Everything was hazy. Grey could hear, see of feeling anything. Where was he? What had happened? How did it get this way?

As questions continued to muddle his thoughts, his eyes began to adjust to his surroundings, picking up the faint shadows of movements. Though blurry, his vision slowly returned to him as he began to recognize the face of a woman looking down at him. She was familiar as was her beauty, though he wasn’t sure how he knew her.

Something was clearly upsetting her, as Grey could see her mouth was moving, frantically trying to utter something, though he couldn’t understand a single word she spoke. Whatever it was it must have been important, because it appeared she kept repeating the same thing over and over again. If only he was able to read lips, then maybe he might understand.

As the woman grew more frantic in her attempt to speak, Grey noticed tears form in corner of her eyes, welling until they eventually spilled out and streaked down the sides her cheeks. Something about seeing that made Grey upset. She had far too pretty of a face to be crying like that. What he wouldn’t do to see her smile instead.

Grey’s vision began to darken once more, as the woman’s crying face slowly faded from view. He didn’t want to see her go, and as his vision was left in darkness his mind refused forget her face. He could still see her so clearly, but even the memory of her started to slip away . Soon he found himself alone, surrounded by darkness as his thoughts began to scatter, all the while still fighting to remember that woman's face.

He didn’t want this. He wanted to see her. He wanted wake up. He needed to wake up. He had to…

...wake up.

Grey shot up in a cold sweat. His hands were shaking as he gripped at his chest. Taking a moment to steady himself, he took in a deep breath and exhaled. It was only a dream.  

“Another one?”

Grey turned to find Zeke sitting in a chair besides his bed. He was dressed in casual attire consisting of a light green tunic with tan leggings. Looking around Grey realized he wasn’t in his bed at the barracks, but was in Zeke’s room.

Adjusting to the unfamiliar surroundings Grey worked up a response.

“Yeah.”

“You know the other men complain about how often you wake up at night. Even Kai began mentioning it to me before he...” Zeke paused, deciding to change the topic.

“Which one was it? The man in the cage again?”

“No, this was new. I was lying on the ground, barely unable to move or see when I notice Amelia crying over me. At least I think it was her.”

Zeke reclined back in his seat. “They’re becoming more frequent.”

Grey nodded. “What do you think it means?”

“Not sure, but there must be something to it, I mean they started happening when…” Zeke paused, lowering his voice before continuing. “...she returned.”

Grey knew how cautious Zeke was when it came to the subject of Amelia. Speaking about what had happened had become a taboo topic, especially when back at The Hunters Keep. Zeke was always concerned about being overheard, and often refused to discuss anything concerning the event two years prior. For Grey who had joined The Order to find answers, the secrecy had often been agonizing to deal with.

Not a day had gone by in the last two years where Grey hadn’t thought about what happened. Being captured by Jule, rescued by Zeke, meeting Amelia. He had wanted answers, yet Zeke made him swear to keep what happened quiet. Grey wasn’t an idiot, he understood why. He knew the importance of keeping secrets, especially with around The Order around.

What little information Grey had obtained in his time among The Hunters came from The Order’s history. The Hunter Order had been established in a time when humans and giants were at war. A time in which all humans feared the name of Amelia. Amelia  was Queen of the Giants during that time and her power and ferocity were things of legends, even among her own kind. Her war had cost of the lives of thousands of humans, being the single greatest catastrophe in recent memory. The Hunter Order was a faction of humans trained in tactics for the specific purpose of slaying giants. But even with The Order’s overall successes, humanity still could not hope to match the giant’s single most powerful advantage. Their magic.

The War unofficially ended after the supposed “death” of Queen Amelia. Various rumors concerning her death popped up around that time. The human lower class believed that she was slain by a nameless warrior who sacrificed everything in order to kill her, according to giant legends many believed she had perished due a stillbirth that proved fatal. The most accepted theory is she simply became ill during the midsts of her campaign and succumbed to it. The only certain thing was that upon her death the throne was inherited by her niece. Apparently giant’s had a matriarchal monarchy; something Grey remembered Jule explaining to him during their encounter.

