While he acquired guidance in the art of archery and magic, it wasn’t a one-sided trade; on a spring day a week into the twins’ stay, he brought them to the lake. He had extra fishing rods ready, letting Astrid and Otto wield the water-faring tool as they each sat by the calm lake.
"So...I just toss the hook out?" Astrid asked, looking at the wooden rod as though it were a completely foreign concept.
Otto fiddled with the bait attached to the end, scrunching his nose in slight distaste, "It seems a bit...old-fashioned?"
"Is fishing not done in your homeland?" Noah asked curiously, watching the confusion of his guests.
"Well...Not really? Fish aren’t commonly eaten in Leveria. Though when they are, the catchers use water magic to scoop them out," Astrid answered, recalling as she looked up.
"That sounds convenient, but I think that takes the joy out of it, y’know?" Noah said. "Sometimes, you just have to do things the simple, inefficient way."
While they certainly tried their best, neither of the twins seemed to have the knack for the art of catching fish, as Astrid’s rod nearly flung out of her hands at the slightest pull. It was better than what the mage’s brother experienced, as a total lack of a bite at all only seemed to stoke his competitive spirit.
"Hah! Got one!" Otto claimed, huffing and wiping sweat from his chin, hoisting up his catch.
"Good job," Noah complimented.
"Err, when you say it...It doesn’t feel right," Otto mumbled, looking at the spoils right beside the humble figure.
"It’s amazing and a bit...scary?" Astrid laughed when looking upon the colossal pile of fishing spoils.
While the mage had caught a couple of her own, Noah managed to acquire a whole mountain of spoils from the lake, from fish, crabs, and even to forgotten treasures, most of which he returned.
After a full week of stay, Otto and Astrid woke on the bright morning to complete rejuvenation; no wounds were left, and their energy replenished to full.
"Looks like you’re both ready to go," Noah remarked, seeing them at the table eating their breakfast of fruit and bread.
"Not just us," Otto said with a mouthful.
Astrid waited until she swallowed the sweet fruit to add, "You’re coming too, aren’t you? You said you’ve never been into Tiras."
"I suppose I did agree to something like that, didn’t I?" Noah recalled with a slight huff, scratching his head.
"Yeah!" Otto celebrated, pumping his fist in the air.
The twins shared a high five as if the very concept of him coming along was something worth triumph, though he only gave them a slight smile in their early morning theatrics.
"How far is it from here, anyway?" Noah asked.
Otto tapped his chin in thought, "Well, I’d say we left about...three nights before we ended up in the forest here."
"It’s not that bad though, as long as we stick to the main path!" Astrid assured.
He wasn’t concerned about the length of the hike, only the supplies needed as he grabbed the leather backpack set against the table, "Well, I’ll pack and then we can head out. Might as well make use of the daylight we have."
Of course, food was the priority in his bag, though he also brought rope–he wasn’t sure what for exactly, only that rope was never quite a bad idea. Slinging the backpack on, he grabbed his axe and headed out the front door into the lush, green valley.
"Alright, heading north?" Noah reminded himself, pointing his axe where the sun rose, leading the way.
The twins chipperly followed right beside him, with Otto just behind him to his left, and Astrid to the right. Instead of simply hauling the axe around, he slipped the handle between the straps of his pack, freeing his hands as he looked ahead towards the distant mountains.
He never traveled far out from his home in his few months in the new world, only going as far as the length of the lake. Past that, it was all fresh scenery to him. There was a main road, though it was hardly unkempt, nothing more than a dirt path mostly neighbored by trees and shrubs.
Beneath the everpresent shine of sunlight, it felt like walking through a transient garden, passing by colorful flowers that naturally bloomed by the road.
The journey through the calm valley of Issum led into a passage between the mountains, with the sun eventually setting. It was almost difficult to tell at first that the day had fallen, as the carpet of trees that scaled the colossal formations acted like a ceiling of nature.
"We should stop here for the night," Otto recommended, looking upward.
A small spot some ways off the main road was found, hidden behind the trees with a small clearing at the base of the mountain.
He set his pack down, grabbing his axe as he set his sights on the surrounding trees. With eyes like that of a jeweler that could decipher the twinkles of gems, he found the best pillar of wood to bring down.
