Falconers and Hexers
Chapter 1
Joel woke up with a stiff neck and body. His head hurt and his head felt like it had a hangover. He opened his eyes and saw that he wasn't in the city but in the middle of a path on a mountain. "Where am I?" he said to himself as he tried to stand up. But he quickly realized he couldn't. He saw that his hands and feet where hoofs.
Startled he jumped back and pinned himself against a rock. "What the hell!" he said to himself. "what is this?" He did a body check looking at everything he could. Quickly he realized he was a horse. The tail helped as not animals had a tail like a horse.
He looked around trying to understand where he was, but it appeared he was a lying in the middle of the path in some rocky mountains. There were trees that poked out of the mountain in certain spots but there wasn't much. Joel didn't know where to go because even though he was in the middle of a path it most likely branched off further down the line eventually leading to him getting lost and dying of cold or whatever.
Just when he was starting to really worry, he started to hear sounds of a cart approaching as its wooden wheels rolled over rock after rock. Joel, wanting to get rescued from this place, kept a cool head and stood up best he could and toward where he was hearing the sounds. He could see that the mountain he was on was one of many. If he traveled alone he would have definitely gotten lost.
As Joel came around a corner, he could saw that the cart was being pulled by a dark green and a blue horse, and a few others were beside it spread out on either side. They all stopped once they saw Joel standing in the middle. Their was a tarp over the top of the cart covering whatever they may be hauling.
As Joel observed them he could see that some did indeed have armor although it wasn't a substantial amount. Not wanting the awkward silence to get weird he spoke up first saying, "hey, do you guys know this place?"
"Know this place?" asked one, "of course we do. The real question here is what are you doing here? You're trespassing."
"Trespassing? I just got lost and…" Joel was trying to figure out a believable lie so they didn't think he was crazy or anything but they cut him off.
"Lost? No pony just gets lost. You made the mistake of coming here." Joel could hear the hostility in his voice and didn't like where this was going.
"It was by accident."
Then the same horse spoke up and by now Joel could guess he was the leader, "No one makes this mistake. It's all too known to travel alone in the radecks pass." He stared at Joel for a second. There were about fifteen of them. Joel didn't know if he could outrun these guys. HHe did just get this new body, and although it was like bear crawling he was still getting used to it. "whoever catches him first get a bonus," said the 'leader,' "take him alive if you can."
They must have liked the sound of bonuses because about eight of them took off in a dead run at Joel. So Joel did the only sensible thing anyone would do. He ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could. Even if he did get lost at least he wouldn't be potentially killed by these bandits or sold as a slave. However this world worked it must have had some sort of cheap labor system, and who wouldn't want a strong able bodied worker who you don't have to even pay?
As delighted as the sound of a job with no benefits sounded Joel thought there was better employment options, so he kept running as fast as he could. Where ever else was fine as long as he lost them.
He came around a corner and wouldn't you know it, there was a dead end. He turned around and already they had blocked the path that lead into it. He had no escape. On his right there was the steep cliff going up and on the left there was a steep cliff going down. Not sure if taking the fall would leave enough bones unbroken and blood in his bodie to crawl off the mountain, so it probably wasn't the best idea. "Hey guys i don't want any trouble."
"You already found it."
At this point Joel didn't know if these guys were supposed to be Futile Age hustlers or something. He counted ten of them. Some had chest plates of armor and others had almost nothing to protect them, but all of them had a rode that was attached to the side of the front shoulder. with a wire running up to their ear that was attached by a leather peace.
Joel slowly backed up, "I don't know about you but um," I thought of a good comeback, "I know krav maga, and like I killed people with it." He used intimidation but it was ineffective against the bandit group.
"Shut up and come quietly," and after he flicked his ear down and back and the tubes that were fixed to their shoulders protruded a spear like blade that stuck out at about there whole body length.
"I don't like this," he was at the very edge of the cliff with one more step and he would have fallen.
He started to walk towards him and each step his fixed sword thing would wave left and right. Quick enuf so that it would make a deep cut into his body and that didn't sound too nice. "Tie him up."
Joel didn't wanna get sliced and since had no other option so he let himself get captured without a struggle. They tied his front hoofs to the back of the cart they were pulling despite the fact he was cooperating. As they started walking the horse that tied his front hoofs up said, "Let's see how long you can last dragging behind this." He pulled roughly on the rope tightening it even more making it bite into Joel's skin.
He let out a silent grunt as the ropes tightened around his hoofs, "Won't it make it harder for you to do your job dragging me around?" Trying to sound like a smart ass didn't pay off and he got hit over the head with something hard and made metal. The hit almost knocked him out and he collapsed slightly which caused the ropes to tighten down even harder.
"I said silence." He flashed the broadside of his sword in his face showing that that is what hit him in the head. He flicked his ear again and the sword flattened back out on the X axis. The cart started with a jolt and Joel quickly picked himself up so that his hoofs didn't get destroyed by simply pulling him.
Joel took this time to think about what had happened just before he fell into this world. He remembered every thing that had happened up to the point where he woke up. Last thing he remembered back on earth was meeting some stranger who really liked the sight of common change for some reason. Apparently giving him some got Joel here so that guy wasn't just some homeless person or a wizard or something. Probably was since he was now here as a horse.
He had been walking with his front hoofs elevated just in front of him making it really uncomfortable and hard walking on his hind legs. If Joel didn't know it, now he did. This was how they would torture others. The lower back in four legged animals did not have as strong muscles compared to a human's. So having to walk on your hind legs for a long period of time was painful if not unbearable.
Joel knew he had to get out some how, and with every rock they rolled over and every dip they took, it sent searing pain through his front hoofs. "Gotta get out of this," he said quietly to himself. He was getting tired real quick and if he collapsed from exhaustion they may just be nice enough to drag him along as he get cut up and bloodied by rocks, and his wrist might break too from being tied so tight.
Since most of the bandits were in the front of the line making sure it's secure/safe/nobody-would-fuck-with-them that no one was worried about Joel all alone in the back. Thinking this was the best idea he started to bite at the rope. It was tougher than expected but if he didn't get through it fast then he would be suffering long term consequences. Namely being crippled enslaved or a serious case of being dead for which there was no known cure, except maybe true love or the power of friendship or something.
He was almost through the first cord. If he was lucky enough he would only need to cut one and hope the rest fall away. As he worked he listened for anypony that might be hanging back or stopping by to check on Joel. They didn't talk much and when they did it was indecipherable as they were too far way.
