At the edge of the clearing Jellal scurries about occasionally bending down to pick up sticks. Once he can no longer bend down to pick up more sticks without dropping some of the ones he’s already collected he carries the armful to bank of the stream and throws them in his growing pile.

Having decided the considerable amount of sticks he’s collected is sufficient he makes a small layer of sticks on the ground while using some slightly larger sticks to make a conical structure on top of it. As for the rest of the sticks he’s collected they are moved to the side for later use.

Returning to the tree line he begins another round of collection, this time dry leaves and grass. He runs back and forth with handfuls of dry material until the conical structure is filled with it. With the teepee filled he sticks a few sticks into the dry leaves for good measure.

With his preparations complete he scours the bank for different kinds of rocks. Using these rocks he creates a circle around his structure. Satisfied he picks up a pair of rocks and begins knocking them against each other.

The result was just an annoying sound and not the sparks he’d hoped for. After the first failure he selects a different pair of rocks and smacks them together the same way he did the first pair. Yet again he fails to create the spark he desires.

Switching tactics he pulls out his dull throwing knife. Slashing the knife against a rock he finally gets his spark. The spark falls into the pile of dry leaves, but fails to catch fire. As the saying goes; if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

After repeatedly showering the teepee with sparks it finally concedes and produces a small flame. Careful not to smother the budding flame he slides some dry grass into the edge of the fire to help it spread. Thankfully everything goes according to plan and the fire spreads among the dry leaves and grass before eventually latching on to the sticks.

Using some of the sticks he’d set aside he slowly builds up the size of the fire. When the fire’s reached an adequate size he shoves a couple large sticks into the ground next to the fire and stabs the meat he’d left for dinner onto the end that leans over the fire.

Now that the meat is cooking over the fire all that’s left to do is patiently wait. Knowing it will take a while for his food to finish Jellal wades into the stream and begins washing himself.

After a quick scrub he leaves the stream to dry off next to the fire. When the front side of his body has dried he promptly turns around to dry his backside. Having gotten sufficiently dry he plops down to begin his usual practices while watching juice drip from the meat causing the fire to flare up.

Time slowly drones on while smoke trails into the sky above the forest as the smell of cooked meat permeates the air around the bank. Judging the meat adequately cooked he prepares to start savoring his meal only to realize he has no forks or plates or anything at all to hold the meat.

While thinking up a solution he carefully pulls the sticks holding the meat out of the ground and move them away from the fire before stabbing them back into the dirt. With no real solution coming to mind he can only wait for the meat to cool down enough for him to be able to hold it in his hands.

Since the fire has served its purpose he begins bringing water from the stream to put it out. Unfortunately scooping up water with your hands and using it to try to put out a fire is extremely inefficient causing him to take over a dozen trips back and forth before the fire is finally left smoldering.

Even if the fire’s gone, the residual heat and constant smoke remains. To make sure the sticks don’t reignite he begins kicking dirt over the smoldering sticks before dumping a few extra handfuls of water on top for good measure.

Having taken care of the fire he pokes the meat to see if it’s still too hot. Since his finger didn’t feel too hot after poking the meat he instead holds his finger on it. Although it’s hot it’s not to the point that he can’t pick it up.

He removes the first piece of meat from its stick as he gulps in anticipation. Holding back the drool that’s desperately trying to escape the corners of his mouth he brings the meat up to his lips and bites off a decent sized chunk. He chews slowly at first savoring the flavor, but gradually he speeds up as he takes another bite. The more bites he takes the faster he devours the meat until there’s no more meat left for him to eat and he can only grudgingly wash his face and hands in the stream.

The sun that was once high overhead has long since started its decent towards the horizon. With only an hour or so of daylight left he decides it’s time to move on from the clearing. He considered staying nearby and hunting whatever comes tomorrow, but decides against it since there is no real reason to do so other than raising his level.

He walks over to his backpack and places the rest of the miscellaneous items he might use into his bag. Before closing the bag he does a quick check of its contents verifying them one at a time.

[Sheathed saws – check. Wolf pelts – check. Excess hide strips – check. Meat – check. Large leaves – check. Wolf teeth – check. Boar parts – check. Counting the throwing knives I’ll carry that should do it.]

Maintaining his optimal distance from the stream he once again enters the forest. He vigilantly marches through the forest as the sun continues its decent. When the sun can no longer been seen through the trees he finally begins looking for a tree to spend the night in.

Having selected his tree he climbs silently to his chosen branch. On the branch he carefully takes off his backpack and sets it between his legs. He rummages through his backpack and pulls out the pelt he cut the saws sheaths from.

