Narrator
Alfieon
Professor
Girl
Kyra
Gretchen
Leonie
Atop a tall cobblestone tower in the school of sorcery known as Grimoire College, sits a young man with white hair deep in concentration as his quill quickly scribbles an essay that was well overdue. The room is very studious with a large oak desk in the center and several books shelved behind it. The boy leans back in his chair, both green eyes staring at the ceiling.
Alfieon: Ugh, curse this insufferable research crap, I'd rather do something meaningful and exciting for once.
Professor: And I'd rather you work in your own courters instead of using my mine.
Alfieon: Oh, professor Shiro, didn't see you there.
Professor: Alfieon what are you doing in my office?
Alfieon: C'mon teach, you know I can't concentrate when everyone's practicing their spells right outside my dorm room.
Professor: (sighs) Fine, if it's for your study's I'll allow it this once.
Their short banter is ended by the sounds of a heated argument just outside the window that peers into the courtyard. Young Alfieon looks out to find several men with weapons and spells aimed at a young lady with red hair covered in dirty rags.
Alfieon: What's going on there?
Professor: Ugh, that girl again. She keeps coming here asking to be taught the ways of magic but has no money. What's worse is that she has an abundance of mana and can't even control it. Word is, she even killed her whole family with, said it was an accident. If you ask me, someone with that much power shouldn't be trusted, she's nothing but hazard to the other students, it'd be better just to…
Alfieon: (gets up) You're right, this place is cramping my style, I'll go back to my dorm now.
Later that night, Alfieon finds the girl outside the school grounds by a secluded creek. She tries to produce a small flame to light a set of logs, but the embers burst out of control as she quickly scatters back. The fire subsides as Alfieon approaches handing her a loaf of bread.
Alfieon: Careful now, fire magic can be a little…unpredictable at times. Take your time and try again when you're calm and not starving.
The girl looks at the bread with drooling eyes but then shakes away from it stubbornly. Alfieon shrugs then balances the loaf on her head and starts to walk away.
Alfieon: I get it, I have those days too. Just keep practicing but don't forget to rest. If you need me, I'll be at the college.
Girl: Wait you know magic?
Alfieon: (Turns around) She speaks! Of course, I know magic.
Girl: Please I beg you; you have to teach me. I'll do anything, ANYTHING!
Her eyes begin burning with a flaming ember as the air begins to heat up. Tears well up in her eyes then immediately evaporate as they fall from her face. In the middle of the night it feels like their standing next to the sun as the trees around them start to shrivel and the creek begins to steam a boiling mist.
Alfieon: (Unfazed by this) Sure why not.
The air quickly cools to a soft breeze as the girl gazes into Alfieon's comforting green eyes and he looks back at her serene blues.
Alfieon: (Reaches out) My name's Alfieon by the way. What's yours?
Girl: It…it's Katalin.
Alfieon's green eyes in the past reflects an air of mystery on his present right eye that is now hazel brown. He stays focused on the road as the horses quickly gallop ahead to avoid being caught by the Wyvern. Strangely enough Alfieon does not use a whip to spur the horses forward, just simply commands them and they go. Gretchen covers the girls as the Wyvern closes on them, crashing through the cart only to find it dissipate into an elusive cloud of dust along with its passengers. The wyvern seems confused at this but quickly spots the real one speeding ahead.
Kyra: Ha! That thing must be blind or something.
Gretchen: What? You mean you really didn't see that? It attacked some sort of copy of us. Where did that come from?
Driver: It's illusion magic, it tricks other people's mana into sensing something that's not actually there. I can usually deter bandits with it, but I don't think the same spell will work on that thing twice.
Gretchen: (Stands to her feet) Girls, stay behind me and let me handle thi…
Suddenly from behind her Leonie takes flight with Kyra in hand.
Leonie: Wohoo! c'mon Gretch.
Kyra: If you want to protect us, you'll just have to keep up.
Gretchen: Those reckless little…Alfieon was it? You have an axe or any kind of weapon?
Alfieon: I have a rapier, but I doubt that will be of any use against that thing. If I know that Ortiz girl though, she probably put something in that arm of yours that could be of use.
Gretchen looks to the sky to find Leonie and Kyra flying overhead as Kyra's wristband folds out a small crossbow. She scrabbles through a pouch behind her waist and retrieves a small purple orb that she then fires it at the wyvern as the orb explodes in a burst of magical flames. Her attack seems to have only agitated it though as it continues to pursue them.
Gretchen glances down at her mechanical arm furious at her inability to reach them. As she thinks this though, a small panel promptly lifts up from the top of her wrist reveling what looks to be a small metallic arrow. She gives a confused glance at Alfieon as he shrugs back at her. She aims her arm at the wyvern and for a second, contemplates how she would even fire this thing. In that instant though, she is abruptly forced backwards to the edge of the carriage by the recoil as smoke blows out her elbow and the arrow is launched upward trailed by a thick cable. The wyvern snaps at the two girls before it's interrupted by a piercing hook that lodges itself just under the beast's jaw. The hook's cord leads all the way back to Gretchen who looks at it perplexed before looking to Alfieon once more.
Gretchen: What now?
After a long pause she suddenly gets ripped from the carriage as the rope quickly retracts. The cord whips her around wildly as she flies towards the wyvern at a violent acceleration. Recovering from her initial panic, she then readies her mechanical arm for a punch, winding it back and clenching it tight. The wyvern looks down to see an enraged orc flying barbarically towards it and with a loud CRACK Gretchen uppercut the beast.
