Page 66 of I Ran Away to Evil
“Princess Henrietta, that’s who,” I said, then turned my attention behind them. The vanguard had circled to the shops and were fending off two griffins trying to wreak havoc. Nolin was busy fist fighting another griffin, and the last griffin was awkwardly flying between fights trying to join in. It was younger than the others and had no sense for battle yet. My [Sword Aura] told me it was still only level eighteen, compared to its feathered friends who all had levels close to mid-twenty.
I flicked my sword at it from across the town.
[You have attempted to use the Perk:Bludgeoning Cut.You have succeeded.]
The young griffin was within my [Sword Aura], making it an easy target. A number of its primary flying wing feathers were severed, sending it pinwheeling through the air. It was thrown off so much so that it landed somewhere among the mountain rocks out of sight.
The third griffin was flapping desperately toward its newly fallen kin, searching the area outside of the dwarven outpost, so I left it and turned to the vanguard.
They were trying to mitigate shop damage.
“As one!” an older dwarf with red locks and a bushy moustache called. The group tossed a metal net at a griffin as it swooped down to try and destroy an overturned cart. The net found its target, and the monster was successfully detained. As one, the vanguard jumped onto it with sword and spear and axe and mace and dagger. One dwarfess held a whip and gave out a particularly fierce battle cry as she cracked it down toward the captured griffin.
“I’ll just stop you there,” I said, stepping in between the griffin and whip. I pulled it from her hands and tossed it casually aside. Then I turned to themonster and reached for the net. With a flick of my wrist, I lifted the metal and flipped it back where it came from, trapping the dwarves underneath.
They would be perfectly capable of escaping, but it gave pause to the combat. With the vanguard, the tankers, and most of the griffins now complaining and eyeing me warily, I finally had the chance I was looking for.
“EVERYONE STOP! I HAVE THE GRIFFIN EGGS!”
CHAPTER 42
Obnoxious Micromanagement Was a Skill
Keith
The first thing Keith saw when he [Shared Senses] with Hubert was a strong, beautiful, confident woman utterly dominating.
Dwarves were knocked off their feet. One griffin was sent tumbling into the craggy rock. A heavy metal net that took four dwarves to throw was casually tossed back over the group.
It was a sight.
The eggs were safely held by Chancellor Grimly. They were guarded by an angry-looking Corporal Nova, who seemed ready to murder somebody. She wasnothappy when his princess tossed a dwarf into the shield wall.
Keith sent Hubert flying. When Ria loudly proclaimed that she had the griffins’ eggs, there was a sudden stillness that fell over the chaos. Keith chose that moment to alight onto her shoulder.
“Keith?”
“I’m here.”
“Perfect timing,” she said, then sent out another burst of [Sword Aura] to hopefully get everyone’s attention. “I AM PRINCESS HENRIETTA, COME TO RETURN THE STOLEN GRIFFIN EGGS.”
The dwarven vanguard crawled out from under their net while the tankers lined up neatly in front of them, still with shields deployed.
The griffins who could landed opposite the dwarves. A few clawed the earth restlessly, while others still had hackles raised and were eyeing the ensemble like they would pounce at any second. One had gone to assist the griffin who’d hit the earth. It could barely stand, but once it made it to its feet, it hobbled over to join its companions. The two that had disappeared into the jagged rocks had still not returned, but Ria didn’t seem to mind.
She stood in between the two groups.
“Bring the eggs!”
Corporal Nova walked forward, Chancellor Grimly right behind her. The dwarfess had taken the crate, and she pulled the top open, revealing three eggs nestled inside to everyone there.
A mixture of relief and joy screeched from the griffins, and the dwarves hesitantly lowered their shields, though they had not deactivated anything yet.
“We found the eggs and have journeyed to return them. The dwarves did not steal them,” Ria proclaimed. Keith didn’t interrupt. Even if he was the Dark Lord, giving people the chance to do things without obnoxious micromanagement was a skill he had learned at his godmother’s flank.
Feliwyn gave direction, and if someone tried and failed, she would support them until they were confident enough to do it right every time. Or she would eat them. But that was a rare occurrence; minions usually did as she asked.
The dwarves waited until the griffins settled themselves. A female griffin with a sunset-red lioness head, golden haunches, and a catlike sandy tail walked forward. She was the one who had half collapsed a roof and knocked over a cart.
