“I can’t feel her presence in the Weave,” Tilos opened his eyes, deactivating [Meditation]. The Talent helped boost his concentration and clear his mind, perfect for amplifying his senses through the Weave and for Cultivation. Tilos stood up from the ground. “She's either too far away or hiding from us.”

“Let's just get back to the Amun, then we can discuss who’s at fault for this mess we’re in,” Raven said.

Hiro squinted at Raven, “Your one to talk. If you hadn’t wanted to examine each artifact, we would have been gone long before Fianna escaped the Golem.”

Tilos felt hunger coming from the Weave. He centered himself and concentrated on the sensation. The Weave responded with more information. Something big and aggressive was dashing through the forest, heading in their direction. It was fast, closing in on them by the second.

“Stop,” Tilos said as he drew his sword and shield. “I feel something coming through the Weave.” Tilos eyed his surroundings. The forest was thick with green foliage, obscuring his sight. It was hot and humid, the heat causing his vision to warp at a distance and his armor to stick to his skin.

“I feel it too,” Raven voiced. She stepped up, just being Tilos’ and to the side. She held her short sword in her hand.

“It feels hungry, is the goddess planning on eating us? If she wanted to taste me, she could have just said so initially,” Hiro let out a little chuckle at the end.

Raven shook her head, “It doesn’t feel like Fianna. It feels more like a beast than a deity.”

The massive face of an eagle emerged from the forest's foliage, the rest of its body following afterward. Tilos stepped forward, thrusting out his shield. He slapped the creature across the face, throwing it off to the side.

The beast fell to the ground and skidded to a stop at the base of a tree. Tilos recognized it as a Helgriff, a land griffin. Feathers, the colored blue and red, covered the griffin's body, with a strip of white feathers running down the middle chest of the beast. It had the face of an eagle and the body of a lion, but it was missing the mane that older males had. It was also slim, making this Helgriff a female.

The Helgriff slowly stood, shaking off the mud coating her beautiful feather coat. Her eyes stared at Tilos, her predatory stare sending chills down his body. The feathers on top of her head, longer and thicker than the rest of her body, stood on end. She charged Tilos, her speed increasing till she was almost a blur.

Tilos breathed in and centered his mind. Clearing his thoughts and emotions. He became one with himself, the world slowing down and becoming more clear to his vision. He exhaled as he channeled Essence into his body. His muscles tensing and strengthening. His bones becoming harder than steel.

Tilos brought his shield in front of his face and dumped Essence into [Consitution]. He grunted, blocking the claw of the Helgriff. Though she was smaller than a male, Helgriffs easily dwarfed humans in size and weight. Tilos' feet partially sank into the muddy ground as he took the full force of her attack and weight.

Out the corner of his eye, Tilos barely saw Hiro's hammer flicker through the air slamming into the head of the Helgriff, sending her flying to the ground. She laid there, alive but unconscious from the blow.

“Damn, I don’t know my strength,” Hiro said as he scanned the forest, looking for any more threats. “I must have gotten stronger after that encounter with Fianna. Maybe some of her goddess energies rubbed off on me,” He started flexing the little muscle he had on his tall skinny frame.

“I doubt it. It's more likely you pumped your [Strength] Talent full of essence.” Tilos adjusted the shield on his arm into a more comfortable position. The last few attacks have moved it slightly out of place.

“I can feel another one approaching,” Raven said from behind them.

“More work for us two than,” Hiro nodded to Tilos.

“I’m a cleric. Fighting isn’t the primary purpose of the Clergy. That's more in line with your's and Tilos’ Chapters.” Raven said as she took out two potions from her back. Both glowing an iridescent red.

Tilos eyed the potions in Raven’s hands. He took a step back from her, Hiro following his lead. “What are those.”

Raven frowned her brows, “You two need to stop being so paranoid all the time. I swear the both of you are babies. These are oils; apply them to your weapons.” Raven handed them the flasks filled with glowing red liquid. “They will cause a mild paralysis effect to the creatures. Just don’t touch the oil with your hands.

