Opening my eyes slowly I was greeted by the sight of a low-burning candle with griffons and ponies beyond the candle's light moving back and forth, their voices loud but their words muddled as I struggled to understand what they were saying.

"The patient known as Knight Wilkinson and from his medical records he has...somehow survived getting his throat slashed open, multiple cuts and puncture wounds, fractured bones, torn muscles, a concussion, a fractured skull and a mild case of malnutrition. By the gods how is he still alive?"

Letting out a groan I looked over at the griffon standing closest to me who was looking over a scroll as he recited my previous list of injuries.

As I tried to sit up, I realized that I couldn't as I was securely wrapped up in blankets and that it was hard to move in let alone hard to even get into the sitting position. It was when I struggled to move from within my blanket cocoon did, I get noticed by the passing medics and surgeons two broke off from the group they were traveling in and came over to me.

"Easy their sir, relax, your injuries have already been tended to but if you struggle you may reopen them. It was a bit of touch-n-go when we were patching you up, but it appears that you are making an excellent recovery. Sadly, the same can't be said for the many others that were injured during the attack." The griffon on my left said as he checked over my bandaged and blanket-wrapped form, making sure that nothing was reopened and that I wasn't going to be bleeding out any time soon while the griffon on my right was checking a scroll that was placed beside me.

"Another thing, sir, how are you still alive? With this number of injuries, along with the ones you have previously sustained, you should be dead at least three times over."

"I am simply built different." I may not be Toyota tough, but I am tough.

"Indeed." The griffon said before returning to his scroll, giving it one final look over.

"Is it over?" I croaked out, my throat dry as a bone in a scorching desert, my guess is that I have been out for quite some time, hopefully not for a number of days but a few hours at best.

"Yes sir, it is over. The diamond dog siege on Talon's End is done." The griffon on my right said, putting the scroll down before taking out a quill and a tiny bottle of ink before writing something down, blew on the ink to quickly dry it out before rolling it back up.

"How many..." I started to speak but coughed violently as I raised an arm to try and cover my mouth.

"By our last county, it was forty-four dead and nearly a hundred wounded in some capacity."

"And the minotaur's?"

"They are being tended to but are under watch."

"Good...good..." I said before laying my head back down on the floor, letting out a groan as I let everything sink in.

The battle was over.

Talon's End survived the siege.

But at what cost?

Nearly fifty griffons and ponies are lying in the great hall covered in sheets, their eyes closed with a pair of coins covering their eyes while those of equestrian descent has a few items pertaining to their cutie-mark placed next to them.

Those who knew the honored fallen defenders were kneeling beside their kin and friends, mourning the loss of someone that made a difference in their daily lives, mourning the loss of a lover, a friend, a parent, a child, a sibling, a rival, cursing the world for its cruelness in taking someone away from them too soon.

Many of those that fell were some I had befriended during the feast and while we were working on the improvement projects for the town, I grew to care for them. To think that their candle would be snuffed out so suddenly, and the ones responsible were the ones we took in thinking that they were the innocent party that was being attacked for no reason by a pack of dogs.

But soon enough the scales will be balanced, by my sword or another's.

And there I was, laying down against the back of the great hall staring at everyone and everything in the chamber, my injuries have been tended to and the ones responsible for this attack are sitting in the town's jail cell, chained to the walls so they cannot escape judgement when the king arrives.

Now though, when the king arrives in a few days, I am hoping he gives me the honor of beheading these bastards or at the very least, allows me to remove their horns as they have lost all honor in my eyes for their actions.

As I laid there resting by the wall as the griffon doctor finished checking my injuries to see if they have worsened or got infected, I watched as a pair of griffons brought in another body from the outside, covered in heavy canvas, lifeless.

Another victim.

Undoing the bedding that kept me from sitting up I looked around myself to see where my belongings were, and I saw that they were all neatly placed beside my head. Pushing my hands into my pile of clothes and armor I found the key that was still within the pants pocket before weakly smiling to myself before I started to redress myself carefully and slowly as to not agitate my injuries any further than they already have been.

Pushing myself off the limestone tiles I slowly limped my way past the griffons bringing in another unfortunate victim of the minotaur's crimes, I soon left the great hall to find myself at what was left of Talon's End.

