The Crow and The Falcon

Tonight, the Magical Kingdom of the world sets up its defenses making sure all the noblemen’s manors are properly guarded after all a calling card was sent. Not just them the card was sent to the king himself explaining how he plans for the castle to be the final piece of the night. The guards have been centered towards the manors, only a few stands at the border that separates the nobility and upper class and below that stands no guards to watch the slums of the town.

“The King is really on edge. All these guards for little ol me. Gosh, I’m flattered that I was given such an audience.” Chendo smirks, standing over the Ligue University bell tower watching the guards moving around the gate towards the manors like a bunch of ants moving to protect the parasites. He stares at that distasteful wall that separates them from the people of the kingdom, a show of their status.

Soon comes the calls of crows heard by all signaling the beginning.

“I gotta make sure the opening is good, after all I can’t disappoint my biggest fan.” Chendo holds on to his hat before dropping into the shadow of the moon.

The captain of the royal guards stands in the royal hall where he’s working on coordinating all the guards. He also works to reassure the king that everything will be completely okay and that Chendo won’t reach the palace. They have a guard stationed in every room in every Manor. Barriers have been put up around each manor, made to prevent anyone from entering inside.

“You must think too much of yourselves.” Said a lone Elven woman named Pere, her armor gleams in the moonlight, the intricate detail of her armor a showing of her Elven pride. “I’ve had many encounters with Chendo and I can confidently say that those measly barriers and guards won’t even slow her down.”

The captain of the guard looks at her with contempt, she is one of the best elven warriors who accepted the offer to be a guard. They would’ve preferred anyone else in the Elemental Four here but only Pere was willing to go. She has history with Chendo having been a guard against him in all his heist ever since he visited the elven kingdom of Bunde.

“You talk highly for having let Chendo steal the golden faucet off the tun.” The captain guard to get a rise from her. Yet she does not shudder from their attempt to antagonize her.

“I’ll admit fault. If it wasn’t for me being a bit inebriated I would’ve caught him. I promise to you all that I will capture him.” She seemingly humbly acknowledges her fault. She smirks to herself believing her words would’ve settled their nerves.

“Oh yeah? What about when he stole the Golden Ring during the princess of Serie wedding?” Until it was pointed out how she also failed to catch him countless times afterwards. Her bravado falters for a moment unable to bear the memories of her failures.

“He was just lucky! If it wasn’t for the lack of wind those days then it would’ve been easy!” She stops after realizing she reacted too strongly and calms herself as she has to look strong as one of the Elemental Four. “Today is windier than usual. I swear that this will be his last heist.”

Her words do not inspire confidence to everyone in the room.

They didn’t have much time to linger on it. Chendo had already struck the House of Giroud. The building is enshrouded by a cascading darkness that blinds anyone who enters within. Once the veil of darkness disappeared, Chendo stood over the Manor holding their priceless sculpture over everyone, the barrier proving pointless to his might.

“What is this sculpture? What. . . what is its meaning?” Chendo said bewildered, looking at the sculpture of a reverse mermaid standing in a toilet.

“It Seems your eyes are failing you if you think such utter garbage is worth anything.” Pere lands upon the roof.

“I’ll have you know that the eye of a crow does not lie when it comes to treasures.” Chendo says before having to quickly duck, her long knife the Messer flying past splitting the air itself. She rushes right to him to deliver a powerful strike using the wind to push her fist forward making her carry the force that can level the palace itself. Chendo summons a shadow wing blocking the strike but having dropped the statue.

“NOOO! THAT SCULPTURE WAS PRICELESS!” Cried Giroud watching from below.

“Ha! I told you so.” Chendo yells hopping down the roof.

“You can’t be serious?” She couldn’t understand how such an ugly thing can be worth anything at all. She looks towards Chendo and scowls.

“And where do you think you’re going!” She shouts her Messer flying back to her hands before quickly following behind.

“I’m on a tight schedule, I gotta hurry before the open house tour ends.” He joked, cheerfully skipping to the next manor.

The outside guards quickly gather in front of Chendo to block him from entering the next Manor. He began to signal them to move out the way quickly although it’s because he’s gonna do anything. He was trying to warn them of Pere who slams into them like a bowling ball the wind she generated knocking them all on to the ground. “Look at what you have done now.”

“What I’ve done?” Chendo says with a laugh. “If you wanted some alone time with yours truly, then you should’ve just asked.”

“Mph, it should be up to the man to ask the lady to dance, you know.” She retorts before slicing the air sending a shockwave of wind towards him. A scary shockwave the ground itself getting sliced through.

“Ooh, was that banter or a suggestion?” He blocks the slice with his shadow wing, while holding his hat down from getting blown away.

