This is Scias, Yagharek Languhiris, my gryphon and new member of Anubis' crew!

 rikitsu did a wonderful job, doing the first picture of him!
Thank you so much!

And here aswell, is a little background story for him!
Please ignore mistakes, as it is not my mothertongue!

---

A new beginning

Scias was once the proud leader of a middle sized clan in the "Wide Sands". They were traders, warriors, nomads, mercenaries. Even though trained in fighting, they were a tribe which tried to prevent shedding blood. Of course it happened here and there and of course they did kill if there was no other way out. But if they could prevent it, they did.

Their leader, Scias, a large gryphon of massive build, was a gentle giant one could say. He is very wise, always trying to learn more about just everything. He is a shaman aswell, praying to their gods, asking for their blessings. Besides being wise, he is also skilled in various things, especially playing instruments, which he often did for his clan. Not only does he play the instruments, but he also sings. Some of the instruments are very old, artifcats from the old times, still imbued with magic, capable of raising his peoples spirits, strength or happiness.

When times arose, where they had to defend themself, fight off enemies or wild beasts, Scias' character would change drastically. He then "transformed" into a cold tactician, blarring orders, telling his people what to do and how. Thanks to that, they were able to achieve victory after victory. Sadly, as everyone knows, it could not always be like that...

One day, an old friend from a neighbouring tribe invited him over to join them for a feast. So he bid farewell to his people, telling them that he will be back the next day. What he did not know though, was that this invitation was fake. A violent clan, which hides in the shadows planned this. They were known for their brutality, killing innocent, not even sparring children or women. Everyone thought that they dissapeared already, which wasn't the case. They were hiding, plotting...

They lured Scias, who is the greatest threat to them away. And Scias had no reason to think that the invitation was fake, as it was from a friendly clan, or so he believed. It was a journey of maybe half a day with good weather and wind. He enjoyed the wind, how it ruffled his feathers and hair as he made his way to his friends clan. And thanks to the good wind he had, he even arrived a bit earlier, landing in the others camp.

He greeted the people on his way to his friends tent, who seemed a bit surprised. As he entered, his friend, who was the chief of this clan, gave Scias a rather surprised look. He asked why he was here, if something happened. Scias then realized, that something was not right and showed his friend the letter he had in his pocket. After handing the letter over, his friend said that this was not written by him. An expression of anger and fear, fear for his people, creeped onto Scias' face as he ran out, starting to fly back as fast as he could.

He was worried crazy. Someone wanted him out, knowing that he was the most capable person of his clan. As he was getting closer, he could already see smoke rising from their camp. He quickly went down, landing in what was once their home. It was a massacre. Everything was destroyed, still burning. Corpses everywhere. Whoever it was, they slaughtered everyone here. Scias was under shock. Falling to his knees, he raised his head and cried out loudly. The sound would fly over the dunes and far away. While he was in this state, he did not see how some people sneaked close and suddenly went all over him, smacking and punching him in all sorts of way. His wings got broken in that situation. As he was laying on the ground, breathing heavily, the boss of the other leaned down, telling him how stupid he was for falling for this trick. They told him that this is what he gets for being such a smartass, for feeling high and mighty. They spat on him, kicking and punching him some more. Laughing, they told him about how they killed everyone here and how he would die soon too. Walking away, Scias was laying on the ground, shattered and broken. He thought, if this was supposed to be the end? He could only think of his people and how how these bastards should not get away. He watched them, how they got away further and further. His vision got foggy from the pain in his whole body.

