Wexford sighed, and steeled his resolve, deciding to address his core mission before he could lose track of it amidst the hodgepodge of side quests, threats, and scams available to him in Aquarine Bay City. Hoisting his stuffed travel bag back over his black-feathered shoulders, the hippogriff gave his sore legs one more push and headed for the docks.
The Aquarine Bay Shipping Company dock office was nothing remotely glamorous, being little more than a repurposed warehouse among many in the dockyard, but it's arguably one of the most frequented buildings in the whole city. If anyone wanted to send anything up and down the coast of Astrea without interfering with all the carriage and foot traffic across the land, or perhaps partake in one of the many luxurious scenic cruises, then ABSC was the place to go. Heading into the crowded building, Wexford squeezed past uncountable numbers of strangers as they argued and chattered, until he finally spilled into the lobby alongside the stampede of future seafarers that were as unwilling to yield as he was. Drowning in a sea of hot, sweaty travelers just like himself, Wexford quickly lost sight of the reception booths...along with pretty much everything else. Griffons and griffon-adjacent creatures were not exactly known to be small and frail, but not even Wexford's natural muscles and stress-induced weight gain could give him even a sliver of advantage against a literal horde of equally eager beasts trying their best to push him out of the way so they themselves could get in line just a little bit sooner. Frustrated and tired, Wexford took a deep breath (and lightly gagged at the combined musky odors of himself and the eight other bodies squeezing against him) before he reached deep into his soul and allowed the familiar tingling warmth of magic to flow through his body. He had yet to fully master the dangerous practice of arcane teleportation, but if the crowd wasted any more of his time better spent recuperating from his tortuous walk, then the risk might just be worth the reward...
But, before Wexford could discharge the spell that could either propel him to the front of the line or erase his physical form from existence, a scaly elbow slammed into his rounded belly. Immediately, Wexford lost his focus as the familiar and dangerous sensation of rushing pressure shot through his guts, and soon, his silver-haired, horse-like tail raised before he could even stop himself.
"Sovereign damn you, pickled beans!" Wexford groaned before his legs buckled into a squat, and he clenched his talons as he let loose a loud, sloppy fart echoed in the warehouse-office around him, dragging on for nearly eight full seconds before it sputtered into a silent hiss. Almost immediately, the crowd around him began to clear, some startled by the abnormally loud sound that no normal beast could produce, and others disgusted as they caught wind of the vile stench of rotting beans that fumed from Wexford's fat, sweaty rear. Griffons and horses were both individually known for having terrifying flatulence, and so when traits from the two beasts combined in Wexford, what he produced was something truly beyond the capabilities of mundane, mortal stomachs.
As Wexford covered his eyes in self-inflicted disgust, trying hard to ignore the cries of mockery and reprimand from the stench-addled beasts around him, he noticed through the cracks in his claw-fingers that the parting crowd provided him with a clear path to the reception desk. However, after his shameful behavior mere moments ago, would he really have the courage to speak to anyone, while the stench of his putrid innards still lingered about him? What exactly should Wexford do, in such a predicament?
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
