Loch caught up to Tobias just as the man had left the orphanage's street and was heading past Sweet Street. While awkwardly caring his luggage, Loch stared at the side profile of his now master. He was attempting to conjure the odd personality insight he had received from the other adults earlier, but was getting nothing. That made him also ponder why he hadn't felt anything from Mother Leanne until right before she had disappeared. 'Surely, it's not random? Also, if this is some ability I had awoken after the so-called Nightmare trial, why then didn't it work on any of my friends or the other kids?' Loch felt tempted to ask Tobias, as many questions spun inside his head. He also imagined that was one of the main points of having a master, the ability to get them to clear your doubts, but something within Loch made him hold back. Instead, Loch put the odd people insight subject to the side and asked, "Um, Master Sir. Where are we going now?"
Tobias looked down at the struggling boy next to him and replied, "We are going to my home, of course, which will also be your future home. I honestly don't spend a lot of time there myself, but we'll be staying there over the next three months, or at least until the Surge finishes and then I'll be taking you to the Trappers training camp. Which, by the way, is outside the walls. And just Master is fine, drop the Sir."
It took a moment for Loch to process the sudden dump of information but the words 'outside the walls' captured all his attention, as he almost squealed in response, "You're taking me outside the walls!?" Seeing the nervous but excited look on the boy's face, Tobias smirked and nodded as he said, "That's right. What? You don't want to? You're not... scared, are you?"
Hearing the derisive question, Loch did his best to stand up straight, almost making him trip over his feet in the process as he replied with what he thought was a mature and compose voice, "Me? Scared? Don't be silly. I'm a Hunter. What's there to be scared of?" As if to punctuate Loch's words, Jack also spread his wings and lifted his beak towards the sky, as if proclaiming, "I'm not afraid either!" Tobias couldn't help but let out a laugh as he rolled his eyes at the ridiculous-looking duo.
"Actually, technically you only have the qualifications to step on to the path to become a Hunter. You're not a Hunter. And in regards to the world outside the walls, even I get scared of some of the things that roam the lands. It always takes a brave and prepared heart to set out from the safety provided by the cities of Humanity. You should never ever take it lightly. I'm serious about this Loch," Tobias paused for a moment and turned to face Loch directly, his gaze locking the boy in place. As I've said, your training has already begun, and one of the first and most important lessons I want you to always remember is to avoid complacency and never let your guard down. I have seen many a cultivator who, after rising in strength, overestimated their abilities in the face of danger and suffered mortal peril within moments. Even the most veteran of warriors will feel the touch of the grim death the moment they begin to rest on their previous laurels. Understand?"
Loch had also stopped and gazed into the serious Tobias steady gaze. He nodded his head vigorously and did his best to inscribe his Master's first lesson into the depths of his soul. Loch was fairly confident that he wasn't in peril of forgetting this rule. Almost all orphans from the Shambles learnt to always have their guard up and were very, very slow to trust. There was many a time that Loch was also caught up in some other person's nefarious scheme when walking the streets of the Shambles. As orphans were generally seen as easy pickings to be taken advantage of due to having no real back up or place in society. Tobias also believed this was a lesson that Loch, who already showed an appropriate amount of wariness, even towards himself, was not likely to break. He soon resumed walking down the street, with Loch matching his large stride with several of his own smaller ones.
"Back to outside the walls. The only reason I will allow someone as green and untrained as you outside, are because the Cabin holds a training camp for prospective Hunters. It is under the direct watch of Huntmaster Charles, a person who was once only a step away from becoming a Monarch himself and had held off the attacks of several Sovereign level Fiends, which is equivalent in power to our Monarchs, for hours by himself. Even though his path of cultivation was severed that day, he still holds a lot of his original strength, but most importantly, he is a veritable fount of knowledge on all things, retaining to becoming and being a Hunter. Learning from him is an absolute blessing for prospective Hunters living in Empyrium. Learning from Huntmaster Charles is such a great opportunity that Bloodline cultivation families from the other cities will brave the danger of crossing the dangerous lands outside just so their children or disciples can participate." Tobias explained. When he talked of the so called Huntmaster, a look of utter respect and idolization took over the usually composed man's face.
Loch noticed the way Tobias spoke of the Huntmaster and put on a most serious expression, vowing to his master that he will absolutely cherish the opportunity. Tobias nodded at seeing the reaction. He stopped talking, however, and paused at a random four way intersection. Loch stopped as well and took stock of his surroundings. He was unfamiliar with this part of the Shambles, that over all looked in a lot better condition from the area they had come from. He could just make out, over the top of several small but neat single floor houses, the large thick inner city walls that cut off the Shambles from the Stem district. Loch had previously never bothered coming near this part of the Shambles that lived in the shadows of the inner wall as they held little value for him, and generally his more ramshackle kind was not really welcome. The city guards patrolled this part of the Shambles more regularly as well and were known for treating the people who didn't live there more harshly.