"Oh, you don’t have to do all that, we can just find some stray logs–" Astrid called out from behind.
[Timber Savant] [B-Rank Woodcutting Skill]
He swung his axe towards the chosen tree without a word, using a single motion to split it into perfectly portioned logs. It looked as if the tree had gone through a machine, set into such neatly-rounded pieces.
["Axe Mastery" Proficiency Up +1] [189/999]
["Woodcutting" Proficiency Up +1] [201/999]
"Or...you can just do that," Astrid mumbled in awe.
The twins watched as the freshly-chopped wood was tossed into the center of their makeshift camp.
Otto laughed, sitting on a log, "I’m assuming that was a skill you learned while living out here?"
"Maybe the axe is enchanted?" Astrid questioned, sitting across.
Noah laughed it off as the fire was born, seating himself, "It comes from a lot of repetition. Well, it’s also just a unique gift of mine, I guess."
The nights in spring were cold, leaving a campfire a near necessity, if nothing else than for comfort. From the supply, he chose his dinner to be a half-loaf of bread and a sweet fruit, as did the twins.
While Astrid seemed happy to bite into the juicy fruit, Otto looked a bit disappointed by the toughness of the bread.
"...If I’m being honest, I feel there’s a bit lacking. Like, rabbit, maybe," Otto grumbled.
"Craving meat that badly? Well, I feel ya," Noah agreed with a light exhale.
"We’ve only eaten fish since we came here...I’m grateful, but yeah," Astrid added.
While he wasn’t one to complain, he understood their gripe well enough. The looks he got from the twins were like puppies in the rain, practically begging for a change of meal.
He shrugged, "Guess we can find something out here. I’m guessing our options are limited to rabbits."
"Oh, yeah, leave it to me!" Otto excitedly claimed, jumping to his feet with his bow already grabbed.
"Good luck," Noah said.
The elven archer hurried off into the nightly woods on a mission. He sat there, snacking on bread, finding Astrid sneaking glances at him every now and then.
"Is there something on your mind?" Noah asked before taking another bite, looking right at her.
Astrid kept her knees tucked close to her chest, seeming a bit surprised that he noticed her glances as her pointy ears reddened, "Well, I just...I was curious about you, a bit—ah, I’m sorry!"
"No need to apologize. What were you curious about?" He laughed.
The elf fiddled with her uniform, twiddling the verdant cape between her pale fingers, "You don’t seem much older than us. Still, you’re living out in the middle of nowhere, without any family. If you don’t mind me asking, do you have any family?"
"I do," Noah answered, looking up at the starry sky with a soft smile. "They’re far away from here though."
"In another region?" Astrid asked.
"Something like that," he answered happily. "What about you? It’s hard to imagine a couple of kids being sent out into the world—your parents must trust you both a lot."
"It’s not that..." Astrid said meekly.
"It’s not?"
"It’s more like...we were forced out," Astrid explained, twiddling her thumbs. "In elf culture, you’re expected to be independent early on."
"That’s rough," Noah nodded his head. "You two don’t seem to be doing so bad for yourselves. Except for, y’know, wolverine encounters."
Astrid laughed lightly, "You’re right."
Amidst their conversation, the bushes rustled before the archer emerged with an air of triumph. Otto’s outfit was covered in dirt, with some leaves and branches stuck to his clothes.
In the archer’s hand was a rather large, heinous-looking hare that had already passed, "I...hfff...did it!"
"Erm, good job...?" Noah said hesitantly. "Did you have some trouble?"
Otto immediately scoffed as if the idea was completely impossible, though hardly hit it, "With a hare? No, no trouble...none at all! It was as easy as hitting an apple off a tree!"
The successful, albeit feisty catch of the bowman was set upon the campfire, being cooked thoroughly by the flames. A look of satisfaction was on Otto’s face with each bite he took of the cooked rabbit.
"Now that’s the stuff! Right, Astrid?" Otto asked with a proud smile.
"Mhm," she nodded happily. "It’s great after all that fish–I mean, I’m completely grateful for you feeding us, Noah!"
"No need for that," Noah laughed it off before taking a bite of the cooked critter. "It’s nice to have a bit of variety."