Finally he cut the first one and left hoof started to relax as the pain slowly died away. His left hoof was still tied to the rope but Joel thought that the rope fell off the cart. Unfortunately it didn't. It was still tied to the back of the cart with a base knot and he didn't realize it because he wanted to get out of there as fast as possible falling into a dead run in the opposite direction. As his he got whiplashed, he did a full flip as his hoof got pulled out from under him while simultaneously breaking. He cried out in pain as his tied up hoof was now broken. The rope had pulled off the trailer hitch causing a loud cracking sound that bounced all around in the mountain pass ecowing all around.
His captors having heard his cry of pain and trailer hitch breaking off turned and saw Joel a far distance away running on his three good legs with the rope trailing just behind him.
The one who had armor who Joel secretly decided to call Phill, because it suited him, shouted, "Seize him." and as many as who wanted another shot at getting a bonus started running for Joel.
Joel ran as fast as his three legs could carry him. Every rock that the hitch bounced off of shot pain strait through his body. He heard shouting as his began to gain on him. He had a head start but it wouldn't be long before they overtook him.
Hopefully Joel would find a bend and that bend had a bush and that bush the guys would over look and Joel could mabie escape. But such a bend with a bush didn't come \. Instead it he found another dead end that surrounded Joel on both sides with vertical cliffs and just in front of him was an immediate drop down the mountain. "Uh now would be a nice time to teleport me back to my world stranger or whoever you are." he said to no one in particular.
He turned around just as the bandits blocked the entrance he just ran through. Joel had his badly hurt leg in the air as not to damage it more. Not wanting them to use the rope as leverage he began to gather it up using his mouth to grab and hoist it toward him and wrapped it around his body to keep close. He wanted to pass out his hoof hurt so much. "Just leave me alone," he shouted at them. Why did they even care so much.
Phil stepped through the small group of horses and said, "I already said. You're trespassing." Joel couldn't speak anymore. The awful sensation in his front leg was just too great. "Since you already cause us trouble I won't give you the satisfaction of accompanying us on our… 'journey'" He flicked his ear down and to the side again and his sword popped out wouldn't you know. "I will just finish the job right here." He began to walk over to Joel who's only option was a fall that surely would kill him.
Every step 'Phil' took the sword waved up and down as if to intimidate Joel. It was such a simple device. Was that one tube of iron the only way they fought? Did they just swing their body around to cut someone? "Don't worry," Phil said, "I'll grant you a quick death." he was still his sword distance away so Joel still couldn't get hit, but that margin was about to be closed. "Any Last words. Perhaps I might have a change in heart, but I really doubt it," he said mockingly.
"The only regret I have was ever looking at that face of yours." Joel spat on the ground. He felt stupid having to retreat to elementary school name calling crap, but he couldn't think of anything better to come up with on the spot. "Bitch" he finished.
His face contorted with anger, "I am not a female dog you swine." he did the whole rearing up thing you see the cowboys do and just befor his sword came down on Joel, it was displaced by an arrow which knocked 'Phil' off balance causing him to miss Joel.
Joel looked up to see a silhouette horse standing on a ledge much higher than them. The orange one spoke, "Hey you guys."
"What?" Phil said annoyed. He looked up and seemed astonished. "A Falconer," he said and his men started to back away slowly. "Don't retreat it's just one." Joel looked up and saw that this pony had a cloke on with two crossbows that were pressed to his side facing forward. There was two levers that protruded from the side of his bodie like how phil's did but they weren't swords. Joel also saw that when the strange pony moved his head, the crossbows would move according to that, and Joel noticed that there was what looked like a monocle in his one of his eyes.
The silhouette spoke again saying, "I hear there is a bounty on a group of bandits. Hiding somewhere up in these mountains." He spoke in a funny guy kinda way, "you wouldn't happen to know where they are would you?" Phil didn't answer. He stood his ground. He knew this 'Falconer' was just being a smart ass which is funny cause he was horse. "tisk tisk tisk," he said shaking his head. "No answer is still the wrong answer."
The mysterious horse flicked his left ear down and back and an arrow shot out the cross bow on his left side. Phil did his best to dodge it but still ended getting hit in his right shoulder. The other bandit ponies started to run out the entrance and were stopped dead in their tracks by another one intruded, but this one had a horn. "You're not leaving that easily." he withdrew two swords levitating them in midair.
They charged him in fear trying to escape but he fended them off with quick precise flicks of his blades, and one by one he cut them all down. Joel was still in a great deal of pain, and Phil looked over with the arrow still in his bodie and tried to swing his sword head, another arrow deflected the sword and Phil wiped it somehow getting knocked off balance and pushing Joel over the edge falling over the cliff.
Joel then found out the mountain was infact not out to get him as he and Phil landed on a conveniently placed, out-of-sight-from-where-they-were-looking ledge. Joel landing roughly coming down with a slam and luckily managed not to land on his broken hoof. Just as he picked himself up Phil had started to do the same. Assuming he would lash out at Joel the first chance he got, Joel took the broken hitch he had wrapped around his body, in his mouth and threw the end with the trailer hitch still attached and got it around phil's neck.
Joel then jumped on his back and took the end of the rope and yanked on it strangling phil. Phil pushed back slamming him against the stone wall, and Joel just yanked tighter. He bit down on his own tongue because he was self inflicting pain on his hoof that was still tied to it. Phil struggled by kicking and squirming but it was doing no good. Joel could feel the fight leaving Phils bodie and he wanted it to be over quickly, because he couldn't take much more eather.
Phil's body started to go limp and when he finally went out, Joel weakly pushed him off his bodie. In agony his vision faded, and the last thing he saw was the rocky mountains with their snow peaked tops and the blue skies the hung so far above them. Oh and he realized that they were ponies and not horses.
Intermission
These are just sections to break apart the separate parts during long chapters and give some useful information like; currently this chapter is twenty pages long on eleven size font, but this first chapter is actually a merge of the first five chapters I published on fanfiction.
Actually fanfiction currently has eighteen of these chapters which will technically be reduced to four so if you're interested and you don't want to wait you can check that out under the same username and title name. It's unfinished and left on an ungodly cliff hanger which will be resolved in the next few weeks. I publish a chapter every week on FanF but FimF will have to wait just a bit longer.
This story gradually becomes less about Joel and more about the other characters because I don't want to force you to like some forced character like him but he is kinda here for fun to mix things up a little and provide some outside opinions on all of this stuff.
