Simurgh, the beast of the Aremanians

Joan, Rufus, Doreen, and Gadaric had been allowed to exit the castle and decided to go and see the surrounding mountains. High above they could see the range of the northern Parsana mountains, gazing out at the stunning vista before them. A massive sea stretched out to the north, its vast expanse was seemingly endless.

"I heard people in the castle talking about that. The Greorian sea, in fact, is an enormous lake. Stretching far north, until it is stopped by the Atil corridor, where the Scethians of the Khezar tribes roam," Doreen spoke softly, her eyes never leaving the horizon.

To the southeast, a towering structure caught their eye. It was the tower of Cyrus, a colossal construct so immense that it could be seen from oceans and continents away.

To the west were the Essyrian cities and the divine river basins, the lands of Xerxes. To the east were the massive steppes and endless pastures of grass, home of the kevah riders and nomadic warriors, the lands of Arslan.

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind slammed into them, sending small rocks skittering across the ground. The sun momentarily disappeared behind a thick cloud cover, and when they looked up, a massive bird soared overhead, its wingspan stretching wide and far.

"What is that?" Rufus gasped, feeling the immense divine energy emanating from the creature.

The Leviathan appeared more like a dragon than a bird, with its feathered covering and enormous wings. The female assassin, the daughter of the old man of the mountain, quickly sprang into action, brandishing a paper inscribed with divine text. She had been tailing them all this time, but now was forced into the open.

"Get down! Don't let him spot you!" she commanded in a fierce whisper. With a wave of her hand, she released the spell by running her blood through the divine text, concealing them from the creature's gaze.

The Leviathan continued to circle them, sensing the divine auras of Rufus and his companions.

"Try to pull in your aura, Rufus," Doreen said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I am trying," Rufus replied, concentrating hard on suppressing his divine energy.

After what seemed like an eternity, the creature finally lost interest and flew off to the west. The group watched in awe as a Sasan warrior, armored and wielding a long spear, rode the Leviathan into the distance.

Emerging from the bushes, Joan's voice echoed in the clearing. "What was that?"

The female assassin let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping.

"Hey, we're talking to you!" Joan yanked on the assassin's arm, her tone forceful.

Gadaric stepped in and pried Edward's hand away. "What's with you?" he asked, his voice low.

"Let me handle this," Gadaric said, striding towards the assassin.

As Gadaric walked away, Joan, Rufus, and Doreen exchanged perplexed glances, wondering why Gadaric seemed so interested in the stranger.

"Wait up. I'm sorry about that, but following us isn't appreciated. I hope you understand and stop," Gadaric said.

"If the Simurgh hadn't flown over us, I wouldn't have revealed myself," the assassin replied.

"So you were behind the olive trees fifteen minutes ago, or blending in with the crowd when we exited the castle," Gadaric said, his voice cool.

The assassin felt defeated, and Gadaric could see it in her expression. "What was that monster that flew past us?" he asked.

"A Simurgh. The leviathans worshiped as protectors by the Aremanians, a Sassan people who live in the mountains and valleys separating the Scethain steppes and Essyrian cities," she explained.

"What was it doing here?" Gadaric pressed.

"War is coming, and according to our intel, the Aremanians have sided with Arslan. He rides the most terrifying of all the Simurgh, A Samer. The chosen warriors who bond with the Simurgh are now preparing to fly over the Greorian Sea, intimidating smaller states and cities that don't align with the Aremanians," the assassin replied.

Realizing he may have divulged too much, the assassin's expression fell. It appeared the old man of the mountain had wanted to keep Rufus and his companions in the dark.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now," the assassin said, attempting to leave.

"Wait!" Gadaric called out. "May I know your name?"

The assassin looked taken aback. "I don't believe your father would have any issue with us knowing your name," Gadaric said.

"My name is Tara. And is it you or your friends who want to know?" she asked.

Before thinking too much about the answer, the Simurgh was spotted once again. It had turned around and was flying straight at them.

"This is bad. I have to go back to hide your friends," Tara yelled

"Wait, something is not right," Gadaric said and was able to hear the sound the beast was making. It was breathing heavily, and heard it roaring and yelling like it was in pain," The leviathan has been hurt."

Quickly the Leviathan picked up the speed and roared angrily.

Gadaric and Tara rushed back to Rufus.

"Guys take cover!" Gadaric yelled, but the Simurgh was faster. It spotted them and from its wings, lightning was unleashed. The side of the mountain looked like it was hit by a storm. Doreen took cover

"What the hell happened for it to return!" Joan yelled.

A spear was sticking from its eye and the rider was already dead. Its attacks for sporadic and uncoordinated, like it, didn't even care that Rufus and the rest of them were on the ground.

Then three sassan warriors, clad in black armor jumped from the sky and pierced the mighty beast, and brought it down. When the dust settled, they saw the three sassan warriors or more like one sassan god.

"Perizad," Rufus said in horror.