Tobias pulled out a pocket watch that was attached by a chain to his waistcoat and looked at the time. While he did that Loch saw an older woman step out of the house across from him, she slowly waddled into a little fenced garden in front of her home and began watering the plants. The sight of the old woman made Loch think about the old woman he called Granny. 'I really wished I had the time to visit granny. I hope she won't be too mad at me when I see her next for not saying goodbye. Hopefully, the letter I gave Jonesy to give to her will help, or else I see a severe caning of my backside in my future.' While Loch was starting to daydream of the several scary punishments the old woman had previously threatened to inflict on him previously, Tobias muttered, "Should be here in a moment." He then gazed down the street that led towards the direction of the Inner wall.
Loch was roused from his frightful pondering by the sound of hooves on the hard-packed dirt road, his attention drawn to where Tobias was looking. The silhouette of a large animal soon came into view and after several more seconds of waiting, the shadowed silhouette was revealed to be a large, scaled horse, with horns upon its head pulling along a box shaped carriage. Because of the oddly shaped animal, at least three times the size of Loch, the boy's eyes shone with wonder. The carriage soon arrived in front of the pair, coming to a swift stop, with the mighty looking animal letting out several heated breaths that Loch thought smelled like charcoal.
"Hello there, Milord. I hope I didn't keep you waiting." A chipper and friendly voice called from the driver's seat. Whereupon sat a thin man looking to be in his later years, he was wearing a simple white dress shirt and brown waistcoat with a bowler hat, that he had whipped off in a flourish along with his greeting, revealing a mouth full of missing teeth.
"Not at all, Robert, you're right on time, as always. This little fella here is Loch. He is my newly accepted disciple and will be living at the manor with me until the Surge is over and I send him to the Trappers Camp. Loch." Tobias looked over at Loch and pointed at Robert. "This here is Robert. He is my stable master and handles the majority of my transportation within the city." Tobias replied with a small smile and then introduced Loch to the driver, Robert. When Robert heard Tobias call Loch his disciple, the older man's eyes couldn't help but bug out slightly in surprise, as he couldn't help looking over the boy and his odd bird upon his shoulder with a more critical eye. Even though Loch was being stared at by what was basically a stranger, he felt no revulsion from the man. And before he knew it, Loch felt a personality trait conjured as he also greeted Robert.
The driver conjured an image of a friendly but muscular guard dog in Loch's mind. Leading Loch to summarize that this supposed carriage driver was a little more than just a man who steers the horse like animal. "Come along Loch will be taking the carriage back home. If we walked, we wouldn't reach it until well after midnight." Tobias said as he opened the carriage door, revealing a simple interior with two cushioned benches facing each other, and beckoned towards Loch. Even though Loch was surprised about hearing that the distance from the orphanage to Tobias's home was so far, he didn't dilly dally and quickly climbed inside. Before jumping in, Loch asked Jack who had been perched on his shoulder whether the bird wanted to ride inside with him or fly above the carriage. The bird looked inside the carriage and opted for the sky above instead of being in what it saw as a cramped space, leaping from Loch's shoulder to hover above the carriage. Loch placed his suitcase next to him on one side of the carriage once he entered, while Tobias, who climbed in after him, took the other side facing Loch.
Banging his fist against the top of the carriage, Tobias let Robert know he was ready setting the carriage trundling forwards after a soft crack from the reins. The two sat in relevant silence for several minutes, with Loch looking out the curtained windows at the surroundings before he sat back down and looked at Tobias with a shining gaze. Tobias, seeing that Loch couldn't help, a small sigh escaped his lips, as he leaned back and gathered himself into a more comfortable position before making a 'come on' gesture towards Loch, while saying, "Go on. Ask your questions."
Not wasting a second, Loch asked in a rush, "Why does that horse look so weird and why does it have horns? Is it a demon?" Tobias was slightly surprised by the boy's question, as he had assumed Loch would be grilling him in regards to his cultivation path. 'Truly still a child,' With that thought, Tobias adopted a more relaxed and easygoing posture with one foot crossed over his knee as he answered, "The creature pulling our carriage is not a horse. Horses are among what we call the Mundane bloodline of beasts. Many of the common livestock and animals fall under this bloodline, such as cows, chickens, and the like. Even more domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, fall under the Mundane. The next step above the Mundane are what is simply called Beasts, and they are also categorized in power Tiers, going from one to three. What is currently pulling our carriage is a fairly common Tier One Beast called a Horned Trotter. They are renowned for their general calm temperament and endurance. They aren't too great when it comes to speed, but when it comes to travelling long distances, they take the cake."