The fires were put out during the night when it started to rain which was a small blessing disguised as a curse as it turned the dirt into mud and made everyone move cautiously as to not trip but it also slowed down in the search-and-rescue efforts for those that are still unaccounted for. Many griffons and ponies are still missing from last night's siege even though I gave the command to release any and all prisoners that the diamond dogs have captured but I still think that those that are not present are either trapped in their homes because their homes were damaged or are simply refusing to leave because they fear that the dogs will come back to finish us all off.

And I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to leave their homes.

The town didn't stand a chance against the mongrel horde that was the Ruby Mountains Clan and that they would have completely annihilated this town if it wasn't for my stalling tactics to whittle them down and me fighting their alpha in a one-on-one fight to the death. That battle gave us enough time to secretly evacuate the citizens with the underground passage hidden in the town hall, just in time too because I feared that after I killed the alpha that they would resume their attack and destroy us all.

I didn't know if it was luck or providence but when the alpha was killed and the dogs had me surrounded, with me injured to the point that I would only be able to put up a weak defense before getting torn apart like a parmesan pull-apart sandwich I was spared such a grisly end when they retreated at the sound of the griffonian war horn being blown. They knew that they ran out of time to enact their vengeance against the minotaur's and that they are now firmly in the crosshairs of the highly trained griffon army that is now bearing down on them.

When I saw the banner-griffons flying into the village, crashing and killing any diamond dog they can get their talons on, I knew I was safe and that the rest of the village was safe as well. After seeing the sight of the griffon army coming to the rescue, I finally gave up the ghost and decided to take a little nap right then and there, only to wake up a few hours later in the town hall laying against a wall surrounded by the injured and infirm.

The village of Talon's End can and will be repaired to what it was before the siege, but its people, their very lives will never be the same again. Those that lost someone will be grieving and asking the gods why this happened to them while others will be asking the army if they can join for a chance of revenge, but me, I have learned that even these diamond dogs can be of use to me and the empire.

When we march on the Ruby Mountains, finding the warren will be hard and laying siege and claiming it will be nearly impossible due to how they are structured but if I were to do some...unorthodox and quite possibly unethical tactics, we can get them to surrender and have them become a tributary for the empire. They can pay off their crime by 'giving' monthly tithes to the empire till the day we decide that they have paid off their crimes but knowing how these things work that will be never, and in time we will take the wild dogs and make them loyal to us.

With a bit of a hiss I took my first few steps out of townhall, two legionnaires that are standing by the door immediately snapped to attention and slamming the butts of their halberds into the ground, I guess word of either my deeds or my rank has reached their ears and they are simply going by protocol.

Turning to one of the guards I asked them if anyone from the legion has seen or moved a fairly large chest of minotaurian design recently and their response was simple.

"No sir knight, the chest remains where it lies in the middle of the street. We have tried to open it but neither crowbar nor arcane might could pry it open so we left it there for the time being until a key could be found, forged or a stronger arcanist arrives."

"There will be no need for a forger nor an arcanist, I know how to open this minotaurian chest for I have its corresponding key." I said as I limped my way over to the metallic chest resting in the mud-covered streets of Talon's End, many of the town's guards that survived the night were giving salutes and nods of acknowledgement along with several of the citizens that are out and about trying to fix their homes.

As I approached the chest I suddenly felt a sense of dark foreboding wash over me, as if what I was about to find may very well be some foul, occult, unholy relic of old, and when I knelt down and placed the key within its square hole, I watched as the mechanism within latched onto the key and spun it a few times before series of small clicks go off that is then followed by several rectangular locks displace themselves from the chest as dust is ejected out. Placing my hands on the lid I gingerly tried to lift it up and at first thought that it wasn't going to budge an inch but strangely enough I was able to open it with barely much effort put into it as the hinges were well-maintained as the lid rose.

What laid within the metal chest was oddly enough a second chest, rectangular in shape and looked more akin to a lockbox than a treasure chest. The lockbox itself was ornate in design with what looks like minotaurian beings of lore having been molded or shaped onto the metal itself, some of which reminds me of the myths and legends that originated from Greece, the minotaur and the labyrinth, medusa, harpies, that sort of shit. Another thing that sets this lockbox apart from others is that after a seconds after I have opened the chest, the lockbox itself rose up on a small platform before the lid seemingly opens itself, splitting in half from the middle before opening up to reveal its contents.