Even after the thrones succession there were people that still believed Amelia was somehow alive. After all in the entirety of recorded history there was never a giant said to be as powerful as her. This lead to a theory held by a select few that she had never truly died, but instead used her magic to keep herself alive and that one day she would return. This was a rumor The Hunter Order believed possible, and if that fateful day were to arrive she would need to be killed before she could bring about a second war. This was the objective of given to those highest in command of The Order, and the mission to be undertaken by it’s most elite hunters, in this case The Trinity. It was also the order Zeke chose to forsake.

“What do you think these dreams mean?” Grey asked after a moment.

“I’m not sure, some people claim dreams can carry prophecies of the future, but I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions.”

Zeke ran his fingers through his hair, at a loss.

“Honestly this is one of those rare occasions where I’d welcome Trinity’s advice. She knows far more about this sorta thing than I do. Whatever it is we can figure it out later. I came to bring you to the trial.”

Grey paused, looking down at at his sheets.

“I had almost forgotten… did Nia?”

“She should be finishing up now, I left early in order to get you ready.”

“How’d it go?”

“Well, she told us the truth.”

The physical discomfort Grey expressed told Zeke everything he needed to know about that statement.

“If it makes you feel any better, she tried arguing for you.”

“Hopefully that’ll be enough.”

Throwing off his sheets, Grey got out of bed.

“I set some clothes aside for, I’ll be outside when your ready.” Zeke said as he made his way for the door, leaving Grey alone in the room.

In the pile of clothes Zeke had laid out for him were a beige tunic, pair of dark pants and a set of boots. Grey didn’t waste any time as he dressed himself. He wanted nothing more than to get today over with. The fact that they were calling it a trial only made the process all the more intimidating. Fully clothed and as ready as he could be, Grey opened the door, finding Zeke out in the hall.

Zeke’s room as well as the rooms of many of the other high members of the Order were located in an moderately sized castle on the westernmost front of The Kingdom. It was the only structure of it’s kind built this close to the border of giant territory. Before the war the land had been a part of an old Duchy, the castle belonging to the Duke. The castle sat on the top of a hill surrounded by large stone walls that encompassed a courtyard with stables, barracks, and even a few small builds once used to house servants and their families. Many of the nearby towns-including one set at the base of the hill-were apart of the Duchy before the war. During the war giants rampaged through the countryside, and the Duke’s land was the first to suffer casualties. After The Hunter Order was established The King granted them access to the castle as well as some of the immediate land surrounding it which included the town, seeing as most of its residents and the even the Duke himself had been devoured. The Hunter’s proceeded to refortify the castle, and soon even the nearby town was restored and populated and provided somewhat of a trading post where many of hunters would spend their time off.

Zeke nudged Grey as they approached their destination. A set of two large oak doors stood before them, each with a hunter stationed on either side. They acted in unison, each moving forward and opening the door as they approached, allowing Grey to a look inside the main room.

The room had once been a throne room where the Duke would sit and hear the requests of his people. Now it had been outfitted for a different purpose. A large ovular desk similar to a podium with six chairs was stationed at the center, with all but one currently occupied with a different member of the council.

In the first seat was the only man Grey did not recognize. He was a robust man with a shaved head and wearing what appeared to be an expensive doublet. Next to him sat Master Arlen, an older man with white beard dressed in worn gray robes. Grey had met Arlenon his first day at The Keep, he was the keeper of knowledge and often met with new recruits to add their records to the archives. Sitting in the middle left seat was an imposing figure, short dark hair and wearing a leather jerkin. Though only having seen him on few occasions Grey recognized him immediately. He was Jerrick the current Grand Master of The Order. Sitting at his side was Barron, garbed in his plated armor and costume crimson cloak. The two of them together looked almost like twins, with Barron’s graying hair being the most noteworthy difference, which was odd seeing as Jerrick was supposedly the older of the two. In the last occupied seat was Trinity. Trinity was young, beautiful with fair skin and long lavender hair which always grabbed attention where she went. She fashioned herself with silver jewelry and wore a purple dress dark enough to contrast with her hair and an opening that revealed a generous amount of cleavage. Zeke had once told him that she apparently padded her chest to make them stand out, but no one in The Order was brave enough to ask let alone check to see if this were true.

