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Aeron! No!

Elrok called out in concern as Aeron was hit, sending Sekhmet into a flurry of angry screeches and worried trills. He couldn't focus on them, though. Aeron's human was out here to protect him. They had to focus on Abaddon, or die.

He heard Leolin call out to him. Attack the wings?...actually, that wasn't a bad idea. There were a great many important blood vessels in the wings. On the other hand, should they manage to actually hit him good, it could send him into a sort of berserk mode. After all, beasts were most dangerous when backed into a corner.

Now or never, he supposed. With a screech, the red and white griffin shot forward, making himself as aerodynamic as possible, aiming for Abaddon's other wing. It was a risky shot, going right for him....but it was a good idea. Elrok only hoped that Leolin's idea would work.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Ma'at wasn't even going to try and contain Sekhmet. There would be no helping her. Vicious as she was, in a panic - a worried panic - she was even worse.

The tan griffin watched as Elrok made to charge. Was he insane?! Leolin's idea was insane!...the best idea they had, even so. Dammit! Growling, the sandy-hued griffin had but a moment in which to think. Stay, or attack. She had stayed for a long time, waiting for a good moment. Elrok and Leolin were going for the wings - Abaddon would be busy. This had gone on way too long already, and the longer it proceeded, the more people and griffins that were hurt. Think!

She lifted soundlessly into the air, pumping harder and faster than she had in a long time, it probably looked as if she was leaving. Escaping was the last thing on the griffin's mind, however. She was trying something that could possibly get her killed. But, while it could get her killed, it could also make Abaddon leave - that's why she was trying it.

The griffin flew up until she was out of sight. She flew several yards away from the area itself, lining herself up behind abaddon....

Silently, she dove, straight for the back of the creature's head, a golden bullet in the dim light of the outer lanterns.

-_-_-_-_-_-

"AERON!!"

Sekhmet screeched loud and long, small trills making their way in at odd intervals. Her Aeron!! He had been hurt!! That stupid big ugly waste of carrion flesh!! She nudged him and coo'd at the wound, as if that would help him. He needed to leave! He needed to leave now.

Snarling in an almost-feral tone, she tried desperately to put herself between Aeron and Abaddon, trying to push the larger male away from this threat. He was going to get himself killed, and for what? The other griffins who would be hurt by his loss, and the weaklings who had already fled. There was no sense in it!!

((Okay, since there's so many going in to attack him...I'm just gonna go with whatever I come up with. '''xD))

These griffins dared to mock him. And yet they had courage enough to stand up to his fury, where others would have fled. Courage, though, or foolishness?

Of the three that had attacked him, only one has escaped unscathed, and that escape had only come about through the sacrifice of those two from whom he had torn blood. The bites on the shoulder of one and the back of the other would throb indeed, and it would be awhile before the black and blue male would be able to stand on his left fore-talon again. And now that he had tasted the sweet flavor of the blood of his kind, he wanted more. But Abaddon was not just a cannibal, carnivore, or predator - he was one that would bring destruction to those who waited on death.

There were several guidelines, of sorts, when facing a great enemy in a fight to the death. First, if you have numbers, it was wise to attack together. It seemed as though his current assailants had figured that much out - he could even smell humans beginning to enter the fray. Second, gloating should be reserved for the one who has the upper hand. Taunt him, would they? And third, possibly the most important of all, was to never back an opponent into a corner unless one was sure of victory.

The satanic brute was dangerous now, but these unfortunate few had just broken the first lock on his ferocity by closing in on him.

He whirled once again on Leolin. He did, however, hear the javelin coming his way the moment it was thrown. Hissing at the incompetence, the creature side-stepped. Being one well-versed in the ways of human war - though, admittedly more rusty than he would have liked - Abaddon then did something very, terrifyingly odd. Turning his head, he caught the projectile weapon in his beak by the shaft as it flew past him, growling satisfaction as he slowly turned to witness who had thrown it.

But was distracted when something much smaller attached itself to his left wing. Hissing, a quick flick of said wing dislodged what looked to be a dagger...also thrown by a human. He felt blood begin to trickle down his feathers, but cared little; there was no pain. And, he was becoming very irritated by the figure of his first attacker. Go and get him?

With a snarling threat, he complied. "Swa eow willan."
As you wish.

Leaping forward, the black griffin slid into Leolin's path as he ran, and wielding the javelin still clutched in his beak, swung his head around. He felt it collide with something - hopefully, flesh - and the force of the hit snapped the shaft in two. Dropping what was left of the mutilated weapon, Abaddon took a moment to observe that the end that had still been in his mouth was the one with the spearhead.

Veering around once more at the sound of another body rushing for him, Abaddon looked as though he almost had a grin on his beak. The blood streaking the cruel curve gave that effect...and, if one would notice, only seemed to enhance his slowly-reddening, hellish eyes.

