The snow cracked under his boots as the lalafell gripped his small pack closer to him in a false notion of warmth. His fur lined cuirass helped immensely, covering him and keeping most of him warm. The icy winds contrasted with his warm breath as his foofy wild hair moved with the wind, the water clinging to his hair hitting his face sometimes.
Gosh, I wonder how Ilwe and Carina are doing? Why am I doing this again? At least I had Arturius sent ahead to an inn. M’not getting paid… oh right. Of course. Roen might be in Coerthas and Ishgard. She’s here with these big stupidly big dragons and stuff. Is she cold? How is she? She better not have gotten eaten by a-
“OOMPFH!â€
Kage felt a humongous large weight smash his body into the snow, cracking a linkpearl or two as they kept his neck from hitting the major sharp points of a snow covered rock. He wriggled a bit until a large piercing screech in his ears made him jerk and cover his ears with his hands. His eyes widened with horror however when he felt himself being lifted. Lifted. Off. The. Snow. Covered. Ground.
The lalafell dared not look as he was lifted and flown some bit until he was dropped on some high elevation. The lalafell tucked himself and rolled into an axe-swinging ready-stance as he glared at what grabbed him. A four-legged creature, with the head of a bird and large ears. Feathers and fur. It looked like what Kage had once read of, a griffin. He’d never thought it was real. Of course, not until now at least. The griffin snapped its beak at him, missing him some as he dodged or getting beak marks covering his face a bit. Its beak tore at his beret as it flew off his head as he retaliated with his axe. Its talons caught one of his gauntlets, stopping him from cutting its leg off. His gauntlet torn apart, the lalafell stared up at the big beast. It reared back as he readied his axe once more. A large gush of fire near them caused Kage to throw himself away from it as the griffin screeched its piercing cry once more. The griffin leaped into the air, its wings flapping once or twice as it stared at the large dragon Kage was facing.
Oh Twelve, a dragon?! Now? I can’t just kill one alone. I’m not a dragoo-
Just as Kage threw himself away from another fire breath did he get picked up into the air once more. He clutched his axe in his hands, noticing the shaking grip the griffin had on him. It chirped once, before he found himself sitting on its back. He grabbed his axe with his injured arm, wrapping his other arm around the griffin’s feathered neck. He only peered back once, seeing the dragon in the distance.
It was at that moment that the two, griffin and lalafell alike, plowed into a snow filled cave. The dragon’s roar evidenced that it was still near. A large crack filled the air as Kage felt a large burst of cold air where he was once filled with warmth. He frowned, noting that his cuirass had taken some too many blows and he’d not be able to repair it. Not here anyway, not in this condition. Which meant that the lalafell needed a fire, food, and… He’d noticed that the griffin hobbled a bit. Wrapping his own hand with some gauze, the lalafell broached the griffin without his axe. The beast snapped its beak at his face, catching some of his air as it barely scratched him as he stood his ground. Testing him perhaps.
He stared at the griffin before pointing at its injured leg and wrapping gauze about it. It tried to catch him with a talon but the lalafell let it catch his other gauntlet, slipping it off so he could finish tying the gauze. He stepped back as it tried to snap at him once more.
The lalafell put his axe closer to his bag and grabbed another beret to top his head along with a short bow. He’d need all the heat he could get. He ventured deeper into the cave. The pitter patter of a creature let him know that there was something- a boar! A wild boar! The boar snorted, starting to run away as Kage rained arrows at it. For each 5 he’d loosed, one hit its mark. After 20 arrows, the lalafell stared at the dead animal and looked for anything to start a fire with. Looking into his bag he’d found some old tomes he’d brought with him for reading. Kage sighed before starting to use them as kindling and getting a fire going as the lalafell started to skin and clean the boar. Separating the trimmings and inedible bits into piles he left the skin and entrails for the griffin. Cutting a portion of what the lalafell would eat he put a spit out to roast the boar and brought the rest to the griffin. Kage watched as the griffin didn’t touch it for a bit as he got closer to the fire. His hands had started to get colder even though they’d been warm as he’d worked on the boar. Washing what he could off, his hands direly needed the feeling back as he got as close as he could without roasting himself. Time went by, the dragon’s roars still heard, before Kage could eat the meat and as he tenderly ate his fill he’d noticed the griffin do the same with what he’d given it. Once he’d finished, Kage tried settle in near the fire, to sleep and hope the dragon would fly away.