What laid inside made my eyes glitter and sparkle with greed and avarice.

Lying in neat little rows was solid gold bars and a letter, each bar being the size of a standard concrete brick, each of them stamped with the minotaur royal treasure symbol which was a pair of crossed keys behind a stack of coins in the shape of a minotaur's head. As I pulled one out I saw that there was more underneath it and as I started digging into the lockbox as I pulled out a column of gold bars and found that there are a total of 280 gold bricks laying within.

Pulling out the letter I saw that it was sealed with a wax that has stamped in it the royal minotaur sigil, a beige bull's head resting in the middle of a scale with a stack of coins on one balance and what looks like a gear wheel in the other balance.

Breaking the wax seal, I yank the letter open and removed the folded parchment within as I began to read the fairly well written script that I could understand, something I probably should have asked Eris when we met, but nonetheless

"Greetings Mr. Ian of House Wilkinson, noble knight of the Griffon Kingdom

On behalf of the proud bulls of Minos, we would like to extend an invitation to you to join our great nation for your contribution for the recreation and fabrication of the lost art of Griffonian Steel along with the creation of a new type of forge and smelter that can quickly produce fresh, pure metal in times far faster than any forge and smelter in all of Minos.

We are inviting you alongside those that have bonded with you to join the Kingdom of Minos for your innovative creations and unorthodox way of thinking that has never been seen in a millennium since the fall of Chaos. We would love to have you here with us as we are paving the way for new innovative ideas that will change the world for the better as we have a path to a brighter tomorrow. To show my trust in you I have enclosed within the lockbox a 'generous' donation to help you set yourself up within Minos to further our cause and help bring this lawless land to heel. I know that as a diamond dog your loyalty is to those that have placed themselves at the top and yet your new king has yet to give upon you a home to call your own nor land for you to preside over, but if you were to join me at Minos, that will change for I can give you anything your heart desires all in return for your cooperation in helping us in creating a new world. My nephew and his associates will be there to assist you in grabbing whatever belongings you and yours have and taking them back to Minos where your new life will begin and together, we shall shape the world where all are equal in the eyes of the pantheon.

I hope to see you in Minos soon, my new friend.

From the desk of his royal highness, King Janark, Fourth of his name, King of the lands of Minos, ruler of northern Griffonia, slayer of the elder dragon Chrysophylax, and Descendent of Rhadamanthus the thirdborn of Asterion of the Pantheon."

Lifting my head to look back at the chest on the ground and the absurd amount of gold that lays within its confines, I gave the letter one final read over as it hits me.

The minotaur's has a spy that has access to the king's inner circle of leaders and assistants, or at the very least has spies that can listen in to their conversations. Not many griffons knew about the plans that I had placed forward and those few that do know sworn to secrecy and that the punishment for breaking such an oath would be stripped of their ranks and titles before being banished to the frontier. Or the most likely of culprits, those that assist the king's assistants, cause after all even the tightest of beaks can be pried open with a large enough 'donation' of gold and silver.

'So this at least confirms that we got traitors who has access to the inner circle, how all that is needed to be done to be rid of them is to set a trap and capture them. And should they resist then we can employ much more...devious methods of obtaining information from them.'

Casting a sparing glance towards the chest filled with gold I began to think to myself as I started to pace back and forth while looking at the town around me.

'These minotaur's were sent by their king to come find me, offer me wealth beyond my wildest dreams to come work for them in Minos far to the north...that far up north will be freezing cold, even more so when winter hits in three months and my ass isn't equipped to handle that degree of cold. That is gonna be a hard pass from me bro, no way in hell am I ditching these griffons to go up north to help a bunch of bulls who already seem well off and don't need any brand of assistance from me, hell I should be asking them if they can help us.'

Rotating the key to the 'locked' position I watched as the lids closed on themselves and sealed up tightly before slightly pushing the key out and with a bit of a yank, I retrieved what is now rightfully mine before standing back up with a bit of effort as my injuries started to make themselves known.

