"WE'VE GOT PANY!" Shimmer shouts out. Geta, who was just ed up in my arms, is already standing. I join her and we head out to see what Vanya aia brought to our camp. I guess something could've stumbled in, but I'm bettiia had a skill run out of mana or something. We're still in our travel gear, a mix of pte, , aher.

  Outside, it's easy to see who the uninvited guests are. A couple of griffins chasing the scouts. Vanya is carryiia as she sprints across the weed-ied fields.

  "Mages, get behind! They'll be ready fic this time, so prepare for a real fight!" I shout, joining up with Shimmer. Yaleph es up with me ao help form our front line, with the mages filling in behind us. "We o move out; there's o let them destroy the camp we just set up," I and once everyone's here and somewhat set.

  Geta takes the lead with a tower shield prepared to cover Vanya aia up once we reach them. Yaleph and I were oher side to take the focus of the Griffins ahe mages attack at will. The sound of the beast's wings grows as roach each other. Vanya finds some energy to give out a quick burst of speed to meet up with Geta and fall uhe prote of her shield.

  I use a taunt skill and wate of the Griffins' eyes loto mine. A howl of wind bsts in my dire. I reinforce my position with a skill and hold my shield to block the magical attack. Once again, the sky fills with the hues of mana. The beasts, this time, defend themselves against the first onsught. They circle around the group, one keeping its eyes on me.

  Shimmer lets out a wall of fmes, causing an updraft to push the griffins farther away as Elyne works to keep them from esg.

  The draft pulls the Griffins right into Elyne's wall of wind, which brings them right bato the fmes, causing a vicious cycle. They sh out with their own wind magic, but they 't break free as more and more magic piles into their loop.

  Finding magic attacks to not work, they tuck their giant wings and dive in. The oill focuses o's dive ing right for me. I dare it to keep going and run its stupid beak into my shield and see which is stronger.

  It takes just a few moments for its dive to reach my shield and plow me to the ground. My helmet smashes the dirt. Feathers, weeds, and stars fill my vision as I scramble to get my short sword to strike the beast. My ears are ringing, blog out the entire world but me and the damn bird.

  My body aches, but the beast keeps keeps attag me. My swnced off the underbelly of the beast. I'll have to t on my wives to kill the damn thing. I give a yell to let them know I'm alive uhe beast.

  It keeps trying to peck my head, my shield the only thing keeping it from killis legs are too big to readerh it and join the assault. I do my best to keep hitting the same spot, hoping to break the feathers a my sword dig out its guts.

  Ssh after ssh, the feathery armor holds above me. My ears slowly start to clear out when I hear a loud screee from above me, and its legs give out. The bird once again es crashing down on me.

  If only I had my damn pte armor on. The steel would take a lot of the weight off me.

  It seems My wives didn't kill the beast. It squirms above me, my head just peeking out of its fat. My legs aren't as lucky. I feel the borain uhe weight of the beast. My sword pinned useless between the beast's belly and my own.

  "GET IT OFF!" I plead out with the st of my breath, my metal chest piece fttening and pushing my breath out.

  Then, just as quickly as the beast put its weight o disappeared. I let out a grunt and put my chest piece away. I roll over and force myself to my feet. The beast is still alive, but it looks just as bad as I must lht now. I taunt the beast again to draw its ire, pnning to stay on my feet this time.

  I hear the other one fighting behind me. I'm not sure who is fighting mih me, so I s out the short sword and shield for my great sword and prepare to kill it myself.

  I let out a yell and charged the weary beast, aiming to chop off its eagle head. It backs up out e, dodging my swing. I follow up with a simple ssh, looking to make a cut across its skin. Once more, it backs up. It follows up the dodge with a strike of its own, diving forward and making me roll to the side. I pop up onto my feet a ready to use a skill.

  I feint another cut at its neck, hoping it dives in for a terattack again.

  It goes just as I pnned. Short hop back to dodge, then its beak thrust forward. I use my skill to reset my swing, my bde meeting its head aing a ssh down its eye, drawing more blood. A fire bolt strikes the beast's side, causing it to howl out and look for the sed attacker.

  I take the time to use another skill to empower my strike a a great ssh across its neow, it should just be a waiting game for it to bleed out.

  I press forward to keep it distracted. Small, short swings keep it from doing anything about its impending doom. I get arike in on its other eye before the beast falls as me take its head off, ending my side of the fight.