As the fire started to die a little, so too did Kage’s source of warmth. The lalafell shivered, sneezing a bit in his nap. The griffin had stalked closer to him before plopping itself and curling atop of him. The lalafell jerked with a start as a feathered neck brought him closer to its warmth. Kage blinked before curling into the griffin’s warmth. For now.
The night turned into day just as a soft cold breeze into the cave sniffed out the last of Kage’s warmth. Kage shook himself awake, grabbing his belongings as the griffin blinked up at him, eyeing him as he took his axe once more.
“I’m not gonna kill ye… just.. goodbye. I need to get back on me way and if’n yer not killing me and that dragon’s gone… Well I’m off.â€
The griffin of course did not answer the lalafell as he stepped out into the cold air. The day had just started and no snow obscured his sights. The lalafell found a path down the elevation until he saw a looming shadow overcome his own. Kage swung his axe, turning to see the large dragon from the evening before rear its head back, ready to breath fire at him. His eyes widened. A large piercing shriek filled the air as Kage watched the griffin fly at the dragon’s eyes. The fire flew past Kage, missing its mark as the griffin had helped change the direction of the breath. It was close enough; Kage’s singed beret flew into the air. He readied himself as the dragon drew closer and the griffin dropped down next to him, plopping his beret back on his head. Without glancing at the griffin, the lalafell smirked and got on the griffin’s back as it lowered itself a bit for the lalafell, quite a bit.
The two soared into the air before Kage got up and jumped, hurtling towards the dragon’s exposed neck as the griffin distracted it. Just as the griffin pecked out one of the dragon’s eyes, Kage made impact. The axe blade sliced through the dragon’s neck scales as it shrinked in agony. The dragon roared again as the lalafell ran towards its head. He jumped once more, flying at the other eye, carving a line and cutting the eye right in half. This was all done as kage leaped into the air, which meant he’d leapt off, falling to the ground.
I’m sorry everyone…
The lalafell closed his eyes, covering them with his arms as he wondered exactly how this would feel. Would he feel the pain before death? His falling momentum jerked to a halt as talons grabbed his armor, gliding him to safety before softly dropping him on snow covered floor. The griffin chirped, picking his beret up from the ground nearby and bringing it closer to his head. Kage smiled in relief, tears coming out of the lalafell’s eyes as he took it and returned the beret to his head. The griffin nudged him, getting him on the griffin’s back as Kage hugged him with all he could as the flew towards where the lalafell was headed to. And poor Arturius. The female fat cat almost lost its source of food.
I think I know what to ask Grimsong for. A harness.
Gosh, I wonder how Ilwe and Carina are doing? Why am I doing this again? At least I had Arturius sent ahead to an inn. M’not getting paid… oh right. Of course. Roen might be in Coerthas and Ishgard. She’s here with these big stupidly big dragons and stuff. Is she cold? How is she? She better not have gotten eaten by a-
“OOMPFH!â€
Kage felt a humongous large weight smash his body into the snow, cracking a linkpearl or two as they kept his neck from hitting the major sharp points of a snow covered rock. He wriggled a bit until a large piercing screech in his ears made him jerk and cover his ears with his hands. His eyes widened with horror however when he felt himself being lifted. Lifted. Off. The. Snow. Covered. Ground.
The lalafell dared not look as he was lifted and flown some bit until he was dropped on some high elevation. The lalafell tucked himself and rolled into an axe-swinging ready-stance as he glared at what grabbed him. A four-legged creature, with the head of a bird and large ears. Feathers and fur. It looked like what Kage had once read of, a griffin. He’d never thought it was real. Of course, not until now at least. The griffin snapped its beak at him, missing him some as he dodged or getting beak marks covering his face a bit. Its beak tore at his beret as it flew off his head as he retaliated with his axe. Its talons caught one of his gauntlets, stopping him from cutting its leg off. His gauntlet torn apart, the lalafell stared up at the big beast. It reared back as he readied his axe once more. A large gush of fire near them caused Kage to throw himself away from it as the griffin screeched its piercing cry once more. The griffin leaped into the air, its wings flapping once or twice as it stared at the large dragon Kage was facing.
Oh Twelve, a dragon?! Now? I can’t just kill one alone. I’m not a dragoo-
Just as Kage threw himself away from another fire breath did he get picked up into the air once more. He clutched his axe in his hands, noticing the shaking grip the griffin had on him. It chirped once, before he found himself sitting on its back. He grabbed his axe with his injured arm, wrapping his other arm around the griffin’s feathered neck. He only peered back once, seeing the dragon in the distance.
