my fault! It's some kinda Shapeshifter; natural magic immunity."

"Shapeshifter?" Kisling asked, walking toward the beast. It had slowed down now, its head lower, wings flat, paws akimbo.

The griffin began to speak in a gurgled voice. "The…Devil Evil King…wishes to speak to the Shadow Evil King…alone…midnight…" It coughed, yellow eyes blurring. Its form began to disintegrate, dark tendrils lifting toward the sky, the brown and gold of its body vanishing.

"And where does this Devil King wish to see us?" Marlene asked, not looking up from fixing Ari's shoulder wound.

The griffin lifted its head, the yellow pupil fading into pure gold eyes. "Midnight…at…the curling cliff near Rashelo." Then the head vanished into black smoke, and nothing was left but a gold coin that clattered gently before collapsing on the ground.

Kisling picked the coin up, studying it. Big Bull lit a fire in his hand, and everyone studied the coin.

"Let me see." Growled Stan, putting his hand out. The coin was placed in his palm, and the Shadow Evil King studied it.

"I don't know what it is, might as well keep it. Slave!"

Ari stepped over to Stan.

"Keep this in your pack. I'm heading to the curling cliff." He dropped the coin into Ari's hand, and Ari nodded, looking at the gold disc.

"Wait, you're actually going to fight the Devil Evil King?" Rosalyn asked. No one else noticed the worry in her eyes, except Stan.

"Of course! How dare this pompous being come into my world and try to take it over?! No one bests Evil King Stan! This Devil Evil King is most likely none other than that Addonexus freak, I'm going to squash him flat!"

Kisling sighed. "Not to be rude, King Stan, but it is very probable that this is some kind of trap. He is probably a competent antagonist, principally since you can't deplete the landscape like this." He gestured to the barren environment.

Stan roared, "Do you think I care? I, Evil King Stan, can handle anything! Beiloune tried to show me up, and look what happened to him!"

"At least let me come." Ari said quietly.

Stan glared. "No, Slave. He said alone. Anyway, I don't need your help!"

Big Bull scratched his head. "Am I the only one who noticed the griffin dude said 'wishes to speak to'?"

Everyone stared, then:

"Most likely it'll turn into a confrontation. Just…come back, okay Stan? No one but me can kill you." Rosalyn said after a while.

Since everyone knew trying to persuade Stan to stop doing something is useless, they eventually let him go.

Stan turned and marched off, heading for the curling cliff.

"We still going to Triste?" Ari asked.

Rosalyn nodded, gesturing for the others to follow. "There's an Inn on the other side of this tunnel, might as well head there."

The tunnel was well lit thanks to the torches on the wall, but the air was cold, since the other end connected to the snowy Pospos fields.

Everyone walked in silence, some limping. Marlene had done her best, but sometimes rest was what you needed.

"Thank you, Big Bull, for dealing with the griffin." Marlene said. The ghost just grunted.

"No big deal, no one messes with the Don!"

Rosalyn grumbled something about, "getting snow to wash off griffin blood".

Reaching the other end of the tunnel, they got a room in the Inn, and rested for the night.

Ari was awake the longest, staring out the window, and found himself worried for Stan.

The guy was an Evil King, a jerk, stuck up, (did he mention Evil?), but he was still…his friend. The shadow that made him speak up and made him realize…his life was only overshadowed because he let it be.

Ari felt a hand on his shoulder, and knew it was Marlene.

"You should get some sleep, Ari. It'll be okay. And you'll need your rest for the morning." She smiled, and he nodded in return.

It had to be okay…right?