He could not tell how much time has passed since these bastards dissapeared, leaving him laying here. He was not able to get up, not even able to move a bit. Later, Scias heared noises getting closer, louder each second. Having no power left, he wasn't able to see for himself what it was. He could only that it was large by the sounds it made, probably an airship. He then got bathed in shadows as it flew over him. He turned his head a bit, using his last bit of strength to see a massive airship that hovered over him and the remains of his clan's village. After a short moment it moved a bit away and landed. Scias c heared the faint voices of people. It was hard to tell what they were saying. They sounded shocked and angry beyond believe. He closed his eyes for a moment. He couldnt even call out for them. Opening them again, he saw how they checked for survivors, shaking their heads. It seemed like an eternity, as someone got close, crouching next to him. Scias heard the person gasp and call out for their captain, that someone was still alive. Heavy footsteps got closer, the ground vibrating a bit. The person kneeled next to him, hearing him tell his companions, that his condition was terrible, that it was a wonder that he was still alive. The person close to him spoke up, in a calm and gentle tone, that he should rest assured, that they would take care of him. Whoever this was, he placed a hand on Scias head and he finally lost consciousnes.

Scias was not sure if he was dreaming or not. He was moving between being half-awake and sleeping. He sometimes heard voices, not able to remember what they said or how much time had passed between waking up each time. The pain was gone, he only felt a deep sadness for his people and a heavy fatigue. After some time, which felt like ages, he opened his eyes. Scias' body felt numb as he tried moving a bit. He was laying on his stomache, on a large and soft bed, his wings spread out. Grunting a bit, he pushed himself up, getting on his knees. The blanket which covered him slid down, revealing that he was not wearing anything. He made a note about that in his head as he moved to the edge of the bed, putting his feet to the floor. Still feeling groggy, Scias carefully stood up, holding onto the wall until he felt safe enough to walk. His view also got sharper now and he could make out the room. It was rather luxurious, filled with expensive looking furnitures. There were even paintings and some other nice decorative things. He walked to a near mirror and looked at himself. His body was covered in bandages, but did not look as bad as he imagined it to be. It all seemed to have healed up very good and the bandages were put onto him by skilled hands as far as he could tell. Turning away, he looked around again and noticed an open door, leading to what looked like a bathroom. Feeling the need to use it, he disseapered inside and took care of that, aswell as splashing some water at his face. Just as he left the bathroom, the door to his room opened and a pink catboy, carrying a bowl of water and other things entered the room. He stopped in his movements, looking at Scias for a moment before almost dropping his things. "Oh! You are finally awake! Please wait, I will get the captain, Anubis, right away!", he said just before placing the bowel on a near table, dropping new bandages and other things there aswell, quickly leaving the room. Scias' followed the movements of the feminine boy, who left the door half open. The gryphon scritched his head. He was not sure what to think of all that. Atleast they did not finish him off, they even took care of his wounds. Also, that name, Anubis. Scias was not sure, but this name rang a bell. Sadly they did not get many news from around the world, but he bet that he had heard this name before. If it was in a good or bad way, he couldn't tell anymore, but he would see for himself soon.

Hearing voices, Scias went back to the bed and sat down, watching the door. He heard the boy's voice, telling someone that the wounds on their guest's body seemed to have healed very well. Atleast from what he saw at the firct glance. He also told the other, that he, Scias, already got up. The other, who probably was the captain, said that these were good news. Scias couldn't tell if this other person was young or old, but it was a pleasant voice he thought. The catboy and his captain then entered the room. Thinking back to this point later, Scias thought, that this moment had changed everything. Even though two heads smaller, Anubis' had a massive build compared to his own. But there was something, just a feeling, that he would not last for even a moment against this person. This overwhelming presence he felt, made him realize that right away, and he felt no shame of accepting it, afterall, he knew himself that there are always people who are stronger than oneself. With such a powerful aura sourrounding him, Scias knew, that this person was the captain. Looking at Anubis face, Scias was happy that he did not feel any hostility from him, it even seemed like the captain was concerned. Not sure what to do, Scias just waited for them to make the first move and to his big surprise, Anubis talked to him in his own tongue!

