CHAPTER 5: THE BEAST

Norrin found a quiet area away from the group and began his pre-journey ritual. First, checking his supplies of dried food and water in his sling pack. Next, he checked his hip satchels connected to his belt, to make sure his most essential tools were all in reach. He then tightened the straps on the specially designed boots he had custom-made for him. They were light, breathable, and watertight with special inner cushioning and a rugged sole for the long journeys.

Norrin continued his routine with a short warm up drill of stretches and isometric movements to limber up. He then finished with a silent moment of meditation and a quiet recitation of the Chasers mantra. When finished, he returned to the group to watch as the soldiers lined up in formation and the Rotormen mounted their vehicles in preparation to launch. All the while, taking a final mental note of the number of souls in his care.

“Hey yo, Bayron, I’m heading out! Watch for my signals!” Norrin called out.

“Aye, Norrin! May the light of the Azuri clear our way!” Bayron answered with a haughty cheer. “Drinks on me in Steelhaven!”

Norrin gave a laugh and a thumbs-up and made way out on the trail. His role required he be at least five hundred meters ahead of his charges, which meant he often journeyed alone. He enjoyed the solitude though, with the easier missions being comparable to pleasant pilgrimages. They gave him plenty of time to meditate on the world and life and enjoy the scenery. Plus, being alone meant he could focus and watch for any of the subtle, telltale signs of danger nearby.

Except, this mission had him on edge from the start, even though he could not explain why. It may have been the secrecy surrounding the mission, or the length of the journey, but whatever it was, Norrin could not pinpoint why his anxiety was higher than normal. So, he tried his best to brush it off.

A few hours into the hike, after leaving the safety of Citadel Snowall’s official jurisdiction, Norrin entered the wilds of the Hollow Cliffs with the caravan not too far behind. Despite there being no sign of impending danger inside the cliffs, Norrin still could not shake his worrisome feeling. The Hollow Cliffs were a mountain range of sharp sloping peaks made of smooth reddish-brown stone. The range earned its name when it was discovered that the cliffs were devoid of any usable material, as the stone crumbled quite easily. Landslides were common in the area, and whole hills would seem to disappear overnight if a hard storm passed through, leaving an intricate network of caverns and trenches crisscrossing between the cliffs.

The current path that Norrin was guiding the caravan through seemed relatively safe and simple. The high cavern walls provided plenty of cover, and the narrow pathway winding through the cliff did not give much space for a large-scale ambush by bandits. On this leg of the journey, he did not expect any trouble besides the random roaming Rockcrabs, which are normally docile and could be easily avoided or dispatched. But Norrin’s mind and body were tense, and he could not get rid of his feeling of dread. He was trained to expect the worst of course, and his senses were sharpened to look for the slightest hint of danger. The Chasers were conditioned to catch the slight rustle amongst the underbrush, the waft of an abnormal scent in the air, or any other signs of an impending threat. So, when he perceived an ominous shadow stalking him overhead, he knew his instincts and training had not let him down and his intuition about this mission was correct from the beginning. This mission would not be an easy stroll across the land.

Norrin stopped and knelt behind a small boulder at the end of the cavern’s pathway. A large open crevice lay ahead of him, littered with a few fallen rocks and some scant vegetation. Norrin was certain whatever was stalking him and the caravan would strike in this area, and he would be ready for it. He waited until the caravan reached about one hundred meters behind him, before he pulled out a small mirror and used it to reflect the sunlight towards Bayron in the lead Crawler, giving a silent signal to halt the procession. He then prepared himself, checking the items in his hip satchels, checking the straps on his boots, and unfurling his bandero until it almost reached the ground. Besides the bandero’s ceremonial purpose of identifying a Chaser; it also had a utilitarian purpose of attracting the attention of any beast with its movement and color. No one knew why the beasts were attracted to that particular shade of turquoise blue, but everyone knew it put them into a frenzy. So much so that the people began to associate the color as an ill omen of things to come. But, Norrin made his own fate, and did not believe in such things as omens, to him it was a waste of mental energy.