Part 2
The snow was falling the fire was lit and all three of them were sitting around it thinking about what to do with the two survivors. It wasn't easy lifting them up off the ledge but they managed and as the wind blew along with some light snowfall Igneous said, "I think we should kill him." He looked at the others and said, "We don't know who he is and he could be dangerous."
Kara spoke, "We just kill him? I mean look at him he is passed out because of the pain." She pointed over to were Joel was laying passed out just like she had just said two seconds ago. They decided to make camp in the area they had fought and killed the bandits. Well most of the bandits, the one Joel strangled was still alive and tied up, and you thought Joel was a killer. "Why don't you just heal him."
"Because I won't waist my magic on some thief." Igneous was acting stern. "For all we know he could have killed other ponies befor."
"You just killed a bunch of bandits," Kara responded. "How are we all that different?"
"She has a point," Mace said, "How can we just determine someone's fate just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"We did this to protect others. Not for gain or some reward," Igneous snorted.
"He attacked him in defence," Kara argued.
"Why don't we ask the bandit leader if he knows anything?" interrupted Mace, "We could at least try to prove this guy is innocent if he is so willing to testify for him."
"We owe him that much that much."
"Owe him?" Igneous said, "We don't owe this guy anything."
Mace shook his head, "Let's just try to figure some things out before we jump to conclusions. Let's ask the guy we know is a bandit, and we will work from there."
"Come on Igneous," Kara pleaded.
For a second he sat there contemplating the decisions. Then he levitated a torch from the fire and stood up, "this wasn't part of the plan."
"It never is Igneous," said Mace. They walked around the corner and out onto the path where the bandit leader was tied up to a rock. "We going to ask you some questions. Do you understand?"
"I'm not talking." he said.
Igneous was having none of it. He unsheathed one his four sword and hit the bandit in the jaw with the hilt, "Don't waste my time."
"Right now this isn't about you. We want to know about the guy we saw you trying to kill," said Kara looking him straight in the eyes.
He spat blood on the ground. It was a pretty hard hit not to mentions the hilt had manny sharp points protruding from it unintentionally making unusable for handed beings. "I think you broke a few teeth," he said grunting.
Igneous levitated the tip of the blade just in front of the bandits neck, "Answer the question."
"I never seen him befor in my life," he said licking the blood from his lips.
"Then where did he come from?" asked Kara.
"I don't know. He just said he was lost. There was nothing of value on him and was just sitting there in the middle of the path."
"Why did you try to take him then?"
"To make a quick sum. I'm a bandit," he said laughing, "What did you expect you naive little hunters."
"Little?" Igneous said angrily.
Mace put his hoof on Igneous shoulder, "Igneous, calm down."
"You better listen to your friend," the bandit said with a smirk. "go ahead. Take me to in, hand me over to the keepers, I will just find a way to esc-"
Igneous slit his throat, cut the rope, arced the sword in a circle and plunged it into the bandit's chest, "Sorry but taking you to in isn't part of the plan." He then then used the leverage of the sword to heave the bandit over the edge and send him falling down the mountain eventually to land in a pile with his oh so loyal comrades.
"Great now what." said Mace looking over the edge Igneous just threw the 'Phil' over, "You just had to kill the only survivor of the bandit party."
"Our job is done. The village needed our help and we gave it," Igneous said as he began to walk towards the campfire with the torch still levitating so everyone could see.
"Well now a complete stranger who is lost needs our help." Kara said reminding him. "Are you just going to kill him?"
"If I have to," Igneous responded.
"Why do you have to act like that," asked Mace, "You don't need to kill off every injustice. There is a thing called mercy. You might like it," Mace said nudging him a little.
"Who needs mercy when you got these right here." he unsheathed two of his four and spun them around his body in a nice display that looked like two spinning blender blades.
"Still Igneous we need to figure out what we're going to do with him."
"Why don't you carry him," Kara asked
"Why do I have to carry him?" he sheathed his swords back into their hilts.
"Because you killed most of the party anyway. This is your reward for oh so exceptional valor." Mace said with a smile.
"You gotta heal him first." Kara said.
"Why do I have to do everything," He said shaking his head.
"You're the only one who can," Make reminded him.
"Fine but my light magic isn't strong, but I will see what I can do. Don't expect a fine job from me."
"Did the books I give you not help you at all?" Kara asked. "If you got better at dark magic you wouldn't even need to carry around a shield," she added.
"It would be a lot easier with a teacher," Igneous said trying to fucose his light magic to heal the broken hoof. "To bad we have to rediscover everything in Carridian," he became silent as he tried to concentrate harder.
Kara and Mace walked over the fire so Igneous could concentrate his magic on healing the stranger. "I can't wait for team Coehin to get back. It's been what a year?" ask Kara.
"It appears it has. We kept our side of Noriphmy safe from... 'threats' and apparently bandits too," Mace said as slipped his hood over his head so that he could be warmer from the cold night air.
"Me and my sister have so much to catch up on. I hope she brings at least one book on magic if not more," Kara opened up her wings so that the fire could warm them.
"Why do you care so much about magic. You're a pegasus."
Kara lowered her head. "Even so it's fun to study," she said.
"Speak for yourself," said Igneous still there with his head down trying to heal the stranger.
"What are you going to do when your father get back Mace?"
"I don't know but believe me I am just excited as you. We might just talk for a while," Mace said. "I bet he has got a few more stories to tell."
After he said this a very loud sigh came from Igneous, "That was harder than I though. His hoof was pretty bad," He levitated his limp body onto his own back, "he must have been in a great deal of pain."
"Where are you going Igneous," asked Mace.
"Yea, shouldn't we rest?" Kara asked.
"Rest? Why would we rest when team Coehin is coming back tomorrow morning." Igneous said looking serious look. "I'm not going to lose, especially to Kohligan." He then walked around the corner and out of sight of the two taking a torch with him into the night.
Kara and Mace looked at eachother and he said, "Igneous isn't going to wait is he?"
"He still thinks this whole thing is some sort of proving grounds and he won't let up, not even to him." She gave a quick nod, stood up and said, "We should go." real quick and without another word they stood up and left for Igneous. If they hurryed they would probably beat team Coehin to the village and Igneous would have some sense of pride.
They hiked down the mountain using paths with little words between one another they didn't need to speak much and there was nothing that could really warrant a good conversation save it for the knocked out stranger they were lugging. The light snowstorm had receded itself and the sun began to poke over the mountain tops just as they had reached the base of the mountain.