“I am glad to see that you are okay. Yah know, we were worried that you wouldn't make it! At the time we found you, you were in a terrible condition. Broken bones and wings, some bad wounds all over your body. Good thing it was us who found you! My crew, my friends, they are specialists. They kow what to do and how. And Zeuste here...”, Anubis ruffled the boys hair, “... was the one who took care of your wounds. Everthing healed up very well as you can see yourself already.” Scias looked down on himself again, seeing again, how there were no signs of the terrible wounds he suffered. He also moved his wings a bit, feeling no pain. He turned back to Anubis, looking straight at blue and white canine. “Thank you... Thank you for taking care of me. But please tell me, before anything else, was there anyone else alive?” The gryphon already knew deep inside, that he was the only one left, but he wanted to be sure. Anubis shook his head, giving Scias his condolences.

“I am, sorry, but you were the only one alive. And that barely. After we brought you in, we took care of your people, we buried them as your customs ask for.” Scias buried his face in his hands, thanking Anubis again for being so kind to do that. He then asked how long he was asleep, watching Anubis und the catboy look at each other for a moment. “After we got you in here and Zeuste took care of the most threatining wounds, to get you out of the most immediate danger, he started to take care of healing process. It has been one week since that day. You are lucky, that we have the equipment we have here aswell as high-class medicine. Thanks to that you can already stand and move again.”

“Where are my manners? I am sorry, this is all so much at once. I am Scias Yagharek Languhiris. Scias if you want. I am, or was the leader of the people you buried. As you seem to know our customs well, you also know that we are not allowed to take revenge. It hurts so much, so deep inside me that these people walk around freely... And I am not even sure how to repay you for saving my life! I do not know what to do...”, the gryphon says, burying his face in his hands, sighing heavily.

“Nice to meet you Scias. I am, as you probably already gussed, the captain of this wonderful airship. I am Anubis von Cruger, Anubis for you. This boy here is Zeuste Schwartzvald, my cabinboy. He is the one who took care of your wounds. He takes the role of our ship's doctor. I taught him everything, and with his delicate hands, he is perfect for this job. Most of my guys are at home or on jobs. Besides Zeuste and me, only my two mechanics are on the ship. You will meet them later. For now, you may want to take a shower and grab some fresh clothes. After that, you can eat something. We will then see how to proceed. And I can already tell you, that these people will be taken care of. More about that later though, after you had something to eat.” The anubian grinned widely, taking the catboy with him, leaving Scias to himself.

He sat there for a few more minutes before getting up, making his way to the bathroom again. Anubis was right, a shower would be nice. And this bathroom sure was nice. There were fresh towels, soaps and many other things. Sniffing at some of the various things, Scias picks one that is to his liking, because it smells like home to him. Stepping into the shower, he closes the slide door, testing out the levers until the water had the right temperature. Scias would just close his eyes, letting the water run over his body. It felt great, after laying on the bed for a whole week. After a few minutes he, grabbed the soap to wash his body, taking his time, enjoying the water for a while, before he decides to step out. Taking a towel, which seemed to be rather expensive, as far as he could tell, he dried up and stepped back into the bedroom.

Anubis mentioned clothes, Scias remembered. Walking over to the closet, he was surprised to find clothes that would fit him. It seems they were especially made for winged beings! He wondered if Anubis had these already or extra got them for him. He guessed it was the latter case, which made him feel even guiltier. Sighing, he rummaged a bit through the clothes, looking for something that fits him. Deciding on some easy to wear clothes during the heat here, he makes his way to the door. Just as he was about to open the door, he sees a little package on a shelf next to him, with a small card attatched to it.

“This is a little gesture of kindness. You lost everything, I know this will not replace that, but maybe it will make you feel a bit better.” The card was signed by Anubis. Scias wondered what this could be now and carefully opened the box. His eyes widened as he recognized the jewelery his people normally wear. These here were handcrafted and of extraordinary quality. It seems like Anubis made these himself, using some valuable materials at that. It seems that they really cared for him and his wellbeing in this week. Scias then puts the accessoires on, checking that they fit well. He did not want to risk to lose them.

After that, he left his room, now hearing the rather quiet engines of the ship humming around him, the ship gently vibrating ever so slightly under his feet. Looking around, he was not sure where to go. There wern't any signs either. Scritching his head, Scias decided to just walk around until he finds the right room or until he finds someone whom he could ask for the directions.

