Well, that was a surprise. When Ier-Briar had begun his preparations for departing to this so-called ‘Academy’ that Ezar-Mantine urged him to join, he hadn’t anticipated that the people who ran the educational institute would think that it was a good idea to send a host of griffins to escort him there. In the light of early morning, mist still unfurling over the sharp peaks of his mountain home, the heavily-armored Gemstone roughly patted the heads of one of those griffin’s, his gauntlet rustling its feathered mane. Each one of the four griffins were bursting with virility and ferocity, restrained only by the years of training that had disciplined them to obey whatever their master commanded them to do. They were majestic animals…who probably would have been a little more majestic if it wasn’t for the fact that their feet were chained by steel chains, which then lead to a sizable basket in which he was apparently supposed to step in. The basket itself was made of questionable material, only hardened wood that was spelled with reinforcement enhancements, but hopefully, it would be enough to house the heavyweight Gemstone.

Taking one last look at the mountain, at the forest that lay below it, at the sun that was cresting over the horizon, at all those familiar sights that told him he was home, the blond Gemstone stepped into the cradle, and sat down, an expressionless mask on his face.

He had already said his farewells the night before, and he had already done everything he had wanted to do. There were no more regrets left in this place, and he should be totally fine with leaving the place of his birth, but still…the six year old Gemstone still felt a teensy bit sad. Even though it’s not like any of them would die while he was gone. Immortality was nice like that, but homesickness was irrational like that.

Patting his dull gold armor, he listened to the comforting ring that accompanied the impact, before expanding his sense of smell and taking in the aroma of his homeland. Wild dew, crisp air, aging leaves, a plethora of scents accompanied by the musk of griffins. The wind began to pick up as those beasts flexed their wings, testing the strength of their chains and the weight of their passenger, before picking up a running gallop, pulling the cradle along. With a synchronized screech and a united effort, the squadron of griffins launched themselves off the cliff’s edge, jerking down almost instantaneously as Ier-Briar’s weight bore fully on them, before slowly, ever so slowly, recovering.

He probably should be scared about a body-shattering fall if the griffins weren’t strong enough, but Ier-Briar wasn’t particularly worried. He could always just walk to the Academy, after all. Having all the time in the world helped with that. Either that, or they could just try teleporting him, using whatever silly magics mages had nowadays.

The trip, thankfully, was short. The accelerating heart rates of those half-bird monsters was warning the Gemstones of their growing fatigue, and it didn’t help that they were clearly flying at a pace that was beyond them. Peeking over the basket and enjoying the scenery, he waited just until the Academy was in sight, before calling out,[b] “Thank you for your hard work, griffins.”[/b]

And then, just like that, he vaulted himself over the basket, tumbled through the air, and struck the snowy terrain. A ‘boom’ could be heard at impact, as the six year old’s body was utterly buried in the snow.

A moment later, his snow-crusted head popped out of the white plains, before his hands grabbed both sides of his head and turned it around, righting the twisted neck. A screech and a crack could be heard, followed by a content sigh.

In the wintery landscape, devoid of sound, Ier-Briar marched stalwartly towards the school.

Incidentally, the first thing he saw as he crossed the school gates was a girl stripping down to her underwear in public view.

[b]“Are fleshbags aroused every month of the year?”[/b]