Now the day turned to night with clouds that hung far overhead. The fire was lit and all three of them were sitting around it thinking about what to do with the two survivors as the wind blew along guiding the light snow as it fell. “I think we should kill him.” said Igneous. “We don't know who he is and he could be dangerous.”
Kara then spoke, “We just kill him? I mean look at him he is passed out because of the pain,” She said pointed over to were Joel was laying unconscious. 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 very well alive and tied up. “Why don't you 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.
“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.”
“No pony is up in the mountains unless they’re a bandit.” Igneous snorted.
“Why don't we ask the bandit leader if he knows anything?” insisted Mace. “We could at least try to prove this guy’s innocents.”
“We owe him that much.”
“We don't owe this guy anything.”
Mace shook his head, “Let's just try to figure some things out before we jump to some rash conclusion. We’ll ask him first and then work from there.”
“Come on Igneous,” pleaded Kara
In silence he sat there, then making up his mind he picked up a torch from the fire taking it in his magical grip as he 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. You should understand that much?”
“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, “I think you broke a few teeth.”
Igneous held the tip of the blade right up to the neck of the prisoner, “Answer the question.”
“I never seen him befor in my life,” he said.
“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.”
“Do not insult me,” Igneous said angrily.
Mace put his hoof on Igneous shoulder, “Igneous, calm down.”
“You better listen to your friend,” the prisoner said with a smirk. “go ahead. Take me to safeguard. I can endure the tri-”
With one swift motion Igneous slit his throat, cut the rope, arced the sword in around and plunged it into the chest of the defenceless prisoner, “A far cry to think such kindness of me. Your trials end here.” He then used the hilt he leveraged against his shoulder to heave the bandit over the edge. Stepping to the cliff face he watched as the still living dying criminal tumbled down the jagged rocks with the faintest of cries as he choked on his own blood.
Mace let out a long sigh as he tapped his hooves join Igneous were he stood. “Great now what,” Mace said peering over the cliff face. “You just had to kill the only survivor of the bandit party.”
“Our job is done. They've been dealt with. The village needed our help and we gave it,” Igneous said as he began to walk towards the campfire with the torch still grasped in his magical grip so everypony could see.
“Keep in mind the lost stranger.” Kara said reminding him. “Do you intend 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 the concept of mercy. You might like it,” Mace said nudging him a little.
“Who needs mercy. Only kindness forgives.” he unsheathed two of his four and spun them around his body in a glistening display of weapon skill and crafted art. “My swords, they enact justice and only justice.”
“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 said sheathing his swords back into their scabbards.
“Because you killed most of the party anyway. This is your reward for 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, I will see what I can do with what little light magic I posses.”
“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,” Mace said as he slipped his new found hood over his head. “We kept our side of Noriphmy safe from monsters and apparently bandits.”
“Me and my sister have so much to spiel over. I hope she at least one books on magic,” 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 gets back Mace?”
“I don't know but I am just excited as you. We might just talk for a while.” Mace said.
After he said this a very loud tiresome sigh exhaled from Igneous, “That was harder than I though. His hoof was pretty bad,” he edged his head underneath the body of the stranger seeing as he had no clothing or armor to take him by. Slipping him firmly onto his back he suffled him a little more comfortably saying, “he must have been in a great deal of pain.”
He headed towards the couple sitting by the fire but he didn’t stop and simply headed for the trail which they came promoting Mace to ask, “Where are you going Igneous?”
“Shouldn't we at least rest?” Kara asked.
“Rest? Why would we rest when team Coehin may already be making way.” Igneous said with a stern look taking the implied competition seriously. “And I'm not going to fall short, especially to Kohligan.” And with that he left around corner and out of sight of the two taking a torch with him into the darkened night. Kara and Mace looked at eachother real quick and without a word they stood up and left after Igneous. He was sometimes stubborn but never too rash. Besides if they hurryed they would probably beat team Coehin to the village.
They hiked all throughout the night with Mace taking the lead using his skills to safely back track their way down the mountains. They passed the stationary cart that the bandits had abandoned leaving it for the mining village to salvage in the hours to come along with their quarry the falconers had just liberated.
Joel however was now 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 somebody gasping to breath. Someone was talking to him, to Joel. But he couldn't hear it as it was too distant. 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 nightmarish. This voice, very low it was, said very slowly, “what if my god said it was my duty to kill you. All of you.” Then he heard it laughed and then every sensation of his prolific dream began to fade and nothing remained of it but distant already forgotten memory were sleep tends to retreat to.