As I stand back up, I immediately felt the eyes of well over a dozen ponies and griffons that are around me, I don't know how many know just what lies inside this chest, but I do know that I am now ungodly wealthy at this very moment.

"So, sir, what was inside of that chest?" one of the legionaries said as they crept closer, trying to see what was inside just as the lids closed themselves.

"Apparently a bribe, to get me to betray the kingdom to go work for the minotaur's." I said as I pocketed the key and kept my hand on it lest someone with sticky talons tries to take it from me.

"Why would they try to bribe you? Do they not have any honor at all?"
"I thought that they didn't do such things anymore?"
"Aye, I thought that they were all about strength and honor? Where is that honor with a bribe?"

As the various griffons and ponies talk about the minotaur's trying to bribe me, I walk back to the townhall with a bit of a limp to have a chat with the minotaur's about this deal that they wish to have with me.

'To think that the other kingdoms would suddenly know about my part in recreating griffonian steel let alone try to remove me from the griffons so that they would remain crippled and weakened...I think there is more going on than what the king is letting on, or Eris for that matter.'

Well of course they are trying their best to keep the griffons weak, how else do you expect the surrounding leeches to get their fill of griffon loot? The Griffonian Empire is massive in size but because it is currently broken up into smaller pieces with many of them focusing on certain industries that it is easier to keep them knocked down and demanding tribute from the weakened individual groups. Now if the Empire was whole again and not separated into provinces with their own leadership, then the other nations would be backing off from their demands and then the griffons can spin the table on them in turn. But sadly, only a true ruler can get these greedy griffons to put aside their avaricious nature to unite under a single true banner, and that king on the throne isn't it.

'I take it that corruption of the leaders is the reason why they aren't truly united under a single banner and is just farting around a thumb up their collective asses, collecting taxes and not doing a damn thing to help their own people! I mean that is what the government is for! We pay them taxes or tithes, they use that money to then build or fix roads, improve any crumbling infrastructure, build and maintain critical emergency services like the medical and police forces, I swear it's like this place is going to hell in a handbasket!'

Well that and also each of the district leaders are using their own ways on how to run their region instead of simply yielding their authority to their rightful ruler and king. At least for the most part that many of the governors and mayors use their collected taxes to actually build and improve the roads that lead in and out of their controlled areas and that their guards are always equipped for the job, other leaders on the other paw...well let's just say that you need to start doing your job to get them out of theirs.

It only took me a few minutes later to realize what Eris has said, that the king on the throne isn't a true ruler even though he has been keeping the empire together for gods knows how long since the last king 'n queen ruled. And if he isn't the true ruler, who is? It sure as fucking hell it isn't my goofy ass, no way I can lead a nation to prosperity and the future, I can lead a small group of people for sure cause its easier that way, but a nation? Nah man you have to be pulling my strings for that to happen and I am definitely not ruler material, more like squad leader material, but not ruler.

Letting out a mental sigh I hobbled back to townhall to check in with both the head foreman griffon who was in charge of the construction efforts of the sawmill and the fisheries, and on Tychus since he was in charge of guards that accompanied the construction crew for this little adventure of mine. Besides, I got to check in on my drinking buddy to make sure the injuries he has acquired from the battle have been tended to and that he hasn't died on me.

Making my way back inside the townhall and towards the temporary medical area of the building I spotted many more griffons and ponies lying on makeshift beds with most of their injuries tended to as I saw that the minotaur's were now being looked over and their already existing wounds being taken cared for. Moving closer to the minotaur group I noticed that the injuries that I have tended to when they first arrived has been replaced and done better by those whose job it is to do so.

"Sir we are not done yet, sit back down so I can replace these bandages with fresh ones!" A voice cut through the chaos that was happening to the group of minotaur's as a few griffon medics try to convince their leader to sit down so that they can finish giving him his checkup, but it would appear that he was having none of it right now.

"I am well enough to stand so I do not need your assistance any further, my group and I must be leaving now if we are to reach Griffonstone in time." the minotaur leader said and as he was talking to the medics that was surrounding him, a letter fell from his armor as he hastily tried putting it on while the rest of the minotaur's all try to do the same.