“Alright buck-o let’s get it going,” he whispered to himself. Then, he took three deep breaths and darted out from behind the boulder into a full sprint across the canyon. He raced at full speed, knowing the wind would catch the bandero and set the bait. Having only run a few steps into the clearing, it was clear that the bandero was fulfilling its purpose, because the beating sound of giant wings and a deep screeching roar followed close behind him. The terrible sound shadowing Norrin sent an adrenaline rush through his body and made his heart skip a beat. It was a chorus of the high tones of a hundred eagle calls, harmonized with the low rumbling bass of thunder. Norrin knew this distinct roar but never heard it in such close proximity. The creature that produced that sound, and was currently hunting Norrin down, was a very large, and very angry griffon.

Norrin heard stories of the griffons living in the peaks of the Hollow Cliffs. He knew them as large predators that bore tan to dark-brown colored fur on their lionlike bodies, with a crested head of white feathers and white wings, and he was under the assumption that they were territorial solitary creatures, attacking only if provoked. This griffon was different. It was at least three times the normal size, with shiny black fur like an onyx gem. The feathers of its wings and crowning its head were a shade of blue turquoise matching the color of Norrin’s scarf, but brighter and more vibrant as they reflected in the sun. This blue griffon was a magnificent creature and Norrin wished he could have seen it from afar, so he could study the way it moved, its powerful muscular form and the colorful plumage covering it. Unfortunately, he was running for his life with the beast in pursuit, and his only thought now was surviving its attack.

As he zig-zagged through the cavern, he pulled out a thin cylinder whistle from his belt and blew it in three loud short bursts, signaling the Rotormen and the rest of the caravan to move with a quickened pace away from the area. The griffon was terribly agile and swift, and Norrin knew there was no way to outrun it. His heart raced as he avoided its swooping attacks by ducking and dodging its deadly claws and tumbling away from its strikes. He vaulted over some boulders and hid for a few brief seconds amongst small bushes scattered across the cavern. His training in acrobatic movements and maneuvers now being put to the test. Norrin harnessed every skill he learned to lead the beast away from the path of the caravan.

Clouds of red thick dust flew into the air from the griffon’s frantic pursuit of Norrin. Norrin dashed from his hiding spot to lead the griffon farther away from the group. He made a quick cut in his run, and juked back and forth, causing the griffon to slide into the unstable cliffs. Rocks and debris came crashing down onto the griffon, but the beast recovered with a resounding ruckus and continued its hunt. The griffon’s heavy breath and beating wings pushed Norrin to move. Instead of constantly looking over his shoulder, Norrin used the heavy thuds of the griffon’s paws to range the distance between him and the beast. But that just proved that the gap between him and the beast was very small.

The griffon stayed relentless with its pursuit, barely giving Norrin any time to catch his breath. As he skirted and sidestepped the beast’s attacks in a desperate dance for his life, he pushed his mind to stay calm and detached, allowing his body to act and react with smooth graceful movements. It was something he learned during his training for the Chasers, an art called “Lhet Aeshia” or the Floating Mind technique.

The Floating Mind technique taught him to open up his awareness and see himself almost in a third person view, allowing him to better perceive all possibilities and situations. It trained him to control the fight or flight reflex and rely on muscle memory so his body does not freeze in panic.

It was this technique that drew Norrin to the Chasers. It showed him how to see the big picture of the world and how everything connected. With this he learned to calm himself when those moments of crippling anxiety crept up on him, because he could better gauge the outcomes of his actions. It helped him not only in dangerous situations, but also in activities ordinary people might find mundane, like being in an overcrowded market. The panicked sweats and rapid heartbeat he felt in anxious moments ceased the more he mastered the technique, and it instilled in him the feeling that he did indeed have some control over the chaos of life.