Scias started exploring the floor of the ship he was on, knocking on doors, taking a peek inside here and there. They were all empty. But this looked like to be the crews floor. With their rooms and everything. So he guessed that the kitchen and the room where the eat is also on this floor. Looking around, one could think that this was a rather luxurious hotel and not an airship. There was a soft carpet on the floor and nice wallpapers. They even put up oil paintings and photographs here. Many showed Anubis with various persons, friends of him, Scias thought. Probably the crew aswell. As he walked on, he started to smell something. It got more and more pleasant, until it smelled so good, so delicious that Scias' stomache growled and he had to gulp. Only now, he realized how hungry he was, so he moved towards the place this delicious smell originated from.

It smelled of various things, things he knew and things that were new to his nose. He finally arrived in front of a double door, being a bit nervous to just get in. He gulped again, this time because of his nervous, before knocking at the door. He heard Anubis calling him in, so he opened the door and looked around in the room, before focusing on Anubis and the table. It was a large dining hall, which made him feel like staying at a hotel. The room aswell had a soft carpet. The walls were covered with dark wood and dark green wallpapers. Electrical lamps on the walls and chandeliers on the ceiling illuminated the room in a gentle light. And in the middle of the room was a large round table with space in the middle, where something like a fireplace was. Scias closed the door behind himself, looking at Anubis' waiting politely to get invited over.

Anubis looked up as he heard the knock on the door, knowing it was Scias, as his boys never knocked, as they did not need to. He called him in, watching his tall figure stand at the door, looking around carefully. The grypon sure was an imposing sight, being even taller than himself, muscles rippling with each movement, the large wings folded on his back. And happily, Anubis also saw that he put on the jewelery he got him. The clothes aswell, seemed to fit very well. He nodded to himself, before speaking up. “Good to see that you can walk around on your own now! And by the looks, the wounds all healed up very well too! I hope the clothes work out for you. Zeuste had to use what he had here to sew them. From the looks, they seem to fit fine atleast! Anyway. Now that you are here, sit down here and eat up! I bet you are really hungry. And we have enough food for all of us. I asked Zeuste to cook some things that are common here, because I am not sure what you like to eat.” Anubis pats a chair next to him, inviting Scias to the table and sit with him.

Scias walked over to Anubis, sitting down on the chair Anubis had offered him, watching out for his wings. He then turned to Anubis, thanking him again for this great hospitality, for taking care of him this whole time, for the clothes and the little gift, for just everything. “I... I don't know what to do... What to do to repay this kindness of yours. All my people are gone, I am the only one left. Of course there are other clans, but they are not mine. I may be able to integrate myself with them, but this just does not feel right to me. I just don't know... It is still so fresh in my head...” He looked down, starring at bell covering his food.

“Well, for now lets eat before the food gets cold, okay? After that I have to fulfill a contract I signed a few days before we found you. A friend of mine who works for the government here asked for my help. He explained that it is not safe here anymore, that caravans dissapear, that a hidden clan slaughters inoccent people, rapes and sells them for slavery. So the worst of the worst. And they seem not able to do anything or really care. The government this is. They tried talking to them, but they are stubborn. They do not care as long as they themselves, their towns, their people are involved. For these “high and mighty” people, the natives are not worth anything. But my friend could not take this anymore. That is why he asked for my help. He even offered me some nice benefits in this country, without me even asking for payment! He wants these bastards gone. And I told him, that I'll take care of this. And that is what we will do. For now though, eat up. You look hungry. We can talk about your “repayment” if you want to call it that after we dealed with the garbage plaguing this place.”

