Blue light filled the chamber, causing part of the mosaic on the floor to glow. At some point in the past, thousands of nobles and merchants must have passed through here in order to show their respects to the ruling noble of the region and pay the toll of passage. Figures of fire bronze decorated it, serving as a symbol of wealth and authority. Now, all of them were gone, stolen by treasure seekers and melted down for weapons or trinkets. In their place, however, there were nests… nests made of countless strands of iron.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have taken you along today,” Dallion said to the shield strapped to his left arm.

If I hid from all the threats out there, I wouldn’t have lasted long in this line of work, the shield replied.

“What you said doesn’t mean what you think it does,” Dallion whispered while he carefully examined the mosaic. All the valuable pieces had long been stolen, but from what he could tell, at some point, this must have depicted a natural scene. He was almost certain that he could see a hedgehog of sorts among what was left. “Shields that avoid fights remain unscarred.”

Shields that avoid fights are called decorations. Besides, the sheltered types like a few scars here and there.

Dallion tried his best not to snort in laughter. Even after all this time, the shield guardian still managed to provide a chuckle. Joking aside, he probably knew quite well when to be on guard and when not to. Before being banished, the shield had been a high-ranking officer in the dryad empire. Now, he was just a piece of “companion armor,” though even so, he had saved Dallion’s life several times.

“Do you recognize the architecture?” Dallion asked.

“It’s not dryad, and there’s too much metal for it to be nymph. I’d say dwarf most likely.”

Dwarf ruins, Dallion thought. This was definitely a first. He had heard a lot about the race, although so far, he had never had the chance to meet any representatives. Supposedly, there were a few in the imperial capital, but even that was doubtful. Dwarves tended to keep to themselves. That wasn’t the reason Dallion had ventured into the ruins, however. He had come in search of something, and that something had little to do with ancient civilizations.

As quiet as a clawless kitten, Dallion made his way to the nearest of the nests. Up close, it looked like an iron mesh, the same that would be used for scrubbing back on Earth. The major difference was that the shreds of iron had come from the armor of the unfortunate souls who had come here before. Thanks to his forging skills, Dallion was able to differentiate between the strands as well as assemble them in his mind, creating an approximate image of the item when in its previous state. The next in front of him was made mostly of swords, although there was the occasional gauntlet.

Good thing I didn’t bring Harp along, Dallion thought. Given the exotic taste of the nest’s owner, the harpsisword would have been a prime target. Are you sure a chainling didn’t make this? Dallion asked.

A wild chainling wouldn’t have wasted all that precious material, dear boy. The echo inside of Dallion’s head said. No, most likely you’re looking at a Shade Griffin.

Yeah, I fear as much…

Unlike the name, the actual creature—at least the ones found in the wilderness—were rather vicious. Unlike the other griffin varieties, these liked to use cold metals—iron, silver, platinum—for their nests. Most often, they would settle in underground caves or old abandoned structures they would turn into their lair. The fact that there were so many nests and none of them seemed particularly disturbed suggested that the ones here were quite old and quite strong.

Drawing his whip blade, Dallion gently touched the nest with the weapon’s tip.

Gleam, does that feel real? Dallion asked.

Definitely real, the shardfly within the sword replied. Look for a nest that has lots of dirt, rot, and insects on it. If there’s one like that, it’s most likely an illusion.

Hold on. Dallion tapped a small cylindrical device on his belt. Up to now, that had been his light source, glowing in a fine blue light. The moment Dallion’s fingers touched the metal surface, the light became brighter.

There’s at least a dozen of them, Dallion said mentally. All of them seem pretty alright. Why dirt, rot, and insects?

General reaction instinct, Gleam replied. That’s the problem with natural illusion. They’re always too perfect. Want to give the impression of something being abandoned for decades? Add a few dead insects. No one will willingly live with those around.

Thanks for the tip.

At first glance, all the nests seemed quite shiny and well kept. After taking a closer look, however, Dallion noticed another set of nests hidden further back, forming an entire second row. One of them in particular looked quite messy, more than it should have.

Slowly making his way between two giant meshes of metal, Dallion reached into the nest in question. Once there, he tapped it gently with his whip blade. Within moments the silver that seemed to compose the nest fell off like dust, along with all the dirt, revealing a nest made of pure gold.

Fancy, Dallion thought.

I’d call it average, Gleam grumbled. Sun griffins have always been big show offs. Even when they hide, they choose a spot that is close to treasure. Most likely, there’s a chest of goodies buried underneath.

I’m sure there is.

To many, this would have been of extreme interest. Given the size of the nest itself, the hidden treasure, if true, had to be enough to set some for life. Dallion wasn’t here for that, though. All he wanted was what was hidden inside the nest.

Putting the whip blade back in its sheath, he drew a dagger from his belt. The dagger appeared normal in any single way. As it touched the golden strands of metal that made the nest, they broke in two. Layer by layer, Dallion kept “cutting” until he ripped an entrance to the inside. So far, so good. Now the tricky part began. Removing his shield from his arm, Dallion used both hands to widen the opening. Three large golden eggs were visible inside.

Damn it! Dallion thought.

He had been told that there would be one. Now he wasn’t sure what to do. Taking one egg would have been difficult. Three pretty much guaranteed that he wouldn’t be able to fight.

You can always carry them out one by one, the shield suggested. Or just juggle them as you go.

Very funny…

You have the skills, why not take advantage?

Ignoring the suggestion, Dallion carefully reached in and took one of the eggs out. It felt a lot warmer than he thought, also… happy, as if he were holding a bubble of laughter.

Pure emotion, Dallion thought as he ticked it in his shirt.

The second egg felt identical. The next egg was similar, although he could feel a hint of mischief as well.

With all the golden eggs carried awkwardly in his shirt, Dallion slowly took a step back. This was the point at which he had to make his way out of the ruins and back to the surface. Unfortunately, before he could do that, a loud screech filled the hall. A silver feather, the size of his arm, split the air, flying directly towards his head. Moments before it could reach it. The body of the whip blade extended, twisting through the air in spiral fashion just along the correct trajectory to deflect the feather, sending it off into the ceiling.