Sitting before the rest of the council in a single chair facing the podium was Nia.

“Huntress Nia you are dismissed. You may return to your quarters as you please.”

Nia stood from her chair and began making her way to the back of the room. Zeke clasped Grey on the shoulder, before moving to take his seat at the empty chair besides Trinity.

Taking in a deep breath Grey made his way to the center of the room. He watched as Nia walked towards him, a slight limp in her step. She must still be recovering from her injury, and watching her walk Grey couldn’t help but feel responsible. As they passed each other Nia avoided his gaze, instead muttering something quietly to him as she walked.

“I’m sorry.”

“Well that's reassuring.”

Grey wanted to stop but realizing he was in front of the council he wasted no time in getting to his seat. He could feel his nerves getting the better of him. Living in the city Grey was always afraid that one day he would be put on trial for his crimes. Here he was having put his old life behind him only to end up on trial anyway.

“Well at least I don’t need to worry about getting my hands chopped off... I hope.”

“Grey Nersin.” Jerrick announced as Grey took a seat. “You have been brought here before the council in order to review your actions during the last mission. What you say now will determine your future with our Order. As a Hunter of the Order we expect you to answer all of our inquiries honestly and with the proper respect. Do you understand?”

Grey nodded.

“Very well, before we proceed there are a few things I would like to address.”

Jerrick pulled out a few documents he had prepared and laid them out on the table. Reaching into the pocket of his jerkin he retrieved a set of glasses and put them on as he began to read.

“The records we have concerning your history are dubious at best. No real documentation exists claiming your citizenship to our kingdom. The best we have is a record of birth, and later presumed death after a…”

Jerricked paused. He adjusted his spectacles as he read further into the report, taking a moment of silence before continuing.

“well... an incident involving your hometown. Besides this there are a few documents concerning the arrests of a man matching your description, all convicted of petty crimes warranting only minimal punishment. Each one appearing to be using different aliases.”

Grey was speechless. How had they manage to dig up all these documents? Grey had put some much time and care in hiding any piece of evidence that could link back to him, yet here they were pulling up files like it were nothing.

“Now then,” Jerrick continued. ”such documents are not uncommon for recruits within this Order, but what makes yours a unique case is unlike most who join as a form of evading a heavy sentence, you joined out of your own free will. Am I correct in all of this?”

“Allegedly.” Grey responded with the first word that came to mind.

Jerrick did not appear pleased with that answer.

“Well then, I guess I'll get skip straight to the point. Grey, what reason brought you to join The Hunters?”

“I joined because...”

Grey needed to take a moment to think. There were many reasons he joined. He wanted answers for what happened to Amelia. Zeke suggested there might have something special about him and the hunters could help find out what. But there was something a lot more simple about to it. Going back as far as when he was a child and a giant attack his town, giants had always been this large unstoppable force in Grey’s mind, and becoming a hunter seemed like the only way to oppose that force. In a way it was very similar to the why Grey turned to stealing. It was a way to not only  a way to survive but also a way to strike back at society for all of its unfair rules. Grey knew he couldn’t tell them about Amelia, but that didn’t mean he had to lie.

“You saw the reports concerning my town?” Grey asked

Jerrick didn’t even give the documents a second glance before nodded knowingly.

“You needn’t say anymore. Moving on there is one more thing I would like to know, that is the nature of your relationship with Zeke.”

With that question many of the other council members grew interested, but none more so than Trinity, who couldn’t help but say something.

“I think we all know why Zeke recruited his conjugal friend.”

The council’s attention shifted to Trinity’s side of the table, not just because of what she said but to see Zeke’s reaction. Grey saw Jerrick visibly sigh as he took off his glasses, Zeke immediately preparing fire back.

“You want to say that again Witch?”

Trinity’s lips pursued into a faint smile.

”Oh please Zeke, this isn’t the first hunter you’ve had ‘nock your bow’ for you.”