------

Deste was trying desperately to force his mind into regaining some sense of...well, everything. It was a sad thing to admit, but judging now from his numbed reaction....Even after years apart, the man was still hopelessly terrified of the snake-eyed monster that had concealed itself in the form of a red-haired human. Then again, perhaps the ex-thief always had been this apprehensive in the presence of his 'teacher.' That was why he chose to remove himself from that presence before.

Regardless, he had to keep himself under control. It had been a horrid initial reaction on his part, and Shane, ever the mindful one, had been the first to act...And was likely to pay for it later. Still, the violet-eyed woman had gotten Iris away from the b*****d - he'd thank her for that later.

Speaking of her, however...why wasn't Iris running? Every creature with any sense fled whenever Balsem approached. Those he pursued, those that were 'fortunate' enough to receive his attention, well....He hoped beyond all reason that the man had come only for his former students, and would leave the rest around said students alone. Hope prayed for that; logic said otherwise. Balsem would torment anyone he wanted until he got his results....

He had to get Iris out of there. But there was far too much risk in taking his black eyes off of the b*****d for even one second.

His gaze began to radiate hatred when his teacher addressed him. Keeping the tone of fury just at the edge of his voice, Deste almost snarled, "Leave her out of this!" He was torn between fighting and fleeing, the latter more instinctive, neither logical. How could he get Iris safely out....His eyes flickered unintentionally when he saw Shane move slightly from where Balsem had tossed her.

Bad mistake.

He was forced to shove his fiancee out of the way as the snake leaped for a strike. Drawing a dagger with his left hand to block the blow, the prince buckled for a moment, distracted with worry that Balsem was going after the Nefretiri daughter...something collided with his right side, sending him into the wall.

The amused laughter and a "Come on, boy, I even have a one-handed disadvantage now." was what had the man forcing himself back on his feet. Eyes narrowing to a glare, Deste jerked his other blade from its sheath. Fine - if Balsem wanted a fight, then at least it might distract him long enough for Shane to get Iris out of the building.

------

Kalei hadn't really been moving, up to this point during that ferocious beast's attack. As equally frightened as any other griffin there, it also wasn't in the male's nature to aggressively attack unless he had full reason to. Pacifism, one could call it. And yet, as Leolin, Aeron, and Zephan, and then Leolin once again were repelled, one by one, the griffin felt a need to act rise within him.

The brown avian had also drawn the same observations as Zephan had, however - that attacking while making a whole lot of noise was the best way to incur the wrath of a counter-attack. He had to try and sneak in, if he was to do anything. Elrok and his dear Ma'at were making an effort, too. And he couldn't very well let the two of them handle it on their own!

But before Kalei could move, he saw Abaddon move to meet, and violently collide with Elrok. There was screeching, scuffling, and for a moment, the male thought that the courageous red and white male had succeeded in fending the beast off! But no! There was a keen of pain, and a triumphant roar of the devilish brute. The brown male swiveled his head to look, but in a moment, a certain silver striped friend of his was spreading her wings before Abaddon, shrieking defiance in her attempt to shield Elrok.

It was move now, or never!

------

Eranthe wasn't sure what she was more intimidated of; the actual creature attacking them, or the fear that one of her friends would be hurt. For the moment, though, her latter fear had come true. Crying out when she saw the male griffin stumble back against the black beast, the small white female didn't react to thought, only to impulse, and threw herself in front of Elrok. Wings spread in her attempt to halt Abaddon from following up his blow on the male, the normally quiet female was hissing to the point of snarls.

Her posture was steadfast, but her warm, dark eyes were fearful. She knew she could never fight against this creature and expect to live. And Eranthe knew full well that this demonic griffin could smell her terror; merely but she had to try, in the very least.

Suddenly, though, Abaddon roared fury, rearing as he was assaulted, as Eranthe observed, both from above and from the side as a sandy-colored griffin, and her own friend Kalei, struck him at the same time. Seeing his distraction as an opportunity to see if Elrok was alright. Backing away even as Kalei and Ma'at were managing to force Abaddon away, the white female nevertheless kept a wary eye on the brute and his snarling as she turned to whistle worriedly to the red male.

"Are you hurt badly?" she asked, nosing gently around his neck and gazing for injury.

------

...Oooowthatbloodybastard.

Picking herself up gingerly, Shane got to her hands and knees, inhaling slowly, but deeply, as her air-deprived lungs began to calm her hammering heart down. She wasn't really hurt, no...but damn, she did hate him.