"In time for what?" one of the medics asked just as a young griffon recruit was walking by, he noticed a letter on the ground and picked it up before pocketing it in his uniform and scurried off, probably to either deliver it to someone or to deliver to his commanding officer.

"Nothing for you to worry about, this business is reserved myself, my clan, and the dog knight in Griffonstone." The minotaur leader said as he stood up, finally free from the medics, I watched as he and his group slowly shuffled and made their way to the main doors leading outside, a few of the minotaur's grumping about the medics being a little too touchy-feely for their position while the griffons and ponies were grumbling about ungrateful bullpeople.

I moved out of the way as the thundering herd of bulls marched by, none of them sparing me a single glance as they made their way out of the building and as soon as the last one was by me, I went to the mayor's office and residing within the room was both the mayor himself and the commanding officer of the legion that saved all of our lives last night. The griffon officer was wearing what amounts to a modified US military uniform, there was no pants, the left sleeve held his rank as a Major, and that he had a few combat ribbons on his lapel as he gave me a short salute before walking over to the window overlooking the central area of the village.

"Ah, Ian my boy, good of you to be a part of the waking world once more." The mayor said as he came over to me and grabbed my hands and started to shake them, a few tears of joy falling down his beak.

"Indeed, I see that your injuries have been tended to by our medics as best as they can do in such short order, we can't have the king's first diamond dog knight die on us on his first public relations duty now, can we?"

"Uh...no, I guess not." I said as the major gave me a nod as the mayor kept shaking my hands before eventually letting go and goes back to his seat, dabbing his beak with a handkerchief.

"Anyways, the reason we were about to call for you here is to both congratulate you for doing your best on defending this village against what amounted to an overwhelming hostile force and also eliminating the alpha of a known hostile diamond dog clan. The other reason we called you in is to tell you that due to you being the one who eliminated the alpha of the diamond dog clan, in a trial-by-combat no less, you are now considered the alpha due to their laws. While we can certainly keep them restrained and within an ever-watchful gaze, soon we will be moving on and we cannot take all of them with us back to Fort Daggerpoint as we do not have enough cells for them to be placed in, let alone prison cells that they can't dig their way out of."

"In the past there has been a few griffons that had the stones to challenge a diamond dog the Rite of Supremacy and won but their rule never lasted long as they couldn't stand being underground for so long nor would the diamond dogs, they were in charge of ever truly listen and subject themselves to a surfacer's rule. But seeing that you just like them and that you were apparently a part of another clan when you initiated the Rite, they will obey you begrudgingly at first but will come around and obey you." The Major said as he walked around the desk and approached the window and looked outside, and from the spot I am standing in I saw that just outside all of the diamond dogs that surrendered the previous night have all been rounded up, bound at the wrists with chains, and are sitting on the floor completely surrounded by the legion.

"Just because I have slain their alpha in ritual combat does not mean that they will just obey me immediately. You and I both know that to be true as half of them tried to attack me right after the duel ended and the rest became submissive and obeyed me. Hell, even if they do obey me, where the hell am I going to be putting them all, their warren is probably far outside of the kingdom or somewhere else entirely." I said as I tried to be the reasonable one in the room, we all know that I don't have the funding, resources, manpower nor the time to even house all of these diamond dogs and yet they want me to take care and lead them.

How the hell would I even be able to explain this to Gilda and Greta?

Shaking my head, I go over to the window and stand next to the major and as I look out the window, one of the diamond dogs outside noticed me and started to nudge and bark at one another before being told to be quiet by the griffons guarding them.

"Well then Sir Knight, we just got proof that they are willing to obey you if the mere sight of you talking to me through a window was enough to garner a response from your new underlings." the major said as he walked away from the window and went back to his seat, pulling out a cigar from his coat and lights it with a match, taking a large puff and letting out an exhale as he relaxes in his chair.

"That doesn't prove a thing." I said as I tried to come up with a way to try and wiggle my way out of this new overwhelming responsibility and station in life, but just like my knighting ceremony this is unavoidable with the exception of death.

"It does my boy, that it does, the only downside to this is that you seem to be unwilling to accept your new position, but don't worry, not all of us were ready when we rose up through the ranks of life. In time you will be able to accept your new position and all of the responsibilities and power that comes wi-" The major was saying but is interrupted as the doors to the office was opened up to reveal the small griffon from before walked in, in uniform and wearing a leather cap with goggles on his head.

