Beneath the Surface (Adventure, slight Gore)

Ician blinks. "I'm... sorry about that. It's just one of those things I feel strongly about..." He embraces Divine and Ruby. "Sweet dreams, you two."

Griff stops after he's a few meters away from them while still in their sight and looks back at them.

Ician looks at him. "And good night to you too, Griff."

Ruby and Divine purr like kittens as they fall asleep next to and on top of him.

Griff stares at the group for a few moments before silently saying "...Good night." and slowly trotting off towards the entrance of the camp.

Ician takes one last look at the battlefield, meeting the tired gazes of his troops. A knight draws up beside him. "Any more orders, sir?"

"Yes." Ician says. "Everypony rest."

"As you wish." The knight bows and hurries away.

"Rest..." Ician whispers one more time, and his head droops onto Divine as his eyelids flutter shut.

Griff walks past the guards as if they weren't there out of the camp, where he, with eyes shut, continues slowly walking.

As Griff walks out of the camp, distancing himself from it, a soft voice calls out from beside him, "That was well played."

Griff continues having closed eyes, but he stops, standing completely still. "Who are you?" He asks calmly.

"You know who I am." The same voice comes. It is the voice of the changeling commander. "There are a few words I must have with you, before we meet again."

Griff opens his eyes and sighs. "You almost killed me and my friends. I should trust you because...?" he says, waiting for the changeling to continue his sentence.

"I never asked you to trust me." She says softly. "Only to speak. First things first. You know I can at least quadruple the price Ician is paying you for this. Right? But you won't accept, of course." Her tone darkens. "I know you."

"That is correct. Continue." Griff silently says.

"You know we will fight again. All of us. Ician, Divine, you... me." She draws a shaky breath. "I must ask that you guard Ician with your life, when that time comes. Keep him safe." She pauses. "For me."

((Got to go for a while. Be back soon.))

"..I don't understand.. You want to defeat him yet you want him to stay alive." Griff says. "How about just not have a battle at all?"

"No." The changeling says firmly. "There must be a battle. I... we have to fight. There can be no other way. Our needs are opposed." Her voice cracks slightly. "I just wish I weren't fighting him..."

"Why do you want Ician to stay alive so badly anyway?" Griff says. "Sorry for asking, but.. why?"

"Why?" She whispers quietly. "Why?" A deep sigh escapes her lips. "Let's just say... he and I go back a long way. I always wanted to see him again, but I wish it didn't have to be like this..."

"You can't possibly be that.. Theria, was it? Ician claimed she way brutally executed right in front of his eyes by changelings themselves!" Griff says.

The changeling stands stock still. Then, she whispers, "I have to go now. Before my troops realise I'm missing." She turns away. "Goodbye, Griff."

Her horn flashes, and when the light clears there is nothing but the silence of the night.

((Hm. Technically, Ician hasn't told that story anywhere else other than the Bar, and if memory serves me well it was Arianwyn who was in the Bar at that time, not Griff. Still... it's not like my memory serves me very well anyway.))

Griff sighs, makes another look at the camp and then closes his eyes again, blindly walking towards the desert while staying in range of the camp.

((Could it be that I managed to create another embarrassing mistake? Damn.))

After a good hour of blindly walking around, Griff returned to the walls of the camp and stopped on the gates, checking if the knights would bother asking him anything at all before he moves inside.

The guards say nothing, only nodding to Griff subordinately as they let him pass.

Griff slowly nods and continues into the camp,firstly going into armory to check if they have any spare swords and perhaps a piece of armor that could fit him.

The armoury tent has only two spare swords left, the rest having been taken by Ician. A few suits of Royal Guard armour lie scattered about the tent.