With sparkly eyes, Loch listened with rapt attention as Tobias began to explain a number of the more common Beasts one would find inside the walls of Empyrium. Although all humans ate meals consisting of Mundane animal meat and product, people on the path of cultivation generally tried to eat the more expensive Beast meat. Due to Beasts being naturally filled with more nutrients and small amounts of purified Aether, consuming Beasts products was far more beneficial than Mundane animals. Tobias explained to Loch that even though the Bloodline and Mind path cultivation wasn't as reliant about having a powerful physique as it was for Body cultivators, they still paid great attention to the overall health of their body, as it was ultimately the container and engine that powered their cultivation.
'I wonder when I can have my own carriage and Horned trotter, imagine the children's faces when I go back to the orphanage pulled along by such a fierce-looking Beast.' Loch began to daydream about his imposing return as Hunter atop a powerful steed. He dreamt of riding it back and forth down the familiar streets and watching the envious looks of the many among the Shamble who had looked down and ridiculed him for being a Tainted orphan. Due to being lost in his imagination, Loch gave Tobias, who was a lot more tired than he had been projecting, much-needed rest. After only a short fifteen minutes of travel, the carriage suddenly came to a stop, with the driver issuing a gentle cooing sound to calm the Horned Trotter.
Loch was broken from his imagination, and pulled the curtain back from the carriage window, revealing the sight of a large wall, casting a shadow over their carriage, making it feel as if it was closer to night than just over mid-day. The sound of Robert's muffled voice talking to someone else rang from outside the carriage. Not being able to help himself, Loch pushed the window to the side and stuck his head wanting to see what was going on. Tobias didn't bother looking himself, clearly knowing the reason for the sudden stop and instead took the time while Loch was distracted to close his eyes.
With his head now outside of the carriage, Loch had a better vantage point and could see that they were not simply stopped in front of what he knew was the inner wall. Instead, Robert was currently speaking to two guards, that were standing to either side of a large cross barred gate. The size of the gate was big enough to allow several elephants walking abreast to pass through, making Loch's mind spin at the reasons for the need of such gates. The size made their carriage look like an ant being swallowed by the gaping mouth of a huge monster. Past the gate was a darkened tunnel that was only lit but several small lamps hanging along either side of the walls. It ran for close to forty feet and clearly showed the thickness of the inner wall.
When Loch focused on Robert and the city guard, he just managed to catch the sight of Robert passing over an odd-looking medallion the size of half a hand. Emblazoned on the medallion was the sight of what looked like a small house with several small monster heads stuck atop pikes in front of it. To Loch's quick glance, he could see that there were five pikes, but only three of them had heads the remaining two were bare. After seeing the medallion, the city guard nodded and tap his fist over his chest before shouting behind him to open the gate. Robert tipped his hat at the guard and, after the huge metal barred gate lifted above, accompanied by the sounds of gears clanking, like a giant's mouth opening. After a soft crack of his reins, the Horned Trotter let out a smoky breath through its nostrils and began walking towards the tunnel. In a couple of seconds, the beast returned to its trot, quickly passing through the tunnel.
Loch, with his head still out the carriage window, couldn't help but let out a small gasp at the sight that was revealed. Even though he had heard many times that the Shambles was the most populated place in Empyrium, Loch never thought so, as he always thought it contained a desolate and lonely aura. Besides the early morning when everyone was streaming to the carts to get a bite to eat before heading to their back-breaking jobs and the afternoon when the same workers spent half their pay drinking the stinky ale in the many taverns. The Shambles streets had no sense of life. The memory of the Shambles lonely streets during the day was in complete contrast to the vibrant and sunny streets Loch was now witnessing. It was as if he had entered a whole new world after passing through the short tunnel.
The Horned Trotters hooves made a steady, rhythmic clip clop along the clean and well-maintained stone paved road of the Stem District. Loch's eyes were roaming everywhere, looking as if in a daze of wonderment at the many foreign sights and faces. He felt as if he just left a world of black and white and entered one made of color. The vast amount of people, all dressed in colorful and exotic garb, made their way up and done the white stoned paths on either side of the road they were making their way down. To Loch's eyes, the people were so packed together they looked like a stampeding herd of cattle. Even though he thought that the congestion would cause trouble and conflict, he noticed that there was a harmony between the people walking past and around each other. With many pretty looking women of all ages, in their elegant skirts and dresses moving like graceful swans. While men and young and old were mostly dressed in different forms of suits, some in complete mock up, with large coats buttoned to the neck and others in more casual clean long-sleeved shirts with a plain tie or bow. The majority of the men wore hats of different kinds. Loch, while people were watching, saw a clearly well-dressed young man with a long red coat and a cane bump into a group of young women.