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 from two long sticks and one piece of dark clothing. He looked over his shoulder to see that he was being dragged by a the armored pony that took on all the bandits with his disembodied swords.
Slowly 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 beauty like that.” He recognised that voice. It was the voice of the silhouette that had saved him. Just to his left there walked Mace in the flesh and armor. “You hurt yourself very badly while running with the bandits. What exactly 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 in a dome shape on both sides. He also saw that his monocle from earlier wasn't some peace of glass but a sight that was now pressed up against his mane for this period of inaction.
Joel then answered saying, “I kind of just found myself there you know.”
The unicorn spoke this time saying, “Found yourself there? What are you calling yourself a night crawler.” (Sleep walker)
Joel didn't know how to explain the ‘favor’ he did for the man back in the alley but somehow about half a dollar in change was enough to buy him an other worldly adventure. He avoided the question by asking a different one, “Who are you guys. Where am I”
Mace answers saying, “We are Falconers simply put, but if you must know our names his is Igneous, I myself am known as Mace.” He then gestured to the sky and added, “And her’s is Kara.”
Tracing the hoof upwards Joel up to see a flying pegasus. She was pretty high up so he couldn’t make out anything other than that her wings glistened, and every so often Joel caught a glint of sunlight that bouncing off of them partially blinding his eye. “I didn't see her during the fight. What did she do the whole time. Sit there?”
“We had her stay back, because she couldn’t fight in that type of environment,” said Igneous. he had a very matter of fact tone in his voice almost like he had a stick up his ass. “The space we were fighting was to tight and she wouldn't be able to make a quick pass in and out.”
“So what did you guys do with the bandits?” asked Joel
“Disposed of them,” was all Igneous said. He was really good at sounding intimidating, but hearing that, Joel didn’t need to know anything further. They could have 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. 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. “Estus?”
“Magic.”
‘Fuck.’
“I’m sure you have knowledge of minor healing spells, or just magic general.” 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 taking easy strides throughout the woods. “So what do Falconers do?” he said making small talk.
“You really aren't from around here are you,” Mace said. “Do you want to explain?” He asked Igneous.
“I would rather we just get to the village.” Igneous said.
“Fine. Us Falconers are hunters,” he simply stated.
“Hunters?” asked Joel, “What like hunting game and stuff?”
“Don't insult me,” Igneous warned sending chills down Joel’s little pony spine.
“Don't mind him,” Mace reassured, “We are monster hunters normally but we also deal with the criminals too.”
“Like the people back there?”
“Ponies? Yes, they were tormenting a mining village holding off the quarry for personal gain. We didn’t ask for money we did it to protect them.” Joel kinda had to just sit there as Mace walked along side him. The trees were brightly green and the forrest kinda looked nice at least.
“Protect others, that's a joke and a half.” he said a little solemnly.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, just speaking out loud.”
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 splurge is up to you.”
“I would rather just move past and forget anything ever happened,” he said. “I need to start over. Move on because I'm tired of being haunted by 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. You remember the things you ever so dearly want to forget. Its painful, it's torcherous.” He ended.
“We all have our reasons why we joined,” Mace said cutting Igneous off before he could delve deeper. “Being a Falconer isn’t bad, you get to adventure all around Noriphmy with almost no care whatsoever.”
“We still got duties we have to fulfill Mace,” Igneous reminded him.
“It's the idea that your free Igneous that makes the experience all the better.”
This was already sounding great to Joel and so clasping his hooves, painfully, he said, “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 and occasional fetch quest and all.” 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. Meat roots and all. You need to learn how to track locate and kill any monster you have been sent for. That is, as a Earthenier.” (Earthpony Falconer)
“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 philosophical 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 honestly I would be willing to do it.” as opposed to his other available options. Them being not manny.
“Slow down,” Igneous commanded. “We only just met you, and your hoof isn’t all that good yet.”
“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 thing?”
“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 on I just needed more one shot.”
“Well I guess I wasn't thinking straight.” Joel said, “I just saw that his guard and his attention was down, I felt threatened so I just had to… get em,” he said as he made some strangling motions.
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. Anypony can be a Falconer” said Mace.
Hearing this Joel then felt like he really 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 as he traveled across an unknown land... who would waste their second life on something like this? “Make me one.” he said abruptly.
Mace looked surprised, “My. 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.” Is easier said than done… the whole dying by your passion thing.
“We can get right on it then. Preparation is important but for now you need to rest.” Obediently he did as he daydreamed of the things he would do. Oh the possibilities.