The gryphon next to Anubis just nodded and looked at the bell in front of him again, carefully reaching for it, lifting it off the plate. A waft of steam hit Scias' face as he lifts the bell away, waving his hand a bit. He had a large, delicious looking fish fillet on his plate, decorated with wild potatos and some herbs. On a little extra plate were various sauces and a lemon. He also had a bowl of salad standing there. He gulped, this sure looked very delicious. Scias glanced over to Anubis, to see if it really was okay. “Come on, the food is alright! Just go ahead and eat until you are not hungry anymore. We have enough here.” With that said, Scias started to eat his fish, and damn it sure was delicious. Anubis himself also started eating, watching Scias as he enjoyed his food. Zeuste brought some more food after Scias asked for it, aswell as some cold drinks.

Scias ate until he felt full, leaning back and wiping his mouth with a napkin. He then turned to Anubis, thanking him for the delicious food, also praising how well they did on his peoples food. Zeuste, who was in the room too, thanked him. The catboy told Scias, he learned it from books and when he watched some people of Scias' folk when they visited Anubis or the other way around. Scias smiled warmly, saying that it tastes like home.

The anubian clapped his hands, getting up from his chair. “Well, now that we are done eating, I will set course for the base of that walking garbage. Zeuste, be so kind and take care of this here in the meantime! I bet you can go out later to get the leader!” The catboy smiled brightly, jumping in the air before starting to collect the plates, glasses and other dishes on a cart to get them back to the kitchen, whisteling on his way. Scias followed the boys movements and thought about what Anubis said. That boy going out? Wasn't he only a cabinboy? He was also small and frail looking. But he also knew, that it was not wise to just go by the looks of someone. So there might be more to that! He would wait and see for himself. For now he followed Anubis out of the room and through different hallways, doors and up some stairs. Anubis showed Scias some rooms, talking about the ship, his crew and their hometown. Scias enjoyed these stories and they made him sad at the same time, as he had no place to return to now. He sighed, going on to follow Anubis as he suddenly heard two people talking.

As they went around the next corner, Scias saw a hyena talking to a lombax. The two muscled guys were wearing some dirty clothing, covered with oily stains and other liquids that have dried up already. These were the mechanics of the ship, he told himself. They were talking about technical stuff but stopped as they saw their captain followed by Scias. Anubis stopped next to them, asking if their work was done. They nodded and mentioned what they did and that they had to buy more spare parts next time they go to town. He told them that they did well, before calling Scias over. The two had been looking at the eagle during their exchange with the captain and had to look up to Scias, as he towered over them. “So you two, this is our guest, Scias Yagharek Languhiris. Scias for short. As you see, he is all healed up, thanks to our good Zeuste.” Scias thanked them aswell for their hospitality, bowing down for a moment. The two looked at each other and laughed a friendly laugh, getting rid of their dirty gloves to shake his hands. The hyena introduced himself as Warwick Hawthorne and the lombax as Laval Gaist. They told Scias, that it was no biggie and that he was welcome.

Anubis told them, that they would go for their destination now and they nodded, telling Scias to take care. As they started moving on, Anubis got a bit closer to Scias, telling him that these two were a couple. He whispered it, but loud enough for them to hear it. Of course that was on purpose, and they reacted right away! “THAT IS NOT TRUE!”, both of them yelled at the same time, blushing bright red. Anubis laughed loudly, waving at them over his shouler as he made his way to the bridge of the Zeitgeist, still laughing a bit.

Opening the door, Anubis steps in a large room, which was the bridge of his ship, the Zeitgeist. The front of the room was a large, dome-shaped window. One could see the wide ocean of clouds as the ship was drifting through the white. “Ahhh, it is always such a nice view! You can sit wherever you want. We will now commence with the operation to fulfil our contract and get rid of the garbage, plaguing these lands.” Scias nodded and went for a seat in front of the window, as Anubis went for the captain's seat, taking control of the ship, powering up the engines and adjusting the route as the ship started to move. Pushing levers and buttons, the speed of the ship increased, as Anubis steared it through the sky, breaking through the clouds, the widths of the plains appearing beneath them. Scias watched the scenery, wondering how Anubis would handle the situation with only himself, a feminine little catboy and his two mechanics. He'd probably see soon he thought.

