To Love & Protect (#2 A story from the world of Arcaya)

Chapter 7: The Gryphon God

I was falling out of the sky immediately after that portal activated, I had chosen the one that looked like the sky and I was now regretting it. Shit shit shit shit shit shit!! I needed to look around for something to grab, but I was hundreds of feet in the air. Wait a moment... I realized I was falling slowly, the gravity in this realm must be low. I righted myself so I could land on my feet, which I did, landing softly and feeling weird in this gravity. I need to find and kill that gryphon. I started walking across the barren green grasslands. I was starting to wonder where this gryphon was when I stumbled upon a village, this realm seemed to still be in medieval times, only difference was I could feel the magic in the air. Magic! I don't mean strength altering, I mean elemental and supernatural magic that only existed in fiction books, well, until now. I ran down the plain towards the village trying to see if anyone was using it. When I got into the village my heart sunk, there were people on the streets without homes, barely able to make a spark of flame magic to keep warm. The homeless people all asked for some help as I walked by and I felt like crap because I couldn't help them, the only magic I had was magic related to feral wolves apparently. Suddenly my back pocket felt lighter, I swung around to see someone running away from my direction, "Stop. Hey!" I called after him and started running.

I was gaining on him fast and he knew it, he started jumping over walls and going through crowds of people, gravity seemed to be normal level to them. I, using the low gravity that seemed to only affect me, jumped onto roofs and continued to chase him so that I could get my wallet back, I may need it later. He tripped and I landed with my dagger out in front of him, "Ok ok take it back!" He quivered in fear, "Just don't kill me! Please!"

What a pathetic sight, "I would not kill you for such a small problem, why waste a life over such a small offense." I leaned over him and grabbed my wallet. He flinched when I leaned over. What a wuss. "Leave, now." The man got up and ran away without a word as I put my dagger back in its sheath.

"That was a noble deed." A voice said behind me, "Not killing him when the punishment for theft is just that." I turned to see a tall man, white layered hair with a worn face wearing a long blue robe with white sleeves.

Looking him over I said, "You are a wizard. Aren't you?"

He definitely had the look and feel of one, "Most can't tell immediately, unlike your kind."

He gestured to my tail, "You know of more of my kind?"

My tail swayed uneasily, "Yes I do, your kind have a village a little further north."

What is this man's aim, "Why tell me this?"

The old man got close to me and whispered, "Because I know who you are, Ad." With that sentence he completely vanished into thin air.

"What the..." How does every mysterious person do that at will. I started walking towards what I believed to be north. I walked until I saw smoke in the distance, then I started picking up speed thinking I was witnessing a village of my species burn to the ground. I was wrong, when I came over the hill that was in-between that village and the one I was just in, I saw that it was just cooking smoke. It smelled of spiced fish and red meats, it brought a tear to my eye to think about what Drakath had told me, that my home had been destroyed when I was very young. I walked at a brisk pace down the hill towards the village. I had begun to be able to see tails on some people, and others were full-blown wolves.

When I got into the village people didn't take notice of me, I walked around the markets looking at what they were using for money. Nothing, they used no currency, they just helped each other. Here and there I saw those who were cooking just give kids and other adults food. What a heaven this would be... Someone handed me some cooked leg of some animal, I cautiously took a bite out of it. It tasted so good, I had no idea what spices were on it, but they made it taste amazing. Some kids ran passed me, playing tag roughly. Someone who was a full wolf was walking around the town. Someone bumped into me and I felt two pairs of hands grasp me and pull me into a tavern. I didn't struggle, if they wanted a fight they would've started it outside.