“I-it was nothing!” She shouts, feeling a sense of embarrassment. She slices the air sending a barrage of wind cutters to him which he evades creating wings of shadow to fly over it. “JUST FIGHT ME ALREADY!”

Chendo goes right through the barrier like it was sugar glass, slipping into the shadow of the window seam it casts and moving into the Manor without notice. He is always up for a nice fight but he is on a mission right now. The guards in the manner began to rush towards the room.

“That was surprisingly quick but it’s good to have an audience. Now for my first tri–”

Pere crashed through the window grabbing Chendo by his face and tossing him straight down the hall knocking down all the guards that stood there.

“What’s with you guards!? Why’re you lazing around!” She reprimands them, unable to acknowledge that she knocked them down.

He plucks his head out of the wall and makes sure to feel if his hat was still on his head.

He would’ve liked to have flexed a little bit in front of the weaklings but if he doesn’t act quick then the painting he wants could get destroyed. He summons a veil of darkness that enshrouds the manor creating a dome that cuts out light from reaching in and entering the pupil of everyone’s eyes. Allowing him to take the painting above the grand staircase. A slight breeze goes across his face so he quickly puts the painting into the shadow dimension to avoid Pere breaking it as well.

“CHENDOOO!” Pere shouts, hitting him through the wall of the Manor. Using the wind as her senses to move around the Darkness Veil.

“Pere isn’t the most gentle. She’s more of a brute than that outlaw.” The captain said watching from high up in the palace seeing how all the outside guards have been knocked to the ground. Also seeing how each Manor they passed through ends up falling apart.

“King Kylian, are we gonna use Pere as well?” The captain asks, turning towards his king who watches below with an uninterested disassociation.

“If she were to go missing, the kingdom of Bunde and the rest of the Elemental Four may investigate. We must withhold ourselves for now.” He turns away, a vile grin forming on his face. All the captain can do is nod his own just blank.

Chendo lands into the last Manor or more like pushed right through the front door. He just needs one last item from here and then it’s right to the palace itself.

“Looks like it’s my last stop before I go after the King’s crown.” He said doing a little run towards the grand stairs yet he suddenly stopped.

“I won’t allow you to even get near the palace.” Pere declared, charging towards Chendo but something was off about him he didn’t react at all to her. She stopped before her messer could reach him. Then suddenly Henry, the principal of Ligue University, the biggest tallman magic university in the land, appeared at the top of the steps. The entire Manor was strange, holding no guards within.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me my manor carries nothing of interest?” Queried Henry, his eerie tone fits the uncomfortable atmosphere.

“How about you tell me about those cries downstairs?” Chendo words are met with silence by Henry and confusion by Pere.

“Ahem. Chendo, I recommend you quit now. Henry is an Elder Mage so you have no chance to escape the both of us.” Pere said, extending her hand to him.

“Quit? I doubt he plans to let me.” Fretted Chendo who quickly summons shadow crows that fly through the air like darts to Henry.

“Perceptive.” Henry said appearing right besides Chendo catching him off guard completely. Henry taps him on the nape as he walks past him.

Chendo stops at a stand still unable to move at all, like all his muscles began to tense up at the same time. He glances down in confusion, a sigil appearing below his feet. Pere tries to reach him but Henry cuts her off stepping in front of her.

“Good work, Elf.” Henry’s praise fell flat to Pere’s ears. He then adds, “Although we would’ve preferred if all the Manors weren’t damaged. I’ll still give you credit for his capture. The King of Bunde will be pleased to hear it.”

“Chendo is to face trial in Bunde.” Pere watches as Henry laughs at her words.

“Taking this blessed specimen to jail would be such a waste”

“I’m really flattered over here. I got an idea, why not let me go so I can give you a BIG hug.” Scowled Chendo, keeping up his antics still. Bearing the pain with a jagged smile.

Henry spreads his arm open revealing his palm, a blood carved sigil one that in the history of the world spelled danger.

“You should be happy, specimen. You'll contribute to the prosperity of all tallman for once in your life” Henry’s palm begins to glow a crimson red that covers the entire room. Chendo lets out a gasp, unable to breath as if a cork has been put in his throat. A jolt of pain tears through his entire body aching and cracking all at once.

“This is Dark Magic!” Pere takes out her messer without a second thought, pointing it to Henry. “How did you even learn of such a thing!?”

“Calm now Elf. This one’s life force will prove more useful for all tallman kind than for himself. Do something foolish and the King of Bunde will surely hear of it, Your constant failures already have you at risk.” Henry’s glare shakes her, the darkness in his eyes glares into the soul.

“Good, you elves all think the same in the end. The last thing you Elves would want is to lose your community and be forced to live with us tallmans.” Henry side steps quickly as Pere thrust her blade.

