The wind was thinner here, sharper, colder. The Dwargo Region loomed with jagged dignity, its slate-gray cliffs cutting into the pale sky like serrated blades. Tufts of grass and clusters of tenacious alpine flowers painted strokes of color on an otherwise metallic landscape. From their perch, the young elf party could see rivers ribboning far below and clouds hugging the distant ridges, bleeding into the air like a dream refusing to fade.
Fahleena twirled her keyblade theatrically. "Verily, comrades! We stand before the Gate of the Sky Roar! The storm howls in defiance, and we shall, "
"No one is howling," Jessica mumbled, her voice a mix of fatigue and pudding withdrawal.
Fuhiken rubbed his temples. "Focus, Fahleena. We're here for reconnaissance, not a soliloquy."
The wind howled, not metaphorically this time. A sharp gust nearly toppled Sinryo, who had been balancing a dagger on one finger while squatting atop a boulder like a smug squirrel.
A shrill cry echoed from the west.
The Blue Griffon.
It soared across the skyline like a living tempest, wings trailing faint traces of mana in hues of sapphire and cobalt. The creature was majestic, fearsome. Its body was a tapestry of dense azure feathers and silver-edged armor-like scales. A leonine lower half rippled with muscle beneath its coat, while its eagle-like upper half glistened under the midday sun. Steel-like talons curved with predatory precision, and its eyes glowed faintly with a stormy intensity, intelligent, ancient, and perpetually annoyed.
Yetsan, peeking from under his full helm, muttered, "Perfect dust cleaner."
"No," said Gabyola flatly.
But Kyle and Sinryo had already started inching away, whispering like two kids plotting a prank. Kyle loaded his mana mana riffle with a grin that promised bad decisions, and Sinryo practiced dagger throws behind a conveniently large rock.
"Don't you dare," Fuhiken warned, but they were gone.
Two seconds later: a tink! of a dagger bouncing off a stone.
Then: crk-crk-crk, rumble.
Kyle had misjudged the terrain. A miniature landslide tumbled down the slope like embarrassed marbles. The Blue Griffon wheeled around mid-air with unsettling silence, its wings slicing through the sky like twin scythes.
Then it screeched.
The sound was thunder compressed into fury, an ear-piercing roar that echoed through the mountain like a divine alarm clock. Jessica dropped her pudding spoon in horror. And then, the creature vanished into the cloud bank.
"…You IDIOTS!" Gaby snapped. Her usual calm shattered like a glass teacup on stone. "Did you two bring your brains today or just packed extra chaos?!"
Kyle, attempting diplomacy, raised both hands. "Look, in our defense, "
"Stay. Behind," Fuhiken growled.
Kyle pouted. "Even Sinryo?"
"Especially Sinryo."
Sinryo shrugged. "Worth it."
They tried again. This time, it was Fahleena and Orchid. Predictably, it devolved into culinary war crimes and dramatic monologues.
"Witness the arcane swirl of destiny!" Fahleena yelled as she hurled her keyblade in a boomerang arc. "Keyblade of Destiny! Final Bloom of, "
Whoosh. The blade flew magnificently wide, arcing through the crisp mountain air like a wayward comet with no sense of direction or purpose. It spun in a sparkling curve, catching sunlight as if trying to distract from its utter failure in accuracy, before harmlessly vanishing behind a ridge with a faint clank, probably lodging itself into an unfortunate rock or an even more unfortunate bird's nest.
Orchid stood dramatically near the cliff's edge, holding a steaming chunk of something questionable. "I call this: Griffon Confit, à la Sacred Flame of Holiness!" She threw it.
The food combusted mid-air. The griffon didn't even blink.
Whiff. The keyblade boomerang zipped back in a sudden arc, spinning like a rebellious discus. Fahleena, with full dramatic flair, leapt to catch it midair, only for her foot to slip on a loose pebble. She flailed wildly, arms windmilling, and narrowly avoided both face-planting and decapitation as the weapon whooshed past her head by mere inches. Her landing was an ungraceful tumble, ending in a crouch she insisted was intentional.
"Graceful," Jessica muttered.
The griffon swerved lazily away from their position, a visible expression of judgment in its glowing eyes. Gaby face-palmed so hard the sound echoed.
"You two, timeout," she hissed. She yanked both girls by the collars. "Sakura, please supervise them."
"Snack time?" Sakura offered, already pulling out biscuits from her magic bag.
