" Mark what's your problems with rangers? You use a bow they use a bow it could happen you know." Steffanie said while talking to the slightly taller man to her right.
" I don't know they always seem like such moody loners, and always have the weirdest pets." Mark said turning around while unslinging his bow and pulling the string as if to show off to the group. " I mean who wants to be like Ol' Man Greter with his giant centipede."
The group of five were walking along a dirt road with a hand cart being pulled by the largest of the group. He was close to six foot seven and was decently filled out considering the conditions of the farming village they were all from. The larger man looks over to Mark while he outstretched his bow and said, " But imagine if you could could tame a wolf or an eagle. Now those would be a worthy ranger companion."
Mark looked over at the man who single handedly was pulling the cart that contained everyone's belongings and rations for the trip. "Jort my man you may be speaking the truth, but if I may. Imagine the picture of a setting sun on the horizon. On a hill miles away you see a single dot, and within a moment it reaches you. An' now arrows in your head and you've not the faintest clue how it managed to get there. Paints a much better picture now don' it." Mark said this letting go of his bow string and just the moment to cause Jort to flinch even though there was no arrow nocked.
"Nock it off you two, we all no there's little sense in guessing which class we'll get until we all awaken." Said the man hanging at the back of the group along side of the wheel of the cart. "Anyway we all know if Mark awakened even only as the ranger pet we'd find a way to make dew."
"Don't act as if you aren't also hoping for a certain class when awakened, Your just the only one afraid to admit it." Steffanie said looking over her shoulder. " I want something to do with magic, Mark wants to use his bow, Jort probably will be a warrior with the size of him, and vanessa will most likely be a healer."
" You've never told us what your hopes are Hayes, If you are going to be are fearless leader you will need a strong class." Vanessa the shorter woman to his right says while looking at him.
Mark jumps in saying, " Hayes was the best in classes, trained with the guards, and worked in his fathers blacksmith shop." While Mark said this he counted down his finger slowly as if thinking of all the things Hayes had done.
" Hunting whenever there was a bad harvest, and volunteering at the church sometimes." Jort said causing Mark to put down two more fingers.
"Doing extra credit with the alchemist in her garden and shop, as well as helping in the mages library." Steffanie said holding two more fingers over her head.
" He helped rebuild my dads new barn also." Vanessa added unhelpfully to the groups sudden desire to exclaim all of the exploits of Hayes over the last couple of years.
" I know that I have kept busy, and because of that I know no matter whatever class I get we should be fine to start our new group and eventually a guild." Hayes spoke to the group in the serious tone he always used whenever talking about their goals.
The group looked forward as they reflected realizing they that what they had been working for for the last six years was at the point of coming to fruition. Jort kept pulling the cart on the dirt road and as they kept along passing all of the trees in the woods, the excitement growing in the heart of everyone in the group.
"The sun will be coming down soon, we will find a place to campout for an early rest. Tomorrow we will have an early start so we can arrive in the city of Trery." Hayes declared to the group after a minutes.
"Yippe " exclaimed Mark breaking whatever focus the group had as he started to make more jokes about the new bunions he claimed this trip caused him. It had been a tree day walk and Mark decided to name the newly formed nuisance on his feet. " T'is bastard on the heel of my foot I'm gonna call Steff cause it burns like your cooking." Mark said while poking Steffanie causing her to chase him off and ahead off the rest of the group.
Jort cheered on Steffanie telling her to show him his place. While the three were distracted Vanessa leaned over to Hayes and asked him, " So what class are you hoping for, a swordsman like your father was? Would you might prefer to be a type of mage like your mother?"
The question hung on the air for a second as Hayes thought about the question, and it hadn't been his first time he had been asked. He hung his head for a second and responded saying, " I'd prefer not to choose if being honest as I feel myself adept for the both of the practices. I'd prefer to let the Gods assign whatever I might be more hopeful in. I am confident to make whatever class I am given good enough to lead us to glory."
Vanessa couldn't really empathize with Hayes as all she has ever wanted was to be a healer and serve the Goddess Frordiff. The Goddess Frordiff wasn't one of the main Gods of the pantheon but was still well known amongst the commoners because she was the Goddess of growth. Usually she was recognized by a depiction of a Large pine tree on a lonely mountain. Vanessa had dedicated her life to the Goddess after an incident when she was young and her fathers crop had an disease that almost ruined the entire harvest. She claimed that one night she gave a prayer to the Goddess and the next day a mage came that was able to cure all of their crops. Since that day she had remained faithful in giving offerings to the Goddess Frordiff.
"Well if we can get to Trery early enough we can pay for are awakenings and but the suspense to bed." Hayes said to vanessa before turning towards Steffanie and Mark who were a good twenty yards ahead of the group with mark a good fifteen feet into a tree with Steffanie below yelling and throwing tiny rocks up at him. "Mark spot any good clearings from up there?"
Steffanie turned around and faced the group with a pout on her face, but she stopped throwing rocks up at Marks position. "Sure thing boss give me a second." Mark said starting to scale higher up in the oaken tree.
Jort, Vanessa, and Hayes quickly caught up to Steffanie and Mark and waited below the tree. Mark shouted from the top of the tree," If we keep going up ahead for about ten minutes there seems to be a space without trees."
Steffanie then screamed up to him," Then get your sorry arse down here so we can head out."
"Only if you promise to not be made about me and Steff." Mark shouted while starting his decent.
"Not on your life Mark, get down here so I can give you a proper bruise that you can go ahead and name whatever you want." Steffanie shouted upward to him while looking for the rock she had earlier dropped.
"Lets just start ahead and they can catch up after whatever excuse for courting these events count for." Jort said while laughing and starting to move the cart up the path, Vanessa and Hayes followed along with a good laugh at the antics of Mark dodging the small stones and branches.
Just as Mark had said only after a couple minutes of traveling the group saw a small clearing. It already had a half together fire pit. Jort took out their supplies as Hayes looked around the site collecting whatever branches or stones he thought could be used to make the fire or camp. Vanessa started to prepare the last of their food rations that would only last them another three meals until they would have to resupply. Luckily tomorrow they would be in Trery and be able to resupply there.
Eventually Mark and Vanessa rejoined the group with Mark having a new red mark in his face. They all did there part to set up camp and within the hour they were by the fire eating some delicious stew made by Vanessa while listening to a story from Mark. He always loved to here the stories of the adventures when they passed by and he was now telling the tale of how a wizard beat a basilisk by creating a plane of ice to make it turn itself into stone.
As the sun starts to fall down and before Mark can start a new story Hayes stands up. "I will take first watch then follows Mark and Jort, and taking final watch will be the girls. Everybody make sure to sleep well tomorrow we begin our GRAND ADVENTURE."