At one point, the griffon swooped over the head of Norrin and landed in front of him roaring in a rage. But because of his training, instead of locking up in fear Norrin anticipated this move from the griffon and was ready with his counter move. He quickly reached into his hip satchel, this time pulling out a small prismatic orb called a pulse crystal and threw it as hard as he could on the ground. When the crystal shattered it let out a bright multicolored flash with a loud bang. The blast was so bright and loud it lit up the daytime and echoed throughout the canyon, stunning the beast. Conversely, Norrin was conditioned and prepared for the blast which disoriented the griffon, providing time for him to escape its attack.

While the still confused beast recovered from the effects of the pulse crystal, Norrin tucked away behind another boulder. He needed just a few precious moments to slow down his heart rate and calm his breathing. He spotted Captain Graykeeper directing the Crawlers and the majority of his soldiers to the safe cover of the other side of the cavern and breathed a small sigh of relief; the Emissaries and their package were no longer in danger. However, Graykeeper inexplicably signaled a squadron of soldiers to break away from the main group. They joined up in a five-man formation and came barreling towards Norrin and the griffon.

“No! You idiots!” Norrin yelled out dumbfounded by the action of the soldiers It seemed Graykeeper couldn’t resist trying to take on the beast because this rare blue griffon would be an incredible trophy for him to flaunt across the realm. But Norrin knew Graykeeper and his squad were only headed to their doom.

The squad yelled out a foolish battle cry, which caught the immediate attention of the beast. The griffon pivoted quickly and pounced into the soldiers, breaking their formation and scattering them about. The soldiers desperately stabbed and sliced at the griffon with their swords and pikes, but its hide was too tough. The griffon beat them back with its wings and tore at their armor with its razor-sharp claws in an angry frenzy.

“Incoming!” Norrin yelled as he ran to the fray. He tossed another pulse crystal, this time aiming directly for the griffon’s head, and hit his target. The battle came to a temporary pause as both men and the beast were blinded and dizzy from the blast.

“Graykeeper! Run! Go now!” Norrin shouted into the confusion.

For a moment the Captain hesitated, considering if he should take advantage of the griffon's dizzied state and continue the fight. But his greater survival instincts kicked in, and he gathered his squad for retreat. Graykeeper then looked back at Norrin with an actual hint of concern in his eyes. Norrin saw the look, and in the moment, felt the Captain may have gained some respect for the job he was doing. But, Norrin had no time to revel in the sentiment, because now the angry beast zeroed back in on Norrin and lunged at him with wrath in its eyes. The griffon moved at an incredible speed Norrin realized he could not dodge or otherwise avoid. He braced himself as the beast rammed into him, and his body was sent flying into the air before the world around him went into darkness.

When Norrin came to, he was in the grasp of the mighty griffon’s maw soaring through the sky. He was bloodied and bruised, but relieved that he felt no intensive pains. The chest armor and arm bracers made of lightweight but almost impenetrable Black Steelsnake skin kept his body intact, saving him from any major injuries. He paid a lot of coin for those pieces, because the material was particularly difficult to work with. It required special tools and knowledge only a handful of outfitters were in possession of, and they proved their worth time and time again.

Norrin’s head was still foggy from the blow the beast delivered, but he was aware enough to know if the griffon took him to its nest, he would be easy pickings, expensive armor or not.

Naw, I’m not going out as Griffon food, Norrin determined in his mind. He tried to get a clearer bearing on where they were, but the cold winds above the cliffs that stung his skin also caused his eyes to water and the cloud cover made it too difficult to pinpoint his location. The only thing he could see was the mirror-like waters of a hidden lake tucked amongst the peaks of the mountains.

This is probably a bad idea, Norrin was the last thing Norrin remembered thinking before he made the desperate attempt to save his skin. He spun his body around and made a frantic grab at the plume of feathers right beneath the griffon’s eyes, ripping away with all his might. The beast let out a painful screech and released him from its grasp. Norrin’s stomach dropped as gravity took a hold of him and he plunged towards the ground below.