Zeke shot up from his seat. “Watch your mouth harlot! I would never-”

“Careful.” Trinity said cutting him off. “Don’t start tickling me with your lies.”

Zeke paused, and Grey was surprised to even see him start to pale.

“You didn’t?”

“Quit your bickering, the both of you.” Barron shouted. “Grey is supposed to be the one on trial here and so far he has shown more manners than the both of you together. Your council members, start acting like it.”

“Of course, my apologies Lord Barron.” Trinity responded in what was easily masked as an apologetic tone.

Yet something about their interaction struck Grey as odd. Zeke’s sudden concern implied she had done something, and more than that it appeared as if Trinity was implying that Zeke was...

“Now then.” Jerrick continued. “Before we were rudely interrupted, how do you know Zeke?”

“Well we grew up together.” Grey answered honestly. “The two of us were a part of a group orphans that lived outside the city gate. After my home was destroyed I wandered the roads until the other kids found me. We were all orphans one way or another so they took  me in. Zeke was one of the older boys who knew how to hunt and fish. He often taught the younger kids and was something like an older brother to us. One day Zeke and a couple other older kids went into the city to find work. That was the last I saw of him until… a couple years ago when he got me out of some trouble I was in.”

“Trouble?” Jerrick couldn’t help but inquire.

“Yeah, I got into some trouble with some guys over a debt. Zeke helped me out of it and after some catching up he asked if I wanted to join.”

Grey noticed as Jerrick looked to Trinity. Trinity pretended not to notice but Grey could tell she was fully aware. She made a subtle gesture with her hand as if dismissing something, a gesture so subtle that a less observant person would have easily missed. But the second she did, their eyes broke away as if the exchange had never happened.

“Thank you for your cooperation Grey. That will be all from me. Barron, if you would care to proceed?”

Barron answered with a quick nod.

“Let us waste no time then. Grey, the day of the mission your group was given strict orders to stay in hiding and not engage the giant. According to the reports from Huntress Nia both Kai and yourself made the decision to go against orders. Please explain to us your reason for your actions.”

“Well…” Grey began as he started to form an answer. ”we were taking cover behind the treeline outside the village. We were close enough to still be able to observe the giant while we waited for other hunters. Kai was the first to suggest we go, confident that with Zeke’s training our group was more than capable enough to handle it on our own. Nia as you know was reluctant, and voted to wait-”

“And you convinced her to do otherwise.” Barron stated.

“-‘I’ said that we did something we would first need a plan.

“Kai suggested that we charge in and take her by surprise. I told him that plan would get us all killed. If we were going to take out the giant we’d need a plan that involved the three of us working together. Yes I did try to convince Nia to help us but only because I knew it would take all three of us to pull it off. At no point did I force her to go along.”

“You still came up with a plan to go against orders. Why didn’t you just wait?”

“Because from where we waited, we could hear everything.” Grey answered bluntly. “I couldn’t allow myself to sit back and listen to people screaming, knowing I had been trained to help them.”

Despite not saying anything directly, Grey could feel that his answer pleased most of the the council.

“Very good.” Barron said, sounding almost earnest. ”Moving on to our next point.”

Barron motioned to Arlen who passed him a paper which Barron briefly skimmed over.

”I would like to review the details of your plan. Nia’s report state that it went as follows,

“she was to draw the giant’s attention and lead her to your position, while you and Kai waited for an ambush. Kai was to strike at the giants heels, while you found a vantage point on the roof of a building. Kai was to cut the giants achilles tendon bringing her to her knees, while you would leap from your perch to strike at the giant’s throat after she fell.”

Barron paused for a moment as he reviewed the paper. Appearing almost impressed.  

“All in all, not a poor plan, especially for your first day in the field. But things didn’t go as expected. Nia ended up getting injured before the giant was in position, but there is one detail from her reports I am particularly interested in Grey.

“Despite the situation getting out of hand, you were still presented with an opportunity to kill the giant. According to Nia’s report you leapt from the building and suddenly... ‘froze’. Care to explain what happened?”