For a second it feels like she's floating in midair, suspended above the world until her momentum stops and suddenly, she finds herself being dragged down by the beast. She quickly releases the harpoon, but as it retracts, she looks around to find herself still plummeting down to the surface. In her moment of uncertainty, she's reluctant to find Leonie swooping down to grab hold of her arms.
Leonie: Ugh, this was a bad idea.
Gretchen: Leonie?! But where's Kyra?! And what do you mean this is a bad idea?!
Leonie: Your…really…heavy.
Leonie struggles to stay afloat as they both descend alongside the wyvern who seems staggered as it tries to regain itself. Gretchen looks high above them to find Kyra with an evil grin on her face as she steadies her fall with crossbow aimed at the beast's stomach. She fires another orb, this one all black with a red glare. It punches into the wyvern's gut forcing it to hurl as it bends around the impact and is sent plummeting even faster.
As it nears the ground, the wyvern manages to recover swooping past Alfieon, and knocking Leonie and Gretchen off balance. Leonie pulls Gretchen up as they too swoop past the carriage dodging Alfieon as they come to an ungraceful crash landing.
Alfieon: (reaching out towards the horses) Calm!
The horses slow to a relaxing steadfast as Alfieon looks to the wyvern landing overtop of Gretchen as she quickly stands to protect Leonie like a wild bloody animal to its kin. Alfieon's hazel eye starts to glow as he reaches out his hand.
Alfieon: Fine, I'll help you guys just this once. Illusion magic: Rot!
The Wyvern opens its jaws as it towers over Gretchen but is suddenly stopped as it begins writhing in pain. It's tough skin seemingly begins to decay revealing its flesh as holes begin to form on its wings. It falls to the ground unable to fly away or even stand as Gretchen and Leonie retreat from it.
Alfieon: It's running out of mana if you're going to do something do it quick.
Gretchen looks to Kyra still falling in the air then to Leonie, then to the wyvern now starting to regain itself as its wounds from Alfieon's spell begin returning to normal.
Gretchen: Leonie let me see your hands
Leonie: Uh, oh okay.
Gretchen: (Grips them tight) Go get your sister.
She pivots her foot backwards as she slings Leonie into the air with rocketing force towards Kyra. Leonie screams as she flails her arms around wildly before her wings appear again and she regains herself. The wyvern sees this and begins turning towards her when it is ones again interrupted by the sound of a canon and a corded arrow in its jaw.
Gretchen: Don't you look away; we have a score to settle.
She pulls it toward her not releasing the hook this time as the wyvern becomes trapped in a furry of inescapable punches and kicks. Gretchen then leaps in the air as her mechanical arm begins to spark and shift panels, winding up for one final blow. She drops her fist downward on the beast's head with a loud BOOM, forming a large crater on the earth below.
Gretchen stands atop the creature victorious and out of breath as the two girls fly in landing beside Alfieon.
Kyra: That…was awesome! It was RAW, but you like BAM, and Leonie was like SWOOM SWISH…
Gretchen: Kyra, we need to talk about this arm you gave me.
Alfieon: Your recklessness is baffling, it's no wonder you two made friends with an orc.
Gretchen: Friend? Alfieon aren't you a friend?
Alfieon: No, I'm more like a business acquaintance.
Kyra: Oh, come on Alfy we're like besties, why else would you come all this way just to bring us back home.
Alfieon: I was helping the orc, you two just happened to tag along. It's only polite to bring two lost children back to their worried father.
Leonie: So, you accepted a bribe from two children to smuggle an orc into Anvil because it's polite?
Alfieon: (Stares at them for a moment) Just get in the carriage.
Gretchen stares down at the wyvern still alive but just barely.
Gretchen: Go ahead, I'll finish this thing off and join you.
Leonie: What do you mean finish it off? You're not going to kill it, are you?
Gretchen: Leonie it's a monster, it's too dangerous to leave alive.
Leonie: (Looks into Gretchen's eyes) But so are we.
Gretchen: Leonie listen to me, it tried to kill you and your sister. This thing took my arm and it almost killed my…
Gretchen paused for a moment. Was she really about to call that orc her son?
Kyra: (Petting the wyvern) Leonie's right. Before the wyverns, Eagle's Peak got it's name from its unreachable height, only the eagles could fly to the very top. At one time the wyverns lived alongside humans and elves, but some saw defeating them to be an honorable challenge, so they were hunted, whether for glory or out of fear. To avoid extinction, they flew up to the only place no one could reach them. (She looks to Gretchen) We heard why you were exiled; it was because you saved the life of another orc right? Well…I believe that is how we'll make the greatest guild in the world, not by killing the things we fear, but by standing with those who are afraid. (Her seriousness is suddenly interrupted by starry eyes) Plus it would be so cool to have one as a pet, don't you think? We could fly around, and I could take him on walks, and…
Alfieon: (Drawing his rapier) Well, I'm not actually part of the guild so I suppose I have no such order to let it live.
As he stands on its head, he readies to stab the wyvern through, when suddenly Gretchen grasps his blade.
Gretchen: The commander says it lives, so it lives.
Alfieon: (Grins as he turns away sheathing his sword) Ha, just as naïve as those two, you'll fit right in, lady Gretchen. (Returns to the carriage) Come along, it's getting late so well probably make it to Anvil by morning.
As they ride off Gretchen and the girls look out the back of the carriage to watch the wyvern. It stands to its feet looking back at them, then it lets out a loud roar towards the sky as it takes flight and returns to its mountain.