Hell-in-a-Nutshell and the Princeling were clashing daggers already, though. She had a feeling that she already knew who would lose, and if she were betting money on who would be the winner, the bartender would have lost a looot of money. But right now, her primary concern was probably figuring out what Deste would want her to do while he acted as a distraction for their psychotic teacher.

...Hm, get his Little Miss out of there, most likely. Fair enough.

It was something to think about, though, as the girl carefully watched the fluid, fleeting movements of the two combatants. She wondered if either would notice how much slower the normally very-fast one was moving...or, at least, he would be soon. There was a very distinct reason why Balsem had even bothered keeping Shane around. Neither the teacher nor the student really wanted to admit the similarity, but considering the fact that Shane was a horrible fighter in comparison to the 'prodigy' that Deste was, well...

To cut to the chase, the violet-eyed woman was smart. If anything, she could match wits - if she was ever that bored - with Balsem. Not to say that they thought in similar ways...but both had the ability to predict the mind processes, and thus intended actions, of certain individuals. Which is exactly the reason why Shane had come pre-prepared, in case the b*****d really did attack.

It wouldn't kill him, no. She had discovered that he was notoriously good at being immune to anything she had plentifully on hand. And, because she was predicting that he would notice, eventually, that her blade she had struck him with was tempered, she had refrained from choosing something deadly. After all, there was always the chance that Balsem would turn around and use the weapon on herself, Deste...anyone, really.

No, the drug would just ever so slowly wear down his mobility. It was all Shane could do at the time.

Standing, Shane wove her way towards Iris, keeping a careful eye on the two dagger-flashing men. They seemed well-distracted with keeping pace with each other, though, so the woman was able to make it to the Egyptian woman without incident. Said woman was staring, sitting in the spot where Deste had shoved her, with a nearly-broken courage set in her face. Ah, poor doll. Balsem was indeed frightening. Cheerfully, Shane heaved her to her feet, not wanting to lose time. "Come now, Little Miss!" she murmured, her light-heartedness betraying a tone of urgency. "Princeling will be fine, but he'd be right angry with me if I let ya get hurt! Come now!"

Well, this was awkward… Rem didn’t have a whole lot of experience in comforting crying distraught women. If someone died during the war, someone else would break the news to the deceased mother, sister, wife, lover or whatever females they had in their lives. It wasn’t Rem’s job. So, with an armful of crying Laura, he was a little lost as to what he was supposed to do.

At first, he felt some warm wave of masculine something or other. But, as Laura continued to cry, Rem found his patience running out. Normally, he was very patient. But, this wasn’t exactly a situation to be patient in, unfortunately. It was a very dangerous situation and if they continued to just stand there, something bad would happen.

“And who’ll take care of Leolin if you get hurt out there?” he shot right back, pointing out the blatantly obvious. And, hopefully, hitting on one of Laura’s soft points. He knew the woman was protective of her gryphon. Surely, she wouldn’t trust his care to Rem or anyone else. Awkwardly, he hugged her while still trying to get just a little closer to safety, which was basically any direction away from the killer black gryphon.

~.~
Aeron slunk back to Sekhmet’s side, growling to himself. The growls stopped, replaced by a far more bemused sound as the female started worrying over him. It was very… sweet of her to do so and very much unlike Sekhmet most of the time. He blinked his eyes and shook his head slightly, trying to clear the fuzzy-feeling away from it. Gingerly, he looked over his shoulder, wincing at the pain. The cut was deep. Very deep… it had probably hit at least one vein. Still, he would survive. He had been through much worse.

Instead of worrying about himself, he cooed protectively at Sekhmet and ran his beak through a few of her feathers, trying to take care of her scratches. He couldn’t, of course, but he could at least try.

“I’m fine, Sekhmet, I’m fine… What about you? You’re more important.” Well, to him anyway, which was good enough for him. His attention wavered momentarily, going back to the black gryphon who was effortlessly defeating everyone. This wasn’t good… Aeron couldn’t go back in. He was too weakened from that bite. And he sure as hell didn’t want to leave victory up to these other gryphons… He hissed softly as he sensed a human approaching, but his noises ceased once he realized it was Mal.

“Aeron! Aeron, my baby, Aeron!” this was more or less Mal’s constant litany as he approached his injured gryphon, a bottle of alcohol in hand. No, he wasn’t planning on drinking it… he needed it for doctoring. Very gingerly, he touched the gryphon, who growled quietly, but didn’t make any efforts to bite him. He also kept a wary eye on Sekhmet, realizing that she was a tad possessive of Aeron. It was cute, but annoying at the same time, as he really needed to tend to Aeron’s shoulder.