Grey knew exactly what happened. In that most critical moment he had seen Jule in that giant. He knew it wasn’t her yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it all the same. But there was no way he would be able to tell Barron that, say he came up with a lie.

“I guess my nerves got the better of me.” Grey answered trying to sound ashamed of what happened. Barron nodded opening his mouth to continue.

“And there it is.” Trinity interrupted.  “This whole time you’ve been dancing around with so many half truths I was afraid I wasn’t going to get a chance to catch you. But you’ve finally done. You’ve lied.”

Grey’s heart sank as each of the council members turned to him. Jerrick and Barron’s disappointment seemed to be clear, while the others looked at him quizzically. The exception was Zeke, who seemed to ashamed of something, what exactly that was only made Grey more concerned. It seemed as if all of the good will he had been trying to earn throughout the trial had been snatched away at the last moment.

“Well don’t you look confused? Good. I was afraid Zeke might have tipped you off.” Trinity continued gleefully.

“I swore I wouldn’t and I didn’t.” Zeke said quietly.

Trinity couldn’t help but appear disappointed.

“Apparently so, otherwise I would have just found out.”

Zeke shot her a sharp look.

“So you did cast one on me.”

“Oh please Zeke. Why wouldn’t I? You’re on review here almost as much as he is.”

Grey realized Trinity could see he was lost, as she smiled and began to explain herself.

“Allow me to explain what's been going on. Magic when utilized correctly can have all sorts of applications. For example a spell that allows me to detect when a person is lying, which is exactly what I’ve been casting on you throughout the trial.”

“I will ask again.” Barron repeated. “What happened Grey? The truth this time.”

“I… I…”

Grey stuttered struggling to find the words. The council was on him now, watching with disapproving eyes. What was he supposed to say now?

“...I didn’t want to hurt her?”

“You didn’t want to hurt her...” Barron uttered. “She was a giant!” He yelled as his voice erupted in anger.

“She is exactly what you’ve been trained to kill!” Barron continued. “A giant knows no compassion and would never show you the same courtesy. They are blood hungry beasts that take human life without a moment's hesitation. Your teammate Kai ended up learning this the hard way due to your actions. With everything that monster did, not to mention what ‘they’ did to you, I would have expected you understand not to have empathy for the enemy!”

“Not to interrupt your little lesson here Lord Barron.” Trinity began, halting his rant. “But it appears Grey has only given us another partial truth. There is more about this than he’s letting on.”

At this moment Trinity turned to Jerrick.

“With permission I could perhaps force the truth out of him.”

While Trinity proposed her offer, it was apparent that Zeke would not have it, as he shot from his seat once more, grabbing Trinity by the wrist.

“Listen here witch!” Zeke shouted. “If you lay so much as a finger on him i’ll-”

Trinity pulled her wrist free. All of the amusement she had been having with this trial was gone in an instance. In a quick and sudden motion she stood up from her seat, catching Zeke off guard and meeting his gaze on equal footing.

“Never. Touch me. Again.”

The council room fell silent as Trinity returned to her seat. Zeke was left standing, looking almost petrified. With a snap of her fingers Zeke jerked back nearly tumbling over himself and breathing heavily. Grey was terrified, whatever Trinity had done to him was so fast he hadn't even caught it. Jerrick having had enough with the intrusions spoke up.

“Zeke in order to refrain from anymore distractions I would ask that you avoid speaking until the end of the trial.”

“No.” Barron interrupted. “This perfectly demonstrates another issue we’ve been having.

“Zeke, you’ve been losing focus lately. Since Grey’s acceptance into The Order it seems that his training had become your top priority. I was willing to overlook it for a time, but now that his training is over you’ve demonstrated what I feared would happen. You’ve started putting his safety over your responsibilities.”

“I’ve done everything in my power to uphold my duties as a hunter and would never-”

“Now that felt like a lie.” Trinity said.

“I… I wouldn’t-” Zeke began defensively.

