Gales found himself waking with less of a sudden jolt, and more of a slow groan. Sitting up, rubbing his head, the youth gradually pulled himself from wherever his dreams had taken him. In a half lucid state he turned his attention to his surroundings, noting that he was in his room in the Keep, Gram laying in this haphazard position on the rug he claimed as his own, jaws half open and teeth bared. Gales just smiled at the sigh, got out of bed and lightly rubbed his partner's belly. "Morning Gram, come on, it's time to wake up." Gram didn't move, he refused to move in fact, preferring to keep his position on the rug. Gales snapped his fingers in Grams ear a few times. "Come on." Again Gram refused to move. "Fine~" Gales muttered. "Be that way." He shrugged, getting back to his feet and headed towards the door. "No breakfast for you." Out of nowhere Gram shot up getting to his feet as he followed after his human partner. "Mhm~ that's what I thought." The youth muttered as he let his partner walk past him and started wandering outside the hall. That done he closed the door on him, but Gram really didn't mind, instead his goal was already about heading below to get some much needed food to start his day.
As for Gales he simply started a bath for himself. The Keep didn't have running water. That commodity was reserved for more renowned locations left behind by the Ancients. That said, the Keep knew how to make things work for them. A few buckets of water were poured into what was effectively a wooden tub and then all one had to do was drop in a simple firestone which allowed them to heat the water to room temperatures.
Really, it was a simple trick.
Stepping into the water, Gales just let himself relax for a moment before grabbing some soap and started washing up.
Following his bath Gales just went about dressing himself. His choice of attire could be considered typical for hunter's just starting out. People tended to call it the "Leather Set". Made from processed hides and cloth, it was lightweight, and comfortable but strong. It functioned well for those just starting off on their journey.
Using a bit of rope he tied his black hair back, and went for his tools of the trade.
Boosters were these little vial filled things that performed a number of small miracles. They encompassed everything from potions to antidotes and energy stimulants.
Rations were food that could be kept for long periods of time. Traveling down the road would without a doubt take some time, as very few towns and villages were within an hour's walking distance.
The Carving Knife was a hunter's best friend, and something he strapped to his thigh.
Whetstones were good for sharpening bladed weapons so they worked their best.
Throwing knives were lightweight, little blades. Because of their size they weren't that effective against large creatures, but they worked well for hitting small game.
Binoculars were simple tools, good for eying things from a safe distance.
A map, well, there was no point in getting lost down the road.
An alchemy kit had all the basic utensils a Hunter would need to craft for later creations; vials and test tubes, a small firestone for heating chemicals and a mixing bowl for herbs, as well as a beginners guide to Alchemy - which held instructions and recipes.
A Notebook was useful for keeping track of more than a few things. It could be used as a journal, it could be used as a dossier of sorts recording creatures both native and foreign, it could even be used to keep records.
A water canteen was always something good to keep on a person.
Lastly there was some gold coins - zenny - that he'd be taking beside. It wasn't anything but pocket change, but money was money at the end of the day. It could buy him a room for a few days or it could buy him food in case rations got low.
"Looks like that's everything." Gales muttered as he put everything away, filing them away into pouches and satchels. That done he grabbed his greatsword before clamping it onto his back thanks to a magnetic harness. "And~ that should be it." Gales muttered as he put his hands on his hips and nodded to himself. "Now I just need to get breakfast, and say bye to the others." He muttered to himself as he left his room. A moment later though he made a U-turn, lifting what was essentially a wooden tub and headed to the window before pouring its contents outside the window. "There we go."
Setting his tub back down Gales left his room for a second time as he went on his way.
Walking down the stairway leading to the rest of the Keep, Gales couldn't help smiling, his attention turned to the walls as he dragged his fingers over the old stones. The keep wasn't in perfect condition, but it was in working order. Yes there were some holes - small gaps where old wounds showed the rest of the world, but it was nothing to be of major concern. They were simply reminders of old battles that Caer had survived. The room - the chamber he ended up walking into after leaving his own was a spacious one. It wasn't the study hall, he remembered a few classes taking place in this chamber. He remembered so many books and writings being passed around as well as Hunter Acer falling asleep in his chair on more than one occasion.
No sign of the old man today though, guess he was elsewhere.
Walking over to the balcony, Gales took a moment to lean against it as he stared at the keep and the forests that rest beyond. As always, he found it to be a calming sight. Something about it just… relaxed him. Chased away a few unwanted thoughts and just left him at ease.
"I wonder what's out there." He muttered to himself. "I guess I'll just have to find out." Gales muttered as he climbed onto the balcony ledge and hopped off of it.
It's not that far of a drop, or maybe it was, personally Gales wasn't that sure. Hunters could survive a drop ranging from 50ft-to-100ft. He recalled something about the tendon assemblies being in such a way that they lessened the impact caused by falling from great heights; the exact words escaped him for the moment.
He'd probably remember later.
Either way Gales landed, and although it wasn't with catlike grace he did land on his feet and the thud that followed didn't bother him at all. "Nailed it." He muttered, rubbing his nose, and noticed that his brothers and sisters were already outside and ready to head out. "Hey!" He shouted just loud enough to draw the others' attention. Some waved, some beckoned him over, and others just spared him a glance before letting their gaze return to the ones next to them as they continued their own conversations.
"Bout time you got here." Erza muttered, pulling herself from the group as she walked over to him. Erza wore what many Hunters would call the Chainmail set. Made from iron links that had been painstakingly pieced together, it was done in such a way that it wasn't particularly heavy, but it was still functional and offered great protection - well compared to what Gales was wearing anyway. For added protection she added a shield, but that was to be expected considering she intended to use it in combination with her sword instead of her light bowgun.