Mace suggested that they should make something to rag Joel with so quickly they salvaged two branches and Mace used his cloak as something for Joel to lay in between as it held the two sticks together. They then hooked the makeshift stretcher to Igneous and they continued on from there.
Joel this entire time was knocked out and was dreaming or what he guessed to be dreaming. He couldn't see anything, only blackness. He could feel things going on. There was shouting and the sounds of whoever or whatever being cut off. Someone was talking to him, to Joel. But he couldn't hear it because it sounded too far away. His hands felt like they grabbed something soft and it gave away easily when he squeezed. He could smell smoke. Not fire but electrical smoke. He heard himself say something but it wasn't Joel's voice. This one was deep dark haunting and full of hatred, but he knew and felt that it must have been his. He said very slowly, "what if my god said it was my duty to kill you. All of you." Then he heard himself laughed and then their was no sensation or. Not the feeling of holding something soft in his hands or the faint sounds of shouting.
Joel woke up to find himself in a wooded area. The pain down in his hoof had gone down considerably. Infact he didn't feel any kind of pain. Curious as to why he looked at it and found it was bandaged and that he was on an improvised stretcher made wooden sticks and cloth. He looked over his shoulder to see that he was being dragged by a the heavily armored horse that took on all the bandits with his levitating swords.
Joel tried to sit up but wasn't strong enough to do it just yet, "I wouldn't be moving if I were you. Not when you're sporting something such as that." He recognised that voice. It was the voice of the silhouette that had intervened at the last minute. He was pointing to Joel's broken hoof. It had a bandage with a brace attached to it to keep it steady. "You hurt yourself pretty badly back there with the runnin with the mountain bandits. What were you doing up there if you weren't planning on getting yourself killed."
He wasn't wearing his cloak he saw earlier and it took a moment for him to figure out that they were using his cloak for the improvised stretcher. His crossbows he saw earlier were now collapsed and flatten to his bodie. He also saw that his monocle from earlier wasn't some peace of glass but a sight, one you use for aiming.
After he got all these barings he answered saying, "I kind of just found myself there, you know?"
The unicorn spoke this time saying, "Pft found yourself there. What did you sleep walk. Gone on some adventure I presume?"
Joel didn't know how to explain the 'favor' he did for the man back in the alley, sounds a little creepy, but somehow about half a dollar in change was enough to buy him an other worldly experience, and not the kind with drugs. He avoided the question by asking a different one, "Who are you guys? Where am I?"
Savior silhouette horse answers saying, "We are Falconers, but if you wanna know our name, he is Igneous and I'm Mace." He gestured to the sky and added, "Her name is Kara."
Joel looked up to see a flying pegasus. She was up pretty high up so he couldn't make out anything other than that she had wings, and every so often Joel caught a glint of sunlight that bounced off of her. Probably some armor or metal she had on. "I didn't see him during the fight. What did he do the whole time."
"I had 'her,'" Igneous corrected. "stay back, because she couldn't fight in that type of environment," He had a very matter of fact tone in his voice. "The space we were fighting was to tight and she wouldn't be able to make a quick pass in and out. The idea was by my design and it could not have gone better."
"Always gotta take credit for your own plan, don't you Igneous." He didn't respond, "yea he is the leader of this team anyways."
"That's true, and I also make the plans, and then you both completely ignore them." He said.
"So what did you guys do with the bandits?" asked Joel
"Killed them," was all Igneous said. He was really good at sounding intimidating, but hearing that, Joel didn't need to know details of that statement. They could have done anything they wanted, burned them, buried them or just left them. It didn't really matter if in the end they were just dead. Joel was still laying on the stretcher that Igneous was pulling and he was alive. He didn't want to feel like a baby so he tried to crawl off. "Hey don't try anything, you're still badly hurt."
"But I don't feel any pain." Joel respawned.
"That's because when you were out I took the pain away, and fixed the bone together" Igneous said.
"How though? Did you like, give me medicine?" Joel asked apparently still wanting to stand, but Mace pushed him back down.
"Magic. Don't you know anything about minor healing spells, or just magic at all." Mace asked.
Joel really had no idea about this world so he would just have to find out more for himself, "Let's just say i'm not from around here." They were silent for a while and Joel asked, "So what do Falconers do?"
"You really aren't from around here are you." asked Mace, "Do you want to explain?" He said looking over to Igneous.
"I would rather we just get to the village." Igneous said.
"Fine. Us Falconers are hunters," he started.
"Hunters?" asked Joel, "What like hunting game and stuff?"
"Don't insult me," Igneous warned.
"Don't mind him," Mace reassured Joel, "We are monster hunters normally but we also do a little bounty hunts from time to time."
"Like the people back there?"
"Yes but we make sure that there some of the worst. We don't want the money we want to protect others." Joel kinda had to just sit there as Mace walked along side him. The trees were brightly green and the forrest kinda looked nice.
"Protect others, I know what you mean." he said a little solemnly.
"What's that, why are you so sad all of a sudden?"
"Nothing, just speaking out loud." Joel didn't feel like making eye contact as he said this.
Mace could tell he was trying to hide something but he didn't touch on it.
"Don't worry," Igneous interrupted, "every one has got a story to tell. Weather or not you would like to relive it is up to you."
"Relive? More like move past," he answered, "I need to start over. Move on because I'm tired of the past."
"I know how you feel," Igneous said. Even when he talked he still sounded intimidating, "Some things you just want out of the way and to be rid of. But you can't always get what you want."
"We all have our reasons why we joined." said Mace. "Being a Falconer isn't bad, you get to adventure all around Caridian with almost no care whatsoever."
"We still got order Igneous we have to fulfill Mace," Igneous reminded him.
"It's the idea that your free Igneous that makes the experience all the better.
"How can I become a Falconer, is there a process? Some exam because I'll do it."
"You show up. Simple as that. The hard part is the training and lifestyle." They kept walking with Igneous pulling Joel quietly as Mace kept explaining. "You have to be able to carry yourself for miles without a break. Most of the food you get while on a hunt comes from scavenging. You need to learn how to track locate and kill any monster you have been sent for."
"It doesn't sound easy," Joel said.
"Not really, but you do get a team of at least three," Mace reassured. "You watch eachothers backs and never leave one to die. No matter how bad a situation might be you always come back for the fallen." He let out a sigh, "I don't need to get a philosophical right now."
