The westernmost part of the Irrana Mountains — almost the nesting place of all flying monsters in the Pina Forest. These majestic or ferocious aerial kings fought among themselves and battled ground prey.
A nest of griffons had built their home on a peak standing independently from the mountain range. It was a very small griffon colony: only two adult female griffons, along with a litter of six griffon chicks. There was no sign of an adult male.
Perhaps because of a failed hunt, or challengers such as manticore or dragon that had invaded their territory.
These "savage yet perfect" beasts in High Elf language almost ruled the skies of the Empire's armies and held extraordinary influence and symbolism throughout the Old Empire and even the entire Western human sphere.
They were one of the most widely used patterns in the Empire, alongside Sigmar's hammer and unmutated human skulls.
But in the South, the Irrana Mountains lay at the intersection of multiple regions. After the Great War, the environment changed drastically. Many species began migrating or expanding their ranges because of it.
Northern manticores, dragons from the Badlands, trolls, giants, giant spiders… traces of creatures from different regions could almost all be seen here. There were even legends that in the deepest parts of the Irrana Mountains — places almost no one had ever reached — there were footprints of the long-extinct Sky Titans.
Griffons were a dominant group here, but they did not hold absolute rule.
Not long after beastmen scouts discovered this griffon nest, although they had been warned not to bet the main army on a monster legion, Al felt his current forces lacked aerial power and also lacked long-range units capable of effectively damaging aerial targets. Essentially, they were a pure melee chopping team.
Al still planned to capture and tame these griffons. In his memory, griffons seemed to be the relatively best-regarded among common aerial beasts compared to the frenzied manticore, the raging hippogriff, or the cunning yet low-intelligence dragon.
They were seen as noble beasts — ruthless but not cruel, and even loyal after taming.
Yes!
Catch a griffon as a mount!
In the future I will be the second +8 accessory!
Al thought wildly as he watched the beastmen scouts, with the help of the Shepherd, easily steal the griffon nest. They packed up the six little griffon chicks inside and deliberately left traces along the way, waiting for the adult griffons to track them.
Wild griffons were a group of meticulous hunters. They would relentlessly pursue prey and could even wait for days for the perfect moment to strike. Before Al's tribe expanded here, these noble creatures had almost no enemies around them, so this time neither of the two adult griffons was in the nest.
After all, relying on only one griffon to hunt would hardly be enough to feed two mouths — one large and six small.
Al curiously stroked the feathers of the slightly larger griffon. This one, which looked majestic and graceful by both human and beast standards, flapped its wings somewhat restlessly but did not make any further moves.
On the other side, the one slightly smaller than her — perhaps a sister or a daughter — tilted her head. Her beast pupils carried a curious color as she watched the human boy before her.
The six little griffons were placed in a specially built nest. Goatmen were cutting meat strips to feed them.
Of course Al did not use the method:
"Griffon madam, miss, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your children and siblings, right?"
to educate these two savage yet perfect ferocious beasts. He had the confidence to capture and tame these adult beasts thanks to the four blessings the Four Gods had suddenly bestowed upon him after possessing (crossed out) saving the holy knight that night:
Bloodmother's blessing: On any battlefield where Al personally appears, after rivers of blood flow, his legion's combat power becomes stronger. The drawback is that it is limited to the Estalia region.
All-Knowing Mom's blessing: Al has a premonition-like sense of ambushes and surprise attacks prepared by enemies, unless both sides are caught off guard. Limited to the Estalia region.
Reveler Mom's blessing: Greatly increased affinity toward monsters. Through the All-Knowing Mom's blessing, he can also form a continuous mental link with giant beasts. Now Al could truly become the rightful Lord of Beasts. It was through this blessing (and the centaur girl's absolute martial suppression) that Al could communicate and establish contact with the female griffons: Your children, we will take good care of them. You, come with me (let me ride you), good food and drink…
Loving Mother's blessing: Within the Estalia region, his tribe will not be troubled by disease or plague. The price is that the probability of epidemics and plagues breaking out elsewhere due to certain tiny organisms will slightly increase.
