The Falconers

In the harsh plains of the Great Void, life couldn't even prosper at the sight of water. The Vacuum, the only river of the Great Void, was as calm as extraordinarily wide. In its maximum point, it measured more than 550 meters in width, averaging 340 meters.

The scarce rains and the never-changing taciturn winds there made it so that its course never mutate its aspect.

Its depth rivaled the ones of the biggest lakes in Mitarsen. The water was crystal clear, devoid of any life form and showed a rich blue color from the distance.

In the depression formed by the river alongside its two banks, merchants who lost their homeland created new outposts.

They battled against the Law of Death which ruled there.

“Sir, the falcons have detected someone.”, a voice from outside an orange tent.

The man inside reflectively lifted his head, covered by a dark blue turban of very fine silk. His only uncovered part of the face where the eyes, gray just like ash.

He was wearing a shirt with long and laced sleeves – which also hid his neck – and baggy pants of the same color, all fixed by a strong rope-like white belt around his waist.

“Come in.”, he said, not moving from his sitting position nor uncrossing his legs.

The second after, the guy who spoke – with the same clothing except for the color, who shifted to a dark green hue – entered. “As I've said before, the falcons have seen someone.”

“Oh, yeah... those three who brought chaos and destruction behind the Crest Mountains! I've already got news of that, but still thanks for the info.”

His interlocutor nodded and waited before speaking again, “... that's not it.”

“Mhh???”, the man turned towards him, intrigued, “What do you mean?”

“We identified a person, a male maybe in the bloom of his twenties. He was just seen in the Demon Graveyard.”

“Ah, bad place to find yourself in! I don't know for what or why he's here, but I hope his death wasn't painful.”, he shrugged it off with a hand wave and turned his head towards the inner parts of the tent, “Where is that thing I was looking for... it's absurdly dark in here!”

“Sir...”, the guy called him hesitant.

“What? You got other news than this?”, he answered without looking at him.

“That guy killed the Monster who controlled that area and...”

“... !!!”

“And he survived. Now he's still directed towards the river...”

After wincing heavily at that news, the man immediately jumped up, not paying attention to the limited space in the tent.

“Ouch!!!”

“A-are you okay, Sir?”, the guy asked as the tent trembled because of the impact.

The man reached for his head with a hand, taking two pairs of black boots with the other. He launched one to him.

“Put them on... move the camp to where he's headed to. I'll go and catch up to him.”

If he's really that strong, we can't let him slip through unnoticed. The last thing we need is another warlord shaking things up.

“Wait... are you sure? H-he's really strong and might be also dangerous!”, the guy warned him as he got out of the tent, following the man to the horses near the river.

“Oh, don't worry about me only because I'm your boss! And between, I feel like that guy won't be much trouble after all.”, he put on his black boots and jumped on the horse back. “Just do what I asked and trust me. We'll see soon enough.”

He put two fingers in his mouth and let out a powerful acute whistle. After a while, a falcon descended from the sky and landed on his shoulder.

“Watch your back, Kele!”, he spurred the animal and began galloping West.

“... Yeah. Yours too, Sir!”, Kele watched him disappear in the distance before turning around, sighing at the sight of the quantity of work he had to do, “Here we go, I guess...”

Some hours later, near the Demon Graveyard

The man's ride seemed infinite. The sun had covered a big chunk of its path when he got really close to his objective.

I'm near... I couldn't risk it so I made the falcon look from afar. Here!

He stopped, dismounted from the horse and walked to the summit of the dune. He looked at the pillar of rock where a guy with gray hair was sleeping, using it as support.

He recognized the clothes he was wearing from the human continent where the Mitarsen Kingdom reigned. He proceeded at small steps, observing the incredible quantity of mana coming from that very young person.

“...”, Kael slowly opened his eyes, “... ?”

The man halted, looking straight into those deep emerald eyes.

Kael didn't move at all, “Who are you?”

He didn't respond, still looking around and trying to grasp what he could've said in that situation. “I'm not an enemy... we've seen that you killed that monster at the Demon Graveyard.”

“That was a graveyard? Well... figures, there were a lot of dead demons there.”

“...”

“At this point I'm not even surprised about seeing another alive being in this place... and with such strange clothing too.”, he got up, brushing off any ash from his clothes.

“You're from Mitarsen, right?”, the man asked.

Kael's eyebrows shot up in surprise, “How do you know?”

“U-uhm... from the clothes, I guess...”

He turned up his nose, not seemingly convinced, “And how come have I never heard of you folks?”

