Alger was panting; he had barely made it to the Orphanage on time.
Behind the iron gates of the orphanage, many people were waiting. Alger could see a lot of young kids along with Ivy and Dawn, with a caravan drawn by 2 brown horses next to them.
"I'm sorry, I'm a bit late," he said, panting.
"Alger! Why are you late!?" Ivy paused and pointed at Alger, "I'm not taking you with us."
What do you mean you aren't taking with you? It was my idea to go to the Eastern University!
"Ivy! I'm sorry, it took me longer than I thought it would."
"Alger, this isn't the time to talk, you must get ready, fast!" said Dawn in a concerned tone.
Alger rushed inside. After reaching the room his bed is in, he ran towards his bed. He picked up a brown leather backpack from beneath his bed and put all of his belongings inside it.
I have money, I have clothes, I have the sword, I have a map, and uhh, I think that's all?
He then ran towards the stairway... but instead of using the stairs, he jumped down the railing using the wind to break his fall.
He slowed down his pace and went outside.
"I'm here," he said while huffing.
He looked around and saw that even the maids and the headmaster were here to say their goodbyes.
"Al!" said the headmaster, "Come here, I wanna give you something!"
After years of spending time with the headmaster, he had gotten used to it. The nickname he had been given by the headmaster.
Alger was a little puzzled. "What is it?"
The headmaster handed him a pouch. The pouch was a lot heavier than he had expected, bringing his hand down by a few centimeters when he first grabbed it.
When he opened the pouch, he was surprised by what he saw...
What the?! How does this man have so much money? This has to be at least 10 pounds!
"Its for your expenses and academic fees. I trust you will spend it wisely....", he paused and added, "...and just so you know, I'm giving you this from my personal savings."
"I might just cry," said Alger in a grateful tone.
Alger was the last one to sit inside the cozy caravan. There were a lot of wooden boxes and hay inside the caravan. The trader who had agreed to give them all a ride was one of the headmaster's old friends.
Well, I guess there is at least a place to sleep.
Right as the caravan was about to move, the crowd behind them started to wave their hands.
Most of the young kids were saying goodbye to Ivory.
"I'm gonna miss you sister Ivy!"
"Please come back to visit."
"Sister Ivy, I don't want you to go, please stay!"
Whereas the younger boys Dawn used to hang out with were saying,
"We will catch up to you in no time, Dawn."
"You won't be lonely, because we all will come to the Eastern University!"
But for Alger, nothing... complete silence.
"Who is the guy with white hair next to Dawn?"
"Did we even have someone like him at the Orphanage?"
"You're right! I have never seen him."
Alger was a little heartbroken, but he knew it was his fault for not socializing.
The cart started moving away, and before they knew it... the orphanage had faded away from view.
Alger looked at Ivory and Dawn, noticing how much they had grown over the last few years.
Ivory was now a tall beautiful woman; she had the prettiest face Alger had ever seen. He knew that men at the academy would start drooling after seeing her. But to him, she was still just an annoying younger sister.
Dawn was a lot taller than Alger now, with his beard, he looked to be in his mid-30s, but since he was going to start attending a school, he had made the decision to shave it off. Dawn had broad shoulders and a muscular figure. But his persona didn't suit his body, he was a gentle and soft man. An image fitting the term Gentle Giant.
Alger removed the map he had hurriedly put inside his bag. He wanted to review the route they were going to take. And to note the dangers that might lie ahead.
Most of the route was a peaceful, scenic route through plains, apart from a few sections that went through the forest. But still, most of the route was safe. The road was well paved, so the caravan would have no problem taking them to their destination, which was about 600 kilometers away.
They had planned on moving for 12 hours a day, for 7 days. Which should be more than enough to reach Stormhollow.
Alger had decided he was going to sacrifice his sleep to keep watch at night. In case something were to creep up on them.
Mr.Orchard was an old man. He had a short figure and was barely as tall as Alger's chest. Although he wasn't talkative at first, he slowly joined in on their conversations.
He knew a great deal about the Eastern territory, Alger couldn't help but ask him more about the territory.
"Mr.Orchard, do you mind if I ask you more about Eastern territory?"
"Of course, we still have seven days of traveling left. I would be pleased to tell you anything you would want," said the old man in a friendly tone.
"I was hoping you could tell me about the animals native to this region... and if you happen to know anything about what lies to the East."
Mr.Orchard paused for a moment before answering,
"The Animals? Well in the southern parts of the Eastern territory, there is a wide range of animals you can find. The most dangerous of them are Shadow wolves; they have an affinity towards shadows and hunt after dark. You usually don't even know you are being trailed by them until they come right at you." After saying that, he paused for a while.
"As for your second wish... you want to know more about Unknown, huh? I'll tell you... but whether you believe me or not is up to you." said Mr. Orchard with a faint smile.
Alger was now hooked; this was the first time he was about to hear about Unknown.