  Just a few seds pass before the pain hits me. Needles spike all over my legs as I fall over, struggling to find my breath.

  "DEAR!" I hear behind me. A hand shaking me.

  "Alive," I whisper out.

  "Geta, get her to the camp. The other one is basically dead. Sextia wait. She's stable already!" are the st words I hear before the world fades for me.

  ...

  "I don't feel too bad," I say when I wake up inside my tent.

  "Yes, Ioelena was quite worried about you no matter how much Geta assured her you were going to be fine. Forced Chi to heal you pletely," Inanos says from somewhere around me. Rolling over, I spot her meditating, naked for some reason, in the middle of the tent. Bs c my own naked form in the bed roll.

  "Dear. Why are you naked?" I ask.

  "Thought you would enjoy the site. The rumors are already starting that you're a bit of a pervert," she teases, opening her eyes. "Chi said she didn't have anything to help me. Then you, Sextia, and Yaleph e back hurt, removing any ce for her to even try helping me."

  "Sorry, I miscalcuted the angle ahe damn bird knock me over. Was Chi at least able to help the other two after me?" I ask. The honeymoon period is over. I'll o tone down the shamelessness I dispy. Marrying a prostitute is going to be hard enough without adding in rumors I'm a pervert.

  "Chi just patched Sextia up. Yaleph wasn't hurt too bad. Simir issue to you. Some fractured bones and gashes. Not perfectly healed, but she'll make a full recovery soon."

  "Good. How long was I out?"

  "Just a few hours. You should head out. Ioelena still doesn't think you'll be fine. Geta wants to attack the remaining Griffin tonight so it doesn't run off. But they need you to approve of the decision."

  "Alright. Thank you for the view, but you wear clothing. You're a treat to look at clothed and naked."

  "Sure, sure, dear."

  "Gd you're feelier. Well, I'll go rally the troops. Wouldn't mind this being a short trip."

  I pull out simple shit and pants to put on. I'll o wear my full armor oack, so there is no point wasting time getting dressed up for now. I walk out barefoot to talk to the group.

  I hear Geta talking to the group as I approach. "We do it. Elora is fine. She just had a lot of cracked bohat gave out at the end. Chi put her back together. We charge out now and..."

  "I agree. Sorry for w you all. Misjudged the angle and got myself trapped. I'm good now, and well, I wouldn't mind ending this little trip in a day," I say, interruptia.

  "Are you sure?" Vanya asks, still in her full armor.

  "Yes. I just o put on my full pte this time. o break my bowi one day."

  "Alright, then in fifteen, we head out. Is that good, dear?" Geta asks, clearly wishing to leave right this sed. Already in her full pte, hand twitg for her sword.

  "Is it just o?" I ask.

  "Yes," Vanya says.

  "The ready everyone. One mriffin to kill!" I head bay tent, and a few maids follow to put my armor on.

  Inside, Inanos is still meditating, this time wearing an oversized shirt.

  Is she trying to tease me into bed?

  The maids stripped me down, bound my breast, put on the first yer, then all the armor, taking the full fifteen to work through it all with their practiced hands. Skills are a wonderful thing.

  Outside I find everyone grouped up at the edge of the camp.

  "Ready?" I ask.

  "You're the st one."

  "Alright. Vanya you good to lead the way?"

  "Let's move," she says.

  We move across the abandoned fields silently, watg for the st Griffin. Vanya aake point while I bring up the back. The mages fill in the middle. Only Sextia is missing among them, so it looks like only the warriot hurt i fight.

  We make slower work than Vanya aia did, taking about three hours to get into view of the where the st Griffin is cirg. It's head swinging around looking for an intruder. We've started crawling oop of the hill, careful to stay hidden. The suing over the horizon in front of us. We could circle around and use it to try and hide us. But with this many fighting o, we'll be fine, and Elyne keep it still.

  "Elyne, once again, focus on keeping it here. Everyone else overwhelms it like the first one," I whisper.

  "I'm ready," Elyne says.

  We all stand up and start the attack. Geta and Vanya run at the lo. Spells flying past them towards the monster. I stay back with the mages, ready to intercept anything it throws this way.

  The first few spells get deflected, the Griffin sending its own attack at Vanya. She does the smart thing and dodges the wind. Geta reaches the beast a few moments ter and strikes out with her sword. The beast dodges the sword by gets hit by a few spells, knog it to the ground. Geta takes its head off while it squirms on the ground.

  "That's all of them!" Geta calls out.