After a good fifteen to twenty minutes, they arrived at their destination. That was what Anubis said atleast, stopping the ship. He said, that the base of that scum was beneath them now. Getting up, he asked Scias to follow him outside. The two walked silently through the ship, stepping out onto the deck, walking to the railing. Looking down, Scias saw a canyon, moving its way into the middle of a mountain range. It lead to a rather large open area filled with shabby houses, some even build into the walls of the canyon. Anubis went for one of the telescopes mounted to the railing, checking out the area below. He saw many of the raiders walking around, moving objects, their booty. There sure were a lot of them, but of course that did not matter, they will be gone soon. After that, he stepped away from the telescope, calling for Zeuste, who appeared out of nowhere next to to Anubis.
“Good, there you are. As I said before, it is your turn now. You know what we are looking for! Get him here! And if you can, check for valuables. You know what I am always looking for. For this I release the seal! Go Zeuste!” The anubian flicked his fingers and for a short moment, the air was filled with energy, Scias felt how it ran through him for a second. He looked over to the catboy, who bowed to Anubis. “Ay ay captain! I will be right back with what you asked for!” And he dissapeared into thin air again. Anubis smirked, he knew this would be over in a moment.

Anubis walked over to an intercom next to the door, calling for Laval to take care of the enemy's ships that started to move. After that he asked Warwick to ready the Excelion, whatever this was. Scias looked at the other ships that started to move towards them. Even from here he could tell they were old, battle scars all over them, patched up on many spots. He wondered why they even tried. On the other hand, Anubis just looked at them instead of going to use the ships weapons. Just as he was about to ask Anubis, a loud shot was heard from above, followed by one of the enemy's ships exploding in a fireball. Anubis watched how the remains crashed into the ground. “Well done Laval! Take care of the other ones too, yes? When Zeuste is back, we will bring down this whole place in one shot.” Scias heard the reply from the lombax, just before he took down two more ships. His weapon sure was powerful, taking down this ships like they were nothing. There were a few more ships, but they seemed hesitant now after the others got shot down. Anubis ordered Laval to get rid of these aswell. And the lombax did exactly that, shooting them down as ordered.

“Mhm. That is what they get for their crimes. You know, we are pirates, but my guys would never be like this garbage. We treat everyone with respect. We do not kill people for joy, nor rape or sell them into slavery like this garbage here does. Nono. We don't do that. Most of the time we hunt for valuables, artifacts, take on missions we get offered. It is not a bad life you know?” Scias thought about what Anubis said. They sure did not seem like bad people. Anubis words felt real, you could trust them. And just in that moment, a thought crossed his mind, how he would go with them. He shaked his head, not sure what to make of that. But it was a thought worth thinking about! After this was done, maybe he would ask Anubis if h could stay some longer, meet the rest of the crew, see how their life is like. But a suden sound brought him back. The cabinboy was back, holding onto someone, throwing him onto the ground. In the other hand he had a rather large suitcase, which he carefully put down. The large raider then tried to get up, screaming obsceneties. Anubis just pat Zeuste's head, telling him that he did very well, before grabbing the screaming guy, holding onto his head and neck. Anubis checked if it was the one they were looking for, and he sure was. Of course he could trust Zeuste with a job like that.

The raider was wearing a necklace around his neck, which Anubis recognized as the one his fiend asked for to return. Nodding to Zeuste, the catboy removed the necklace and took it and the suitcase into the ship. Scias could swear he heard a familiar sound from the suitcase, but that was probably just his imagination. And there he had thought, that the boy was just a little helper, but seing these skills for real now, left him in awe. It was beyond normal people's skills. The boy moved like a flash, moving down there and back onto the ship. This was probably caused by Anubis as he released a seal. If this guy was already like that, he did not want to know what the others were capable of, or Anubis himself.

