Being sent back to the start of the hunt left everyone feeling particularly frustrated, especially Astrid and Gretel, who still believed they had passed on their only opportunity to kill their prey. Still they reluctantly returned to the sight of the dead male griffin, as well as the dead ibex, and at both sites they searched desperately for a sign of the other beast. Based on the little evidence they had, it was a guess that whatever killed the male griffin was either a wyvern or (and less likely) the legendary Rukh.
The Rukh is a rare a beautiful creature, resembling a giant eagle with a long neck and glittering sky-blue feathers, or so the writings would tell, for this magnificent bird was shrouded in mystery. Victor had only ever seen one picture of a Rukh, in an old index of etheric-based monsters from the far reaches of Eswerld. The image depicted the Rukh carrying a young elephant in its talons and flying high over the sea. The male griffin would not have stood a chance against such a beast, as it was clearly reflected in the wounds; no signs of struggle or presence of poison (which would have marked a wyvern attack) only a single clean wound.
The company returned to their old camp, which had slowly deteriorated while they were away, and set about rebuilding it. Victor set his feet in the water of the oasis and thought about the image of the Rukh over the sea. He looked to the north. “The sea!” he suddenly exclaimed. The others were alarmed. He turned to them. “We know that griffin’s a territorial so they would never build a nest in the presence of a threat as a great as a Rukh.” He pointed to a lonely peak far across an open stretch of desert. “The Rukh is always depicted near the sea. What if we go north? Away from the mountains. That way!” he pointed away.
Hansel searched for the lonely mountain, shading his eyes from the sun. “It’s certainly a risk. That peak must be more than five days away, and the sea even further. We have two weeks until Rodrick returns, which means that if we’re wrong, there is no going back.”
To their surprise Gretel stood up and said: “I agree with Victor. Don’t get me wrong, your plan is stupid, but we only have one more chance and I think this is it. We either find that peak and slay the Rukh, or we fail!”
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