Tilos held the oil in his hands, eyeing the mysterious liquid. He opened himself to the Weave, finding the Thread connecting him and the paralysis oil. The Weave confirmed what Raven said was true. The oil's primary effect was paralysis. But knowing Raven, this probably wasn’t a standard oil of the Church; this was most likely one of her experiments.

“Stop standing around and daydreaming. Apply the oils to your weapons before the creature gets here,” Raven yelled as she applied her paralysis oil to her blade.

Tilos complied, applying the oil to his sword. He poured the contents on each side of his blade, allowing the rest of the concoction to splash on the unconscious Helgriff. He made sure none of the liquid touched any part of his body, clothes, or armor. Raven said that her potion caused paralysis, but it likely had other side effects. Tilos did not want to be one of her experimental subjects again.

“Surrender now, and your punishment will be light,” a deep masculine voice said from behind Tilos.

Tilos sprung into motion, putting himself between the Raven and the newcomer. It was an Aesir, dressed in light leather brown armor. His eyes were bright like all Aesir, and their color was orange. Long grey hair flowed down in a ponytail behind a middle-aged face. He was athletic; strong muscles covered his frame, but not to the point that it made him look bulky.

“We mean no trouble. We were just leaving. We got lost while on a surveying mission. We’ll be out of Aesir Land soon. We were just defending ourselves from a Helgriff.” Tilos said, a smile quickly blossoming across his face. “If you don’t mind, we would appreciate it if you point us in the right direction.”

“You know exactly where you are.” Fianna's ethereal voice, with a hint of wildness, reached Tilos’ ears before his eyes laid upon her form. Two more Aesir followed just behind her. Fianna stopped just past the middle age Aesir border guard. She was in her hybrid fox human form, this time clothed in a red dress with golden embroidering. “Give me back my treasure.”

“You came back for me. I know you couldn’t resist me,” Hiro said as he smiled at Fianna lovingly. “For a second there, I thought I was losing my touch. But we’re going to have to work on your nickname for me. I don’t think ‘My Treasure’ has a nice ring.”

“Fool, I am not talking about you.” Fianna glared daggers a Hiro. She then turned to the Aesir border guard officer. “Hurry up and apprehend them already.”

“Raven,” Tilos slipped the backpack filled with artifacts off his back and handed it to Raven. “Take the bag and run. Hiro, you go with her and make sure she stays safe.”

“Even you can’t take all of them by yourself. Three Aesir and a god verse alone Templar?" Hiro shook his head, "My money’s definitely not on you, my friend,” Hiro patted Tilos on the back.

“And I don’t think running is an option anymore,” Raven said.

Tilos glanced behind him. The Helgriff that Hiro had knocked out earlier was up again, the paralysis oil doing little to limit the creature. Next to her was a much bigger Helgriff, complete with a massive mane of feathers around its neck. It roared into the air as it neared the group, startling birds. On top of the Helgriff’s back was another Aesir border guard, a young female with bright blue eyes. Helgriff Feathers decorated the outside of her leather armor.

The other two Aesir border guards that arrived with Fianna circled Tilos and the others—blocking them in, cutting off any of their escape routes. They unsheathed twin blades from their backs.

“You still have the option of coming quietly,” the middle-aged Aesir Officer said as he took out a spear.

“We can’t do that. Our people need us back at Amun,” Tilos said.

The twenty-something Aesir guard wielding twin blades laughed, “You mean the lands you people stole from us. You and your people should have never come to Urith.”

“Maybe if your people took care of the Harbinger instead of letting it flee to Eros, my people wouldn’t be here right now,” Raven shot back.

“Shut up,” thunder boomed. In a flicker of lightning Fianna disappeared and reappeared in front of Tilos.

Tilos held his shield up in front of him. He channeled Essence to his shield arm, releasing waves of Force out from his shield.

Fianna's fist hit his shield, and arcs of lightning flew around Tilos.

“Enough talking, let's fight,” Fianna grinned with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Her Eyes shrank into slits as she hungrily stared at Tilos.