"Sounds hard." Joel said. What would it be like to be out in the wilderness with nothing but your buddies to watch your back. Its sounds dangerous and absurd but an experience willing to be had, "But I would be willing to do it."
"Slow down, we only just met you, and your hoof isn't all that good yet." said Igneous.
"I'm fine really and I'm not a bad guy," again he tried to sit up but was pushed back down. Joel being annoyed said, "Can I just stand up. Didn't he say said he used magic to fix my broken hoof?"
"I healed it but it could still break. My magic isn't exactly strong. I can't even summon my own weapons but can only heal minor injuries."
"And your broken hoof wasn't exactly minor either." Mace continued for Igneous, "especially since you damaged it trying to strangle that brute. I could have taken him out I just needed one shot." Funny since it took him like two but Joel guessed he was probably going for style points. Points like none other in existence and worth nothing but to that who experienced it.
"Well I guess I wasn't thinking straight." Joel said, "I just saw that his guard and attention was down, I felt threatened so I just had to… kill him," when he said kill him he made a strangling motion. "I wasn't looking to die that day so it was either him or me, and I chose me."
Mace laughed at that, "You know, You really could be a Falconer with that type of attitude."
"Oh really, and here I thought I didn't have the right kind of tragic upbringing or backstory to be a hero."
"Our upbringing is just what motivates us. Anyone can be a Falconer" said Mace.
Hearing his Joel then felt like he could be a Falconer. He thought of how he could go on an adventure. That man in the ally said he would give him a second chance, and a life full of dangerous adventures around every corner, who wouldn't want to spend their second life on it? "Make me one." he said abruptly.
Mace looked surprised, "You really wanna be be a Falconer?"
"Yes. I do." Even if Joel had to take time to heal he would do this. He wasn't going to waste this life working in some boring restaurant or shop or anything like that. He was going to do this even if it ended up killing him. "I'm certain of it."
"We can get right on it then. Preparation is important but for now you need to rest."
Joel was still laying in the makeshift stretcher being pulled by Igneous. As bad is his manhood probably felt, he didn't mind much. He used this time to ponder over the recent events that had taken place recently. He thought of how he strangled that one guy and he wasn't too proud of it. Obviously asphyxiation takes more than just the person to pass out to be pronounced dead. You need at least five minutes of constant restraint to kill someone and it could have been longer for an animal, but Joel still couldn't help but wonder. Did he kill that stallion with his bear hands? Well hoofs in this case.
As he thought they had walked in silence for some time that a pegasus landed just in front of Igneous. It was Kara and she spoke saying, "I spotted a monster just south west from our position and not to far from either."
Igneous responded saying, "great, I thought nothing exciting was going to happen all day."
"Whoa wait, what do you mean monster. I thought you said they were hardly any left." Joel said trying to turn to look a her.
"Doesn't mean you'll never come by one," Mace said stretching his back. He was getting ready for a fight.
"Alright stranger you need to get off," Igneous said as he levitated the higher end of the stretcher dumping Joel on the ground.
"Wait you're not actually going after it," asked Joel.
"Its our job," said Kara.
"Didn't you just say you wanted to be a Falconer Joel?" asked Mace.
"Yea but I need training, don't I?"
Mace nodded his, "yes you do," he put his hoof around Joel's shoulder and said, "and this is the way we do it. Just imagine," Mace began. "You fighting to the death with a monster three times your size only for you to end up triumphant standing over the corps of the predator."
"Or-or and stay with me," Joel said slightly pushing Mace away, "Now this is crazy but imagine me. Dead. and torn apart with the monster standing triumphantly over me. How does that sound?"
Mace nodded and said, "You'll be fine. Igneous?"
"What?" he answered.
"Dequip me, and put all my equipment on Joel here." Mace said.
A minute later Joel had Maces double crossbow suit on. "This idea of yours Mace is gonna get us killed," Igneous said shaking his head.
"We will be fine," said Mace, "I will guide Joel though how to do this and when we finally kill the monster Joel automatically gets the first rank in Falconering."
"Guys, guys can't we wait till I at least know what i'm doing? This is crazy. I'm gonna die."
Igneous withdrew one of his swords and checked the blade and said, "That's the fun part," he sheathed it again and then turned his attention to kara and said, "ok you lead me to its last know position. Mace will catch up when Joel gets over himself."
"Ok, follow closely," she said as she took off into the sky with Igneous running as fast as he could after her.
Jeol was getting increasingly nervous. He could get pounded into nothing and these guys didn't seem to care, or they were just used to it. There were no monsters on earth only in creepypastas, movies and Darksouls. Mace must have seen his nervousness although Joel wasn't trying to hard hide it, "Don't worry," mace said, "the Crossbow class is the safest one there is. You just gotta keep your distance and out of sight."
"What if we are seen?" Joel asked looking around.
"Again you just gotta keep you distance and out of sight," he repeated. He then turned started to run, "Come on, you're the one with my crossbows."
Not wanting to be in the woods alone were monsters might be lurking, Joel decided it was best to go with Mace. The gear that Joel now had on was heavier than he expected but he kept a manageable pace. He did catch up to Mace who seemed to be running without a problem. He talked to him in short burst of breaths, "So what are we supposed to do when we get there."
"Don't worry," he said with an even voice even as he ran, "I will make sure nothing too bad happens. I've been doing this ever since I was a colt." When they finally did catch up with the others they were hiding around a bush closely observing as the beast did it's doing.
When Joel looked he saw that it walked on all fours despite having sharply clawed hands. It head looked thickly plated and it had spikes going down the spine of his back. It was a dark black with brown spots in different places. It was big and it looked scary. "So what's the plan Igneous," Mace asked.
Without looking back he said, "It's a handed monster, I haven't seen one in all my life." He did another check and said, "I get its attention and fight close and up front, Kara attacks from above, and you find its weak points and go from there."
"Um," Joel interrupted, "how will I know what its weak points are."
Igneous must've forgotten that Joel was massively inexperience, "oh, just shoot it with explosives then."
"Explosives!?" Joel asked. He took a nervous look at the equipment he had on.
"Ok good. Ready, set go," Mace said, and immediately Kara took off into the sky, and Igneous started in a dead run at the monster who was about half a football field away. Mace put his attention on Joel, "Ok this is how the equipment works," he said talking a little fast, "listen up because this is important."
"Ok I'm listening," Joel said.
