Ch. 59: Negotiation

As Adrian and Rosy sat down, Maximus Chase started the discussions with a single declaration. "We're not helping your resistance. Nothing has changed, and the matter of the Shadowborn king does not concern us. This is not only my position as the Archgryphon, leader of Gryvus, but every single gryphon at this table, not including my... misguided son."

No give, huh? Just as Adrian had expected. The gryphons were just as prideful and resistant to change as he'd expected. "Father!" Reese protested, but Adrian raised a hand to stop him.

"I get it. You have a really impressive security system, after all. Only penetrated three times in known history." Adrian mused with a smirk on his face. The Archgryphon's face scrunched up in irritation, seeing where Adrian's musings were going to take the conversation. He'd expected this to be the topic of conversation from the start... but he had a trump card.

"You're saying that you believe that those idiots wandering through the base of our mountains will find their way through like the young miss did?" The Archgryphon cut to the heart of the matter.

"I can almost guarantee it. Rosy's not the only one capable of jumping that gap. They'll figure out each and every obstacle, one at a time, until the Noctian forces figure out how to casually walk right through that hellish mountain range. Then, they'll take out the griffins, and the pantherions, before storming Gryvus en masse." Adrian chided the Archgryphon.

Every single gryphon at the table tensed up at that in indignation, except for Johnny, Merle, and Reese. Adrian wasn't completely sure why Johnny didn't tense up, but Merle was clearly too tired to care, and Reese already understood the inevitability of Adrian's statement. "How dare you!" Hal Evans stood up, shouting. Adrian didn't technically say anything about the people of Gryvus themselves, but the implication that they wouldn't be able to do a thing against an army head on was there, and Hal was too much of a meathead to take that sitting down.

"Hal!" Maximus shouted, bringing the elder to his senses. 

"He's right, Hal. Our mountain ranges aren't perfect defenses. With how many people they have crawling around there, they'll inevitably get right to our front door." Bart Chase told him with confidence in his voice. Adrian'd expected this.

"But you're on it, Bart... right?" Kaylie Zion asked the military leader, leaning in sensually to address him.

With a cough, Bart answered Kaylie proudly, "Of course I am! What Gryvus lacks in numbers, we make up for in heart! A gryphon's worth ten vampires, after all." 

"What about ten thousand? A hundred thousand trained warriors, of all species? How will your few thousand gryphons hold up against that?" Rosy asked with a cold voice. You could feel the chill released into the air when she spoke, but she got an answer after a few beats.

"Then, we'll rely on our superior weapons." Nate Chase, the head of the production department told her.

"Us gryphons are a proud and strong people, little lady. We don't need anyone else's help." Patrick Kale chided her, stubborn as the old mule that he was.

"How many people in this room have actually ever been outside of Gryvus? Seen a real battle other than the one that I put up when I came into the city?" Rosy asked in an even voice. Only a couple hands went up. The Archgryphon, Hal Evans, Patrick Kale, and Johnny Tyler. Counting Reese, only five out of twelve people had ever seen real people fighting before, yet they believed that they understood what it took to win a war? Rosy wanted to laugh, but Adrian stopped her telepathically.

"You have limited battle experience, limited numbers, and finally, limited uses of your 'superior weapon,' which is already far less useful than you're making it out to be. Please explain how your overwhelming power can make up for that, because I can't see it." Adrian said evenly, finally cutting to the heart of the matter.

Hearing him talk about the guns as if they're useless clearly got to most of the gryphons, who hadn't expected Adrian to know of the weapons' shortcomings. Despite that, the way that he stated things made most of the gryphons in the room absolutely irate, though Reese had a look of quiet acceptance. He'd lived in the real world, after all. He knew that the gryphons' only protection lied in their impenetrable mountain range, and that the gryphon armies themselves were weak compared to Noctus, even with guns in the picture.

"How dare you! You think that any strong and proud gryphon would fall before the likes of a human like you!? We fought off her, after all, and we could do it again right now if we so chose!" Hal shouted, pointing at Rosy, who rolled her eyes.

"By the time that any of those bastards find their way through those mountains, we'll have made significant improvements to our guns. Once we improve the range..." Nate seemed to be focusing more on the 'superior weapons' part of the problem than the 'experience and skill' part. Honestly, his job as head of research and production was more likely to pull through in such a situation than Hal and Bart's thoughts about their total warpower. It was likely that the majority of gryphons wouldn't do much of anything in a fight, since they lacked experience. With longer-ranged guns, they'd stand a better chance of contributing, but that honestly wasn't likely to happen.

"You're putting a lot of stock into the idea that us proud gryphons are weak in frontal combat, boy. Hal's right. We chased off your little girlfriend once before, and we can chase off a hundred thousand soldiers just like her with ease, should the mood strike us." Maximus Chase declared to Adrian.

Adrian rolled his eyes confidently. He'd expected this to end up going as it had. These gryphons weren't going to change their minds without a fight, and if it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight that they were going to get.