Damn. It was deep… really deep. “I’m sorry about this, baby,” he cooed quietly to his precious gryphon before sloshing some of the whiskey all over the wound. Aeron hissed angrily, but couldn’t get Mal away from him. That was a relief to the human. If there was one thing he had learned through the war---and he had learned many---it was that alcohol helped kill the bad things in wounds. There wasn’t much left of the whiskey, forcing Mal to choose between drinking it or using even more on the wound. He didn’t hesitate, emptying the last bit on his gryphon’s shoulder.

Single-malt whiskey, the finest in the city… and he was using it for medical supplies. That gryphon would pay for this… he glared over at the black beast, trying to figure out how they---everyone---could defeat it. Where were the guards of the city anyway? Every city had guards! The Watch, the City Guard, whatever name it went by, they had the same function.

Nyhali tucked the other javelin she had out back into the quiver. There were too many griffons darting in and out at random intervals to try that trick again. Especially since the damn thing seemed able to see it coming. She hefted the spear, wondering what to do. If she got too close that beast would simply rip her apart. She simply didn't have size enough to live through the wounds the beast was inflicting on some of the griffon combatants.

She saw Kedri rush out just in time for the griffoness to see Leolin go tumbling. Kedri's nature wouldn't allow her to leave Leolin's side until she knew he was going to heal up straight. But she was thinking now, and she thought she might have a way to do at least some damage to the beast. The risk to herself and Kedri would be high, so the question remained on whether she should or not.

~~~~~

Kedri did indeed check Leolin. She knew he was in pain from the way he was standing. She listened carefully; she didn't hear any wheezy or bubbly breaths, so he didn't have pierced lungs. Tucking his wings to his sides had probably cushioned the ribs from completely breaking...

She knew by this point than to shriek defiance. She knew how to stalk quietly, she'd hunted on foot enough times. She'd have to trade some of her silence for the sake of speed, but she had to do something while the Black Beast was turned away from her. Leolin couldn't run as fast now. But she could run. Maybe not as fast as Leolin, but she could run.

She darted forward as quietly as she could and grabbed up the discarded javelin head in her beak. She wasn't going to just run in and try to do damage, and she wasn't going to just run in and run away like Leolin had. She'd get herself hurt for this, she was sure, but...

She headed straight for Abaddon's rump. She was going to poke him in the butt with the javelin and then do her damndest to run around and stay behind him to do it again. She couldn't throw herself into it full-force without running the risk of her momentum getting her caught under his feet or unable to turn when he did, so the jabs probably wouldn't do a lot of damage, but maybe having a javelin stuck in his rear would be distracting enough to help the others.

She thought she heard both Leolin and Nyhali give a startled cry when she went for the javelin. Damn. He would have heard that and he'd know someone was about to do something! She retreated and glowered at both of them.

Suddenly she got an idea. She dropped the broken javelin head in front of Leolin. "Maybe it will work better with two..." she said softly. "Try to stay behind him and poke him in the butt. I don't know well you'll do after that fall but... Maybe with both of us we can keep him too distracted to really go after either of us?"

~~~~~

Shitshitshitshitshitshit. He's faster than you think, Kedri! She breathed a sigh of relief when Kedri stopped and came back, not really caring about the dirty look she recieved alongside Leolin when she moved up to the pair.

But then Kedri dropped the javelin and chirped and gestured at Leolin and bumped into her trying to get at the javelins! What. The. Hell? Try as she might she couldn't stop Kedri from digging one out and watched bewildered as she slunk forward a few paces in a stalking crawl and apparently waited for a chance to repeat what she'd been about to do.

"...Kedri?" The griffon didn't even twitch in response.

Nyhali was smart enough to realize what Leolin wanted. She turned to her griffon for a moment and called her again, this time with every ounce of authority she had in her being. "Kedri. Here. NOW." Even the stubborn griffoness couldn't ignore that tone.

She went ahead and carefully got on Leolin's back, knowing well he was hurt, and lined up her spear across his shoulder in a joust-like position. She also got a javelin and held it close to her side, hiding it in Leolin's fur and partly beneath her. She would have two opportunities to strike. The odds where the behemoth would dodge the spear and try to attack them, and that was when she'd strike with the javelin. He'd be too close to avoid it then, and hopefully the momentum would drive it deep wherever it landed.

But it wouldn't do for Leolin to just rush in right now, not in his half-paniced state. "Wait." She stroked his neck the way she'd do for Kedri when she was anxious. Be calm. Be smart. Even with this trill of fear palpable in her mind and even in the air, they all had to keep a clear head.