Mace pointed at the chest piece that Joel had on. It had a circle in the middle, "Ok that there is how you deploy the crossbows. All you do is you just hit it."
In the distance Joel heard Igneous shouting taunts at the monster trying to get its attention, "Hey over here you unutterably boorish filcher." It turned around angrily and revealed its snake like yellow eyes.
"Hey hey listen," Mace said bring his attention back, "Push the button."
Joel slammed his hoof to his chest and the arrows popped up so fast it made Joel unwillingly jump. To cercles, one in front of the other, lowered themselves down into Joel's right eye. When Joel moved his head the one furthest away moved slightly in that direction. "Ok," he continued, "This site right here show you were the crossbows are aiming. There connected to your head and aim roughly where you look."
"Seems easy," he said as he looked back at what Igneous was doing. He was just standing there and the monster was still walking up to him.
Mace continued at an even tone, "Ok these bracelets on either of your hoofs control what shot your fire. These two levers in front of you are to reload your shot, and to fire you simply flick your ear back." Joel was still trying to understand it but Joel pushed him forward to face the monster and he said, "Ok start shooting it."
Igneous drew two of his four swords and levitated them just in front of his face as the monster looked like it was about to attack. "Just shoot it?" He charged the beast at full speed with his falling behind to his backside.
It took a swing at Igneous with its right hand and he dodge into it and out of the way. He came to a sliding stop skidding in between the legs of the monster and as he he did he wiped the sword around slicing the ankle of the beast with two precise strikes in one motion. It let out a roar and much quicker than Igneous expected it turned on a dime delivering a backhand that sent him flying into the trees.
'Oh shit,' Joel thought to himself. He took a shot by flicking his right ear back and the right crossbow fired sending a arrow flying at the monster's chest. It bounced off without it even knowing it got hit in the first place. "It didn't penetrate Mace."
Kara came down on the monster's back and started to claw at it aggressively, with the metal claws she had equipped on her hoofs. It fell to its hands and began to shake aggressively causing Kara to briefly flutter off the monster to avoid its agitation.
"Then shoot is weak spots," he simply said. "There, near the joints like its neck and inside of its knees and elbows." Kara had landed on its back again but she soon retreated again as it rolled itself over and leapt after her clawing at the air. Igneous however was back on his hoofs and it appeared that he connected the two swords into one and was running with the tower shield, that was just on his back, levitating in front of him protecting his whole body from any frontal attacks.
Joel pulled down the right lever and it loaded another shot into the flight groove. He fired both crossbows this time but they, like the last round bounced off. "Its armor's too strong," Joel said.
"Fire an explosive round," he responded, "Just twist the bracelet to the explosive symbol."
Joel looked down at the golden bracelets that were around his hoofs. They had four symbols and Joel didn't even know which one was which, "and what symbol would that be?"
"Just, here," he said frustrated as he took his hoof and twisted the bracelet himself. He pulled down the lever for him replacing the old shot with the new explosive shot. "Fire!"
Igneous was still fighting the monster. He rolled left out of another downward attack and the beast swiped its arm towards him but Igneous stopped it by planting the shield into the ground. He jumped around the arm dove under its chest and tried to stab it by levitating his swords upward but it didn't penetrate. Igneous being vulnerable where he was back stepped through his legs and now found himself behind the monster once again. It swiped its arm around just like it did last time and Igneous, expecting it, jumped backwards causing the monster to overswing.
With the monster now off ballanced Igneous jumped onto its back using the tail as sure footing. He got to the leaped to the very top and began to aggressivly stab the monster were ever he could, but his blades never penetrated anything. The beast then reached its hand up and grabbed hold of Igneous by the body it slammed him onto the ground pinning him undernith its massive claws. His swords and shield fell as his concentration was broken and wind knocked out of him. Joel then fired the right crossbow. Just as the beast was about to take a bite out of Igneous the explosive arrow hit it right in the face. It reeled back as the arrow exploded causing the monster releasing Igneous from its grip. Igneous then gathered his dropped swords and shield back to him as he partially retreated with a slight gimp in his step. He still wasn't done with the monster, because he was still taunting and shouting at it saying, "Is that all you got you miserably lecherous oaf!"
"Ok we need to relocate," said Mace, "That's rule one, because you never want your position to be compromised."
Joel fired his left crossbow but it contained a normal arrow which bounced off the monsters scales harmlessly. "That's a rule I can follow," Joel said reluctantly.
They began to quickly move in a wide arc around the fight that was happening between Igneous, Kara, and the monster. Kara managed to land on its back again but wasn't doing much damage. She frustratingly was doing her best trying to stab it with her left hoof, "It's armor's too strong," she said as she repeatedly kept plunging her claws down upon the monster.
Igneous tried to swing at its elbow but it lifted it out of the way then slammed it down were Igneous was standing. He raised his shield and managed to bring it to a stop keeping him from getting crushed, "go for its eyes." It raised its arm and brought both fist down upon Igneouses shield pushing down with much more force than before that the shield began to be pressed down upon Igneouses body.
Suddenly it reeled back once more and went for a low sweep and Igneous back stepped behind a tree and watched it get obliterated by a left swing from the beast sending splinters of wood flying everywhere. Kara took off saying, "got it."
Joel and Mace got into their new positions, "alright keep shooting it and we will do the same thing."
"Right," said Joel and he fired another explosive round that hit the beast in the chest.
Kara was diving for the monster from above. Her wings folded in and bodie pointed as she dove down. When it seemed she was going to crash into the ground she opened up her wings and flew right by the monster's face cutting the right eye wide with her bladed wings as she straifed on by faster than it could detect.
The monster fell back as it held its wounded face. Slowly it stumbled back onto all fours as it tried to regain its bearings. Igneous fell back a little so as to not get hit if it decided to unexpectedly lash out with new found anger. Again he taunted it saying, "Get up you sickly uncivilized derelict? I'm not done with you yet."
As it slowly got back up, another explosive arrow shot it in the shoulder. With much rage it picked up a boulder and threw it at Igneous. He dodge out of the way by rolling to the side but he didn't see the monster follow that attack up by charging straight at Igneous. He quickly planted his shield down to the floor but the beasts thickly plated head smashed through it causing the shield to go flying out of Igneouses range of influence. He plowed through Igenous knocking him far off to the side, and continued for the source of the explosive shot.
"Its coming for us," Joel shouted as the monster smashed through a tree twenty yard in front of them sending wood flying there way.
