//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 Stranger Joel 
// Story: Falconers and the Tomb of Aminus 
// by MadDonut 
//------------------------------//

	The day was calm the wind was gentle as the sun shone high above over snow covered mountains. It wasn’t all calm as clouds far off to the north leaked and spilled over the mountain peaks that sat there remaining to be submitted and conquered by some adventurous traveler, most likely never to return soon after. Nothing unusual should have happened however a stranger on this day found himself waking up on a 	trail lost as to where he was.
Picking his head up with a groggy sensation as his senses still dull. “Wh-what the hell,” He said as he rubbed his head. He wasn’t yet aware of his surroundings but soon the cold got through to him and he found himself high above a sheer cliff no a path paved by travelers. Startled he jumped back and pinned himself against a rock. “Ah!!! What The Hell,” he yelled 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. He looked up the trail and down again not knowing 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.
Luckily 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 so he kept  a cool head despite his extraordinary circumstances, 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. 
Waiting patiently the cart came about the rocky corner of the trail and he saw that the cart was being pulled by a dark green, and a blue horse. A few others were beside it spread out on either side but they were less mentionable. They all stopped once they saw Joel standing in the middle. Atop the cart they hauled there was a tarp covering whatever they may be hauling but Joel couldn’t care less.
As Joel observed them he could see that some did indeed have armor although it wasn't a substantial amount. They wore mostly leather oddly enough and each and every one of them had an elongated tube that sat at the sides of their bodies with wire running up to the back of their heads were as each one had a leather strap attached to one ear. 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 concern here is what are you doing here? You're trespassing and we don’t take kindly to indesirables.”
“Trespassing? Indesirable? 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 then again he did just kind of appear out of nowhere to his knowledge. Sadly 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 pony 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. He did just unintentionally get this new four legged body, and although it was like bear crawling he was still getting used to it. “Whoever catches him first get a premium,” said the ‘leader,’ “alive! I’ll have him alive.” He flashed a sparkly, greedy smile at Joel that he didn’t find too comforting.
They must have liked the sound of premiums because about eight of them took off in a dead run after Joel. So Joel did the only sensible thing anyone would do. He ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could trying not to trip over his front two hooves. 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 or respect and can beat, rape and can enact your darkest fantasies with? ...Certainly... not most… I hope...
As delighted as the sound of a job with no benefits sounded Joel learned that there was always 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.”
“Hard to avoid what you are stranger.” 
‘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,” he thought of a good comeback, “I know krav maga, and like I killed people with it.” It was a very poor attempt at intimidation and something that didn’t affect the bandit group.
“Silence yourself 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 blunt almost knocked him out and he collapsed slightly which caused the ropes to tighten down even harder. 
“I said quite yourself.” 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 torn by jagged rocks. 
During this moment he took the 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 couldn’t be just some homeless person or hag or something. First thought any sensible person would think of was magic? After all this was how adventures began.
He had been walking with his front hoofs elevated just in front of him making it really uncomfortable and hard to keep pace 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 muscles as strong to a bipedal like a human. 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 quietly restated. He was getting tired real quick and if he collapsed from exhaustion they may just be nice enough to drag him along as he gets cut up and bloodied by jagged rocks that littered the poorly made dirt road. Even worse was little new found pony wrist might break from being tied in such an angle.
Looking ahead he found that most of the bandits were in the front of the line making sure it's secure and safe. As a result no pony was worried about Joel all alone in the back. Thinking this was the best idea he started to bite at the rope like any sensible earthbound equine thing would do. 
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 currently was no known cure.
He felt the slack as he almost made his way through the first cord. If he was lucky enough he would only need to cut one and hope the rest would fall away. As he worked he listened for anypony that might be hanging back or stop by to check on Joel. They didn’t talk much and when they did it was indecipherable as they were too far way.
Another few minutes of work and finally he cut the first cord and his left hoof started to relax as the pain and pressure slowly died away. His right hoof was still tied to the rope but Joel thought that the rope fell off the cart and away from him. Unfortunately it didn’t as previously stated. It was still tied to the back of the cart with a base knot, but 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 a consequence of poor observation he got whiplashed. He performed 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 bent at an awkward angle. He ran with so much force that the rope had snapped off the trailer hitch generating a deafening cracking sound that reverberated all along the mountain pass ecowing for an awkwardly long time.
His captors having heard his cry of pain and trailer hitch breaking turned to see Joel a far distance away running on his three good hooves with the rope trailing just behind him.
The one who had armor who Joel secretly decided to call Phill, because it suited him, shook his head in disappointment and muttered, “kill him.” And as many as who wanted another shot at getting premiums started for Joel, this time with no bounds to their actions.
Joel ran as fast as his three good hooves would allow. However every rock the hitch bounced off of shot pain strait through his body. He heard the shouts and pounding hooves of his pursuers, no doubt faster than him. Sure he had a generous head start but it wouldn't be long before they overtook him. That much was for certain. 