The anubian turned to Scias, asking him to take a good look at the raider. “Was this the guy whom you saw at the remains of your home? Was this they guy who did that to you and your people?”, he asked the eagle, not caring for the guy who was screaming and trying to get free. Scias looked at him. How could he forget that face that had looked down on him, as he was laying on the ground. The guy stopped for a second to move and scream, as Scias nodded, realizing who Scias is and that this nod was the end. Without any further words, Anubis snapped the neck of the raider and threw him down into their camp. “Garbage, should go to the dump, which this down there is. We will now get rid of all of them and this place. The Excelion should be ready by now.” Scias was not sure what to think of that now. If he should feel bad or good about the leader being dead. He knew though, that the world was a better place without him, so he stayed with this thought.

“What will happen now?” Scias followed Anubis and asked him that as the anubian went for the intercom. “Now we will get rid of the rest. They won't know what hit them. They will be gone without feeling any pain.” The gryphon was curious of how Anubis would do that and watched him carefully. He called for Warwick again, asking if the work on the Excelion was done, to which the hyena replied with a yes. He told Anubis, he could fire it at any time. He thanked Warwick and told him to prepare it. After that he called Laval back, as they would fire the Excelion. Anubis then told Scias to follow him back to the bridge. Arriving there, Warwick was sitting on a console, pushing buttons and levers. Laval went to a different console and started working aswell. Scias could hear clicking and clacking sounds from the ship, wondering what was going on, as Laval and Warwick told Anubis that the Excelion is ready. “Okay Scias, watch out. Now you will see the power of my ship and what happens to scum like that down there.”

The eagle walked to the front, looking out of the window to see what was going on, while Anubis sat down on his chair, adjusting working on his console, taking aim on the raider camp. “Eye of Aruba output is stable, everything is fine! Okay, we are ready to fire!”, came from Laval and Warwick as they turned to Anubis.

“Well done! Lets finish our business here and leave this place! Fire thy holy light, Excelion!” The anubian pushes a special button, as a projectile made from pure light was shot from below the Zeitgeist. Scias followed it with his eyes as it went for the middle of the camp. As it hit the ground, a very intense light started to spread and Scias turned away, the shockwave of the explosion shaked the ship slightly. Scias tuned towards the window again, seeing that the light went down a notch, enough to look at it. It was a giant pillar of light, which reached the clouds. And then it was gone, dissapearing as fast as it came. And where it started, was nothing anymore. The camp, a big part of the mountains and the ground where just gone. There was only a large hole in the ground. Anubis was right, it had ended before it even begun. Scias was neither sad, nor happy, that they were gone. He was just glad, that it was over now, that these people could not plague the plains anymore. Anubis changed the course of the ship already and Scias went up to him. He thought at that moment, that he would never want to have Anubis as his enemy.

“What will happen now?”, Scias asked Anubis, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. “Well, we will bring this necklace back to my friend, who asked for my help and get our payment. After that we will return home, as there are no more jobs for us at the moment. While we fly back to the town, we can take a look at the suitcase Zeuste took with him. I wonder what he found.” The eagle was impressed. This guys sure were not normal! His impression that it would be a bad idea to mess with them was right. At the same time though they all were gentle and nice, making jokes with each other. Like a big family. Scias pitied those who would mess with Anubis and his crew. He bet, that Anubis would do everything he could to get those who dare to hurt a single one of them.

“Laval, Warwick, good job! You can take a nap! I put the ship on auto-pilot. It should arrive in like two hours. Scias, you can follow me to the vault, I have a feeling you might like to take a look. Zeuste left the suitcase and the necklace there before going back to his room. Lets have a look what is inside!” Scias nodded, following Anubis through the ship again until they reached a heavy fortified door. Anubis placed his hand on a crystal orb next to the door, which then started to glow. Scias heard clicking noises from the door, before it started to open. Inside, light got switched on automatically, letting Scias see the valuables Anubis had gathered. or atleast part of it. The room was filled with weapons, gems and things that people thought were gone for good. The grypon was amazed, he even knew some of these objects from books and legends. And this person owned them now! The anubian walked to a table in the middle of the room, where the suitcase and necklace were laying on. He checked out the necklace under the light to be sure it is the right one, which it luckily was. A bit damaged and dirty, but it was the right one. He will leave it to Zeuste to repair the necklace, which he could do well with his gracile hands.

