I ponder for a few more moments while I gaze at the power armor. I eventually sigh in defeat. 'I have no choice but to either train knights and assign them the armor, or to just not use it yet.'
I contemplate the pros and cons for a few moments before shrugging. 'I see more pros than cons, people won't mess with this place if they see the suit's power and if someone tries to sell it or escape with it, the shadow soldiers have got me covered.'
I suddenly hear a mature and feminine voice behind me, "So that's what that suit was for, I have seen it but never really knew its purpose." I glance behind me to see Erika, the white Dragonborn and a charming tabaxi....who has green feathers on his hind legs. His eyes shimmer as he sees all the things which causes me to quickly shout, "Anti-theft protocol!"
Before anyone can move, turrets drop from the ceiling and begin to scan the entire facility, like cameras ready for intruders. The tabaxi stares at me with a look of shock, "Really man? I can't even have one thing?"
"No, unless you want to lose those feather hindquarters of yours." He quickly looks down at his legs before saying, "Don't mind those."
Before I can even speak again, Dreag gets ahead of me. "Can I see one of those feathers?!"
His sudden outburst scares me as the tabaxi takes a step back and his hand hides behind his back, "How much money you willing to offer?"
Erika keeps a hand on the purple dagger as she asks, "Who are you?"
Everyone stares at eachother menacingly, the air turning stiff. I shake my head at the sudden stand-off, "How much do you want for a feather?"
The Vitruvius thinks for a moment before he casts a charming smile on me. "5 gold because of his reaction."
I stare at him, "2 gold is already a rip off, I'm giving you the offer of 2."
His eyes shimmer as he smiles, "Deal!" He plucks off a feather and hands it to me as I hand him the 2 gold, a smile on his face as he tosses it into a bag at his side.
I hand the feather to Dreag as I begin to explain to Erika the situation. "This is my teacher Dreag, you two met before but you probably don't remember. He is the Orc that was taking me to Restard five years ago."
She sheathes her blade while she walks up to me, prompting Vitruvius to do the same. As he walks past the items, his eyes gleam as he seems to continue plotting about how to steal everything. Dreag gasps which grabs my attention as I quickly turn around. He is staring at the Vitruvius with a look of determination, one I haven't seen on Dreag before as he usually maintains a stern look.
He looks Vitruvius over before asking, "How long ago did these feathers begin appearing?"
Vitruvius looks at the serious Dreag with a nonchalant look. "What? Why?"
Dreag walks up to him, and reaches out to grab his shoulder, "I need to know this-" he can't finish his sentence as a bladed disc is suddenly being held against his neck.
"Careful, I might hurt you if you try to do something like that again." Dreag has on a poker face as he gulps down the saliva in his throat. For the first time in a while, I can sense a tinge of fear from Dreag.
'He moved so fast I would barely have time to react, what grade is he?!' I ask myself as Dreag tries to diffuse the situation.
"Please, listen, I need to know how long ago these were appearing as it could change your life." He barely stifles a snicker as he asks, "How?"
Erika steps up beside him as she gently grips Vitruvius's arm, "Calm down and put down your blade, what harm would it cause to just tell him?"
"Well, I wouldn't get anything out of it is the problem. How about 5 gold for the information?" He responds in a distressed voice, seemingly unwilling to give away information for free.
'Damn tabaxi, I beat him in our last fight but he seems to of forgotten the battlefield that was left behind.' I inwardly swear. But after a few moments, he sighs and puts the disc blade away.
"Fine, but I expect you to make dinner tonight." She smiles and nods quietly. He looks at Dreag with a sad look, "I started growing these feathers about 5 years ago, every time I remove them, they just regrow. At least I can sell them for money since alchemist mages seem obsessed with them."
Dreag's face turns even more serious as he speaks. "No wonder the griffin never reappeared, he was here all along."
Vitruvius's ears perk up as he gains a look of interest. "What griffin?
Dreag looks over at me for a moment before looking back at the tabaxi. "We should at least prepare you for what is about to happen, the second I tell you, I guarantee you will go through the process. Your strength is a sign of that."
The Vitruvius looks at Dreag confused. "What are you talking about?"
Dreag looks over at me again, "Do you have a place where we can go to do this, I guarantee blood and a lot of it."
I look at him equally confused, "We aren't going to murder him, are we?"
He shakes his head, "Remember the Princess of Restard awakening her abilities in her bed?"
I nod, 'Still kinda pisses me off she kept that a secret.'
"When we Divine Beasts awaken our new form, our bodies transform into a form able to handle the transformation. He is going to go through that painful process as well, and blood is guaranteed because our bodies need to replace every muscle, bone, and organ. But this process only happens when you truly acknowledge your a Divine Beast. But how you went through it without anyone noticing is unknown to me."
He whispers to me, making sure he can't be heard. Everything clicks in my head as he adds the cherry on the sundae.
"He is the griffin Divine Beast."