Koyesta Online - Tomb of the Ancients: A GameLit LitRPG Progression Fantasy Adventure by John Cressman & Paige Fallbright

Author:John Cressman & Paige Fallbright [Cressman, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Maverick-Gage Publishing
Published: 2022-10-20T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 31

Around noon, Roderick called them to a halt at the top of a tall hill. He stared out into the vast plains ahead of them, the mountains in the distance barely appearing to have grown larger.

From the hill they were on, the landscape sloped downward into smaller rolling hills with small and medium patches of forest scattered between them. Madison wasn’t sure what sort of trees they were but they looked huge.

The dwarf gestured across the plains. “Beyond this point, there be griffins. griffins and more.”

Rose bit her lip before speaking. “Ah, just so I’m clear, what is a griffin?”

Roderick opened his mouth but Michael beat him to the punch. “Put an eagle’s head and eagle wings on a lion and replace the front paws with extra-large talons.”

“That sounds scary,” Rose replied, furrowing her brow. “And they’re the size of a lion?”

“Nay, lass,” the dwarf said. “About twice as big as a lion. More like horse size.”

Rose grimaced. “That’s doubly scary.”

“Aye.” Roderick nodded and then shuddered. “More so when it’s pecking your heart out with its beak.”

“You had to get the tough quest!” Michael said with a grin. “Crazy druids.”

“Speaking of druids,” Madison interjected. “Didn’t they say something about it attacking villages?”

“Yes,” Rose confirmed. She bit her lip again and screwed up her face. “I forget the names though.”

Roderick pointed to two slightly different points on the horizon. “Assuming they meant human villages, that would be Corinsfield and Adderton.”

Cole raised an eyebrow. “You said human villages. Does that mean there are non-human villages?”

“Oh, aye. There’s at least two non-human villages, or maybe tribes would be a better word for them,” the dwarf said with a nod. “The first is a village of goblins. Short, ugly, and aggressive are the three words that best describe them.”

“Not stink, stank, stunk?” Michael said in a deep voice with a big grin.

Rose rolled her eyes at their cousin and then turned back to face Roderick. “What’s the second one?”

“Ah,” Roderick said, stroking his beard. “There’s actually a friendly race of birdmen called the Alkonosts.”

“Birdmen?” Rose repeated.

“And bird-women, I presume,” the dwarf amended.

Madison cocked her head. “What do they look like?”

“Uh.” Roderick stroked his beard and looked thoughtful. “They have the heads of hawks and the torso of a man—or woman. Their arms are like a cross between short wings and human arms. They have fingers like us, but tipped with talons. Their legs are basically like giant bird legs.”

Cole narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “And they’re friendly?”

“Aye. Unless you attack them first,” Roderick confirmed. “Another group made that mistake. Oh, and as far as I know, they’re the only ones around here that the griffins never bother. They kind of look at the griffins as almost… demi-gods. They have shrines set up for them around their village. Oh, and did I mention their village is in the trees?”

Madison did a double take. “In the trees?”

“Aye,” the dwarf replied with a smile. “Big ole straw houses up in the trees. Keeps them away from the ground-based predators.

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