"I was wondering if I'd have to head back in and pull you out of bed."
"Not this time." Gales grinned as he saw Gram just lounging around with this halk resting on him. "I take it, Gram and Mael have eaten already?"
"Well, someone had to feed them." Erza stated as she gave this smirk of sorts. "So, this is it."
"Yeah." Gales muttered as he stared at all the others. "Looks like everyones already here."
"You were the last one to get here." Erza told him as she looked at the others.
"You guys didn't have to wait." Gales admitted.
"We figured it would be better to leave together." Zack told him, walking up to the pair, a longsword at his back as he did. "No one gets left behind."
"No one gets left behind." Erza stated as Gales smiled, thinking back to the Jurassic Isle all those years ago.
"No one gets left behind." He whispered as he looked back to the school, seeing that their teachers - their parents were giving them their space. "So, since we're all here, shall we."
"Not yet." Shion made her appearance as she walked through the crowds and stood with Zack. "There's one last thing we have to do before we leave."
"Saying goodbye." Zack stated. "Not just to our parents, but to the fallen as well." That caused Gales smile to slip, leaving him to bite his lips before nodding his head.
The Fallen, those that hadn't survived, the brothers and sisters they had lost along the way. They had to say goodbye to them, it was only right after all.
"You guys ready for that?" Erza seemed to squirm, not entirely sure if she had an honest answer - or at the very least one that seemed proper.
"I don't know." She admitted after a moment.
"Same." Gales admitted before looking at the others. "Still…" He muttered. "It's something we should do - something we have to do."
"Yeah." The others agreed.
"So…" Zack muttered, adjusting his longsword for a moment. "Shall we?
It was only after their farewells to the fallen did the young Hunters leave their home behind. Together they traveled down the Serpent Wyrm's path and took to traveling down those old unpaved roads that stretched across the world beyond. As they left some chose to take a mount, a beast of burden to carry what extra gear and items they chose to bring, while others did not.
In truth it didn't really matter if they chose to bring such a creature to act as an extra hand. In the end they'd still need more than a few hours in order to reach one of the nearby villages; and it would take days in order to reach a major city. It mattered little if that major city was located further towards the north or the south, the east or the west. Of those four directions, Gales and Garm have to head south, towards the southern seas.
As they walk, Gales can't help crossing his arms as he starts to think.
"Scry." He mutters.
If he was going to be honest, he'd never actually heard of the isle before. But given it's location on the map, he could safely say that it was located across the seas. In that case, he'd need to get to port and grab a boat before he could even get there.
That's not to hard; just need to get to port first.
The only problem was that it would take a few days before he got to the nearest port town.
"Well, at least I'm not taking the journey alone." Gales stated, his attention turned to see a palamute walking next to him. "What do you think Garm? Happy to tag along for this journey?"
Garm, the pup had grown up rather nicely over these past 16 years. He'd gotten big and he'd gotten strong, just like his folks.
Honestly, that brings a smile to Gales' face.
He still remembers the days when Garm was just a pup, he'd been so small back then, bouncing all over the place and trying to play every chance he got. Make no mistake he was still full of spirit, and curiosity, but his own personal trailing had gotten him to reign it in when need be.
Looking away from the Palamute, Gales returned his attention to the map in hand as he pressed on. Taking a second to look around at a few road markers he nodded his head. "Looks like we're still on the right road." He stated before putting the map away and pressed on.
It's a nice day out.
Skies clear and the sun's peeking through the trees.
It's not too hot, and its not remotely cold.
This is a good day for a walk through the wilds.
"I like this." Gales muttered, putting his hands behind his head. "I don't…" He paused. "I don't remember the last time we got to just go for a walk like this." He admitted looking at Garm. "Sure we got to walk around the Keep when we weren't training, but…this is different." He stated as Garm looked at him. "It's peaceful out here." He stated. "I like it…" He fell silent for a moment as his thoughts started to shift. "I wonder what the others think about being out and about like this." He muttered. "Know they're excited like I am, but…" He fell silent before shaking his head and looked at Garm. "You know what, never mind." He smiled before Garm pulled himself to a stop. "Garm?" Gales stopped as he looked ahead. "What's up?"
Garm started to growl.
"Trouble huh…" The Hunter muttered as he put a hand on his weapon of choice and looked ahead. "Well, gets there's less exciting ways to start our journey."
Something threw itself out of the woods, and it wasn't alone.
Won't lie, it's rather quiet today.
Truth be told that doesn't really surprise him.
It's usually quiet out here.
Here in this city left behind by time.
Lounging about in the Menagerie, a young man kept his eyes locked on the book before him as he flipped a page.
"Enjoying your reading?" A voice called out as the young man glanced in the direction of the speaker and saw that another had walked up to him. He smiled playfully.
"Not even remotely." The youth stated as he closed the book and waved it playfully. "Honestly, it's a boring read." He admitted. "But to be fair every books in the grand library counts as a boring read."
"Is that so?" His counterpart asks as he looks elsewhere, his eyes turned to look at the sights that rested elsewhere. "If that's the case though, why do you continue pulling at the old texts then?
"It helps kill time." The youth admitted with a shrug. "And I certainly have a lot of time to kill." He states before letting his gaze turn skyward to see a wyvern flying overhead. "Or at least, I had a lot of time on my hands." He states as his counterpart looks at him. "Given that you've come to me, I take it that Elder Lucio has a task for me."
"Yes sir." The youth simply got to his feet as he started to stretch.
"Well, I have to say, it's about time." He groaned. "So Abel, shall we see what the Elder requires of me?."
"Of course."