The Falcon

Ortava was rich in shops, and everyone specialised in something. There were shops that sold only swords, daggers and axes. Others sold bows and arrows only. There were armour shops, as well as tailor shops, where people could buy casual clothes. Of course, there were plenty of shops with food. Some sold specialties of Ortava, which included the bar my grandfather showed us.

We bought a few dozens for him, and of course we bought a few dozens for Tara. Dawn wasn't an exception, since she liked sweet stuff. Though she'd simply eat her bars, whereas Tara would try to sell them elsewhere. Teri was the least demanding of my friends. I had to urge him to get something for himself, since the other two received something.

He didn't choose food, but rather a nice pair of leather gloves. They weren't that expensive, and he really liked them. 'I'll place some Formations for him later', I thought at the time. The gloves provided basic protection to his hands. Additionally, his hand wouldn't tire as much when using the spear.

I tried to get something for the First Class students as well, but they refused. They knew Formations really well, so earning money for them wasn't difficult. Peet even told me that no First Class student was poor. I didn't buy anything for myself really, except some sweets and treats for later.

"We've visited most interesting shops already. We can continue if you'd like, or we can do something else", Henry proposed. "It's already afternoon, we should get something to eat. What do you recommend?", I replied. Henry proposed a few places, and one of them was called The Stone Harpy. The place was the biggest tavern inside the city. Moreover, their food wasn't bad. People also had a choice to eat at the bar, or in a more lavish environment with proper tables, chairs and menu.

Before we headed there, I saw something in the sky. That was the Falcon my parents told me about, and it was flying towards the tower inside the city. "Oh, the Falcon arrived. We can check it out, if you want", Henry proposed when he saw me staring at it. My friends were a bit confused, but then looked up as well.

"What is that thing?", Tara mumbled to herself. "That is the Falcon. You don't know about it? We use it to travel between the cities. Although the ticket prices are quite steep, the time save is really something else. You'll get to any city within a day, whereas it would take you months to achieve that otherwise", John explained.

"Hehe, so that's the surprise?", Dawn asked. "Yea, let's check it out, since it's already here", I replied. Henry and others led us towards the tower, where a lot of people queued. "Don't worry, with our status, we can skip this queue. Besides, we aren't boarding the Falcon, we'll only watch from the tower", he assured us.

Indeed, Henry showed his black feather with a golden tip, and we skipped the queue. The Falcon already docked when we arrived, while some people were leaving. They used some sort of large chains to hold the Falcon in place, while people got on or off. Moreover, they had a special ramp for people, carts with horses or mounts to walk on.

The Falcon was big though, it could easily fit a few hundred people. I wasn't sure about the shape though. My parents described ships to me, and Falcon looked similar to that, but also very different. The base of the Falcon was that of a ship, but it's top was completely covered. A dome-like roof spanned across the whole Falcon. The whole Falcon seemed to be wooden, except a few metal elements.

Falcons provided a quick and safe method of travelling between cities. Though people had to be rather wealthy according to Henry and others, the advantages were insane. People could literally transport whole carts of stuff, together with their horses or mounts, everything in a single day. That was like having a huge Frosty, or even a few of them.

"There are loads of Formations on board. Some are responsible for the flight, while others for defence and offence. Falcon isn't a mare tool for transportation, it's also a powerful weapon", John explained.

"Really? How powerful?", I asked, curious. "... I'm not sure. The ability to fly alone is a great advantage. The Falcon also has a lot of offensive Formations, which can blast the enemies below it. No one really knows much, since these Formations aren't used. Perhaps no one alive saw these Formations in use, but they are there just in case… Additionally, the outer shell is toughened. Some books suggest that flames would have a hard time damaging the wooden construction", John replied.

"Do the Falcons travel outside of the continent?", "No. That is certainly possible, but we don't send Falcons outside. We used to have five Falcons, but only four remain. That is precisely because we sent one out there. We didn't know whether there's anything else outside of our continent, therefore the Imperial Family tried to find out. The results were grim. The Falcon and the crew never returned. Since then, we didn't send the Falcons outside. They are simply too precious", he explained.

"What about ships?", "Hehe, that's even worse. Our ships, even strengthened with Formations, can't conquer the turbulent seas. Moreover, I've read a few legends about monsters hiding deep under the water. We of course have ships, but don't sail them far away". John seemed to possess a lot of knowledge about these things.

"Can't we make more of them? With loads of Formation masters and experts, it should be possible, right?", I asked, but John shook his head. "The newest Falcon is around three-hundred years old. Yes, it was that long ago since we built a Falcon. Various events happened, and so we are unable to build another Falcon. We'd love to, but we can't". John didn't want to say more about the topic. 'He knows something, but doesn't share… I wonder why?'.

"Surprised? John reads a lot, he used to frequent the Grand Library in the Endros Imperial City. None of us are as confident as John, when it comes to history. You should pay the Grand Library a visit, of course if you go to the Imperial City", Henry said.

Dawn and others were impressed by the Falcon, and surprised that Humans had the means to fly around. They seemed eager to give it a try, and of course we would, but not yet. We left the Falcon Tower shortly after that, since people were boarding and there was nothing else for us to see. Our small group headed towards The Stone Harpy instead. We were overdue for a meal, and a break.

