Master Of None

"Alright, Su already promised me some of the wild ice grapes that grow on the mountain when you come back. Avian monsters love them and to be honest, so do I. But they are too expensive so they will be more than good compensation for borrowing the remaining giant hawks." Elise had gathered them in the square in front of the cathedral as soon as the party had awoken and prepared. 

No one had been overly happy to see them leave again but after being assured that they would return in only three or four days because of the hawk's assistance, Lisa had accepted it. "These hawks will help you there and know the route well since they travel it constantly to trade with the dwarves. All you need to do is hold on and refrain from falling or looking down." This sounded a little more terrifying than Elise looked with her smile wide. 

"Do we feed them or anything?" Gil wasn't sure what their responsibility would be once they landed. 

"Not at all. They will hunt their own food on the way back. It's safe to say you will not have them to carry you all the way back here from the base of the mountains. But knowing all of you there will be no time for rest and you will walk back in just a few days at most. Or you will find another monster to ride all the way back." Elise teased them a little before she started to point out the safety grips and foot holds for riders and goods.

The entire party was very surprised to hear how simple everything was. The wandering blacksmith appeared not to care too much and it made Walker believe that he had traveled in a similar way before. It was not a surprise since he had earned the name wandering blacksmith and was fairly well known in multiple kingdoms for wandering here and there to forge with different techniques. 

"Well, that is that. You can even sleep during the ride if you are comfortable enough. But I would recommend you do not. Also, Midnight. Do not do anything to scare them. You are a dragon and they are already feeling off about carrying you, if you make any sudden moves they may get erratic." Elise was very serious while she slowly helped Midnight in to a special harness for contracted monsters to ride the giant hawks. Due to her size and weight, she was the only one alone on a giant hawk. 

Walker was visibly nervous since he had never flown in the air before but he knew that this was the best way to get to the base of the mountains while saving the time they needed for other things. The summit was quickly approaching in a few months still and the party would most likely escort the high priest and possibly a few others there. 

Before Walker left he looked toward the cathedral where quite a few of the healers had come out to watch. The only reason they were leaving from this square was because the giant hawks fit in the large square much more easily than anywhere else that wouldn't be in the way. Alice stood to the side and waved to Walker with a slightly sad face. He was off again and she was still not ready to travel with them. 

"Walker gave his own wave as the giant hawks jumped up and unfurled their large wings. The air rushed past their ears and before they knew it the city had become incredibly small. The city itself slowly disappeared from their vision becoming a small dot on the horizon sooner than expected. Now Walker knew why flying was so great in Elise's eyes. She was able to travel places so fast compared to any other method. 

Gil was using this chance to use his sharp eyes to train and pick out targets from the high heights they were at. Meanwhile, Remey who was on the same hawk as Gil was closing her eyes and waiting for the time she would touch the ground again. This had quickly become her least favorite method of travel. 

Su was with Walker and could only look up higher. She knew that they would not fly in the clouds but could feel them tugging at her. She wanted to go higher and the feeling was the same for Midnight who was heeding Elises' warmings because she was still not confident in her ability to glide down to the ground again let alone fly. The feeling was definitely something that Midnight and Su were sharing because of their systems. 

The wandering blacksmith was on his own giant hawk and from what Walker could see he was asleep. He could only wonder how a blacksmith who lived with heavy metals in the forge was so calm and peaceful while being so out of their element. It was a great mystery that Walker would never be able to answer.

After only a few hours the small mountains had become triple the size and it felt to the party that if the hawks wanted they could fly right to the peak. However, the closer they got the more the wind would push them around making the ride nerve wracking. When the giant hawks descended all of them breathed a sigh of relief that turned on to a full groan when they jumped to the ground and found that their legs had fallen asleep. The sight was fairly comical and anyone else would have rolled around laughing at the party and their client. 

"Thank you for your help." Walker was sure to thank every single giant hawk before it flew off toward their kingdom again. They still had jobs to do and now so did the party. "Alright, let's decide what trails we will take up the mountain." Walker looked up at the mountain range before him. The daunting size only seemed to grow. 

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