"Get out of the way!" They both jumped back as the monster smashed through the log they were just hiding behind. Joel got thrown onto his back and the monster was standing just above him. He could feel its warm breath and the strength of its muscles. Joel looked it in the eyes as it opened its mouth ready to bit down on him. As Joel braced himself for the inevitable and his right crossbow fired sending an explosive arrow straight into the monster's one good eye and exploding on the inside of its head causing a dull thud sound to come of it.
Blood poured out of its mouth and nose as it collapses just in front of Joel. "Holly shit I killed it." Joel said as adrenaline was still pumping through his blood.
Mace having already recovered from being thrown off poked its face with his hoof a few times, "I think you did. You shot that thing in the eye?"
Kara landed on top of the monster's body, "Mace that was a foolish idea to give him your equipment. It almost got us killed!"
"Well he is the reason we killed it. This things armor was too strong," Igneous said as he slowly walked up on every one. "I would like to harvest it but right now we got more important things."
"So now what?" asked Joel as he pushed the button on his chest making the crossbows collapse and flatten to his bodie.
Mace turned to look at him, "I think now we make you a Falconer. You did it, you killed your first monster."
He took a deep breath. That close call was too close for Joel, "That was much easier than I expected."
"Just be lucky your still alive," Igneous said as he mounted his shield on his back, "let's get back to the village. Team Coehin may just have beaten us there by now."
"Ooh I can't wait," Kara said as she slowly took off.
"Who is team Coehin?" Joel asked Mace.
"Team Coehin is a team that consist of Kohligan Sirvidian, Nimbus Brophil and my father," he said as he begun to walk, "The Nimbus is Karas sister and the other guy is Igneouses father."
"I guess your all excited to see them." Joel said catching up to Mace. They left the monsters corps sitting there. It would eventually rot but there was nothing they could do except let nature take its course. Besides it is better for the forest.
"I wouldn't speak for Igneous on that matter, but as for me I am." He wore a pleasant smile on his face when he said this, "My dad taught me everything that I know about being a Falconer, ever since I was a little colt that is, and because of it I am the best monster tracker there is."
Joel doubted that a little, "Really? The best monster tracker there is?"
Igneous walked on ahead, and with Kara flying somewhere above they left Joel and Mace to talk alone, "Let me tell you a story Joel. Get comfortable because this might last till we get to the village."
Intermission
This was supposed to be heavily edited but after a while it just started to turn into a big mess and IDK I just get nervous. About the only big part I took out was the first part which you can still find on the FanF were you actually see Joel before he gets brought here.
I largely blame the first chapter for the story not having gotten better view counts because I think it gave people the wrong impression on what the story was supposed to be in the first place which is a collection of characters and not just the one Joel.
I named him Joel because it was the most bland boring name I could come up with anyway. He's not meant to be special just normal.
Part 3
My story starts with my father's own story. When he was just a young colt he lived in a village that was protected by highly experienced Falconers. Now at this village was one of the few that could manufacture the metal Hycrome. Hycrome does not erode and can easily be made into a flexible metal which is ideal when it comes to making the Falconers crossbows like the one I use today.
One day the village was attacked by a hideous handed beast that had no eyes but could see perfectly. It attacked every building and every pony without remorse. The Falconers put up a valiant fight but the monster was too swift, and one by one each one got torn apart.
My father had said he saw it with his own eyes as the Varin the pegasus tried to attack it from above. Although it wasn't looking, the monster had known he was coming from above and snached him out of the air ripping his wings off and crushing Varin's lower body with its head against the side of a boulder.
It then dropped him down as arrows flew in from behind it. It left Varin to die in agony as it stocked off to make short work of the two remaining Falconers in an equally grueling fashion. After it had killed the last two, Goffiphry the unicron and Arishma the earth pony, it then simply left.
My dad had explained the sight to me. He had always said the first glimpse of the cruel bloodthirsty world of Carridian is forever the worst anypony will ever experience. He watched as Varin, this once great stallion who had lived proud life and was the symbol of protection and safety for many ponies for many years, be reduced to nothing but a bloody pulp.
His comrades had died but he stayed alive for an hour after the fight, unable able to move, and unable to speak. He said how every one who could bear the sight had said his eyes were wide open the whole time as tears poured out of his face in a continuous stream. No pony could help him because he was already dead.
The monster had destroyed some buildings but nothing too severe. The lose of the Falconers was devastating but they could do nothing but continue on with their lives in hopes that a new team of Falconers would show up to protect them.
A few months had past and a new monster had come but it wasn't a beast. This monster was Merick the bandit leader. He and his group of bandits raided the village to steal the Hycrome metal in which it produced to make deadly weapons for their own devious use. They slaughtered the villagers and burnt the mining village to the ground.
My dad had escaped by himself and watched as his friends and family were killed one by one. He had never left the village and because of it he became lost in the wilderness, but he didn't give up my dad survived.
During his first few days he had fashioned a double edge spear by taking a broken branch and rubbing it for hours against a rock with nothing but his mouth to hold it in place until both ends had been smoothed to a deadly tip. He hunted and killed rabbits and squirrels by sneaking up on them with silent movements and stabbing the with the spear he wielded with nothing but his mouth.
Weeks of hunting using a spear and his mouth made him the only earth pony to wield a bladed weapon better than any other non-unicorn could.
He had found his way back to his village only to find that it had been overtaken by the bandits that had attacked it. They had started making their own Hycrome to replicate Falconer weaponry.
He sat in the woods and waited till night to infiltrate and liberate what was once his home. Using the skills he developed to sneak up on rabits he did the same to those on guard.
In the dawn of the morning they found that the two who were on guard had disappeared without a word. When day turned to night they had doubled the amount of security only to find that in the morning there was none. No bodie, only blood.
Thirty six bandits had been there but after five days, a mutiny and more disappearances the ten remaining bandits each slaughtered one another out of fear in the final hours of the sixth night till only two remained.
They stood at each end neither of them taking his eye off the other when the door suddenly opened. It was him, the colt who had his village pillaged by honorless ponies.
One of the two immediately attacked him but my father, using his mouth, deflected the fixed sword with one end of his spear and drove the other end into the bandit's throat. He fell dead as suddenly and efficiently as the rest.
He then approached the last stalyon who was cornered with fright and ended his life right there and then. There were thirty six lives but now only one remained and that was him. He had found his way back to another village where he told his story. They had known that the ponies of his village had been killed but they had not the man power to liberate it themselves.
