Royal Griffon Ch.16

It seemed Nic hadn’t quite used up his supply of luck for the day. Of all the things he had thought would happen after being cornered, a hologram appearing to exonerate him hadn’t even been on the list of possibilities. Not that lucky meant safe by any stretch. The sudden eruption of violence had left Nic surrounded by people who didn’t know who they were supposed to be fighting. All around him guns barked, wards crackled, griffons shrieked, and people screamed.

At its heart were Nathyl and Saku, the two griffons laying into one another with abandon. They switched between sky and ground, swinging at one another with claw and beak, screaming curses in their own tongue. Saku was bigger, his blows ferocious, strong enough to crack the very stone of the spire. He would have pulverized the smaller Nathyl, save that she danced around them with the grace of a falling leaf. She struck out with her own metaled claws, punishing every miss with cuts along his flank and neck. Though even Nic could see they were flesh wounds at best, barely a scratch to a creature like Saku. An even match, each holding the other off as they waited for that first, crucial opening.

Above it all, the Judai warship continued to fire upon the Aerie. Great blasts of shot and fury, hammering the stone and metal like thunderbolts. A swarm of smaller shapes had launched from its bays, airships and armoured griffons, all armed and ready for battle. In minutes they would be upon the spire, swarming inside to begin their coup in earnest.

It was, not to put too fine a point on it, chaos. A great storm of action, motion, and noise. The kind of battle that was destined for the history books, a grand event in the tales of Flock Harakin.

And Nic had the misfortune of witnessing it firsthand.

Keeping low, he clutched the egg close and began working his way through the mess. He had a single advantage in that suddenly everyone seemed to have forgotten that he was even here. He took that as a blessing, crouching behind a fallen statue as he waited for a break in the fight large enough to make a spring for the nearest gate.

A shadow fell over him first, Saku and Nathyl flying into view as they brawled in midair. They landed uncomfortably close, Nic having to scramble out of the way lest he be crushed. Neither seemed to even notice he was there, too focused on one another to worry about the little human.

As they fought on, Nic resumed his flight, weaving between the heaviest bits of fighting as he tried to reach the gate. He made it about halfway when someone finally took notice, a house guard materializing in his path, rifle already half raised. Nic didn’t stop, instead dropping his head and barreling into the guard with his shoulder. It was far less effective than it had been with Jeffery, the guard keeping their feet even as a surprised breath rushed from their mouth. Before they could recover, Nic swung his fist up into the guard’s stomach. It bounced off the plate, leaving his knuckles stinging as the guard cried out in annoyance.

“You little-!” they cried, moving to level their rifle but stopped when a blue glow appeared in the air. It enshrouded their limbs completely, pulling them back as if by physical force. Nic watched as the guard was lifted from the ground, joining several of their fellows who all hovered in the air over the battlefield. They all struggled briefly before being completely cocooned by the glow.

Nic looked around, relief flooding into him as he caught sight of Orlin standing nearby. He had his arms raised, waving them like a conductor as he wove spells across the battlefield. Wards and strikes, blocking attacks and restraining fighters with sweeps of his hands. Lord Worthington stood next to him doing the same, summoning swarms of elementals to corral the fighters into small groups where they were much easier to deal with.

Some had realized the new threat, turning their weapons on the two techne, though it was hardly a fair contest. They could hope to stand against two masters of the craft such as them. Nic suspected the only reason this fight wasn’t already over was the fact that they seemed to be trying to capture rather than kill.

“Nic!”

Nic turned towards the voice, spotting Isabella standing in one of the gates, waving aggressively for him to come to her. He didn’t need the encouragement, already on his feet and running for the first friendly face he’d seen in quite some time.

He made it about halfway before the gunships arrived. Three flying craft of blackened steel, hovering on silent anti-grav engines, their rounded nose cones bearing down on the field. Nic had just enough time to realize what they were before they opened fire, the buzz of rotary cannons singing as they peppered the courtyard with bullets. They missed him, though came uncomfortably close, Nic able to feel the pressure wave on the air. He veered away, staggering as he darted for the nearest cover: one of the archways leading to the exterior balconies. He’d just made it through as more shots rang out, and everything became fire.

