Griffon Rider

"Well, we could always follow the clues and check it out, right?" Glen suggested.

The old man coldly chuckled without expression. "He's a ruthless and cunning one. He's probably left us a little gift at the old location. If we go, we'll be asking for trouble."

From the old man's knowledge of the situation, it seemed like they had a deep grudge with this person. Glen shrugged, not particularly bothered. "Up to you, old man."

"We're heading back. This journey is over," the old man said, putting his rifle away with a calm air.

At that moment, Glen couldn't help but notice a shift in the old man's demeanor. He seemed less like the decisive, calm hunter-warrior from earlier and more like a lonely, old man now.

As they turned to head back, Glen's sharp eyes caught sight of a massive figure soaring through the sky in the distance.

"Old man, what's that?" Glen nudged the old man, his voice filled with curiosity.

The old man looked up, his face instantly darkening. "That damn bastard! He's brought the Griffon Riders here!"

"Griffon Riders?" Glen furrowed his brow. "What should we do? Fight?"

"Fight? No matter if you win or lose, the pursuit afterward will be a nightmare. Quick, find somewhere to hide. If they see our faces, we'll be in deep trouble! They'll trace us back to our hideout in no time, and we'll never be able to live peacefully again!" The old man, for the first time, showed genuine panic. It seemed he had a particular fear of the Griffon Riders seeing his face.

"Simple enough," Glen said with a grin. His body suddenly swelled and transformed into a massive, black, powerful werewolf. His voice now had a low, growling resonance. "I'll hold them off. You get out of here."

"Do you have confidence?" The old man asked, his expression serious.

"I don't do anything I'm not sure of," Glen replied, full of confidence.

"Fine then, you arrogant brat. If you die, I'll mourn for you. If you succeed, I'll reward you with twenty silver coins." The old man turned and dashed into the forest without another word.

Twenty silver coins? That's about the price of a pig… Glen thought with a smirk. His focus shifted to the rapidly approaching griffon. With all fours planted firmly on the ground, he lunged toward the flying creature.

The griffon was enormous, with three figures riding on its back. Their figures were slender and their form-fitting silver armor accentuated their impressive physiques—three female knights, to be exact.

"Captain, there's no need to take this so seriously. This is probably just another false lead from those dark mages trying to mess with us. Maybe there's a trap waiting for us," said one of the black-haired, brown-eyed knights, glancing at the tall, dark brown-haired woman at the front.

"You know traps don't work on us. Aisha, we've faced situations like this many times before. We can see through almost any trap now." The woman, clearly the captain, spoke with a calm, detached tone.

"True…" Aisha replied, nodding in agreement.

Screech—!

Suddenly, the griffon emitted a sharp, warning cry! The captain's eyes instantly sharpened as she scanned below.

The thick, green treetops rustled, something large moving rapidly through the woods toward them.

"Stay alert!" The captain shouted, but before her team could prepare, a massive crash sounded below. A black figure shot out from the forest, slamming straight into the griffon's chest.

The griffon staggered, losing some of its balance, and all three riders were thrown off its back in an instant.

As they fell, the three seasoned knights instinctively wrapped themselves in their protective knightly aura, bracing for impact.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three women hit the ground with such force that they created massive craters in the earth and flattened nearby vegetation.

"Did you see what it was?" The captain, gripping her knight's sword, scanned the area quickly.

"No."

"Couldn't see it…" both of her companions replied, shaking their heads.

But they wouldn't have to search for long, as the culprit was already emerging from the forest right in front of them.

Glen boldly stepped into view, his massive werewolf form fully revealed to the three knights.

"Female knights?" He muttered in surprise, his low voice filled with admiration as he looked them over. Nice waist, those legs, and wow, their figures... Is this what all female knights are like?

"Werewolf?!" The knight captain was the first to react, her eyes wide with astonishment. "It can speak?!"

The other two knights were equally stunned. They had never seen a werewolf who could talk after transforming.

Wait, weren't werewolves supposed to be mute in their wolf form? Glen thought, recalling his first transformation when he couldn't speak and had to use the changes in his wolf toxin to form words. I guess this is a bit unusual.

The captain's voice cut through his musings. "A third-tier werewolf? And it can speak? You must be an exception."

Suddenly, she barked at Glen, "Hey, werewolf, you have some nerve challenging the Griffon Knights!"

"I was just hoping to test out your knight's swordsmanship. Is that a problem?" Glen asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hmph!" The captain sneered. "A third-tier werewolf? You must have devoured many humans along the way!"

"I don't do disgusting things like that," Glen said with a roll of his eyes.

"That's hard to say." The captain's aura surged as she ordered, "Sisters, hold back. I'll teach this ignorant creature a lesson."

The tall, leggy knight pointed her sword at Glen, her presence radiating a sharp, intimidating energy. Glen's excitement surged. Ah, it's been a while since I fought someone like this. Time to enjoy the challenge!

He swung his wolf claws by his side, and from the ground, he quickly shaped a piece of wood the size of a bowl into a staff, gripping it in his paw.

The captain, ready to attack, paused as she saw what he had done, unable to hold back a chuckle. "Are you really planning to use a piece of wood to block my knight's sword?! You're truly a deranged creature!"

Before she could finish, she dashed forward like a flash of light, her sword aimed straight at Glen's throat.

The sword's energy built up quickly, but Glen remained completely still. As the blade closed in, he moved swiftly, sidestepping the attack. With a fluid motion, he swung his wooden staff and struck at the captain's wrist.

The captain's sword, while powerful, had a noticeable weakness in its lateral attacks. Her strike was designed for the front, and the side attacks were just for show.

Feeling the pressure on her wrist, the captain almost lost her grip on her sword. Thankfully, her rigorous training paid off, and she kept a firm hold.

With a quick adjustment, she transformed her thrust into a sweeping strike, aiming to knock Glen back.

Glen had already anticipated this. He swung the staff in a wide arc, blocking her sword, and then spun his body, delivering a powerful kick to her stomach.

The captain was sent flying backward, crashing into a nearby tree before finally stopping.

"Captain!" her companions cried out, rushing to her side, but the captain raised her hand to stop them.

"I'm fine," she said, brushing off her armor. The kick had failed to break through her protective aura. "This werewolf's moves are clumsy, but the force behind them is decent."

"You're full of openings, Knight Captain," Glen said, standing in place with a mocking grin, not pursuing her further. "Not quite as impressive as I thought."