At the sight, Loch thought he was about to see a conflict but instead he just saw the red-coated man tip his hat in apology to the girls with a smooth smile, leading to the younger women giggling and dipping their knees in a slight curtsy in reply before both leaving in opposite directions. Loch found the whole interaction odd and thought to himself that it appeared like a lot of effort to just walk along these streets. Even though in the Shambles if one wasn't paying due caution there was a high chance one would find themselves pickpocketed or outright robbed at knifepoint, most residents adhere to the silent rule of stay away from me and I'll stay away from you, making the travel fairly effortless. However, from what Loch was seeing, the resident of the Stem district stopped many times along their travel to engage in random frivolous salutations and niceties. 'What's the point?' Loch thought he was going to ask his Master about it but was distracted when they entered a new street that somehow looked even more bustling than the last.
What captured Loch's attention on this street was the many large and imposing buildings that lined it. The buildings running on either side of the street could fit three or even four of the normal sized houses found in the Shambles. The majority of them had large flashy looking signs over the top of their wide entrances, which were emitting a constant stream of people entering and exiting. Loch read some of the signs and saw that almost all the shops had something to do with clothing. Like 'Edwards Clothiers' or 'Starlight Apparel.' 'I wonder if one of Mr. Cromen's shops is on this street. Maybe I could check them out and see if any of the kids from the orphanage are working there.' Loch thought as he watched the street pass by.
The carriage travelled down several more streets that were filled with general stores, flowing with people. Loch found that almost every street appeared to be designated for a certain type of product or things that surrounded that product. Like he had just passed a street that was filled with stores showing all sorts of handcrafted furniture, but it also held stores that held general home appliances, like kitchen goods and the like. Loch, whose neck was starting to get tired from hanging out the window, was about to sit back in the carriage when, after another couple of turns, they entered another street that was so different from the ones they left in almost every way. Even the people were completely different.
The general sunny and vibrant atmosphere from the previous few blocks appeared to be subdued in this new area. Instead, it held what Loch could think to himself was an air of danger and violence. He even felt as if he could taste an iron, metallic like taste to the air. The people walking these streets still appeared in varying ages and genders, but instead of the elegant suits and dresses, they all wore more practical clothes. Simple brown and green shirts and pants. They wore thick duster coats that reached their ankles. Another thing about this new area that caught Loch's fast attention was the fact that almost everyone was wearing or holding some weapon.
He saw such a wide variety of weapons wielded by unfitting people that it left his mind in a clutter. Loch watched as a small, petite girl, clearly in her teens with a bouncing ponytail and chubby red cheeks, walked out from what appeared to be a weapons workshop, going by the contents shown in the windows. What left Loch staring at this particular girl, though, wasn't her attractive and valiant bearing but instead the absolutely giant hammer she was holding braced over her small shoulder. The square iron head of the double-sided hammer was almost as big as her, reaching down her back and past her behind.
Loch also saw an old man, who was walking slowly while hunched over his cane for support along the path, his steps unsteady as if he could fall over at any moment but strapped to the aged man's back was two gleaming curved swords that radiated a feeling of sharpness that made Loch flinch at the sight. The many tough and imposing armed strangers along the same path all consciously appeared to be giving the tottering old man a wide berth. Unknown to Loch, who looked away to rub his stinging eyes, the old man also paused his meandering steps and, with a sharp gaze, looked over to Loch's passing carriage with a sneer before continuing down the road.
"It's rude to stare Loch. Come sit back inside. There will be plenty of time to travel the streets in the future. For now, try to get some rest. We have a busy afternoon and night ahead." Tobias's voice called out from within the carriage, making Loch pull his head back inside. After closing the window and putting the curtain back down, Loch stared at Tobias again with a vibrant stare. He attempted his best to keep his mouth closed, though, as he saw that Tobias, with his eyes closed, appeared to be resting. Holding the thousands of questions within himself, Loch attempted to copy his master and close his eyes as well. Trying his best to sink deeper into the soft seat and adopt a more comfortable position.
Loch thought to himself that he would never be able to relax, as he felt too wired with all the life-changing things he had experienced that short morning. However, after closing his eyes and letting the soft clip clop and trundle of the carriage wheels lull him, he found his head becoming heavy and before he had a chance to stop himself; he fell to the side of the carriage seat and was snoring softly.