“You forget what you’ve cost us Zeke.” Barron continued. “Last mission you were given orders to help us capture a giant that would have been instrumental in turning the tides of recent events. Instead you choose to slay the giant, believing it would be the quickest solution in order for you to return to Grey’s side. Would you like to claim otherwise?”

Zeke gave a quick look to Trinity as she smiled deviously his way.

“No.” he answered defeated.

“Then I think we’ve heard enough.”

“I think we’ve all heard enough.” Jerrick agreed. “We will now determine Grey’s future with The Order. Hunter Zeke.” Jerrick said turning to him.

”Due to your personal relationship with Grey you shall not be allowed to partake in this vote. I hope you understand. The vote will determine whether or not Grey will be allowed to stay and continue as a Hunter within The Order. Viceroy Octus you may start us off.”

“I’ll vote no.” the man said sounding eager to be done with the trial.

Master Arlen was the next to vote. “I’m afraid my vote is the same.” the old man answered.

Jerrick motioned for Barron to continue, who answered swiftly with a “No”.

Trinity leaned back in her chair, clasping her hands together as the vote fell on her. With a spiteful smile she answered

“Certainly not.”

Jerrick looked across the council and nodded.

“Hunter Grey by a unanimous decision it has been decided. Effective immediately you will no longer hold the rank of hunter.” Jerrick paused a moment, allowing the decision to set in before continuing. “We thank you for your service and due to the nature of your recruitment you are free to go as you wish. Gather your belongings, and on behalf of the Hunters Order I wish you the best on your travels.”

Turning to his fellow council members Jerrick stood to address them. “I hereby conclude this trial, you are all dismissed.”

Grey rose without saying a word before making a swift exit. The guards opened it without question as he hurried down the hall, trying process what had just happened. It wasn’t long before Grey he could hear Zeke calling back from behind him as he raced to catch up.

“Grey, slow down!”

Grey forced himself to stop. It didn’t take Zeke long to catch up, as he came jogging alongside him.

“Listen I know this is difficult but take a moment to think before running off. Yes your no longer a hunter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay. I have plenty of room here to accommodate you.”

“Zeke… I don’t think I would be comfortable with that.”

“What?” Zeke sounded confused. “Wait, is this about what Trinity said, Grey don’t listen a single thing that bitch-”

“No, Zeke. I don’t care about that. Living in the slum you meet… all sorts of types. You kinda learn to live and let live. That’s not the issue. I don’t think I can stay here, because it just won’t feel right. I’ve spent two years training to become a hunter, staying would just remind me that I failed.”

“Where will you go then?”

“I...” Grey paused. “I don’t know.”

For the first time in a long time, Grey felt lost. Becoming a hunter had been all he had cared about for so long, now that it was over he realized he lacked any sort of plan B.

He could always go back to being a thief. It was what he did for so long and he was good at. The only reason he stopped was because he got in trouble with “Smiling Jack”. Grey knew Jack was not a person to let things go even after this long, but his goons must have certainly lost his trail by now. If he kept his head down and moved to one of the smaller towns or cities he might make a decent living. Hell at least all of his training wouldn’t be for nothing. Now that he knew how to wield a sword and had been thrown through more endurance obstacles then he could count, he was in peak physical condition. Throwing down in a street brawl or scaling over a high fence would be nothing compared to dealing with giants. But while the urge to return to old habits was tempting Grey knew he was better than that now. He had a chance to completely turn his life around, be something else.

He could maybe move out to country, something Grey had never really thought about. His training with the hunters had freshened up his survival skills, and while he was no Zeke he was still pretty capable with a bow. When he was a child he was too young to consider it, but perhaps he could spend the rest of his days being a different kind of hunter. Setting up camps, living in the forest, hunting wild boars and deer. He would use what he needed and travel to the nearest town to sell the rest. He wouldn’t have to worry about Jack finding him being far from The Capital and always moving. Maybe one day he’d even save up enough to buy a house. Hell with enough time he could even build himself one. Something about settling down in a cozy log cabin appealed to him, he could practically see it. Sitting by the fire, stewing venison in a large pot. Maybe he’d even find a nice girl and start a family. Just live out his days a simple with a simple life. But as appealing as it was, something about it didn’t sit right. As if a part of him was saying,

This isn’t the life meant for you.

