Hitman with a Badass System

1252 Meeting the big griffin again I

Gaya couldn't help but smirk, muttering to herself, "Looks like Tarnis here is just the jester we need for our circus."

Without further hesitation, she stepped out from her cover, fully aware of the surprise her sudden appearance would invoke among the trio of griffins. As expected, their initial reaction was a blend of shock and aggression, with Tarnis leading the charge, mistaking her for an easy target. "Back off, human! You won't like it when we're angry!" he squawked, fully expecting his words to sound like mere screeches to her.

Unphased and with her characteristic sass, Gaya shot back, "Oh, please. The only thing scary about you is how much you overestimate yourself, featherball,"

The cautious one, Orin, and the timid one, Fleece, exchanged bewildered looks. "Wait, did she just... talk back?" Fleece whispered, disbelief coloring his tone.

"And she understands us? What kind of human is she?" Orin, equally astonished, added.

Meanwhile, Tarnis, refusing to believe a mere human could understand them, puffed up his chest and readied his claws. "Enough of this nonsense. You'll make a fine snack for us," he declared boldly, mistaking Gaya's confidence for ignorance.

Gaya's amusement quickly turned to irritation at being referred to as a snack. "Listen here, you overgrown pigeon, I'm nobody's fucking snack. You're about to bite off way more than you can chew," she snapped back, her temper flaring at the insult.

The griffins, taken aback by her ability to understand and respond to them, hesitated for a moment. This pause gave Gaya the opening she needed to launch into her persuasion, aiming to turn these young, misguided creatures into unwitting participants in her grand scheme.

Tarnis's growl rumbled through the night air, his stance aggressive and unyielding. "If you understand us, then prepare yourself to become our next meal," he declared, his eyes fixed on Gaya with a predator's focus.

Orin, the cautious one, stepped forward, a note of hesitation in her voice. "Tarnis, wait. She's not like the others. No normal human speaks our tongue," she cautioned, trying to inject some sense into his brother's hot-headed plans.

"Yeah, Tarnis, maybe she's under some powerful protection. Attacking her might not be wise." Fleece added his own worries.

But Tarnis dismissed their concerns with a flick of his tail, confident in his own assumptions. "Her understanding is probably just a trick, a potion or spell. Nothing to worry about," he scoffed, underestimating Gaya's true capabilities.

Gaya couldn't help but laugh at Tarnis's naivety, finding amusement in his arrogant dismissal. "Oh, Tarnis, your head is as thick as your hide. Thinking a simple potion gives me the ability to talk down to a trio of griffin bullies," she teased, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Yet, she chose not to reveal her divine nature, keeping her true identity a mystery.

But her laughter quickly turned into a scolding, as Gaya couldn't hold back her frustration any longer. She shouted at them, berating their actions. "And you! Attacking innocent travelers and villagers? What honor is there in terrorizing those weaker than you? You stupid assholes!" she yelled, her voice echoing around them, her anger directed at their reckless behavior.

The griffins, taken aback by Gaya's outburst, shared a look of confusion and surprise. Her words, while harsh, struck a chord, especially with Orin and Fleece, who had always followed Tarnis's lead without much thought. "Your attacks on travelers and villages have not gone unnoticed," she began, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "You've painted a target on your backs. That's the reason I'm here."

Bristling with anger at the perceived threat, Tarnis lunged forward, his talons outstretched toward Gaya. The rowdy griffin thought she was here to capture them since she did tell them she was here for a reason. But Gaya was quicker, sidestepping with a grace that belied her sturdy frame. In one fluid motion, she retrieved the God Slayer crossbow from her back, pressing its cold, dark muzzle against the griffin's neck. "One pull of this trigger, and it's over for you," she said, her voice icy.

"Ha! You think that puny crossbow can hurt me?" Tarnis growled, his voice a mix of defiance and amusement. "My skin is too thick for your toys."

Orin and Fleece, however, were not so dismissive. They had noticed the dim runes etched along the weapon's shaft and the unnatural sleekness of its make. The crossbow, forged from the collarbone of an ancient beast, exuded a power that sent a primal fear through their feathers. Though they knew nothing of the crossbow's origins or the beast from which it was made, the energy it radiated was enough to make them intervene.

