"Where do you think we should go ?" Arnold asked. They were not sure of what would happen to them in this false paradise.
"Should we go toward this big waterfall or should we go another way ?" Jess found that the waterfall was very appealing.
"Why not, this waterfall may shelter something which could be very interesting." Zach replied, he found this perspective greatly intriguing, though he found even more curious that Jess was insisting on going at the waterfall.
The three of them went back up the flow of the river. They were now climbing one of the smallest mount, this mount did not have much vegetation or trees. They were walking in the open, they saw high in the sky silhouettes.
Unfortunately for them the same being in the sky seemed to have noticed them and they were quickly getting closer. As these beings were getting closer, Zach, Jess and Arnold could get a better look of what they were and how many they were.
When they saw what were those beings, their faces turned dark, dread filled them and for a few moments they were paralyzed. In the sky a dozen of griffins were coming, all of them being at a level which they could not see, sense and made them feel a great pressure over them.
"FUCK ! Why there is FUCKING GRIFFINS here ?" Zach shouted. He seeked an exit and he needed to find one fast because each passing second became more and more dangerous. Then he saw it and yelled. "Follow me ! We need to run toward this small tunnel before they near us !"
Luckily for them, the griffins were still high in the sky and maybe, just maybe they could get to this tunnel before they got ripped to shreds by them. The cave was 70 meters away, they started to run with all the strength they could muster.
Arnold was in the front, Zach was just behind him and Jess at the back. Their path was full of obstacles, many rocks, roots and gaps. It will be hard and tortuous, at every moment they could fall and be caught up by the griffins.
They runned and avoided the obstacles as best as they could. They succeeded to dodge the obstacles they encountered but when they were about 10 meters from the entrance of the cave, which was smaller than they thought but wide enough for them, Jess tripped on a small protruding rock.
Arnold just got past the entrance and Zach was about to when they heard a thud, they both turned and were both horrified at the sight before them.
Jess was on the ground and the griffins were about to reach her. Arnold was totally petrified and the next instant he saw Zach rushing toward Jess. When he saw that, Arnold had a wide grin but there was no one to see it.
Zach reached Jess just before the griffins were about to attack them, he picked up her and threw her toward the cave entrance."We should gather back at the waterfall, wait for me there !" Zach yelled to Arnold and Jess.
Now Zach had another problem, he had another very hard task at hands. He had to escape these griffins hopefully in one piece.
"Oh shit !" When he looked up towards the griffins, one was already before him and hit him on his arm. Zach got propelled a hundred meter away against a tree which broke under his weight.
Zach got up and started fleeing the griffins, he did not know where he should go, the cave was the first and only idea he had and now the griffins were between him and the cave.
He decided to run in the very same direction he was propelled, at the same time he continued to climb the mountain. He ran as fast as he could, he considered putting the few system points he had in speed but after thinking about it he concluded that a few more speed points would not help him to escape those griffins.
A few seconds later he got cornered, he was in front of a rift, deep enough to not see the bottom, behind him a handful of griffins flying towards him. He was in a serious dilemma, at his back a certain death and in front of him an impassable gap which if decided to jump may lead to his death.
'Oh fuck, we will see what will happen.' Zach sighed and jumped he stayed as closely as possible to the cliff's wall. He looked up to see if the griffins were following him, oddly enough they were hovering over the cliff but did not dive in.
Zach was now in a thorny situation, he had to somehow stop his fall. To his desperation his left arm was broken because of the griffin hit and it was only now that he realized it.
He could not hope to grip something on the wall to stop his fall and started to despair. Zach fall already lasted 15 seconds and it was only now that he could see the bottom. It was a river with a very stong flow and its deafening sound started to assault his ears.
He closed his eyes, holded his breath and hoped to survive it, he landed in the water, he felt like his legs were about to burst and eventually he fainted.
While Zach was fleeing the griffins and falling in the deep rift, Jess and Arnold were in the cave. When Zach fled they saw a bunch of griffins chasing him but unfortunately for them 4 griffins stayed behind and were flying toward them.
Fearful for their lives they started to go deeper in the cave, when the griffins reach the entrance, they heard loud screeches, the griffins were struggling to get in but couldn't.
The two of them were in total darkness, they were moving forward slowly and with great caution. "Do you think there is ... Argh !" Arnold started to ask a question to Jess but before he could finish he hit his face against a rock pillar. "an exit at the other end ?" He finished his question, he rubbed his painful forehead.
"I don't know but I hope Zach will be ok." Jess mumbled. The two of them moved slowly deeper in the cave. After an hour of walking they started to see some light, they gained back hope. The two of them arrived at the exit of the tunnel they had a magnificient view.
They exited not so far from the waterfall on its left, the lake a its bottom was crystal clear and they almost could see the bottom if not for its deepness. They saw the small fishes which were swimming, the green algae and corals of all colours. More importantly, no griffins in the horizon, this made them breathe a sigh of relief, they were safe at least for now.
They reached the lake and were at the waterfall's foot. "Do you think we could take a bath in the lake and after we will resume our walk ?" Jess innquired, she had not taken any bath since the day before their depart. "Okay but fast, I don't want to see those griffins again." Arnold replied.
"Turn and don't look or I will gouge out your eyes." Jess declared, Arnold nodded, she undressed and entered the lake, she did not go too deep in case there was a monster hiding in it. After 5 minutes she had finished, her silver hair were still wet but her body was already dry. "If you also want to take one you should go now."
"Yeah, I will take one." Arnold started to undress and entered the lake, after 3 minutes he also had finished his bath. 5 minutes later they were as good as new and dry, they resumed their walk toward the summit of the waterfall.
When they reached the half of the path Arnold tripped and fell against the wall just behind the waterfall. When his head hit it it made a very strange noise, one no one would expect from rocks. Arnold knocked on the wall he hit his head on, and effectively it was not made of rocks. He decided to put himself as far as he could from the wall, he was at the edge of the path.
What he saw on the wall was a door, yes a door, it was very inconspicuous and if he didn't fell on it they would never have seen it. It was of a beautiful grey color, with small inscriptions on it. At first he thought that it was caused by the light reflected by the waterfall but it was inscriptions of the same blue of the waterfall. It reminded them of the one on the arch.
When he saw it he whispered curiously "Why is there a so well hidden door and what could be hidden behind it ?" "Where do you see a door Arnold ?" Jess was confused, Arnold pointed toward the door and when Jess stepped back to have the same perspective as him her jaw reached the ground.
At the same moment Zach who had somehow survived his dreadful fall and didn't drown in the river was slowly opening his eyes.