It was at that moment that the two, griffin and lalafell alike, plowed into a snow filled cave. The dragon’s roar evidenced that it was still near. A large crack filled the air as Kage felt a large burst of cold air where he was once filled with warmth. He frowned, noting that his cuirass had taken some too many blows and he’d not be able to repair it. Not here anyway, not in this condition. Which meant that the lalafell needed a fire, food, and… He’d noticed that the griffin hobbled a bit. Wrapping his own hand with some gauze, the lalafell broached the griffin without his axe. The beast snapped its beak at his face, catching some of his air as it barely scratched him as he stood his ground. Testing him perhaps.
He stared at the griffin before pointing at its injured leg and wrapping gauze about it. It tried to catch him with a talon but the lalafell let it catch his other gauntlet, slipping it off so he could finish tying the gauze. He stepped back as it tried to snap at him once more.
The lalafell put his axe closer to his bag and grabbed another beret to top his head along with a short bow. He’d need all the heat he could get. He ventured deeper into the cave. The pitter patter of a creature let him know that there was something- a boar! A wild boar! The boar snorted, starting to run away as Kage rained arrows at it. For each 5 he’d loosed, one hit its mark. After 20 arrows, the lalafell stared at the dead animal and looked for anything to start a fire with. Looking into his bag he’d found some old tomes he’d brought with him for reading. Kage sighed before starting to use them as kindling and getting a fire going as the lalafell started to skin and clean the boar. Separating the trimmings and inedible bits into piles he left the skin and entrails for the griffin. Cutting a portion of what the lalafell would eat he put a spit out to roast the boar and brought the rest to the griffin. Kage watched as the griffin didn’t touch it for a bit as he got closer to the fire. His hands had started to get colder even though they’d been warm as he’d worked on the boar. Washing what he could off, his hands direly needed the feeling back as he got as close as he could without roasting himself. Time went by, the dragon’s roars still heard, before Kage could eat the meat and as he tenderly ate his fill he’d noticed the griffin do the same with what he’d given it. Once he’d finished, Kage tried settle in near the fire, to sleep and hope the dragon would fly away.
As the fire started to die a little, so too did Kage’s source of warmth. The lalafell shivered, sneezing a bit in his nap. The griffin had stalked closer to him before plopping itself and curling atop of him. The lalafell jerked with a start as a feathered neck brought him closer to its warmth. Kage blinked before curling into the griffin’s warmth. For now.
The night turned into day just as a soft cold breeze into the cave sniffed out the last of Kage’s warmth. Kage shook himself awake, grabbing his belongings as the griffin blinked up at him, eyeing him as he took his axe once more.
“I’m not gonna kill ye… just.. goodbye. I need to get back on me way and if’n yer not killing me and that dragon’s gone… Well I’m off.â€
The griffin of course did not answer the lalafell as he stepped out into the cold air. The day had just started and no snow obscured his sights. The lalafell found a path down the elevation until he saw a looming shadow overcome his own. Kage swung his axe, turning to see the large dragon from the evening before rear its head back, ready to breath fire at him. His eyes widened. A large piercing shriek filled the air as Kage watched the griffin fly at the dragon’s eyes. The fire flew past Kage, missing its mark as the griffin had helped change the direction of the breath. It was close enough; Kage’s singed beret flew into the air. He readied himself as the dragon drew closer and the griffin dropped down next to him, plopping his beret back on his head. Without glancing at the griffin, the lalafell smirked and got on the griffin’s back as it lowered itself a bit for the lalafell, quite a bit.
The two soared into the air before Kage got up and jumped, hurtling towards the dragon’s exposed neck as the griffin distracted it. Just as the griffin pecked out one of the dragon’s eyes, Kage made impact. The axe blade sliced through the dragon’s neck scales as it shrinked in agony. The dragon roared again as the lalafell ran towards its head. He jumped once more, flying at the other eye, carving a line and cutting the eye right in half. This was all done as kage leaped into the air, which meant he’d leapt off, falling to the ground.
I’m sorry everyone…
The lalafell closed his eyes, covering them with his arms as he wondered exactly how this would feel. Would he feel the pain before death? His falling momentum jerked to a halt as talons grabbed his armor, gliding him to safety before softly dropping him on snow covered floor. The griffin chirped, picking his beret up from the ground nearby and bringing it closer to his head. Kage smiled in relief, tears coming out of the lalafell’s eyes as he took it and returned the beret to his head. The griffin nudged him, getting him on the griffin’s back as Kage hugged him with all he could as the flew towards where the lalafell was headed to. And poor Arturius. The female fat cat almost lost its source of food.
I think I know what to ask Grimsong for. A harness.