“W-well... it's a long story. If you're willing to follow me... it's bad to stay in this place alone.”, he tried convincing him.

“Mhhh...”

Well... he doesn't seem to have bad intentions.

“Okay, I'm in! After all you're the first thing who isn't trying to kill me in this place.”

“What do you mean?”, the man questioned confused.

“A man who said to be the Archdragon, the owner of the Oblivion Cube and the Queen of Dragons which, I think, might be the wife of the Archdragon... maybe, I guess...”

As Kael talked about those encounters with nonchalance, the man looked more shocked by the second, remaining petrified with his eyes widened to the extreme.

“Oh! And that black demon-like monster. Yeah, that's it!”, he then looked at him, “What's the problem?”

“N-nothing... anyway, my horse is here, so let me give you a ride.”

“Ah, you won't need to do so!”, Kael smiled, rejecting the man's offer.

“And... you want to come on foot?”

“Ahaha, no, no. I have my own horse!”, he opened his hand and summoned his spectral horse.

The man stumbled back as the breathtaking process took place right in front of his eyes, “What the fuck???”

Kael laughed as he mounted with agility, “Amazed, right? Anyway, let's go! Lead the way!”

“Pft... just what is he?”

“So, you call yourselves the Gray Falcon Company? And you, Polus, are their leader?”, Kael, who was riding alongside the man, asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Exactly as you said.”

“And what does it have to do with falcons?”

Polus pointed up in the sky, “Look up and you'll see.”

Kael lifted his gaze, noticing a gray falcon flying just above their head, “Wooooh, is that yours?”

“Yes, it is. Every member has one for recognizance and battle...”

“What, battle?!”, Kael interrupted. “Aren't you merchants?”

“That's true, but we are what you could call merchant-mages. We make a living out of selling goods but we can still defend ourselves pretty good. As of what type of magic we use, we are all predisposed to the Death Cube. The mastery we have over this kind of magic let us create and sustain the falcons we use and, well, the reason all of us have gray eyes.”

“I see...”, Kael nodded comprehensively, lifting his gaze once again to look at the falcon, “Ah! Can I ask why those pieces of silk on your head?”

“Mhh? Oh, you mean the turbans? Well, it's just tradition.”

“But can you take it off?”

“Yeah, surely. But we don't do it. Breaking traditions would be very displeasing for us.”

“The conservative kind?”

“You could say that.”

As they kept proceeding North-East, Kael asked all sort of question. Polus answered with precision.

The company was formed by over 200 members, each highly trained in falconry and close-ranged combat. Their initial zone of influence was right behind the Crest Mountains.

“The Crest... Mountains?”, Kael raised an eyebrow.

“It's a very long and high mountain range which divides the civilized part of the Great Void from this one.”

“Civilized part? There are cities and people behind those mountains?”

Polus smiled bitterly under his turbans and lowered his head a bit, “There were... then a group of three psychos came and destroy everything, including our precedent main base and small outposts.”

He began explaining how three men – two young people and an old one – arrived from seemingly nowhere, destroying every city and massacring everyone as if searching relentlessly for something. They were the only one who survived and, after allocating on the banks of the Vacuum river, they began monitoring the Great Void to scout for eventual threat or allies.

“That means I'm an ally?”

“Y-yeah, fortunately for us...”

“... you're merchants, but now that those cities are destroyed you don't have any client, right?”

Polus shook his head, “No, we still have many many clients.”

“H-how can it be then?”

“There are many people who are willing to buy all kind of goods from Rmune!”

“Rmune? What is it?”

“Huh? Oh, right! You're from outside... then the surprise will be even greater.”

“You're keeping it a secret?”

“Yup! Now follow me. A friend of mine is waiting for us.”, he spurred the horse and suddenly quickened his pace.

“W-wait for me!”

Ahhhh... he also told me they didn't sight Ascarin and the others going East... I hope they're good...

Back to the river, Kele had just finished setting up the camp, guiding his horse to the bank to drink. “Ufh... I'm done...”, he took his boots off and shoved them in his tent.

He looked over to his left and saw a familiar falcon flying towards him. His one reached him as they then landed on top of his tent together.

“We're back!”

Kele waved as he saw Polus emerging from behind a dune, but stiffened up immediately as he saw Kael beside him, “H-hi... welcome back...”

“I've brought a friend with me, his name's Kael.”, he pointed at him.

“Hello...”, he said nervously, looking at the horse he was riding.

Is that a horse made out of pure mana... who the hell is this guy! He could be as young as me...

“We... h-have a tent for you. You can rest there...”

