Strolling beside the pathfinder, Cronk unwittingly let his hand drift to the hilt of his sword - a nervous tick of his. He wasn't used to places like these. The buildings were too rectangular, the streets too windy, and the colors all to dull in their uniformity, and it was writhing underneath his skin.

"Are you sure this is the best time to exit the city?" Cronk asked, looking up at the faded marmalade sky, "navigating in the dark isn't easy".

"I know a lot more about this land than you Northerner, it will be fine". Feeling another question arising from Cronk's lips the Pathfinder put forward one of his own. "Do you know how Pathfinders function, why we do our job so well? It's because we know a thing or two about a thing or two, and I can only assume that's the reason you want to become one of us". Pausing for a moment he continued "So I want to know how much you know. How much I'll need to teach you".

Not fully understanding the man's ramblings Cronk creased his eyebrows and slowly nodded "Okay. What do you need to know".

"What does it take for an organism to survive?" Vigil quickly shot of his question, expecting an immediate answer.

"The ones who are strong enough to kill their prey"

"No, can a strong organism gather food if they don't know where it is"

"The ones who know where to gather food"

"No, just because you know where to gather food doesn't mean you can"

Frowning now he continued "The ones who gather enough food"

"You're thinking too narrowly" the man sighed "survival isn't a single dimension"

Clenching his teeth Cronk threw his hands up in defeat "Fine then, what does it take for an organism to survive".

"No, you have to figure that on your own" Vigil said as he waved a dismissive hand in the Northerner's direction.

Despite his relatively calm exterior, with only his jaws clenched, Cronk was raging. He simply didn't know what the man wanted. He was a teacher, so why wasn't he teaching. Vigil thoughts of a completely different kind, the answers he had given had disappointed him, yes, but they weren't the worst he had heard. The Uare trip would probably show the Northerner what the answer was.

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***

About an hour later the two were somewhere inside the eastern part of the Kiver forest, named after the country's first king - just like the five other Kiver forests. This particular Kiver forest was split in two by a large stream about thirty feet across and twenty feet deep on average. The stream held several colonies of Uare along its banks.

Vigil lead the way, a large lantern held high, lighting the way in front of him. Seeing the stream's slow rapids at the tip of the halo of light the pathfinder set off to work. Rope, a small blue fish, a sturdy branch, and five minutes created a shabby makeshift fishing rod. Handing it to Cronk Vigil placed the lantern on the edge of the creek and sat down.

"I don't think this is a very good pole for fishing. There's no hook or anything". Cronk said as he twisted and turned the pole. He examined the small blue fish for a moment, it scales reflected the small amount of light of the lantern and looked much like running water would.

Another sigh exiting Vigil's lips he pointed at the stream, "You'll see in a moment, all you need to do is hold it a good four or five feet over the water".

An uneasy feeling filled Cronk as he saw the Pathfinders smile - it felt liked he was being fooled, but he did what he was told. After thirty minutes Cronk's eyes started to flutter, his mind groggy. Turning to the pathfinder he called out "Hey you want to trade spots?" To which the usual "No" responded. Turning back his previous weariness dispersed and the rod was jerked to the side as a large blur shot out of the stream, grabbed the fish, and slammed back into the river - taking the rod with it.

One second passed, then two, and finally three before Cronk registered what he just saw. The speed it held, the force that the rod endured. Even if he was paying full attention, in a stance, and had a tighter grip he doubted he'd be able to hold it. He doubted that even he and the pathfinder would be able to hold it with combined strength. Face paling he finally realized the implications.

Turning to the Pathfinder he stuttered slightly as he pointed towards the river "Was that an Uare"

A large smile plastered on Vigil'ls face as he responded "Yep"

Cronk took in a deep breath in hopes of calming himself, but it failed. All the unknowns were building on him. "Okay that was nice, but if this was to tell me not to get in over my head I get it. Let's go back to town now".

As Cronk started to stomp away he felt his feet tangle in something and give way.

"No" the man spoke, "this is to test something else entirely".

Looking down at his feet Cronk saw a large net and, entangled within the net, a rope.

"You're next step is to cross the river and catch one of those Uare".

Headache forming Cronk looked around for a bridge or a rock formation that he had not previously seen but found none. Already knowing the answer he grit his teeth and asked: "Don't suppose there's a bridge around here".

"No, you'll be swimming across".

***

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Forgot to put my upload schedule.  I'm very busy with school, so I'll probaly only be uploading once or twice a week.  What I want to know is this:  Do y'all want me to post the chapters every week or post them all at once when I've caught up to the main story.