There. He was distracted again, and Leolin had calmed down at least marginally. "Go, Leolin!" she hissed quietly.

~~~~~

Kedri basically sulked at being called back. She'd stay... she'd wait... but not the way they wanted. As soon as they set off she started slinking forward at a lope. She'd be in position to use the javelin she'd picked back up and hopefully keep the Black Beast from mauling her friends.

What would they do if she got hurt? What the hell did they think SHE was going to do if THEY got hurt?!

((Since I assume Abaddon is going to see and dodge the spear, when he deflects it and moves to attack she'd going to try and stab him with the javelin. That's also when Kedri's gonna run up and try to poke him in the butt with hers. Don't hurt them too much, please? T'would be akward if they got dismembered now, since we have an RP going for what happens after this. XD))

((After contemplating what to do, and since everyone's already stared RPs after this little event...Abaddon's gonna go away now. xD))

Ma'at!

Ears flat against his head, Kalei hissed and backed off from the creature, crouching low and dancing slowly back from the menace. He had been attempting to distract Abaddon while the sandy-colored female tried to dig into his back, but when she had been shaken loose....

Thankfully, at that moment, the hell-beast seemed to be distracted away by a woman wielding a weapon, herself astride Leolin. Wishing the pair the best of luck, the brown male took that chance to dash around over to his friend, all the while keeping a weary eye on the monster that had invaded their party. Reaching Ma'at's side, he nuzzled her neck gently, noting her unconsciousness, but also that she was still breathing. Good....But he had better stay near her just in case. Kalei wasn't a fighter - those who were, or at least were less of a pacifist than he was, had already been hurt. They had to focus on protecting the ones that couldn't get away.

Speaking of such a one, the griffin noticed his large, blue-winged friend limping slowly over to him, carefully positioning himself behind the smaller male in case Abaddon took notice of the rather helpless group. As the injured male sat down, Kalei inquired softly, "Are you alright, Zephan?"

The large griffin snorted slightly at the redundancy. "No, but I'll live." Honestly, survival from this demon of their kind was the best any of them could ask for.

------

Eranthe didn't want Elrok to go and try to fight that creature again. She saw that limp, had heard the cracking noises...he was hurt. If he had barely been able to take on the black brute when he was in good health, what did he expect to do when in his current shape! Ruffling up, the female trotted quickly after him, a determined, "No!" echoing in the form of a worried squawk.

Rounding about to face him - though still very aware that she should not be putting her back to their aggressor - the white and gray female flared her wings slightly, puffing up in a rather futile attempt to look bigger. Though, despite her posture, her voice reflected more fear for his safety than anger that he was even considering going in for another round. "Don't fight him again, you'll be killed!"

------

Were there none left to challenge him? How very anti-climactic. Not that Abaddon was ever one to consider such things in a fight...he was there for a thrill, and he wasn't getting one. None of them were doing the intelligent - or rather, instinctive - thing and running. If he didn't have a good chase, he would be rather upset before the night was over.

Ears flicking as he gazed around at his rather sad set of opponents, the beast considered chasing some of the straggling humans. Not that doing so would satisfy his need for a hunt, but it was better than....Oh? That small, tawny male was back again. And this time, bearing a human on his back.

It was almost like a battle with the knighthood of old, except...it was a human female wielding a spear. What foolish courage some people held. Well, Abaddon considered for a moment. The last time he had been openly challenged by a human, his ignorance to that human's strength had earned him an injury, an injury that had been returned. But then a sort of loathing respect had been born...Bah.

He charged as they did. The long-poled weapon was aimed directly at him, but he kept on running. He smelled the fear still lingering on Leolin, and snarled as the pair neared collision. At the last moment, he used his wing, the one already injured from the earlier blades thrown by another human, to knock aside the spearhead. There was another stabbing pain as the point entered his wing, but his maneuver brought the griffin close enough for a hard tackle to his challenger.

Though, Abaddon wasn't expecting the extra two strikes he felt as he shoved the tawny male back. Roaring, he jerked his already-injured wing out from the point of the spear, and swung around quickly, intending to pursue whoever had just cut his back thigh. However, the javelin now sticking out of the front of his shoulder became the forefront of his attention.

Snarling, the creature backed away a few paces, reaching down with his beak to yank the weapon out. Blood splattered from the wound, the blackish ooze staining the ground. Hmph....He smelled the blood of the human he followed, behind all the other smells. It was a unique, clearly distinguishable scent to the griffin, mainly because he had both smelled and tasted it before.

He had seen enough of these challengers. None had been able to stand up to him as he had hoped, not without the assistance of a human or some human mechanism. If that was what his race had truly degenerated to...pitiful. Spreading his wings, the one still dripping blood, Abaddon took flight into the air. He would collect Balsem and go - the task should have been completed by now; establishment of fear, that was all they were after. Of knowledge of their existence.