“Really! I've always wanted to stay in a tent!”, Kael exclaimed with joy before running straight into it, surprising Kele.

Polus walked towards him, leading his horse, “Nervous?”

“Yeah! I've never seen a young guy this strong. E-even though he's friendly, his presence sends chills down my spine.”

“Ahhh, you're not alone on this one. Think about my reaction when he told me he had beaten up Efimorij, the Queen of dragons and the Archdragon!”, he joked patting his friend's shoulder.

Kele's hidden face went pale all of a sudden, glancing forth and back between Kael's tent and Polus with a terrified look, “Are you serious??? Can we even trust him... ?”

“Eheheh, sure, sure... I do not feel any actual bad intent from him.”, he let his horse go, which walked over to the river to drink, “He also told me he has some friends who fled East before his fight with the Archdragon... so they might end up in Rmune.”

“... so what should we do? I bet even his friends are strong as hell!”

Polus crossed his arms and hummed, “Mhh... since we have missed there for a while, I'd say we take Kael on a trip to Rmune!”

“What? Isn't it dangerous? He will attract dangerous people with his latent power.”

“Oh, don't worry about it! We have just the instrument to prevent this.”

Some kilometers South of Rmune, the next day

Selivan was sitting under the afternoon sun. His green eyes open to gaze relentlessly in the direction of his destination. The hood of his robe was raised, letting out well-cured and wavy black hair divided in the middle.

Von and the old man had to go to the mountains... They hope we'll find the Catacombs in Rmune. Hope... we're so close to that city too.

He blinked once. The striking silhouette of a teen walking towards him, their feet sore and covered by ash blown by the strong wind.

He blinked again. The sight of a lost and dead river.

He covered his face, sighing and hoping to let those memories at bay.

He blinked a last time. Another slim figure, a few meters ahead of him. This time, not in his head.

… ! Such a surprise. I didn't expect her here.

“Dear Queen of D-”

“Where is he?”, her pink eyes pierced him, fierce and hostile. Long and smooth hair of his own color.

Selivan reacted with a pout of annoyance, “And who are you talking about? There are a lot of powerful he in this place!”

“The one who just came here in the Great Void, from the West. He's with three other people.”

“Ehehehe, you have some great informants. But I still don't know what you're talking about.”

The woman, dressed in an elegant and fitting black dress, didn't look convinced by his answer, “I don't care what you know or not. This guy defeated the Archdragon, his consort the Queen and the First Bishop of Oblivion Efimorij.”

Especially at that last name, Selivan winced as his eyes widened enough for her to notice. “...”

“He's a brutally handsome man and also a woman, red hair and eyes and terminally pretty... they seem to make a good couple, but that man will be mine!”, she proclaimed.

Selivan smirked once again, this time more feebly, “Queen of Death, as always you are so determined to get a powerful consort. What about me? I feel like I match those qualities you're searching.”

“Umpfh... surely not your kind! Dirty, cruel and marked by that cursed city.”, she hissed as her patience grew thin at Selivan's teasing.

“We're all cruel in this place, Queen of Death”

“I'm not a queen, I'm a goddess!”

Selivan got up, pointing at her, “The only Goddess I know is the one I seek!”

“With that old man and Von? They are as crazy as you. If you think of finding something in Rmune, you're a fool. Same as everyone in this place!”

“Your true temper is coming out... yet you know you can't fight me yet. For a divine being, you're recent.”

She clenched her fists, “Don't underestimate me... the time is inclined. When I will see True Power, you all will experience true horrors.”

“Huuuuuuh, how fearsome!”, Selivan reacted nonchalantly. “You'll have to do better, Queen.”

“...”, her eyes closed. She lowered her head, preparing to say something. “I have a deal...”

“Mhh???”

Her... a deal? It might as well snow now.

“Fine... let's hear it.”

She cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back, as if announcing an important communique. “The man I talked you about has been seen with the Falconers. I know they've been a hassle for quite long for you and your companions. So, my deal is this: I hunt the members of the Gray Falcon Company, you three find and bring me that boy.”

Selivan bit his lips, looking straight at the gloomy figure in front of him. His eyes traced her hair to her feet. “Pft... you make it sound easy.”, he got up, cleaning himself from the ash, “But I guess it will be hard for both of us. I agree! I'll let the two of them know about the plans.”

She briefly nodded, still keeping that menacing frown – which only contributed to render her in an even more majestic way.

“In addition...”, she said before he could turn around an walk away, “... he's traveling with a few of the Falconers to Rmune.”

Selivan smirked, licking his lips in a macabre way, “So, we'll see each other for business... in the Cursed City.”