Both the major and I turn to face the young griffon as he steps into the office and gives a salute to the major before walking up to him and reaches into his pocket and pulled out a letter, part of its upper left corner is stained a dark red.

"Is there a problem Private Pochinki?" the major says this, cigar still in mouth as he couldn't be bothered to remove it to speak to his underling.

"Uh sir, you might want to read this."

"What is it?"

"A missive that dropped from the minotaur's before they left, I saw it as it hit the ground, so I picked it up and gave it to our communications officer to translate it. When he was done translating it, he was frothing at the mouth in anger, I didn't know what it could be to anger him so much, but it must be bad." the private says this, still unsure of the situation he has found himself in but is lucky to be ignorant of what is about to happen.

"Let me see what it is, maybe he is just overreacting at something he doesn't understand." the major says in a jovial tone which does not last as he takes the letter and starts to read it, his facial expression gradually shifts from a smirk to that of shock than a sudden shift to anger before going into full blown frothing at the mouth enraged.

As I stand there, arms crossed wondering what has the major's panties in a bunch since he is getting pissed just by reading a letter that the minotaur's had, I thought it was maybe the minotaur's wrote something insulting about the griffons or were just being assholes in general.

Watching the major get mad at reading a letter does bring a bit of a smile to my face but that comes to a quick end as he slams the letter on the table, reaches at his waist and grabs what looked like a war horn and opens the window.

"Those fucking cows think that they can get away with this? Not on my watch!" the major says as he climbs out the window and unfurls his wings as he takes to the sky and once he is a fair distance up in the sky I watch as he takes the horn, places it to his beak and blows on it as a loud blaring sound comes out the other end.

Immediately everything stops in the village as the townsfolk look up to see the major in the sky blowing on the horn before quickly making their way back to townhall seeking shelter, the town guards retreat back to townhall to defend it and the legion that is scattered around the village assemble before the major in the air and on the ground as the griffon quickly looks around for the minotaur's before spotting them heading towards the southern gate.

Pointing a talon at the minotaur and drawing a miniature crossbow from his belt, I hear the griffon officer shout out a single order as he raced towards the minotaur's.

"Legion! Do not let those minotaur's escape! They are ones responsible for assault on Talon's End! Apprehend them now!"

Turning away from the window I quickly walked over to the table and picked up the letter, and strangely enough I was able to read both the minotaur scripture along with the translated version in griffon. And as I too read this my own feelings started to peek through as anger started to rise within my very core.

"My dearest nephew, keep this letter close to your heart and heed it contents well for they are of utmost importance to the continuation of our nation. There is a peculiar individual that has made the Griffonian Empire his home, a diamond dog of great heightened intelligence and creative mindedness that will prove absolutely beneficial to our people, a diamond dog that we must convince to come work for us by any means necessary. Within that lockbox I am sending with you contains a fair amount of pure minotaurian gold bars that should be more than enough to convince the dog to work for us, and if that is not enough, persuade him with whatever he wants as this one time I will bestow upon you, my authority. I do not care what his heart desires just do whatever it is you must to get him to return to Minos with all possible haste, Prometheus is nearing completion and we cannot let it be postponed any more than it already has been.

On your way to Griffonstone you must lure the diamond dogs to Talon's End and have them ransack and burn it to the ground, our artificers and engineers will salvage whatever is left and begin setting up the gold harvesting nets, that river is full of gold, and it will do us good to have it returned to Minos where it belongs. We have already conquered several minor dog warrens on our way to the mountains that is rightfully ours, the griffons are nothing more than a steppingstone on our path to greatness and we will be damned if those featherbrained fools will rise above us with that dog helping them! We cannot allow the griffons to reclaim their former glory and might nor can we allow that diamond dog to help them further, recruit him to our cause by whatever means necessary and if he refuses, kill him and any witnesses that are nearby.

Remember, this mission is critical for the continuation of our people, failure is absolutely unacceptable.

Glory be to Minos, my nephew."

I am still alive, bad news is though I have contracted Covid from some ass hat at work.