"Stand down, Tarnis!" Orin hissed, his eyes locked on the ominous weapon.

"Yeah, don't be a fool," Fleece added, her voice tinged with fear. "There's something about that crossbow."

Gaya seized the moment of hesitation. "See? Not so invincible now, are we?" she said, keeping the crossbow trained on Tarnis but her gaze sweeping over all three griffins. "I'm not here to kill you or take you down. I'm here to offer you a way out. A deal that's your only shot at escaping what's coming for you."

Tarnis, though still bristling, hesitated at Gaya's words. His pride wounded, he snarled, "Why should we trust a human?"

Gaya let out a cold, mirthless chuckle. "Because, my impatient and impulsive friend, if you don't, the next humans who come after you won't be offering deals." Her eyes darkened with the seriousness of her warning. "They'll be beast tamers, and they won't bother talking. They'll just take you down."

Orin, her eyes flickering with a mix of suspicion and curiosity under the dim light of the cave, finally broke the tense silence. "Alright, what exactly are you proposing?"

In the corner, Fleece shifted uncomfortably, her voice barely above a whisper, "Maybe... maybe we should just fly away from all this."

Tarnis rounded on her, his voice booming in the confined space. "Fly away? And be cowards? Don't you dare be afraid of a puny human," He snorted in disdain, glaring at Fleece. Gaya, still holding the crossbow at ease but with a readiness that spoke of her confidence. "This 'puny human' might just be your best chance at survival." Her tone was calm, yet carried an undercurrent of steely resolve.

The griffins fell silent, the tension palpable. Orin, with a skeptical tilt of her head, pressed further, "Okay, but what are you proposing? What's this grand plan of yours?"

Before Gaya could respond, Tarnis interjected, his voice laced with sarcasm. "How can you possibly negotiate with a human?" His snarl carried a mix of incredulity and challenge, setting the stage for Gaya to unveil her proposal.

Gaya's patience frayed at Tarnis's interruption. Pressing the bolt of her crossbow just a hair's breadth further into the griffin's thick skin

"Shut up," Gaya said. The command was simple, sharp, brooking no argument. Tarnis, for all his bluster, fell silent, a growl rumbling deep within his throat but no further words escaping.

Turning her gaze to Orin, who watched the exchange with a wary intensity, Gaya continued. "The beast tamers aren't just coming to put you down. Given your... let's say 'cute and cuddly' appearance to some twisted buyers out there, there's a real chance they'll opt for caging you. Selling you to the highest bidder." Her voice took on a grim tone. "And then? You'll spend the rest of your days as someone's plaything, a toy for their amusement."

The cave seemed to grow colder with her words, the flickering shadows casting grotesque shapes that mimicked bars of a cage.

Orin's feathers bristled at the thought, a look of horror crossing her features. The reality of their situation, laid bare by Gaya's stark warning, settled heavily on the group.

Tarnis, still subdued by the crossbow's threatening presence, now looked more thoughtful than defiant. The mention of cages and being sold seemed to strike a chord, his earlier bravado replaced with a dawning realization of the gravity of their predicament.

Fleece, visibly shaken by Gaya's dire portrayal of their potential future, wrapped his wings around himself as if to ward off the cold reality of her words. "We get it," fleece managed to speak with his voice trembling. "Just tell us the bloody solution, will you?"

Gaya couldn't help but feel a flicker of amusement at the sight, though she hid it well behind a mask of solemnity. She had intended to frighten them, true, but not to the point of driving them away. They were crucial to her and Michael's plan, after all. She let out a heavy sigh, allowing the weight of her next words to gather before releasing them into the tense air of the cave.

"You can run," she began, her gaze sweeping over the trio, "but those beast tamers will catch you eventually. You'll live the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, always wondering when they'll finally snag you. There's a pretty handsome bounty on your heads, you know."

The griffins exchanged nervous glances, the reality of their situation sinking in deeper with every word Gaya spoke.

"But," Gaya continued, leaning in slightly as if to share a secret. "If you listen to me and agree to be a part of our plan, yes, you'll be captured. But here's the twist—I'll break you out. Together, we can take down the leader of the beast tamers. It's your chance to get revenge against those bastards once and for all."