Using his dulled throwing knife he cuts the bottom of the fur that has pieces missing from making the sheaths. With the leg section and the excess removed the bottom of the pelt is nice and squared off. Following this he also cuts away at the top leaving the legs but sloping around the neck portion leaving the top part of the pelt with a slight curve.

Holding on to the leg portions of the pelt he slings it over his shoulders wearing it as if it’s a cape. Removing the pelt he cuts leg portions about a hands length away from the base of the pelt leaving the top of the pelt to curve into a shape imitating a crescent moon.

Hoisting the pelt over his shoulders like a cape he gives a nod satisfied with the way he cut the top of the pelt. He carefully stands up and glances behind his back at the pelt still touching the ground. He frowns slightly before wisely measuring with his eyes.

Bringing the pelt back in front of him he cuts away a significant amount of material from the bottom of the pelt with a slight curve before rounding the edges. Having made his cut he slings the pelt around his shoulders yet again looking back to check the length.

The cape runs down his back stopping just above the back of his knees, the exact length he wanted. Having made it the length he desires next he has to create a way to secure it.

To secure the cape he cuts two small holes around the left shoulder area and sticks a hide strip through before tying up the ends. Moving on, he does the same to the right side. After that he pokes a small hole at the top corners of the cape and uses a pair of hide strips to connect the corners to the shoulder area opposite them.

In order to make sure system is working as intended he has to try on the cape. He slides his arms through the shoulder loops and slips his head between the top corners which are now pulling inwards. The cape fits perfectly with the connecting strips forming an x on his upper chest.

With the excess material he makes a two inch thick strip of hide to use as a belt. He makes a small slit in the belt near the edge of one side. The slit runs lengthwise so he has to turn the other end to slip it through. Putting the belt around his waist he puts the uncut end through the slit and pulls the belt tight.

After judging the length needed to fit snugly around him he removes the belt and cuts away most of the excess. Following that he cuts away material where the belt will go through the slit leaving the belt with a consistent length until near one end where it gets extremely thin before abruptly being thick again.

Satisfied with the cut he tries the belt on once again. The belt is a nice snug fit leaving him satisfied. The thin part of the belt properly keeps the slit from widening too much while the abrupt thick end has to be consciously turned to slide through ensuring the belt won’t come undone on accident.

Using most of the excess material he has left he makes six pouches of various sizes. After completing the pouches he sews them permanently on to the belt. Now that the belt is in its final form he puts it on accompanying his new cape completing his ensemble.

Now that he has his belt he doesn’t need to carry all his throwing knives by hand so he puts them in a pouch on the left side of the belt. After rummaging through his bag he finally finds his slightly dulled saw and moves it along with its sheath to a pouch on the right side of his belt.

With everything organized he takes off his belt and cape and stores them in his backpack. Since he doesn’t feel like going to sleep yet he sits in a meditative pose and resumes his normal practice.

The moon majestically climbs into the sky as the still darkness of night takes hold in the forest. Yawning while rubbing his eyes he finally decides to turn in for the night. He hangs his backpack from a nearby branch then slouches comfortably with his back to the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes.

The sun peeks over the horizon greeting the forest below with gentle beams of warm sunlight. Dew glistens on the grass and leaves while a calm wind causes them to sway ever so slightly. Hidden amongst the branches of a tree within the forest a goblin languidly opens his violet eyes.

After vigilantly scoping out his surroundings he silently descends from the tree in a practiced manner. Upon reaching the ground he takes off his backpack and removes his belt and cape from within. He snugly equips his belt first, followed by his cape, and finally his backpack.

Fully kitted out he removes a sharp throwing knife from a pouch on his belt and keeps it in his left hand. From another pouch he takes out his slightly dulled saw, leaving the sheath in the pouch.

With his weapons at the ready he begins his trek through the forest. Despite being vigilant and prepared for anything the first hour of his trip is dull and uneventful.

Another hour passes without anything of note happening. Just when it looked as if his monotonous journey was going to pass with nothing new going on he noticed the trees gradually thinning out. Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the trees which were growing larger and larger.

The more open section of the forest continued for merely fifteen or so minutes before a large open field could be seen beyond the tree line. Jellal picked a tree on the tree line and climbed up in his usual fashion. On his perch he carefully observed the large clearing ahead unwilling to miss out on even the tiniest of details.

Flowers dotted the field swaying gently in the morning breeze. To the left was the same stream he’d been following, curving back and forth as it carried on out of sight. Directly to the front and the right are a series of rolling hills while far off to the distant right he could just barely make out what looked to be a well-used path if not an actual road.

Climbing down from the tree Jellal adjusts his direction moving just inside the tree line toward the path in the distance. After making it approximately halfway to his destination he catches sight of movement ahead of him.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him he sneaks forward moving from tree to tree. Having closed the gap he climbs a tree in his typical style, moving to a branch with good cover and good viewing position.