“And now, lets see what we have in this suitcase, shall we?” Anubis checked if there is anything suspicious on the suitcase, but it seemed alright. He opened the large suitcase while it was laying on the table. As Scias saw what the raiders placed inside, he had to hold onto the table to not fall to the floor. Anubis carefully took one of the two instruments from the socket which held it in place and carefully placed it on one of the many towels placed on the table. One was a violin, the other was a lyre. Anubis felt that these were no normal instruments. He felt the magic within them as his fingers touched the wood and strings. “Ohhh, these are wonderful instruments... I can feel the magic in them. These have been crafted by a mastercraftsman. I bet a friend in Theologia could tell us who made these and what kind of magic this is. And these materials, marvelous! Don't you think so too Sci-- !!” Anubis walked around the table, helping Scias onto a chair close to him. The grypon looked like as if he saw a ghost. “Hey, whats wrong? You do not look well. Does it hurt somewhere?” Scias just looked at the table, at the instruments. He thought after what happened that he would not see them again. But now, they were here on the table.

“These instruments... They have been in my clan for ages. The new leader always inherited them from the previous one... When the raider destroyed the camp, killing everyone, leaving me for dead.... I never thought that I'd get out of there alive nor to see them again. This is all thats left now.” He looked sadly at the instruments, before looking down. “If these have been yours, what I do not doubt, you can keep them of course! And on a second note. These instruments are not all that is left of your clan. You are also here and alive. You will go on playing these and the songs of your people so nobody will forget them. So now look up to the things ahead. We here stopped to dwell in the past. We live for the day and the future. But even so, don't forget about the past. That is what I can tell you.”

Of course Scias knew that Anubis was right. But the scars were still fresh. It would take some time for them to heal. And after Anubis words now, Scias decided that he should turn around and lave this place. He needed a change after what happened. He wanted to see more of the world! And in this moment, maybe it was a somewhat random decision, or maybe not, Scias was not sure about it when thinking back later, he decided to stay with Anubis. He coughed and got up from the chair again, while Anubis watched out that he was fine. “Anubis, after you and your crew has done so much for me, I have something to ask of you. I want to return the kindness you showed me, I want to repay you for saving my life. Could you take me with you? I want to help, to see more of the world, see the place where you all are from... I hope this is not too much to ask for...” The gryphon seemed a bit worried, that it was too much, but to his relief, Anubis started to laugh loudly. The anubian put a hand on Scias' shoulder, looking up to him. “You don't have to be so scared! Just ask if you need something or ask if you have questions. We don't bite, okay? And for your request, this is more than doable. If you really want to stay, I am fine with that! We will now finish our mission by returning the necklace and telling my friend of our success. After that, we will return to Theologia, where our home is. It might be to your liking. But for now, you can take these with you. The room in which you slept the whole time, it will be yours now. You can store your things there and later in the mansion of course. Now, lets settle our business here and leave this place for good.”

Anubis was about to turn around, but was surprised by Scias, who suddenly leapt forward and embraced Anubis in a hug, thanking him again and again. One could see, hear and feel the truth behind the eagles words and emotions. The anubian chuckled, patting Scias back. After a good minute, Scias let go of Anubis and said sorry for this outburst. Anubis just smiled and said it was okay. Like that, they left the vault, closing it behidn them. Scias brought his instruments into the room which was now his. He saw that the room got tidied up, probably by Zeuste. He sighed. Life might get interesting from here on. Scias sat down on a small table next to his window, pouring himself a drink. Zeuste even left straws for him. He smiled, leaning back into his chair, watching the sky turning from blue to orange as the sun slowly disappeared. Like that, they finished the mission and started the trip back to Theologia. This will be a new life, a new start, a new beginning.