Hopefully Joel would find a bend and that bend would have a bush, and that bush he would hide in, and the guys would over look that bush, and Joel could maybe, just mabie live another day and find out what all this was. However such a bend, with a bush, with clarity of this world never came. Instead he found another dead end that surrounded Joel on both sides with vertical cliffs as well as in front with an immediate drop down the darkened mountain side. “Just my luck,” he said to no one in particular. “This mountain. Are You Out to Get Me?!”
After he said this he turned to see the bandits block the only entrance to this mountain side. Joel had his badly hurt leg curled up next to him as to not 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 it's not like he was special so to say.
Phil stepped through the small group of ponies and said, “Know not again? You're trespassing.” 
Joel could only shake his head as the pain made him mute. The awful sensation in his front leg was just too great. 
“You’ve cause us trouble and delays. I won't give you the satisfaction of accompanying us on our comut.” He flicked his ear down and to the side again and his sword popped out wouldn't you know. “I can finish you here.” He began to walk over to Joel who’s only option was a fall that surely would kill him.
With every step ‘Phil’ took the sword would then wave 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 some pony? “Don't worry,” Phil said, “My work is swift. You’ll feel nothing.” he was still a sword distance away but it was clear that the margin was about to be closed. “Any Last words. Perhaps I might have a change in heart, However I really doubt it,” he said calmly Joel found oddly haunting.
“Eh… Regrets…” he said tapping his hoof. “Honestly Phill I don’t know. My life is perhaps just one great big regret.” He shook his head and for a moment Phill stopped to listen. Could have been the anticipation of a monologue or some other. “Let me think… No songs, no tunes. Hardly a dance and only the fumes. I diddled and throttled, crashed and burned. I crawled out again but not a single soul heard.” He tisked at himself. “My life was terrible,” he said shaking his head. Then his pony ears flicked up and he said, “Can I join you.” Surely this was a stellar idea. He could start anew forge a new path in a new world of some potentially new land.
Phill only shook his head and said, “I can see it stranger.” He patted Joel on the snout in somewhat of a dominant, mockingly display and said, “You're not of the house of Lissium.” That really came as a disappointment for Joel as even these low life, four legged, grass eating, binocular visioned ponies were being classist towards him. All he wanted was a good origin however it seemed his fate was final when Phill rose his body along with the blade ready to strike down.
To Joel this was it but to another it was a split moment reaction as he flicked his ear back letting loose on his longbow. The wooden bolt sailed from above finding its mark against the broadside of the fixed weaponry of the bandit leader. It knocked him off balance and caused him to throw his attack missing Joel completely.
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. Looking up his face fell to astonishment. “A Falconer,” he said. At the mention of them his stallions began to back away slowly. “Don't retreat it's just one,” he assured dawning a confident grin. 
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 shifted his head, the crossbows would move according to that, and final thing Joel noticed was that there was what looked like a monocle in his one of his eyes.
The silhouette spoke again saying, “The word is a group of bandits has been stirring up trouble on frail old villagers. They were said to be hiding somewhere up in these very mountains.” He spoke in a funny guy kinda way. Something Joel could easily find likeable in an odd way. This unknown figure then said, “you wouldn’t happen to know where they are? Would you? They dawn broken attire...” such as they did. “...Wielding fixed weaponry…” such as they did. “...said to be amongst you this very moment. How strange. What do you think?”
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 chimed shaking his head. “I think those I talk about are you.”
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, but this one donned a catalyst. “You're not leaving that easily,” he said withdrawing two swords holding them in midair. “Stand down now!”
They charged him  and in fear trying to escape regardless of his statement, 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 at Joel. Another arrow deflected the sword and Phil wiped it somehow getting knocked off balance and pushing Joel over the edge sending them tumbling over the cliff. 
Joel then found out the mountain was in fact not out to get him as he and Phil landed on a conveniently placed out of sight 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 him the first chance he got, Joel took the broken hitch wrapped around his body with mouth throwing it, wrapping it around phil's neck with great precision.
Capitalizing on the surprise Joel jumped on his back taking the end of the rope in his good hoof, yanking it effectively strangling Phil. He instinctively pushed back slamming Joel against the stone wall which only begged Joel to just pull harder. 
He bit down on his own tongue because of the awful sensation he was inflicting on his hoof. Phil continued struggle by kicking and squirming with no results. Slowly Joel could feel the fight begin flood from Phils body but Joel all wanted it to be over quickly because he couldn't take much more eather.
Phil started to go limp and when he finally went out, Joel weakly pushed him off himself letting fall off to the side. 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.
Suddenly a shadow appeared above him. One with wings as it appeared. It was a darkened shadow only becoming more and more so with his own fading vision. However when it fell upon him he finally passed out in agony only to soon be hoisted back up by his rescuers.
Three in total. One reluctant the others doubtful. However neither them nor Joel knew they would end up together on a grand adventure. A good and proper journey for a good and proper start.