Greg slowly opened his eyes. He was back to the world of the living.
He thought he had died but then just as darkness was about to consume him, he felt something enter him. It was a powerful entity who easily took over his body, pushing his soul backward which left him unable to do anything but watch as his body was controlled.
Lucky for him, the entity left his body which gave him right over his body. And he was back to life.
But...the next thing he heard was glass shattering behind him.
And saw an intimidating avian beast with iron-like wings and a beak made of steel wielded to be an instrument of slaughter.
He chuckled dryly and then shook his head. 'It seems I'm destined to die. A virgin at that.'
That was his last thought before the bird-like creature pounced on him.
Grey had pulled Amy out of the way and covered her from the shards of glass that shot towards their direction. But Greg whom he thought was dead, wasn't as fortunate.
Not like Grey intended to save him.
The avian monster grabbed Greg by the shoulder with its powerful claws pinning him to the ground. Greg cried out for help, but he was silenced by two stabs of the creature's beak, which pierced his skull, ending his life.
It then frantically began to gobble up the inside of Greg's brain.
"Oh, that's a scary one," Apollo uttered in an amused tone.
Grey let Amy go and turned towards the beast, watching the gruesome sight in horror. Amy was also repulsed after seeing the scene, covering her mouth, as she held back the urge to throw up.
Grey's scrutinizing gaze lingered on the huge bird and a notification popped up.
Ding!
[You have received a Battle Quest]
[Defeat Iron Feather Griffin]
The iron feather griffin had a head that resembled that of a proud eagle, with its eyes sharp and piercing. Its curved beak looked deadly, while its body was that of a powerful lion, covered in dense, iron-hued feathers that shimmered like steel. It had massive wings, lined with razor-sharp feathers, which spread wide, and the tail with a spiked tip flickered behind its body.
It briefly glanced at Grey and Amy, however, it chose to ignore them and continued feasting on Greg.
"It's underestimating you... good," Apollo commented.
Grey tried to gauge its strength, comparing it to that of the Veincrusher.
He could tell the griffin most likely wasn't as strong as the juggernaut zombie, but it was most likely faster and more intelligent.
It would be tough, but he wasn't as nervous as when he fought the Veincrusher.
"Don't get overly confident Grey. Listen the bird may be underestimating you, but don't be foolish and make the same mistake."
"Shut up. Are you just here to comment? Aren't you going to help?"
"I'll help," Apollo replied. "By making comments." he grinned.
"Useless," Grey insulted, but Apollo wasn't provoked.
As he said, he was going to observe until Grey got strong enough, and that was what he was going to do.
"What... what do we do now?" Amy asked with a shaky voice.
Grey's face hardened. If it were just him, he would be fine, but with Amy, things were going to be tough.
Battling the griffin while trying to protect someone would be difficult.
He wondered if he should just leave her to her fate.
But with what she had experienced Grey couldn't bring himself to abandon her.
Grey sighed, then equipped his [Bane Sword] and turned towards her with an urgent voice:
"Go down the stairs to the floor below. I'll stay and fight the griffin."
Amy shook her head, the thought of being alone too scary.
"I can't... what do I do if I run into a zombie on the way?"
Grey pointed to the griffin and asked, "Is fighting a zombie scarier than dealing with that?"
Amy looked at the griffin, breathing heavily.
Its eyes were as sinister as a snake, its beak and face red with blood and brain matter as it feasted on Greg.
Both were scary, but she knew she stood a better chance with the zombie, so she grabbed Greg's tutorial bat and ran.
Grey let out a sigh of relief. If she had chosen to be stubborn, the situation would be tough to handle.
Sensing hostility from Grey, the griffin raised its head with a glare. Grey's heart thudded in anticipation as he readied himself for anything the bird was going to dish out.
The griffin then let out an angry growl, and with a few steps, it appeared in front of him, its razor-sharp beak heading toward his face.
Grey, seeing this, swerved to the side and swung [Banesword] down at the griffin's neck. In a surprising move, the griffin raised its feathers, and as Grey's sword and the feathers met, a clang resounded like two metals striking against each other.
Grey's eyes widened in shock.
He hadn't noticed before, but the griffin's feathers were made out of metal blades.
At a speed too fast for Grey to comprehend due to his shock, the griffin kicked Grey in the chest with its powerful talons, causing him to slide backward from the heavy blow.
Grey gritted his teeth as he felt a sting of pain from the griffin claw piercing his skin.
The griffin chased after him, ready to finish him off, and swung down, but Grey ducked, placing his hand on the bird and immediately using one of his special lightning moves, [Overcharge].
Electricity coursed through the griffin, and it winced as it stepped back but Grey followed, slashing at the griffin with a lightning-powered slash, forcing the griffin to block with its blade wings.
After receiving a couple of strikes, Grey's attacks started to dent its wing, and eventually, one slice cut through, causing blood to spew.
The griffin let out a powerful scream of pain, causing its feathers to stick out, glinting under the light.
"Oh, you better watch," Apollo, who was watching like a spectator, warned.
And in a sudden motion, the griffin shoot out feather blades in a scattered motion.
Grey, shocked by this, reacted immediately, releasing a burst of lightning that stopped the blades heading towards his direction from reaching him.
Ding!
[Storm Burst Unlocked]
[Storm Burst: Channels raw lightning through his body, releasing an explosive burst of electrical energy in all directions. The lightning forms a protective barrier around him, disintegrating incoming projectiles mid-flight.]
Feather Blades were stuck into the walls all over the place, but none reached their target.
The griffin glowing eyes locked on Grey with intensity, its talon digging deep into the ground.
It hadn't anticipated Grey's strength, and there was also the strange monkey perched on Grey's shoulder, who showed no intention of interfering in the fight.
With a deafening screech and its feather bristling the griffin showed its intention to attack once again.
But it caught sight of the dark gleam in Grey's eyes, a chilling sensation crept over its body.
Grey was eying it like a predator, with...