The three girls plopped down on a sun-warmed boulder. Fahleena sulked. Orchid critiqued her own cooking like a food network host. Sakura ate happily and offered snacks labeled: Totally Not Poisoned.
Fuhiken sighed. "Alright. Real team this time. Jessica, Yetsan, Yuuna, Adiw, Gigih, you're with me."
The backup party moved out in silence, weaving between rocks and ledges. The landscape narrowed into ridges that gave little cover. Jagged stones threatened every footstep. The highland here was unforgiving, even before factoring in a pissed-off magical predator.
Gigih muttered, "I'll try a wind spell. Not guaranteed non-explosive."
"No explosions," Fuhiken said firmly.
Gigih nodded solemnly, and still managed a small boom when his magic circle destabilized. The gust of wind, however, caught the griffon's attention.
Jessica dashed in, blade whispering through the wind. With a fluid sweep, she carved a deep cut into the griffon's hindleg. It roared and retaliated with a snap of its beak, Jessica flipped back just in time.
Yuuna, calm as ever, raised her wand. Electricity gathered in spiral rings around her as she spoke softly. "Thunder Chain!" A serpentine bolt leapt from her wand, striking the griffon in the wing.
Adiw, now behind it, let out a battle cry and slammed down his two-handed sword. The impact sent a shockwave of snow and dust. The blade bit into its shoulder. For a moment, it staggered.
Then its eyes ignited with fury. With one wingbeat, it surged back into the air. Its scream was louder this time, jagged with pain and rage. Mana crackled around its feathers like lightning in a storm cloud.
"…Uh-oh," Jessica said.
The griffon wasn't flying to escape. It was charging, diving low with terrifying speed, wings tucked in and eyes glowing with primal fury. The air around it warped from sheer velocity, a cyclone compressed into the form of feathers and muscle. In an instant, a concussive wall of air erupted from its path, a shockwave so forceful it tore loose stones from the cliffside and sent a cascade of dust into the sky. Yetsan, caught in the blast, was hurled backward like a rag doll in full armor, slamming against a jagged rock with a metallic clang. The rest of the party staggered as the impact scattered their formation, forcing everyone to scramble for footing amid the roaring wind and debris.
Fuhiken called, "Retreat! Back to the stone shelf!"
---
They regrouped just in time to see the griffon vanish behind a cliff face, shadows flickering from its wings like phantoms. Gaby crossed her arms, glaring down the slope where Kyle and Sinryo were still lounging.
"Hey, why're we benched?!" Kyle yelled.
"You're lucky we're not charging you with conspiracy to piss off rare wildlife," Jessica shouted back.
From the sidelines, Fahleena tossed her hair dramatically. "Fear not, for destiny awaits its true actors to take the stage."
"You just threw your weapon off a cliff," Yuuna reminded her flatly.
Sakura, unfazed, chewed a rice ball and handed one to Orchid. "It's fine. I packed spares."
A shadow fell over them, vast, winged, and unmistakably ominous. The air grew heavier in an instant, the light dimming as if the sun itself had flinched. The faint rustle of feathers and the low hum of charged mana accompanied its descent. Rocks trembled beneath their feet as something massive stirred above the ridge.
The griffon had returned.
It descended from the clouds like divine retribution incarnate, wings outstretched in a majestic arc that seemed to blot out half the sky. Scorched feathers still smoldered along its flank, and its glowing eye burned with renewed, seething rage. Every beat of its wings stirred the ground, and its talons gouged into the earth with a thunderous impact as it landed, daring them to try again. One eye was starting to glow red. Sparks leapt off its wings.
Fahleena gasped. "The Cerulean Tempest... is MAD."
The griffon spread its wings wide, each feather bristling with elemental energy, forming a silhouette so vast and imposing it seemed to dominate the entire mountainside. The air around it crackled with raw magic, wind whipping, sparks leaping, the very clouds recoiling in fear. Then, from deep within its chest, it released a roar, an earth-shaking, soul-piercing cry that echoed through every canyon and crevice. It wasn't just sound; it was a declaration of wrath, a primal challenge to all who dared oppose it, reverberating like thunder forged in ancient fury.
Birds scattered for miles. Clouds recoiled. Every elf in the party collectively flinched. Even Kyle looked like he was reconsidering all life choices.
"Snack time is OVER," Fuhiken snapped.