He pushed himself easily up to the third story, the wing bringing that smell to his thoughts....There. Roaring, the beast tucked his head downward, and flew straight for the side of the building.

------

Now that she thought about it...where was the damn City Guard?!

Muttering something about incompetence as they ran along, Shane occasionally threw glances over her shoulder to make sure Psycho b*****d wasn't following them. Or, though she knew it was a fruitless hope, that Deste would somehow emerge victorious. Lack of faith in the skills of her friend? Hardly. Balsem was just...godly. A handsome, one-handed, probably-lost-his-marbles-a-long-time-ago god.

After deciding that the new drink she was planning on naming after said person would, for some reason, include arsenic in it's mixture, Shane found the two reaching the bottom floor. Aaah, and there were more people! Excellent! Hopefully, Iris would not get out of the building and stay out. And, like...stay among other people. Because she needed to. "Now, Little Miss," the woman piped up as she began dragging Deste's fiancee towards the entrance of the mansion, "Go find your father and get the hell out of dodge. I'll go make sure Princeling is okay, okay? Okay!"

After scooting the Egyptian woman out the door, Shane darted back inside, ignoring startled remarks of why she was going back into the danger zone. Honestly, to make sure Balsem hadn't stabby-stabbed Deste so much that he couldn't move from bloodloss. Oh no, the psychotic one wouldn't kill the Albinian Prince, but...maul, physically maim, psychologically torture? Oh yes. Hopefully that paralysis poison was slowing him down enough to prevent too much damage.

"You're a b*****d, but I love ya anyway...*" she hummed to herself as she ascended the first staircase. "Hey hey! You make me sick," no really, he did, "But don't ever go away..."

------

Deste barely had time to register the sound of breaking glass before the point of a blade sank itself into his shoulder. Another wound to his already protesting and bleeding body, but this one, at least, wasn't as bad as most of the other ones. And even then...he'd survived much uglier ones before. Either Balsem was deciding to go easy on him, or that irritation really was starting to effect his strikes. Easing back and trying not to focus on whatever was snarling at them from the other side of the hallway, the man retaliated, knocking the offending dagger away with his own blade and going in for a counterattack with his other.

He quickly thanked whatever poison Shane had managed to slip to their former teacher as the steel connected with flesh. While it was a small wound - a 'graze on the stomach' - it was better than nothing.

However, the prince suddenly found that the red-haired snake's focus had strayed elsewhere. In fact, Balsem's posture had all but gone back to a casual standing form, his yellow-green eyes attentive to whatever creature was hissing at them from the shattered window. It was difficult to say, however, if Balsem really had stopped with his attacks at that moment. Deste risked a glance...

And was immediately forced to dodge a knife aimed in his direction. "Don't lose your focus, boy. You should know better."

Balsem seemed highly amused at the fact that a huge, black griffin had just shattered a window and was currently staring at the combating pair. The fearsome creature could fit only its head and neck down to its chest through the small width of the tall window...and from that short distance between the two walls of the hallway, Deste could feel that there was something very...wrong about the brute. It had that same feeling of fear radiating from its very body.

The man was rather grateful that the black thing couldn't get any further into the building.

---

((*Shane's take on the Bowling For Soup song. xD))

Sniffling the tears away as best she could, Laura still couldn't shake the dread wedged heavily in her chest. "Wh-what about Leolin?" Even as she asked, Laura was trembling with the thought of anything happening to her prescious Leolin. Hesitant at first, Laura strode over to Rem with a few quick steps, looking out into the court yard to look for Mal and his griffin.

Unfortunately, the first thing she saw was Leolin coming crashing down from the charge. The woman's face went completely ashen, looking as a corpse who'd already circum to rigamortis as she stared with barely a breath at the still griffin on the ground. There were no tears- she was beyond crying by now- and stared at the surreal picture framed within the window's panes.

When he charged, Leolin felt exhilerated, terrified, and proud of his swiftness all at once. As Abaddon swirved and tackled, Leolin's beak snapped on one of the beast's flight feathers. The feather's shaft broke where he'd bitten, and the fleet footed runner was sent sailing from the force of the blow.

Time almost seemed to freeze as Leolin watched the ground come careening up towards his head, and only barely felt Nyhali vault from his body. Closing his eyes, the griffin didn't relinquish his prize from the battle, even as time returned almost at double speed.

He hit the ground with a sickening crack, and was sent rolling along the lawn until finally coming to a stop. Motionless, and hard to tell if the shock had stopped his breathing or not for almost a full minute. The noise was his shoulder; the one that took the brunt of the impact, and now was dislocated from it's socket. Thankfully, his bones were in tact, save for his ribs that were either bruised or fractured from an earlier tumble. Shock subsiding, the griffin slowly began to breathe once more, but was unable to awaken from the void of blackness he'd fallen into from the impact.