The Stone Harpy had a specific design as well. They incorporated wooden beams into construction, which gave it a traveller sort of feel. The white walls were studded with black stones, but not obsidian. They also had a small garden in front, with a few trees, benches and tables. We even saw people enjoy their meals outside.

There were two entrances. One for the luxurious tavern, where meals and rooms were provided. The other, further away, for travellers and locals to get a drink and something unique. The Stone Harpy was known for the challenge ring, a place where travellers or warriors could challenge each other to a friendly fight. People could also bet on the participants, and win some money.

The whole place was designed around the ring in the middle. There were two counters, which sold food and alcohol, but the arrangement was focused on the ring in the middle. "Perhaps we should go next door, and get a meal there?", Mila asked. "Why? This place is interesting. We can have our meal, and maybe even watch something fun in the middle… Hehe, we are in luck, these two guys decided to have a bout", I replied.

They didn't seem to enjoy such an atmosphere and entertainment, but it wasn't about them. Me and my friends found the place really nice. We ordered our food and something to drink, then sat down at one of the tables to watch.

The two men fought each other, but it wasn't a serious fight. That felt more like a show, rather than a bout. They simply exchanged a few blows, until one of them decided to give up. No one got injured or anything. "I'd like to give it a try", Teri said, excited. I shot him a glance, just to remind him of the Second skin. "I'll be careful, don't worry", he replied while scratching his head.

Teri found an opponent real quick, but the man demanded a bet. Teri had little money left, and decided to bet them all. The man only laughed at the small amount, and said he'd agree to a minimum bet of ten gold coins. "Go for it, Teri. I'll cover for you if need be", I assured him mostly because of that guy's confidence. He could brag and act highly, only once Teri lost.

They both stepped into the ring, and Teri took out his spear, as well as the shield. The man used a sword, and he was grinning like no tomorrow. "Do you think your friend can win this?", Peet asked me quietly. "Hehe, Teri? Don't underestimate him. If that guy isn't at his Inner Limits stage, he'll lose", I replied with a smile.

"Really? How strong are you guys then?", "All of us broke past the Half Step already". Peet was a bit surprised, or maybe even shocked. We didn't look old, perhaps except Teri and Tara, they didn't look great as Humans. A Half Step at our age wasn't a small achievement to them, even though they didn't know our precise age.

"That's really great, no wonder you guys are warriors", he praised. Henry and others expressed their amazement too, but that seemed more of a stunt than their genuine feelings. They didn't like warriors much, well except Peet. He seemed to like warriors, and respected them.

The man with his sword made the first move. He rushed at Teri, but got blocked by the shield. "You are quite weak, eh?", Teri taunted. "Shut up brat, I'm not done yet!", the man exclaimed while slashing his sword haphazardly. From the display, I could tell the man was weaker than Teri. He didn't break past his Half Step, and had a clear disadvantage against a shielded opponent.

Once Teri figured out his opponent's movements and skills, he counterattacked. Teri only required a few swings, before the man got pushed out of the ring. The rules stated that leaving the ring was the same as admitting defeat. "You should really work on your skills, I could easily block your attacks", Teri commented, then extended his hand for the ten gold coins.

"That doesn't count!", the man tried to wiggle out of the responsibility. He couldn't though, the owner of that place wouldn't allow that sort of behaviour, especially in the presence of First Class students. A few guards surrounded the man, and asked him 'politely' to hand the money over. The guy didn't even have ten gold coins, he only took out eight.

"We'll deal with this person, and reimburse you the remainder. Here's the two gold coins, we apologise for this inconvenience", one of the guards said to Teri, then they took that man somewhere else. Teri felt a bit guilty, but it wasn't our concern. The man decided the bet himself, and lost. "Maybe I'll give it a go as well, a few gold coins wouldn't hurt", Tara said with a grin.

"Give it a rest, okay? We aren't alone here. Eat your food and stop scheming… By the way, aren't you guys busy? I'm grateful you showed us around, but we wouldn't want to keep you away from your studies", I said. "Hehe, no need to worry about that. The First Class students don't have many responsibilities. We are usually left to our own devices, and study the knowledge by ourselves", Henry replied.

"We are enjoying ourselves too. Anyway, where would you like to go next? There are a few places we didn't visit yet, but it's up to you", Mike added. Since they didn't mind, I asked them to show us a few other areas worth visiting.

Our group visited most of the interesting locations Ortava had on offer, and in one day no less. We were quite tired after a whole day, but we had fun as well. Grandpa received his sweet bars upon our return, while we retired to our own rooms. "That Peet, he was trying to tell you something since the visit to The Stone Harpy. Maybe you should talk with him in private", Dawn told me in our room.

"I noticed that as well. He tried to say something, but didn't in the end", "Hehe, do you think he likes you?", Dawn teased. "Yea, even if he does, I don't have any feelings towards him", "No one has any feelings towards anyone, without getting to know them. Do you think me and my boyfriend simply had feelings for each other, out of nowhere? We knew each other for a while, before the feelings sprouted. You are still a child when it comes to that", she argued.

"Pah, says the one who had to hide her relationship from her parents… Anyway, when there's a chance, I'll try to speak with him privately", "Whatever you say, miss grown up", Dawn replied with a grin. I decided to leave it at, and get some rest.

They always teased me about relationships, but the Great North wasn't popular with Humans. Besides, who'd try to date a princess, if one mistake would mean trouble from my mother. I'd always blame my mother for that, whether that was appropriate or not.