(20) The Lands of Ralosia: Black Wings (12k words)

When a new rash of thefts occurs by a group riding black-winged birds, the Lands of Ralosia suspects that the infamous Sky Bandits have returned. The Four, those considered to be the strongest in the world, band together to finally bring them to justice. The former Sky Bandits are living peacefully, but do not intend to be taken into custody quietly. Corri must find the truth of these new thefts before the most powerful individuals in the world clash!

(1/28/22) Self edited, Audio Edited, and Peer Edited.

Peer edits by Mikrokosmostae

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~Chapter 1- Potion brewing~

~Age 991 B~

         Titus Forest, sitting near the western portion of the Lands of Ralosia, held all manner of animals and people. Homes built from bamboo and leaves housed a proud Phantine tribe - Beings with trunks, tusks, large open ears, circular feet, and bulky bodies.

         In the swamp of Titus Forest swam Temp, a Mecarne man. He speared through the water with great ease. The sun shone through the abundant number of trees hanging over him, and the light bounced off his reflective, purple-tinted flesh.

         At the edge of the water was Temp's hyena, Kelvin, one large enough for him to ride. The hyena watched his owner as he swam back and forth. But the hyena's attention was brought to another point in the water, and he began to snarl and bark.

         Temp rose out of the water, "What's wrong with you, bud?

         Kelvin continued to snarl at... something in the water. Temp watched and noticed some movement, and it approached the hyena. A crocodile burst out of the water and attacked Kelvin, pulling him under.

         Water thrashed around violently where he had been pulled in, and Temp swam frantically towards it. Something rose out of the water onto the ground. Temp let out a sigh of relief when he saw Kelvin swimming out of the water with the dead crocodile in its mouth.

         Kelvin shook its body to get the water out of its soaked fur, turned the dead crocodile onto its back, and began tearing into its meaty belly. Temp shook his head; he should've known his hyena would handle the crocodile fine.

         Temp stepped out of the water and scratched Kelvin on his head, "Good boy."

         Temp dried himself off and allowed Kelvin to his feast. They went through the swamp to a small hut made from bamboo with smoke billowing out of its clay chimney. Temp saw his friend Nout working with Koka, the elderly potion brewer of Titus Forest.

         The two were Phantines, using the trunks that extended from their snouts to grab various ingredients.

         "How're the potions coming?" Temp asked from outside the door.

         Koka raised a single thin finger to quiet him. She was extraordinarily tiny and thin, especially for a Phantine. Nothing like the young and burly Nout. The two circled around a cauldron, picking various ingredients that they had gathered and carefully administering them into the boiling pot.

         Koka carefully poured purple liquid from a flask into the cauldron, stirred it around until it changed color, and filled the brew into a bottle. She handed the bottle to Temp, "Have a taste."

         Temp looked at the green liquid in the bottle, took a swig of it, and felt energized. The tiredness he had from swimming was entirely gone.

         "How do you feel?" Nout asked anxiously, his pink trunk curling around as he spoke.

         "Good! Invigorated," Temp said and took another sip of the potion.

         Koka nodded, "Good, good. We worked the poison out."

         Temp spat out potion onto the ground, "Poison!? That could've been poisoned?"

         "Possibly. We needed a test dummy," Koka said before turning the cauldron further.

         "Crazy old lady! What if it was poisoned?"

         "Stop whining. I would've had a remedy for you," Koka dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

         Koka began to fill bottle after bottle with the green stamina restoring potions. Only she knew how to brew this potion reliably.

          Koka laid out the bottles from this brew, counted them out, and split them into two groups. Half of them for her, and half for Nout to bring back to his own tribe in exchange for gathering the ingredients. She set Nout's potions into a container that he slung over his back.

         Nout smiled, "This should be more than enough for my tribe. At least for a while."

         "You're always welcome to return and help me with more brews! You and your odd friend." Koka said, glancing at Temp, "You learn fast, I ought to teach you what I know."

         Temp and Nout retired to a hut they had been staying in for the past month while working with Koka. Nout was friends with the Chief of Titus Forest; he had this hut built in anticipation of their arrival.

         "What're you thinking we should do now that the brew is finished?" Temp asked from his bedroll.

         "We could visit Ruben at Platt Mountain. Jirro and Aero might be there too," Nout said, "It'd be good to stop before we head back to the tribe."

         Temp paused, "We could. I'm not too keen on seeing their fathers though."

         "Right. Right... Well, Corri said she'd drop by Titus Forest while we were here. It'd be a shame if she came by and we were gone. Maybe, we should stick around for a while?"

         "Are you sure the chief will be fine with us staying longer?"

         "Of course! Theo won't mind," Nout said, "I could learn more from Koka before we leave too."

         "We'll do that then," Temps said.

         Nout snored as he slept, but Temp had grown accustomed to it with how much they've been around one another. But he was awoken by Kelvin's growling outside of the hut. Temp stepped outside and found his hyena barking up at the sky.

         "What's up, big guy?" Temp said. He looked up at the thick trees above them and saw nothing of note. Maybe some small animal was scurrying through them?

         But then, Temp's heart sank. Through the trees above them he saw a series of familiar-looking black wings fly over towards Koka's hut.

         Temp froze for a moment, thinking back to that day in his childhood. A powerful group of bandits riding crows descended on his town and stole everything they had when he was a child.

         But it couldn't be them, right?

         Temp mounted Kelvin, and the two took off towards Koka's hut. As he went, he heard her shrill scream and the shattering of glass.

         He found part of the hut torn down, with an unconscious Koka outside of the house. Temp's initial instinct was to check on her, until he saw the shadow of wings above him. He looked up and saw several large black-winged birds with riders on each of them. Strapped to one of them was the container that held the potions. The birds flew, and Temp took off after them.

         Kelvin was able to keep pace with the birds, even with the foliage of the jungle acting as obstacles, but he couldn't reach them in the air. Temp and Kelvin followed the thieves out of the forest, and the series of sky riders started to ascend vertically, out of range. There was no catching them now.

         It was just like when Temp was a child; they came quickly, took what they wanted, and left before anyone could stop them.

         It looked like the Sky Bandits had returned.