Axe Upgrade, Griffin Flank

In the days following the burial of the fallen knights, Freya, Gave Chase, Ava, Alex, and Luke their own tavern outside the blue eagle academy. It was a place where they could rest.

One sunny afternoon, Chase decided to visit Ava. He wanted to offer his assistance in upgrading her axes.

"Tap!, Tap!"

Chase knocked on her door, surprising Ava with his unexpected visit.

"Who is it?" Ava cautiously asked.

"It's me, Chase," he replied playfully, "Can't I visit my girlfriend?"

Excitedly, Ava rushed to open the door.

"Why are you here today?" Ava asked, intrigued by the unplanned visit.

With a warm greeting, Chase stepped inside, unable to resist giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Come on, bring your axes," Chase said, a mischievous glint in his eye, "I have an idea on how to upgrade them."

"Alright," Ava replied, a bit suspicious but curious nonetheless. She grabbed her axes.

"So where are we going?" Ava asked, still unsure about Chase's plans.

"We're going to see master Smith," Chase answered, holding Ava's hand as they headed towards the military blacksmith camp to seek the aid of master Smith.

Upon reaching the blacksmith camp, Chase greeted the master smith with a wave.

"Hey, Master Smith!" Chase called out.

"HA, General Chase and General Ava" Smith answered respectfully after learning that Chase and the other are now general, so he has to respect them"What can I do for both of you"

Chase pointed to Ava's axes"I have an idea on how to enhance Ava's axes."

"Tell me the idea, and I'll do my best to bring it to life," Master Smith replied respectfully.

Ava interrupted, holding Chase's hand, "Wait, Chase, can you tell me your idea first?"

Chase turned to look at Ava, "Well, I noticed on the battlefield that every time you throw your axe, you have to run to collect it. Your stamina gets depleted quickly."

Ava acknowledged that Chase had a point but asked, "So, what's your idea then?"

"Can you wait and let me finish?" Chase said, slightly annoyed. With Ava's nod, he continued, "My idea is to attach a chain to the axe and your wrist. So when you throw it, you can easily pull it back."

Both Ava and Master Smith found Chase's idea intriguing and practical.

"Well, that's a very good plan, General Chase," Master Smith agreed with enthusiasm.

"Indeed, Chase, it sounds like a great solution. I won't waste too much stamina running after my axe anymore," Ava added with approval.

"General Ava, let me get the measurements of your wrist, and come back tomorrow for it," Master Smith said, ready to start crafting the enchanted axes.

"So fast"Chase and Ava looked at Master Smith in shocked," I thought will take at most a couple of days"

"Ha, Don't worry it will only take a for a blacksmith of my skills" Master Smith laughs.

The next day, when Chase and Ava returned to the blacksmith camp, they found Master Smith waiting for them with Ava's silver axe, now adorned with a thin, light-looking silver chain.

"Well, I did it. This chain can reach up to 12 meters," Master Smith said, handing the chained axes to Ava.

Excited, Ava took the axe in her hands, feeling its lightweight and sharp blade. The axe's compact size and lightweight nature made it perfect for nimble fighters who preferred swift and acrobatic combat styles.

"But how will it reach 12 meters?" Ava asked, a bit puzzled.

"I added an enchantment. The chain remains small, but when you throw the axe, depending on how far you throw it, the chain will grow accordingly," Master Smith explained with a sense of pride in his craftsmanship.

"Thank you, Master Smith. Your skills are truly remarkable," Ava said genuinely, impressed by the smith's work

"Alright, let's test it out," Chase said, leading Ava to the training grounds, waving Master Smith goodbye.

Chase and Ava arrived on the training ground thankfully no one else was there today.

"All right let's see what you can do," Chase said hyped, backing away from Ava.

Ava stood 12 meters away from the dummy and attached the chained cuff to her wrist holding the axe in her hand.

She threw the right axe at the dummy, the axe moving fast through the air, like the whisper of a gentle breeze as the axe chain started to extend as it got further away.

The axe slammed into the dummy and got stuck.

"Now pull it back, "Chase said.

Ava pulled the axe out of the dummy and the chain started to shrink as it got closer to her, she caught it back mid-air almost dropping it seemed like she will need to practice catching it mid-air.

"Yeah, this will help you with your stamina, "Chase said excitedly.

"Thanks Chase for the idea, "Ava said taking off the chain cuffs.

"The only downside is you have to make sure no one pulls you back, "Chase said ava warning her since the cuffs are attached to her wrist she won't be able to take it off if someone strong can pull her easily.

"Yeah, but don't worry I'm sure in the future there will be some way to fix it"Ava said excitedly walking toward Chase.

Ava got close to Chase and lifted her head up to kiss Chase but with her height, she couldn't reach so Chase leaned his head down and kiss her there were both tongues intertwined testing each other sweet saliva.

Throughout the day, Chase and Ava practiced using the new enchanted axes, discovering new ways to use them for both defense and attack.

After a few days had passed, Freya, summoned Chase, Ava, Alex, and Luke to the grand meeting room, leaving them all wondering why they were called again so soon after the recent battle had ended.

"Sorry to call you away from your well-deserved break," Freya began apologetically, her voice measured and controlled, "but urgent matters require our immediate attention. We are under attack once more."

Chase spread out his hands in shock. "What? But we already wiped out all their knights! How can there be more?" He said as he struggled to process the unsettling news so suddenly.

"We don't know how they managed it, nor do we still don't understand how they took over our wall," Freya explained, her gaze focused and resolute, trying to think.

Alex raised one of his eyebrows, showing curiosity. "When are they attacking?" he inquired.

"According to my spies," Freya replied, leaning forward and pointing to the map on the table, "they plan to flank us from the east, under the cover of darkness, in just a couple of days. We must quickly devise a plan to defend or counterattack."

Chase had a sudden idea. "Maybe we can decide on the plan," he suggested, feeling the urgency of the situation.

Freya's body language became open and inviting, encouraging everyone to contribute. "I was getting to that," she said, understanding Chase's eagerness. "Sorry for not involving you earlier. Let's all work together to decide on the best course of action."

Luke remained silent, seemingly detached, as everyone knew him to be a not participant in most discussions, so the others joined together.

Before anyone else could speak, Ava whispered, "Wait, I already have a plan."

"Alright, let's hear it," Alex acknowledged, realizing that Ava probably had a better plan before that could've stopped casualties in the past battle.

Ava explained her idea about ambushing the enemy. "We have a chance to hide in the ground near their path, using the terrain to our advantage," she said.

Freya nodded in approval. "That's a great plan," she acknowledged Ava's contribution.

Chase raised a valid question, "But what will we use to attack them during the ambush?"

Chase, Alex, and Freya listened intently for Ava's response.

"I already thought of that" Ava began, "we can use arrows to attack them from both sides and position knights in front in case they attempt to flee."

Freya considered the plan and agreed, "Alright, let's go with your plan. We don't have much time, we must prepare quickly in the next couple of days."