Grey knew. He couldn’t live like that. He had lived most his life surviving each day as it came. As much as he convinced himself that he was working towards a cozier life he knew there was no way he could give up his old urges. Being a thief, becoming a hunter, those were lives where the thrill of danger made the living so much more exciting. Perhaps he didn’t want to be a thief any longer, but there was no way he could simply let go and live a quiet life

“Well at the very least stay until you’ve figured things out.” Zeke pleaded.

Grey hesitated. “Fine, but only until I’ve figure things out.”

“That's all I ask.” Zeke said relieved. “You had me worried for a moment. For now, let's go gather your things and we can discuss more later.”

Grey agreed and the two of them made their way towards the barracks. Grey didn’t have much when he arrived, most of his belongings such as his weapons and armor were all provided by The Order. Grey himself had only had a small handful of items when he joined. A travel sack, a worn out hunting bow which was probably in poor condition, a hunting knife, a belt, quiver, water skin, and a set of old worn sewn up clothes that he had been wearing when Zeke first taken him in. The clothes he had thrown out ages ago; burn patches from acid and fabric stinking of stomach bile didn’t go over well when around other people. Zeke had managed to supply him with a new set of clothes, leagues better than any of the old rags he used to wear and that was even before they had been ingested.  

As Grey and Zeke reached the barracks Grey couldn’t help but let his mind wander. It was odd, despite his initial reaction of being dismissed from The Order, Grey couldn’t help but feel a slight bit of relief. It was as if he had just been freed from something he didn’t realize he wanted to be free from. The world was open to go wherever he wanted. The question that lingered was what did he want to do?

Something you should have done a long time ago.

It hit him suddenly. How had he not thought of it sooner, it was like the answer was dangling in front of his face yet he only seen it just now.

He had started his training for one reason. One reason that had since been tossed to the side as he focused on becoming a hunter. He had joined The Hunters in order to get answers, answers he still didn’t have. Answers about Amelia, giantkind, and why he kept having the same dreams almost every night. But those answers weren’t here with the Hunters, they were back where he had began, with Amelia and Jule. If he was ever going to figure anything out he needed to return to them, return back to The Giantlands.

It was all beginning to come together, and Grey could feel his mood improving. He was no longer distraught about being kicked out of The Order, but instead determined to get back to what mattered. He just needed to figure out how he was going to proceed.

While Grey was training he wasn’t completely idle in his search for answers. During his time at The Keep he had seen maps created by scouts detailing The Kingdom and Giant Territory alike. These maps had routes taken by past hunters that were usually safe to follow and where giant sightings were most prominent as well as the location of giant settlements. In his own curiosity Grey had once deduced the area where Jule’s home most likely was, being separated from the usual giant settlements had made it difficult to place be he was sure he had found it. If he got his hands on a map he was sure he could get there, but finding Jule’s home would be the least of his problems. Food, water and equipment would all be vitally important if he wanted to take this journey.

While Grey had some money stowed away it was hardly enough to fund such an endeavor, and all his old equipment was in too poor of condition to be useful. His hunting bow and knife might last him a little while longer, but with no arrows and a lack of other supplies that wouldn’t mean much.

Grey began to take in his surroundings, examining the fort’s yard for any answer. He kept track of the buildings they encountered as he began to form a plan. The Keep held all the things he needed. The Armory, Mess Hall, and Storage Room, held all the things that were important for taking on journeys such as the one Grey intended to make. There was one issue, with Grey no longer being a hunter most of these supplies would be inaccessible to him. Fortunately that dilemma had a very simple answer.

As Zeke helped Grey gather his things Grey felt a tinge of remorse. Zeke had done so much for him, but he knew there was no way in hell he’d allow Grey to go through with this plan. He wanted Grey to stay and figure things out and he had. Grey knew the longer he stayed the harder options to leave would be, he would have to leave tonight. Before Zeke or anybody had a chance to stop him. It was time to put his old skills to the test.

“Let’s see if I still got the lucky touch.”