As word got out that my father single handedly killed a bandit group with nothing but a wooden spear the nearest Falconer group took him in and started training him immediately. As the years passed by he became one of the greatest Falconers. He trained a small group of individuals and taught them how to fight same the way he did. There disbanded now for using murder tactics that most thought were too brutal. There was no punishment because they did it for Noriphmy but they didn't let his skills and abilities go to waist. He became a Falconer and he quickly became the leader of team Coehin and is to this day still considered the best there is despite the fact that he is an earth pony.
Now I had the honor of being born to this hero. When I was old enough to begin training he wasted no time. We would spend days just the two of us out in the woods. He taught me how to track monsters by bringing me back to places where he and team Coehin had previously killed a monster and we would trace its tracks as far back as we could to find a place of origin.
Although we never did, these tracking missions had honed my skills, and now just a single broken leaf is enuff to lead me for a mile.
Joel was listening intently and absorbing everything that Mace was saying, but he had one question. "Can I meet your father, he sounds more interesting than you."
Mace laughed at the sudden unexpected question, "true. That's true he is. I can agree with that."
"I hope you guys are done talking because we're here." Igneous said talking back to them.
"Well Mace I thought you were gonna take center stage for this one. How come your story isn't as great as your dads?" Joel said.
"Ha," he muttered, "I have done some great things in the short amount of time I had to live, but my father had had far greater adventures," they walked up the stone path and into the entrance of the village. "What we all seek is a legacy to be remembered by. That is what I'm after and until then I will keep looking."
"I should probably get started on my own then," Joel said. As Jeol looked around the houses that were built were made out of stone wood and straw. As they walked into the village Joel noticed how most of the buildings and houses were made of wood and straw. It reminded him of medieval movies he used to watch as a kid. There were more commoners walking about doing their daily do's. "So…" Joel began, "where is the famous team Coehin?"
Mace looked around then called out to Igneous saying, "do you see them?"
"If any of us would its Kara," he answered.
They walked to the center of the village only to find that team Coehin still wasn't there. "You think there just late?" Joel asked still looking for some other armored horses other than them.
"They could be, but it's not like them." Mace answered.
"If anything it's because they're killing some beast," Igneous said.
Kara just landed close by and said, "I don't see them. Perhaps there just late."
"It's what we were thinking," Joel said.
"Sadly you're mistaking," said a voice from down the street. They all turned to see a blood covered stalyon with what looked like a heavy helmet and two long swords around his side.
Kara looked at him with worriedly "what do you mean? Where is my sister?"
He straightened himself although he looked exhausted and said, "Team Coehin won't be coming back to day. They were needed down south." That surprised Joel because he mistook the blood as a bad omen that 'team Coehin had been slaughtered,' or 'team Coehin had been killed in action.' Something like that.
"Are we allowed to know why. Or is this classified business," Mace suggested.
"Classified, no doubt about it," he answered. "but Kara, your sister sent me to give you this book." His satchel opened and an old looking book floated its way out and in front of this stranger.
"Well a new book is nothing new," Mace joked.
"From what she told me this one is very important you see." He walked it over to kara and she read the front cover.
From her expression she understood the strange writing. She put her hoof over the top of it and said, "we should probably take this inside."
They were now sitting in a cottage that they had appeared to own. It was dimly lit and had a table and a few chairs here and there and a book shelf off to the side. Joel didn't even know why he needed to be there he only killed one monster and now he was Falconer all of a sudden. Talk about a swift change in pacing. The new guy had said his name was Hilliph as they entered in. As everyone got settled and situated, Mace asked, "So why are we gathered here today? I'm sure this is important."
Hilliph stood across the table and said, "Me and team Coehin recently had been working together to uncover more of our lost valley, finding ancient ruins and trying to piece things back together to paint a broader past." he laid the book down on the table, "most people think that we hunted monsters and recovered magic books for the capital to study and dissect." Hilliph continued, "What most don't know is we actually are trying to uncover Hexer ruins."
"Hexer ruins," Mace asked, "Hexers were never a civilisation, they could not have had ruins."
"So what makes this one so special?" Igneous asked as he was sitting in the corner.
"From our archives we have gathered over the years we were led to believe that they did infact have some sort of civilisation. What makes this book so special is that this all but confirms it."
He opened it to a page with what looked like to be a map, "From what Karas sister was able to translate it apparently leads straight to where they had built a fortress."
"Let me guess," Mace began, "You want us to take you there and go spelunking for some Hexer magic?" Redundant because spelunking was cave exploring and not fortress raiding.
"We can only get stolen magic," Igneous said, "Raw magic comes straight from a Majin. You can't preserve it."
"It's the stolen Magic we're after, that's true but the magic it's been stolen from is a different story" he said, "This stolen magic is the white Magic taken from Aminus when he was defeated."
"Aminus," asked Joel. The name sent a small shiver up his spine as if he just glanced at a really juicy spider slowly crawling over his back.
"A dragons stolen white Magic?" Kara asked. "I thought it was destroyed when aminus was destroyed."
"You can't destroy stolen magic. It takes a crystal form that cannot be broken."
"Hexers could I'm sure," she mumbled having her extensive knowledge of magic diminished there and then.
"Shouldn't we just leave it," Mace asked, "we could be endangering every pony with the most powerful white magic ever."
"If we leave it there is a good chance a group called the Gekies Getuies might take it first. They had infiltrated our archives and from inside reports there are after this white magic as well. Their final intentions are not clear, but simply leaving it would be even more dangerous."
For a second everyone was quite, "What's the plan then after we retrieved Aminus Stolen Magic?" asked Igneous.
Hilliph sighed, "I don't know, but we got orders from the capital to retrieve it and bring it back. Possibly," he said shaking his head. "For dissection as well."
"You know what," Mace began, "It shouldn't be hard. Monsters encounters are low for the time being and I'm not going to see it be stolen by some common thieves."
"I agree," Igneous said.
"What about Joel, he is not trained. We should leave him he so useless," Kara said looking directly at Joel.
"Well that hurts," Joel said.
"Pft I can train him during the mission," Said Mace snarkily. "Leave no stallion behind or left out of a great adventure. Besides Noriphmy needs more Falconers. We've got a few extra suits lying around anyway." He said glancing around himself to what looked like a closet. "Be better than collecting dust."
"Great, we leave tomorrow morning." Igneous said.
"We should get are rest." said Hilliph. "I need to wash this blood off me. Who knew Retoritus blood dried so quickly."