I am Griffin A, of the first Griffin Squad!

"Alright, listen up, Griffin Squad!"

I look over at my underlings, Griffins B through E, all brown feathered, making me the only outlier with my white feathers.

"The Hero might be here at any second. I need you all to be ready for when he arrives."

I turn to Dark Mage A and B, sent here by our dark lord Tenebrae for our aid. They clad themselves in dark robes with purple highlights. Their faces are being shrouded in the shadows of their hoods, making it hard to identify any distinct facial features. They're a little scary, but as a general, I must not let my fears show.

"Dark Mage A, I need you to focus on cursing The Hero's Healer. Make sure she can't use any spells. Dark Mage B, you focus on poisoning The Hero's Tank. We will slowly chip down his hit points."

The both of them nod in unison. It feels like I can barely make out a creepy smile under the hood. "Scary..." I'm glad they're on my side.

"Griffin B, Griffin C, you two should focus on the ranger. We can't let him pick us off from afar. Griffin D and Griffin E, you will attack The Hero with me."

Suddenly, the world goes dark, as if someone turned off the sun. Then, out of nowhere, The Hero and his team stood before me. I won't hesitate for a moment as I charge at The Hero.

"We can't let them reach the castle! Get ready for my Vigorous Claw!" I yell out as I dig my front claws into his armor.

The archer tries to shoot at me, but I swiftly dodge to the side. Before I notice, the sword of The Hero swings down at me, right across my chest.

"Gah! That did a lot of damage, but I cannot fail my squad!" I yell, waiting for their turns to come.

Curse, Poison, Vigorous Claw, Gust Storm. Everything is going according to my plan, but after ten turns, it makes sense that we're all pretty beaten up. Both The Hero's Ranger and Tank have fallen, but so have our Dark Mage B, Griffin B, Griffin D and Griffin E. I'm sure we can win, but at what cost?

"You've already done that seven times! It won't work if she's already cursed, Dark Mage A!" I yell back at him. I know that's what I told you to do, but should you really do it seven times when it has no effect?
Griffin C jumps in to attack the Healer but misses. "This is bad." I start thinking to myself, "we're so close. We mustn't give up now. For Lord Tenebrae!"

I spread my wings, ready for attack. With a single flap, I perform my last-ditch effort magic spell.
"Gust Storm!"
A tornado shoots from my wings at The Hero, damaging him significantly. Out of breath, I look at The Hero. Surely he must want to give up now. Looking closer, to my surprise and shock, The Hero is smiling? He raises his hand and snaps his fingers.
"Fire Wave."
A wave of fire flows from behind The Hero and engulfs everybody.

"W-what is this magic?" I exclaim as I feel my hit points slowly draining to what feels like one hp. I look around me to see how my allies are doing. "Dark Mage A! Griffin C!" I yell after them, but it's too late. They have fallen. I'm the only one left of the first Griffin Squad.
I look over and see just The Hero left. His Healer is nowhere in sight.

"Listen here, Hero! I am Griffin A of the first Griffin Squad! Though you may have defeated my allies and beaten me down, I will not give up easily! With this last trick, I will defeat you! Your story ends here!" I yell at the top of my lungs, though The Hero seems unresponsive, almost like he can't even understand me.

I look down at the potion in my hand.

"B-blue...?" I stare in disbelief.
"It's... It's a Warp Potion... Who even uses those?" The potion drops out of my claw and shatters on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Lord Tenebrae, I have failed both you and my Squad."
I look back at my claw, where a single glass shard is stuck in my palm, making my hp drop to zero.
"I only wish I could be stronger for you. Strong enough to defeat The Hero and carry out your will..."

I drop to the ground as my vision begins to fade.
"Is this the end of the first Griffin Squad?"
"It can't be..."

Main Quest Failed.

So this is what it feels like? Surrounded by darkness, my body feels heavy. I'm cold and itchy, and my back hurts. In the distance, I can hear a voice calling out to me.
"Hello? Are you okay?" 
It's a soft voice. Listening to it more, it's actually not far at all. Could it be?

I slowly try to open my eyes. At first, it hurts a bit, as a bright light shines through them, but after they've adjusted, I'm able to open them fully. 
I am greeted by two shining white eyes, staring at me.

"Are you okay, kid? You passed out on the ground covered in feathers." A silky and slick voice asks me. The person in front of me starts giggling slightly, as he extends his arm, presumably to help me up.
"Who are you calling a kid, human?! Also, I'm supposed to be covered in feathers! I'm a Griffin!" I swat his hand away and stand up to be on equal footing. Who does he think he is? A human, helping a Griffin? As if. Was I always this tall?

"A Griffin, eh? Is that so?" 
His condescending voice gives him an annoyingly smug aura about him. I'm going to enjoy defeating him in battle.
He reaches to his back. I ready myself for a surprise attack, but It's not a weapon he pulls out from his robes. It's a mirror. He holds it out in front of my face.

"You look an awful lot like a human teen to me, Mr Griffin." He says as a smirk forms on his face.
I stare back at my reflection in shock. This must be some sort of trick or magic spell. My face. It looks human. I  lift my hands to my face and feel it to confirm it's real.
Wait, human hands?

"W-what did you do to me?" I exclaim in disbelief.
"Me? What could I have possibly done to you, Mr Griffin? I just arrived here~" He starts playing with his long white hair.
I ready myself for an attack. He doesn't look very physically defensive, so one Vigorous Claw should do the trick.

"Oh, don't you think it would be more proper to get dressed before you battle me?" He calmly says. How did he know I was about to attack? He must have a mind-reading spell.
I look down and see that I am indeed not wearing anything. 

"You're lucky I always carry spare robes." He holds out a robe similar to his, which I reluctantly take from him. 
"Now, you can either battle me and exhaust yourself even further or follow me to my house to refresh yourself. The choice is up to you, Mr Griffin." He turns his back to me and starts walking off.

Now that he mentioned it, I do feel very tired, but I can't let him win this.
"Listen here, human! My name is not Mr Griffin! I am Griffin A of the first Griffin Squad! Whatever it is you did to me, I will turn myself back! To redeem myself and defeat The Hero!" I yell at him as loud as I can, using all my energy. I drop to my knees and point at him.
"You'll do well to remember that name."

He calmly turns around with a slight smile on his face. I can't figure out whether it's friendly or deceiving.
"I am Karatori Shiro. Nice to meet you, Griffin A."