This was perhaps the worst thing anyone who considered another being a partner and a member of the family to watch. Laura had no words, scarsely blinking or breathing as her large eyes soaked in the scene. Really the only movement coming from her was the faint rise and fall of her chest, and the trembling that was plaguing her. It seemed as if something that could never happen to Leolin, something that would only chase her through nightmares and the dark tales of fantasy.

Elrok stopped mid-step when Eranthe moved in front of him, crimson eyes blinking innocently. She seemed so very concerned. However, he was also acting out of concern - this would keep her safe! Or, at least, he would be doing something in the direction of keeping her safe. The male would be keeping everyone else safe as well. She was correct in one respect - he was injured....but if he could walk, he could fight.

She looked so cute though, trying to deter him from going back in. Trying to keep a serious face, the male moved forward a little. "Eranthe, I-"

Elrok's eyes flicked to just behind Eranthe, watching the beast before them prepare for some sort of movement. Instinctively, he rushed forward, with every chivalrous intention of protecting the damsel in distress...buuut that didn't work out so well.

It was a flurry of white, black, and red-striped feathers. He rushed forward with the intent, but really didn't have a plan of actually protecting her from whatever Abaddon was about to do. Squawking in pain and trying to untangle himself from his lovely friend, the griffin found himself suddenly unable to a)protect her from Abaddon if he was really trying another tactic bringing him closer to their death, and b)even know if something was about to happen. Why? Because at one point, he found himself with a face full of her chest-feathers.

"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, a hiccup of pain hitting him near the end as he finally tumbled and fell out of the mass that was the two griffins. In doing so, he noticed that the green-griffin of his same hue, Sekhmet..everyone, really, was calming down. Regardless, trying to recover, he made several squawks of pain in an attempt to right himself. The slightly-embarrassed griffin tried his best to help her back into a better position as well, but....he had done enough damage already.

Oh! But Abaddon was gone!

He had bigger issues to worry about.

"Are you-ow-" he said, interrupted by a stab of pain in his shoulder. "Sorry! Are you ok?! I didn't mean to knock you over! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, reaching forward to place a few of her feathers back into place with the carefullest of touches. Oh! Now she probably thought poorly of him...his head drooped a little at that thought.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

She heard noises, soft rhythmic tones that sounded very much like speaking. Perhaps it was, but in her groggy state, she could do little. She awoke as soon as she felt something touch her - Kalei, as she would learn later - and with the ability to do little more than groan a little. The griffin had drifted slowly back out and then back into consciousness, again only managing a moan. Her body ached...more importantly, her head was killing her. It did not register until a few moments later the situation she was in.

Her muscles moved as fast as they could, but even then, it was slow. The sandy-hued female lifted herself painfully, snapping her beak as the half of her body that had first hit the ground now protested movement. Her head was one of the few things that was working quickly despite the headache and she was able to tell by her surroundings that somehow, sometime...the threat had passed.

As much as she would like the story, right now...time to try and stand.

Kalei was the one who had nuzzled her, she knew that much. So, without really thinking about it, she let herself lean on the slightly-larger male, coo'ing softly. "How hard did I hit the ground?" she asked, rolling a painful shoulder.

Must have been pretty damn hard. She was knocked out ONLY by impact, Ma'at knew that much.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Sekhmet snapped her beak at Mal and hissed viciously, puffing up a little. One more offense, and this human would be her next meal.

She hissed again, moving into a defensive posture, whenever Abaddon took to the skies. He looked to be fleeing. Then again, the beast could just be trying to fake them out, get them off their guard. Wait. That wouldn't do them any good. They'd still get their asses kicked. Ah, well.

The black griffin relaxed a little, seeing that the threat had apparently found something and/or someone else to terrorize. Her brown eyes softened as Aeron tried to cover her with a wing, and she lowered her head to nuzzle him in return. "If you say he's alright, then fine. But he had better watch himself. I won't see you hurt further."

She kept glancing up, preoccupied, worried that the black death would return. Aeron was a very major concern of hers, yes, but Abaddon was more of a concern. He could kill them, after all.

-_-_-_-_-_-

"Aye, I 'ave an idea...damn 'ame," the man responded, shaking his head solemnly. "Ye better 'ope it 'orks, given the 'acrifice."

Going to pay for it? Hah. Right. The man tilted his head back and laughed heartily. Even he wasn't willing to go up against that feathered serpent. In fact, he was in the process of turning tail and hauling his a** out of there right at that very moment. Just got a little distracted, that's all.

"Right. 'Ell, fun 'ittle chat, but I 'ust be going. 'Arewell!" the man said a bit too cheerily, waving goodbye to the poor whiskey-less fool on the ground. Varun had whiskey of his own he needed to be getting to.

