~Chapter 1 – Veena's Treasure~

~Age 966B~

Veena circled the creature with a keen eye. Inspecting it's hefty beak, it's white feathers, and it's talons. The great bird was a pelican, easily standing twice as tall as Veena herself.

The bird's owner sat nearby, watching Veena work. He usually came around every few months for a quick check up on his pelican. Wearing goggles and a wind breaking vest, the sky rider was preparing for another trip. He waited outside Veena's humble abode as she worked.

Veena gently ran her hands across the pelican's side and smiled, "He's in great condition. You're heading back out to sea with him, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am."

"The seas get chillier around this time of year. I have some potions that should help your bird bear it better. But with how healthy he is, he might not need it."

The sky rider reached into his vest and pulled out a pouch of coins, "I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thanks Veena."

The Sky Rider stored some of the potions onto the pelican's saddle and mounted the great bird. Then with a gust of wind under its wings, the pelican took off into the air.

Veena headed into her humble home. The house itself was small, she lived alone so she didn't need much space. But she had several acres of open land around her, and beyond that there were lush green plains in each direction.

Inside her house she had an alchemy station that she'd use to brew potions to help treat the animals of her clientele, with a series of her most requested potions stored away.

In her bedroom was a hefty chest with a sturdy padlock. It was dark black, as if charred by flames. She reached beneath her bed and felt around until she found a key. She took the key to the chest and unlocked it. She went to open it... but it wouldn't budge. It was always cumbersome like this.

She tried to force it open again, this time with both hands. After yanking up as hard as she could, she managed to force the chest open. Veena couldn't but think it was overly secure. With its great weight, durability, and sturdy padlock, at least she never had to worry about the chest being stolen.

The chest was partitioned into two sections on the inside. In one was her most recent savings. On the other were some old keepsakes she had stored there. She took half the money she had been given by the Sky rider and tossed it in the chest. She eyed her old keepsakes for a moment... before closing the chest.

The weight of the lid got away from her, and the chest slammed shut with a thud that shook her house. She locked the chest and returned to her alchemy station.

She toiled away there for a while before a knock came at her door. Perhaps it was one of her clients from the town down the road?

"Hellooo.... Hello?" A boy's voice sounded from outside.

"Just a moment." Veena hollered, heading to the meet them. She didn't recognize the voice.

"Yes, how can I – Oh my!" Veena nearly shrieked as she stepped outside. What she found before her was a black feathered bird with a sharp beak, standing at least three times her height with it's shadow cast over her. It wore a saddle on its back. Veena hadn't heard of anyone taming a crow before.

She saw a young boy with dark black hair in somewhat baggy clothes standing beside it. He had the beginnings of a mustache; he must've barely been a teenager. Veena couldn't help but be reminded of her son as she looked at him.

The boy pointed to his bird and said simply, "My bird can't fly. I heard you could help."

"Oh... I'm sure I can. I haven't seen anyone with a crow before though." Veena said as she looked up at the crow's beady black eyes. "Is your bird nice? I don't want to get pecked or anything. "

The boy nodded. "Yes."

Veena motioned the boy to follow her around the house. The crow followed along with him obediently... how could a kid of all people tame a crow?

"What's your name young man?" Veena asked.

"Razan."

"Very nice to meet you. I'm Veena." She said courteously. She expected some sort of response. Maybe a 'nice to meet you as well' but there was nothing. The boy didn't seem to be rude, just lacking in some manners.

Veena looked at the crow. She didn't want to touch him yet and risk the bird lashing out at her, so at first, she just looked him over. "When did you notice that he was having trouble flying? How long has your bird been unable to fly? Do you have an idea of what could've caused it?"

"Umm... I'm not really sure." Razan replied quietly. He wasn't much for words either. Veena couldn't tell if he was shy, or just didn't have much to say.

Veena looked at the bird and once she felt comfortable enough, she lightly gripped the feathers at the tips of its wings. She continued to run her hands across the wing, but there was no reaction. It didn't seem as if it were in any pain. She never expected to be able to look at a crow so closely.

"Hey Razan, could you get your crow to try and open its wings. I want to see how he handles it." Veena said as she looked over the crow... but the boy was quiet. "Razan?"

Veena turned, and the boy was gone. But she noticed a door to her house was left open. What was he doing?

Veena looked at the crow, "Stay here."

Veena stepped inside her home and looked for the boy. When she entered her bedroom, she gasped. The chest containing her savings and keepsakes were gone.

"How?" Veena muttered to herself. She had to get a few men from the nearby town to lug that chest into her house. She couldn't understand how it could've been moved so quickly.

Veena searched the house more until she heard some movement outside. She stepped out and saw Razan walking away, with her chest hoisted over his head. It looked like the weight of the chest should've crushed him, yet the boy was carrying it singlehandedly without much trouble.

The boy looked back. As soon as Razan made eye contact with her, he whistled. His crow suddenly spread its wings and flew into the air over him. Razan ran, carrying the chest over his head as he did.

"Hey!" Veena shouted, chasing after the boy.

But after a few moments it became apparent that even while carrying that massive chest, he was faster than her. She had to watch as Razan ran off with his crow to the east.

Veena promptly went to the nearby sheriff's office to tell them what happened. The deputy jotted things down as he took her statement. But when he mentioned Razan's bird, it gave him pause.

"The boy owned a crow?"

"Yes, he pretended like it was hurt so he could sneak into my house. He must've been really strong since he was able to carry my chest on his own."

The deputy nodded to himself, groaning slightly. "It's them again."

"Pardon?"

The deputy sighed, "There's a group of teenagers riding crows responsible for a series of thefts across the Lands of Ralosia. They dubbed themselves, 'The Sky Bandits'. Everyone has been trying to catch them but they're difficult to pin down."

"You'll find them though, won't you? The contents of that chest are...irreplacable. I need to get them back." Veena pleaded.

The deputy grimaced, "We'll do what we can ma'am."

For the next few weeks, Veena made a point of visiting the sheriff's office to see if they had gotten any closer to catching Razan or the Sky Bandits. No luck.

When she heard that the Sky Bandits had struck again up north, she asked the sheriff to head out. But by the time the authorities had arrived to catch them, they were already gone.

Years passed, and those group of teenagers' grew into adults, and they only became more infamous. Rumor was that they had grown more powerful as well, so much so that the authorities had no chance of subduing them without help.

But then.... They just disappeared. There were no more sightings or reported thefts perpetrated by the group. The looming threat that any moment the terrible Sky Bandits could descend from above and take what they wished was no longer a fear.

People wondered what could've happened to them. The rumor that people came to accept is that the Sky Bandits turned on and killed one another. Perhaps their greed had gotten the better of them.

Not long after, the authorities found their stash. Troves of treasure and valuables all packed into a desert cave. The authorities then began to process of returning everyone's stolen goods back to them.

Veena waited and waited for the day when her chest would be returned to her. But she was told that her chest was not among the Sky Bandit's stash.

Over the years Veena came to accept that what she lost was gone for good.