Leylo wasted no words. He lightly squeezed Tempest's flanks. The Storm Griffin King let out a piercing cry and beat its wings, sending a violent gale swirling as it carried Leylo and Moonlight into the sky. Behind them, the eleven other Storm Griffins ascended in formation, circling high above like harbingers of doom.
Toot! Toot!
The movement of the Blackstone army immediately alerted the Stone Crow Bandits. Desolate, hurried horn blasts echoed through the valley, shattering the silence of dusk.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" "Quick! Grab your gear!"
The valley turned into a chaotic hornet's nest. Hundreds of ragged, fierce-looking bandits crawled out of crude thatched huts and burrows, wielding a motley assortment of weapons—rusted cleavers, polished axes, and even sharpened wooden stakes.
From his aerial vantage point, Leylo estimated their numbers at around three hundred. Among them were roughly a hundred armored elites—the backbone of the Stone Crow organization.
At the far end of the valley, in front of several large log cabins, a few figures emerged in a hurry. At the lead was a gaunt man wearing an ill-fitting black mage robe. With an aquiline nose and sinister eyes, this was the leader: "Stone Crow." Beside him stood a man built like an iron tower, a massive two-handed battle-axe resting on his shoulder—the Vice Commander, "Iron Arm" Rogge.
Ed spurred his horse to the front of the ranks, his voice booming like a temple bell. "My Lord commands! Lay down your weapons and surrender, and your lives may be spared! Otherwise, when the valley falls, not even the chickens or dogs shall remain!"
"Bah! Surrender? In your next life!" a scarred bandit leader spat, waving a scimitar. "Brothers, fight them! Kill these sons of bitches!"
Born out of desperation and crime, the bandits roared in defiance. Under their leaders' direction, they gathered behind a crude wooden palisade and abatis, while archers scrambled onto low watchtowers.
Leylo watched from above, a cold arc curling on his lips. So you won't weep until you see the coffin?
He patted Tempest's neck. "Dive!"
The twelve Storm Griffins folded their wings and plummeted like meteors, the whistling wind screaming in their wake as they slammed into the densest part of the bandit formation.
"Arrows! Fire!" the bandit leader shrieked.
A few dozen arrows flew skyward, but against the iron feathers and sheer speed of the griffins, they were useless. Most were easily dodged; the few that hit sparked against the feathers and fell harmlessly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The flock smashed into the defenses like tigers among sheep. The sheer impact sent bandits flying, their screams of breaking bones filling the air. With every sweep of a claw or snap of a beak, a spray of blood followed. The meticulously planned defense line disintegrated in seconds.
Breaking the Gate
"Thor, break the gate!" Ed shouted, seizing the opening.
"ROAR!" Thor bellowed with excitement. His Armored Rhino let out a low grumble, its four hooves churning the earth as it charged like a living battering ram toward the heavy log gates.
THUD!
Wood splinters flew. The rhino's massive, keratin-shielded head slammed into the gate, making the timber groan under the pressure.
"Again!"
The rhino backed up and charged with even greater fury.
CRASH!
The gate gave way, collapsing inward.
"CHARGE!" Ed led the way, spear leveled, as the Blackstone knights flooded into the valley like a tide. Faced with bloodthirsty knights on the ground and shrieking monsters overhead, the bandits' courage broke. Many threw down their weapons and knelt, though some fanatics continued to resist.
Capturing the Crow
Seeing the battle lost, "Stone Crow" turned pale. He and "Iron Arm" Rogge retreated with a dozen core members to a high stone platform, hoping to make a final stand.
"Archers, free fire!" Stone Crow shrieked, his staff glowing as he fired Arcane Missiles at the approaching knights. "Iron Arm" swung his giant axe, cleaving a knight and his horse backward in a spray of gore.
Leylo locked eyes with the mage from above. Capture the king to end the war.
"Tempest, take him."
The griffin dived, gathering a pale green aura of wind around its body. With a violent flap of its wings, a localized hurricane erupted on the platform, blowing the archers and lesser mages off balance.
Stone Crow's face twisted in horror. He frantically raised his staff, chanting a shield spell. A flickering blue dome of magical energy enveloped him.
"Tempest, tear it apart!"
The griffin roared. A visible windstorm shredded the air around the shield like a thousand blades, followed immediately by the impact of steel-like talons.
CRA-CRACK!
The "proud" magical shield lasted less than two seconds before shattering like glass.
"NO!" Stone Crow screamed.
In the next instant, Tempest's massive weight pinned the mage to the cold stone, his sharp talons mere millimeters from the man's throat.
"Leader!" Iron Arm Rogge roared, rushing forward with his axe. Tempest simply glanced at him and gave a powerful flap of his wing. A wall of pressurized air slammed into Rogge's chest, throwing the giant man backward across the stone.
With their leader pinned, the remaining bandits lost all will to fight.
Thud. Thud.
One by one, they dropped their weapons and knelt, trembling. "We surrender! Don't kill us!"
As the last light of the sun vanished, torches were lit throughout the valley. The Blackstone banner was hoisted over the den of vice. Leylo looked down at the cowering prisoners, thinking of Master Barnaby's empty cages. It was a pity for them, but they had picked the wrong territory to harass.