In the forest’s edge a group of fledgling adventurers are locked in combat with a group of goblins, the most basic of enemies. Despite having a numbers and an equipment advantage the adventurers can’t manage to grab the advantage in the fight.

Watching the battle unfold from behind the fledgling adventurers is an older man with grey hair and a scraggly beard. His hand gently grips the handle of the sword hung on his hip as he observes, ready to intervene if necessary.

At the front of the young adventurers an adolescent boy recklessly swings his longsword about without any thought or strategy. One of these reckless swings manages to land a lucky hit on a goblins shoulder, but the damage dealt from the attack is negligible and the goblin takes advantage of it by grabbing the sword with its bare hand.

The youth tries to pull the sword free to no avail. With the hand that isn’t holding its opponents sword the goblin swings its club at the boy’s head. The youth panics and falls on his butt avoiding the blow by sheer luck.

The two other goblins are quick to notice the vulnerable enemy and rush to attack the fallen youth. The adventurers who were fighting those goblins try to stop them with a slash of their weapons but they only leave a small scratch on their foes.

On the back line a hooded youth with a bow fires an arrow that strikes one of the goblins square in the shoulder. The goblin gives a shriek but continues on without slowing. The goblins converge on the downed youth and swing their clubs simultaneously leaving him no escape.

Having seen enough the old veteran sighs while shaking his head in disappointment. In the time it took for the goblins swings to make it halfway to their target the grizzled veteran was able to arrive behind the youth and draw his sword slicing all three weapons along with the necks of the goblins using them.

Blood spurts from the goblins necks as they fall powerlessly to the ground. The fledgling adventurers let out a collective sigh of relief knowing they narrowly avoided being the ones lying in a pool of their own blood. They look timidly at the veteran adventurer who’s watching over them, but he only responds by turning around and walking toward the road leaving them to hastily rush after him.

Jellal can only sit in his tree and watch as their backs fade into the distance. Rethinking his plan to check out the road he climbs down from the tree and heads in the same direction he came from.

Arriving at the stream he checks the surroundings and observes the other side for movement. With things looking all clear he builds up his momentum and jumps across the stream landing successfully on the opposite bank.

After doing a victory pose to commemorate his successful jump he moves to his ideal distance from the bank and begins walking parallel to the stream as he had been previously doing. This side of the river with its abundance of trees is more to his liking unlike the open fields across the way.

While trudging through the forest he pays close attention to his surroundings as usual. His journey continues for nearly two hours, but is mostly uneventful. Occasionally he would come across a horned rabbit or a random goblin, but they were completely oblivious to his presence so he easily avoided them with them being none the wiser.

Since walking around nonstop is monotonous and tiring he took a break in the shade of a large tree. Naturally his version of resting included his usual practice along with swinging around his saw as if it were a sword.

Partway through his “sword” practice he came up with a brilliant idea: do his usual practice at the same time as his sword practice. Just like that the scope of his usual practice expanded slightly as did the number of things he had to focus on at the same time.

Once his new usual practice was finished he continued on his journey through the forest. After going a considerable distance he stopped to resume training before going on his way once more. This cycle repeated till the sun started its descent from high above the forest.

He searched around for a good spot where he could start his fire without worrying about accidentally burning down the forest. Upon finding a spot he collected sticks and leaves before starting a fire. After building up the fire he surrounded the fire with sticks for cooking meat.

One by one he removed all the meat he’d kept in his backpack. Some were left wrapped in leaves and set basically touching the fire while the rest were hung on the litany of sticks surrounding the fire. During the time it took the meat to cook he visited to stream to wash up and definitely not play around in the water.

With so much meat having been cooked he ate till his stomach bulged. He wrapped the leftover meat in the large leaves he brought along before carefully placing them in his bag. Now that the meat is cooked the boar hide was no longer needed to act as a liner for his backpack so he washed it in the stream before rolling it up and keeping it in his bag for future use.

After dousing the fire he continued on his journey. He acted in the same manner he did in the mourning stopping occasionally for a “break” which he used for his training. Along the way he would occasionally come across goblins or horned rabbits but the trip was mostly uneventful.

When the sun started to disappear he stuck to his daily routine of finding a tree to hide out in. While waiting for night time to arrive he pulled the boar hide out of his backpack to work on his newest project.

He did his usual measuring, cutting, and sewing. The final product this time was a waistcloth to accompany his loincloth. He had considered making a pair of shorts but decided it was too difficult and settled on something akin to a skirt or kilt. The hide was cut into sections small enough that they wouldn’t limit movement but large enough to not bounce about in a distracting manner when he’s moving around.