*

“Nic!”

Isabella watched in horror as the archway Nic had just passed through collapsed. She couldn’t tell if he’d made it past or not, forced to duck into her own cover as the gunships continued to fire. Master Greytower and Lord Worthington sprang to action immediately, erecting a ward that blocked the shots as if they were nothing more than raindrops. It was all they could do however, the gunship’s own wards strong enough to stop the bolts of fire and lightning the two men threw back.

Nearby, Saku and Lady Nathyl continued to grapple, neither griffon holding anything back. As Isabella watched, Nathyl managed to gain a brief upper hand, throwing Saku down in apparent victory, only for one of the three gunships to turn and fire at her. It forced her to the ground, raising clouds of dust and shrapnel and effectively pinning her in place. Saku took the opportunity to recover, preparing to pounce back in for the kill.

Before he could, a piercing cry split the sky above. Everything seemed to pause for just a moment, all eyes turning to look up as a shadow flew from the spire and fell upon the nearest gunship. In the span of a blink the craft flew apart, sliced cleanly down the middle, the two halves falling away and exploding in a shower of metal and fire. Zulathon emerged through the blast, his beak open in another piercing shriek, claws still burning from where they had rent the craft apart.

He burst forward, wings spread as he rounded on the next ship, the glass of the canopy shattering on impact. He sunk his talons deep into either side, twisting and tearing off the entire front end of the craft. Zulathon leapt clear, leaving the wreckage to smash into the side of the Aerie.

The third ship had the time to line up a shot, turning its guns on Zulathon in a whirring roar of automatic weapons. The Hierarch raised a wing in reply, bullets bouncing off the warded limb like pebbles. He pushed through, the fire driving him away from the cockpit but not the wings, his claws shearing the left one off entirely. The craft immediately went into a spin, twisting away into the open sky, destined for a long fall to the ground.

Zulathon recovered immediately, turning about to land back on the Aerie, his bulk shaking the ground as he landed. He cried again, so loud that every living thing in the area stopped, friend and foe alike cowering in fear of the imposing figure.

Only Saku and Nathyl remained standing, both turning to face the Hierarch with stony expressions. Zulathon met them with a glare that could have melted solid plasteel, his rage hot and eager.

“We offer this one chance,” he said, spitting each bitter word. “Surrender.”

Saku bowed his head, drawing a single long breath before looking up to meet Zulathon’s eye.

“For Judai.”

He leapt, claws outstretched and ready. Zulathon braced to meet the attack, only for Nathyl to intervene. She barreled into Saku from the side, catching her champion completely off guard and sending them both careening into the ground. They struggled, briefly, but she finally had the advantage, pinning the larger griffon against the ground. Before he could pull free, she dug her metalled claws into his back and dragged them down, opening deep cuts in his flesh. Saku cried out in pain, both his wings going limp as muscle and tendons were severed.

He fell still on the ground, alive but all the fight had gone from him. Nathyl looked around at the rest of her guards, blood still soaking into her feathers from where it had splashed up. The house guards took the hint, all of them immediately throwing down their weapons and dropping to their knees in surrender. Zulathon watched them intently, alert for treachery as Nathyl spoke.

“He does not speak for Judai,” she said. “He does not speak for me.”

Another round of cannon shots rang out. Zulathon turned to glare at the ship where it hung in the sky, already disgorging more craft towards the spire.

“Orlin, Julius,” he growled. “Ensure these ones are properly dealt with.”

“Understood,” said Orlin.

“Of course, your Grace,” said Worthington.

Zulathon nodded, then turned to look at Nathyl with a slightly less terrifying glare. Slightly.

“If you wish to prove your loyalty,” he said. “You will help us silence your ship.”

“We fly together,” she said, flaring her wings. “For flock and future.”

Zulathon grunted, then flared his own, much larger wings. Together, the two of them took flight towards the ship. Isabella briefly watched them go, before emerging from cover to approach the master techne. Orlin turned to her, pausing his spells to look around with a concerned expression on his face.

“Where’s Nicholas?”

*

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