"Ome on, ye 'ittle brat." he barked to Lunelai...who only rolled her eyes and trilled a mock-apology. Mmmm. She was lucky that he actually cared about her, or he would have taken the crew's suggestion of an extra special dinner one night.

-_-_-_-_-_-

The Egyptian woman stared at the door for a moment, assessing the situation. Deste and this...acquaintance of his were locked in a battle that could only end badly. Either it would end with a death, or severe injuries. Shane was going back in to do God knows what. Iris was out here, helpless to do anything. She hated being helpless. Normally, she wasn't, but...this was way out of her league. Balsem had a score to settle, apparently, and Deste had to oblige. All she could hope for was that familiar snap of a window shutting later in the night.

"Iris!"

She whirled away from the door at the sound of her name, finding her father walking t'wards her at an almost frenzied pace. She probably looked frenzied herself, brain still trying to decipher all that had just happened.

"Are you ok?"

The white-clad woman nodded, but only barely, since she didn't know if it was true or not. She wasn't the priority here, though. "I'm fine, but Deste's still up there."

"...why?"

Iris blinked. Apparently, in all the hullabaloo that Abaddon caused, the commotion upstairs went unnoticed. Explained why herself, Deste, Balsem and Shane were the only visitors to those narrow hallways. Of course, now it was just Balsem and Deste...even more worry filled her. That man was no one to toy around with, and her beloved was battling him all alone. Gods, if anything happened to him....

The Nefretiri daughter shook her head. She would think on this..."Later. We need to go."

Iris practically had to spit those words out. With every fiber in her being, she wanted to stay here. If not up there with them, at LEAST on the property. Dammit all to hell! He wanted her to leave. Gritting her teeth, she nearly ran to her waiting carriage, regardless of whether her father was following or not. He had his own carriage. He would likely take that and follow her to her home, if for no other reason than to suck every fact about what had happened from her.

Just before entering her carriage, she let out a high-pitched whistle. It was loud enough to have anyone in the immediate vicinity look at her with an angry glare..but also loud enough to get the attention of her griffins. They knew that whistle - it meant home. They were to return home so she could assess the losses, and hope that another loss wasn't on its way.

-_-_-_-_-_-

After his attack - which Deste deserved, losing his focus like that - the man flicked backwards, standing just out of Deste's reach. He was staring at his companion, the evil in his own eyes reflecting the devil in the bird's.

Well...seemed as if Abaddon was getting ready to go. Fine, then. Balsem was getting too pissed to do this effectively, after all. Whatever Shane slipped him slowed him down marginally, just enough to even him out with Deste. Unacceptable. In the time that it had taken effect, the red haired snake had earned himself a few more scars..of course, so had Deste, but that was beyond the point.

All of this was beyond the point. He already made his point when he held Deste's woman's hand and smiled at him. This? This was all fun and games.

"Mmmm...it's been fun, my friend." the man said casually, clapping Deste on the shoulder as he moved effortlessly over to the window. Abaddon snapped at him, but he paid no mind. "Do say hello to Shane for me. And that pretty girl of yours, my greetings to her as well..."

He smirked at that point. "Actually, I think I'll tell her that myself. Later. Keep an eye out, darling."

With that, Balsem tossed his head, signaling Abaddon to back up. The great beast rumbled from deep within his throat as Balsem mounted him, settling before looking at Deste once again. "One more thing...your upper body strength is slipping. I expect you to be in top shape next time we meet. Your right arm is off as well. Fix it - I taught you how to handle a dagger properly for a reason."

The white streak in that brilliant red hair fell down in front of one of those serpentine eyes as Balsem nodded, and then took off.

Abaddon did not leave, though...he circled back down to the other griffins. Balsem had already noticed the injuries on his companion, yellow-green eyes already finished calculating the best plan of action from this point onward. That plan of action was to find out who had harmed the great brute. A flick of the wrist - caught by the corner of those demonic griffin eyes - sent them back down to the carnage. A pit stop before they left, so to speak. He blinked, though, upon Abaddon's landing, watching the griffins' alarm rise yet again. Yes, the beast was back...but for who, though?

"Who managed to get you?" he muttered, casting his eyes over the small crowd of man and beast. The griffin could not speak, nor could Balsem understand him...but he saw the hiss sent in the direction of two griffins and a girl. A woman, rather. He smirked a little and looked the trio up and down, before deciding that they needed a little preface themselves.

"Well done, warriors." the man said smoothly, in the most insulting tone that he could muster. "You've managed to put yourselves in the spotlight of it all. A fine feat...but a costly one. Take care of yourselves, for round two will be so much easier for my side to win."

With that, he gave a wicked grin and a small wave. He clicked his tongue, and Abaddon's great wings pumped them back up into the sky. Mission accomplished.

((Balsem was talking to Kedri, Leolin, and Nyhali XD So...yeah X3 Good luck, guys! You're gonna need it! XD))