Three of the four blessings were limited to the Estalia region. Al felt puzzled:
Why did it feel like he, a Chaos follower, received higher bonuses when fighting in Estalia than the War Goddess Church, whose core base was in the Southern Kingdoms?
Could it be that the four Chaos moms had teamed up and divided the War Goddess Myrmidia?
The Reveler hadn't mentioned any of this…
After finishing with the holy knight that night, the extremely important information she had promised beforehand — concerning Al's future, his love, and the fate of the End Times — was delivered as agreed.
After reading it, Al cursed, "Fuck!"
He really wanted to storm into the Realm of Reveler and pin the one who always caused trouble and seemed more like a Tzeentch counterpart than a Slaanesh counterpart on her throne, doing this and that, posing her in eighteen different positions. But rationally thinking about it, just hearing the Reveler Mom's voice in the past would make Al's body uncontrollably react. If he really entered the Realm of Chaos, the one who would be posed in various ways and turned into a living sex toy would probably be Al himself.
Roughly the key points: The End Times would begin first in Kislev, then the Empire. The Empire cannot fall — if it does, there will be no show left;
Al's direction is in the south, not the north. His biological mother Celestine will also be in the south in the future. There is a problem with Myrmidia — what exactly, those who understand understand, those who don't, it's hard to say. Greenskin invasion. Estalia is now in chaos — the perfect time for Al to lead his army out of the Pina Forest and sweep the Southern Kingdoms;
Then she told him to build high walls, store grain widely, and claim the throne slowly, directly using the template from Al's memories — the same plan he had thought of himself inside the Pina Forest.
Fuck!
Most of it was useless talk.
The End Times beginning in Kislev — which Chaos invasion ever spared Kislev? The frontline of a thousand years of resistance against Chaos. Basically every major catastrophe, Kislev has to take the blow for the south so the Empire and other Order forces can react and send aid. (Motkin the Black Iron was an exception. The Black Iron Reavers never intended to end the world; they just wanted to finish their revenge and end everything.)
If the Empire falls, Bretonnia's lords will probably be finished too. With the population and geographical separation of the High Elves and Dwarfs, if they could successfully counterattack, that would be a miracle.
However, the military advice from the Goddess was still quite useful.
Al originally had no clear idea of the strength level of the Estalians. He had planned that if things went badly, he would try to sneak across and flee to the Badlands to develop there, hammering greenskins and undead. It seemed there were also quite a few beastmen active in the Badlands, which he could use to strengthen his tribe.
Since the Reveler Mom had said so…
Al stroked the griffon's feathers, thinking. Accidentally, he put his hand into the beak. He was startled by the sharp teeth on its mouth and the barbs on its tongue.
The griffon seemed very dissatisfied with Al's excessive behavior. It opened its mouth to let his hand out, retreated to the side, spread its wings, and its feathers began to bristle slightly, assuming a vigilant posture.
It was as if warning Al: This is not what we agreed on!
Al wiped his hand on his robe and smiled as he watched the griffon mother get angry.
The chicks were still waiting to be fed. The mental link between him and the griffon was also stable, though it carried a faint sense of dissatisfaction and warning.
"Okay, okay, I know I was wrong…"
Al sat on the ground, spread his hands to soothe the griffon, and continuously sent apologies and submission through the mental link.
The griffon mother opened her mouth and let out a low cry, but still hesitantly walked in front of Al to express willingness to get close.
The Chosen smiled. This time his movements were very gentle as he stroked the female griffon's head. Then he stood up, took the griffon with him, and with the centaur girl and Goat Mom following, began today's tribal inspection.
If nothing unexpected happened, Al would soon try to lead a team out of the forest for the first contact with human forces.
He needed to know the current situation, the attitudes and goals of the various factions, and most importantly:
Greenskins?
Humans?
How many divisions do they have?