Chapter 260 Barracks
"M-Magic? How?!"
Hearing Daneel's incredulous tone, Faxul looked back at him for a bit and answered, "I don't know, he just said he could."
Faxul's nonchalant tone ticked Daneel off.
Clearly, he had no idea how monumental this was.
Thinking for a bit, Daneel understood the reason.
After all, no one could have a system like his where he could store as much data as he wanted while also being able to modify and, hopefully, control biological species.
Till now, Daneel had never even heard of a non-humanoid being capable of magic, except those of legend such as Dragons. Just the possibility of actually controlling or bonding with a beast that could use magic blew his mind.
Deciding that he would have to analyze that Raven thoroughly in the future, he kept his mouth shut for now and followed Faxul.
After reaching the border and masquerading as animals, the duo passed into the other forest before Faxul paused and turned around.
Knowing what would happen next, Daneel said, "All right, no hard feelings. I'll try to be light-handed."
"Just give me your best shot. I need to be 'flown away'."
BOOM
Even before the words completely left Faxul's mouth, Daneel moved forward in a flash and punched his friend's stomach.
Due to using both momentum and the techniques he had learned long ago in the Fists of Justice Training Hall, Faxul was sent flying through the forest, crashing through numerous trees before finally coming to a halt and coughing out some blood.
Massaging his knuckles which hurt a bit, Daneel quickly ran to Faxul's sides and helped him up while brushing off the twigs and leaves which had gotten on his clothes.
"Just following your instructions.", he said after Faxul arranged his clothes and brushed back the hair again.
After checking his appearance in some conjured water, he ensured that he still looked like the soldier from before and looked into Daneel's eyes and said, "I feel fine. Let's go. It needs to be believable."
Limping slightly, he made his way out of the forest with Daneel following behind in the disguise of Elanev.
Reaching the sparring ground again, Daneel said, "Like I said, come find me any time you want a rematch. Fighting in the forest was different."
The Raven was back on Faxul's shoulder, as they had collected it on their way. Black Ravens were highly regulated creatures, so he didn't want to take the risk of setting off the formation by having Faxul's Raven pass through. Hence, they had left it at a spot.
As Daneel walked off to a different exit to continue the next part of their plan, Faxul made his way to the barracks.
…..
Still wincing inwardly with the pain, Faxul made his way to the gate before passing through. The Raven also had a few rustled feathers, as he had literally asked it to roll on the ground to add to the effect.
"Don't feel down that you lost. The King himself only spars as an equal with that guy, although he does end up beating him in the end. At least you gave a challenge, unlike those cowards who brag that they can take him down if they were on the same level. Going out for a break?"
As soldiers worked on revolving shifts, they could take short breaks. Seeing Faxul limping out, a soldier who seemed to be manning the small portgate said these words while looking at him admiringly.
With a nod, Faxul walked out and headed to their room.
….
A few minutes later.
The closest barracks to the Royal Palace of the Black Raven Kingdom was located just two streets away. With just a 20 minute walk between them, this ensured that the two locations were kept apart but reinforcements could arrive in a blink if needed.
The Capital City was roughly square-shaped, with the Palace located at the corner opposite that where the entrance stood. Looking from above, the Capital would look like a square-shaped block of buildings with one corner mushrooming out.
This 'mushroom' was both the expansive forest land of the Palace and the grounds of the barracks, which held over 1,000 Black Raven Fighters and an unknown number of Mages.
The exact number of Mages was a piece of information which could put any Kingdom at risk, hence it was closely guarded to make sure that enemies wouldn't know what to expect if they even considered attacking.
As the soldier on duty at one of the entrances saw a bleeding man approach while holding a raven in his hands, he immediately sounded the alarm, alerting his superiors that something strange was going on.
In barely a second, an Exalted Human Fighter teleported over with the help of a Mage beside him and started questioning the man about what had happened.
After seeing the headless Raven and listening to the man's explanation, the Fighter immediately spoke into a trinket before hurrying back inside to gather a team.
Pandemonium ensues, as the news of a spy infiltrating the Capital City itself and boldly killing a Black Raven was something that had never happened before. More than anything, the sight of the headless Raven caused a fury to erupt in each and every soldier's eyes, as these were the beasts which they both worshipped and treated as a close friend and family member.
During the chaos, the man who started everything limped to the healer wing of the Barracks, quoting his injuries due to which there was a line of blood at the side of his mouth.
No one gave any more attention to this man, as the news had been confirmed that there really was an enemy at the location and that he was actually holding a few civilians as hostage.
As more and more Black Raven Fighters and Mages kept getting deployed, Faxul managed to make his way to the room which held the backup Ravens without many people hindering his way.
Sadly, as this was one of the most important locations in the entire barracks, it was guarded night an day by an Exalted Human Fighter.
Stumbling to the door, Faxul knocked and waited while tears welled up in his eyes due to the meeting that had happened before.
Trying to put it aside, he recalled the plan. As per their discussion, it was now his turn to play the role of a soldier who had just lost his lifelong companion. Hence, Daneel had said that he had to be bereaved and sad.
Yet, at this moment, eyeing the dead Raven in his hands, all Faxul felt was indignation and anger.
Anger that someone had dared to kill a magnificent descendent of the deity who was the reason they were all alive right now.
Going with his gut and knowing that this was the right emotion, the tears which had appeared in the first place due to the memory of the Raven which had been locked up for decades alone turned into those of anger at the sight of the lifeless body in his hands.
Hence, as a wizened man with an equally wizened Raven on his shoulders opened the door, he sighed seeing the pure emotions of a soldier who has lost his companion.
"Was it you who reported the spy?", he asked, before seeing Faxul nod.
Sighing deeply, he said, "Revenge is the best way to honor a fallen comrade. Get in and choose a raven. The pain of loss is raw in you, and I have high hopes that you will be able to bond with one. Go."
After leaving these words, the man stepped inside.
As Faxul stepped inside, he saw that the room he was in was actually like a foyer. Right in front of him, there was a metal door whose bolt was currently open.
Taking a seat in the chair to the side, the man started to scratch his Raven's beak softly.
Walking forward, Faxul walked through the metal door and closed it behind him.
The process of bonding with a Raven was a personal activity. Hence, usually, no one would be present in the location unless it was in the case of kids who were doing it for the first time.
Inside was a large room, at least 3000 sq.ft. across which had multiple Ravens either caged, standing on pews or resting in nests.
The caged Ravens were the ones which had actually gone mad due to the death of their partner, causing them to be locked up for their own good.
After looking around to ensure that no one was looking, Faxul walked to an empty pew and took out his own Raven which he had brought inside in a hidden compartment in his shirt.
Reviving it again using the solution, he walked to the side and picked up the item he had come for in the first place.
It was a ring with a small thorn on the top.