“You take us elves as some heartless monsters? I will not hesitate for one moment to send out justice. Chendo is no creature, and he is not a man who is condemned for death.” Pere does not hesitate to throw away her entire life in one action, unable to ever return home but that doesn’t matter. Chendo is not some monster who deserved to be killed in such a manner. The air around began to tremble as her will commanded them all.

“Tornado!” In a swing of her blade a powerful wind is summoned of destructive nature. It quickly creates an upward draft then its cloudy funnel forms. Forcing Henry to disappear as the entire Manor breaks apart to pieces that spin higher and higher into the sky.

Chendo falls to the ground and in the first breath he takes he shouts, “Heaven’s Manifestation - Crow Yard!” creating thousands of shadowy crows from the darkness of night that envelopes them preventing any and all from entering. Upon vanishing Pere and Chendo were long gone.

Henry appears before the aftermath of the event coming out of the shadows. “Pity, If only I had taken more of his life force.” He summons a tendril from the shadow.

“HAHAHA! It matters not. The time for tallmans to dictate the laws of magic is near.”

Far in the woods Pere is carrying Chendo over her shoulder, his body limped over struggling for breath.

“Come on, I know you’re better than this Chendo. You are my sworn rival, you have to live for me.” She said concerned for him, praying to herself that he may live on from this. He forced himself to use every last bit of mana he had left to provide their escape. Chendo begins to hold onto her tighter and whispers into her ear between his heavy breaths.

“Alright, just make sure you’re alive when we get there.” She nods, running on the earth yet so swiftly that to those who see her running may mistake her to be flying. Suddenly a tree twitches and she comes to a sudden stop.

“It’s the guild master of Saint G.” She said, watching the figure come down from the tree above.

“I see you have Chendo with you. What a shame, I would’ve liked to have fought him.” He yawned with a bored sigh, extending his hand forward. Not a word uttered but she could tell by his glare that he wants Chendo.

“Listen Antoine, Henry has discovered dark magic. He used it on Chendo, and now he can barely breathe. It’s no time to–”

“I know.” Antoine nods, to the utter horror of Pere.

“So you’re working with him.” She said, gritting her teeth, she has to hold herself back from attacking him head on. She can’t fight him while carrying Chendo, and if she lets go of him then he could just snatch him during the fight.

“Just hand me Chendo already. I’ll even forget this little stunt of yours and you can return back to Bunde.” Antoine decides to be more direct with demanding Chendo, his posture is tired and bored but his glare is sharp.

“Why do you require Chendo?”

“It’s not that he’s required. It’s just that no one will miss him. He’s an outlaw with no family ties. Plus with his immense power, he was the perfect candidate. We’re lucky that he came to us instead of having to find him.” Antoine takes a step forward towards her, his patience running soon to be dry.

“How dare you say no one will miss him! I’ll miss him!” She blurted to the confusion of Antoine and to her own embarrassment.

“. . . Okay?” He closes his pinkie, index, and ring finger then puts his middle finger over his thumb. Pere tries to shake Chendo a bit to attempt to wake him up to no response. A fight right now won’t do her any purpose. So she takes in a slow calm breath, the air around Antoine begins to feel heavy.

“Seriously?” He tried to snap his finger, but Pere spoke first.

“Heaven’s Manifestation - Knight Of The Wind.” A heavy wind rains down above him pushing him into the dirt. Pere uses this opportunity to run away, making air warp to her presence. Everything around her slows down to a near stand still to her speed. Yet each step she made was gentle and swift like a ballerina moving through a stage.

“That was cheap. Using your Heaven’s Manifestation first thing.” Antoine picks himself up from the ground. “No matter, there’s nothing an outlaw and a soon to be banished elf can do to ruin our plans.”

Far away to the outskirts of Laleega a doctor opens the door to see Pere reaching to him from the floor having drained all her mana begging the doctor to treat Chendo.

When the morning sun returns Pere is left wallowing in the decision she made of saving Chendo.

“They're gonna tell my king that I sided with you. I’m bringing shame to my people.” She lamented.

“Hey, think of the bright side. You chose the best looking side I say.” Chendo smiled.

“You can try to be grateful at least! If I didn’t help you, you’d be a deadman!” She shouted at him but Chendo didn't reply back immediately. He seems to pause for a moment.

“Thank you but I fear I’m already halfway there,” He said, extending his hand out attempting to use his magic yet nothing happens.

“Oh well.” Chendo said, shrugging his shoulders, the atmosphere changing around him. “I guess that means our dates are over with. A weakling like me will just bo–” He looks at Pere who’s frustrated at his words. Grabbing him by the collar of his vest.

“Fool.” She lets go of him before stepping out of the room.

A crow landed inside through the open window and gave chastising chirps at him. “I know, I know. I should show her the ropes of living around these parks.”