Old Man Jiang approached Ooran and Calistown beforehand and had even gotten their approval. He had ideas but there were other factors he had to take into account, namely, Wu Hai's parents wishes. When he went to wake Wu Hai, he had the intention of sending him off before the afternoon began.
Sitting atop his bed in a meditating position, Wu Hai gripped the towel a little better before it slipped off. He seemed to have filled out his body a bit and everything felt tighter. A knock came at his door, it slowly opened.
"Today, is your day of adulthood. Your brother has come home to visit but remains on his quest. Yours begins, Now." Old Man Jiang couldn't keep help but add a flare of the dramatic to his news. He wanted his disciple to feel motivated. It was time for him to go on his first quest into manhood, its long time tradition and important with the coming of age. The ritual of questing as a coming of age tradition was prominent in nearly all the known regions. Pushing a small spacial ring with some books towards Wu Hai, he humbly accepted although he was sure he had plenty of other items in his own storage.
Wu Hai thought patiently to himself, 'Would it be rude to throw it into the weapon? or should I leave it out for the practice weight?'
He placed it on his finger and kowtowed to his master. "Disciple thanks Master and hopes he will not bring shame upon your teachings." Wu Hai wasn't stupid, he was caught off guard but he had always expected the day to come earlier than his parents imagined. He kowtowed 8 more times before finding his parents before the journey.
Zao Ooran knew he had no heirlooms to pass on but he still gave him a hug and words of advice. "Don't let regret fill your heart, there is a wide world and much to achieve. You've seen our family through a great hardship and will make your mark on the world, of that I am sure. Don't make your Mother cry, come back one day and do not make her wait. Make sure to see your brother before you leave, he would be upset if he missed this chance." Ooran knew, he knew it would be hard to keep his eyes from watering up but still managed to hold them back.
Calistown kissed Wu Hai on the forehead.
He had his weapon on his back and with his parents and master pushing him along, he made it down the road to the edge of Town.
A path led to the Stables by the City Entrance. There, Wu Hai found a mount of appropriate size, an Enormous Water foul. The mount looked more like a Duck however the beast was ample. It was fat and could only run on land or float on water. Its mass exceeded its flight capability and so it was cheap enough and the Stable Master was happy to see it leave his care.
Wu Hai had a mountain of gold, money wasn't a problem and really didn't seem like it could ever be one either. There were no other real choices, he didn't want to get a fire wolf, those were the mark of the Kingdom's elite and drew far too much attention.
Placing the saddle on the Duck, he looked at the City and opened the compartment on the bottom of the oversized Crusher Sheath. When he placed the wooden cube inside and closed it, it lifted The Duck a bit off the ground and Wu Hai grabbed onto the reins. The duck felt its weight decrease significantly and it's instincts took over, it started into a blurry run and jumped into the air.
The Duck forget to flap its wings, it landed with a soft bounce, then tried again. Within a few flaps it started to soar into the distance with Zao Wu Hai on its backside. He had to see his brother before he set off on his Adventure. It was important to face ones rival.
Passing among and through the Canyons, Wu Hai came across a camp near the City of Herl. He could see the stabled Firewolves and they could see the Duck. With plenty of barks and howls, the Firewolves were restless enough for the Soldiers to notice the approach.
When the Duck landed its fat ass onto the foyer, everyone couldn't stop laughing as they instinctively drew their weapons and approached. Wu Hai didn't want to or even mean to cause such a commotion, he started to curse inside, 'this damned fat ass duck can't flap its wings to any measurement of elegance.'
"Sorry, My fault! This Duck is fucking fat and can't fly straight while looking forward." Wu Hai looked around and all the soldiers burst into laughing tears. All of them failed to relax, they kept their weapons at the ready and moved forward step by step.
"Wu Hai! What are you doing here and what's with the fucking duck?" Zhan lessened the tension a little with his appearance, and said, "This is my Little Brother, relax! He's my Little Brother." With an emphasis on the 'little' he looked over at Wu Hai and noticed the disapproval in his eyes.
Laughing under his breath Zhan walked up to Wu Hai and helped him off the duck. It didn't rear up or flap its wings, instead of fawned over Zhan like a pet kitten. "Wu Hai, what brings you out here?"
It was a good question, Wu Hai finished hugging his brother and spilled the beans. As brothers, he couldn't just say nothing, he told him about the weapon and the sheath strapped to his back.
"Unbelievable, Show me. I don't believe you." Zhan was sure his brother had fluffed up the news. When Wu Hai pulled the weapon from its sheath and handed the handle over to his brother, Zhan couldn't even hold it upright. It plummeted to the floor at the tip and then fell from his hands, he couldn't hold it at all and it nearly broke his foot.
In a minor state of shock, he coughed and accepted the humbling between himself and his brother, they were now officially rivals again. The age gap could be cleared within a few years regardless how they split the odds. They could finally measure each other up and challenge themselves further.
"You better not forget to see mom from time to time, she'll be worried sick about you too." Zhan knew the attitude his mother would have while either of them were away, it became apparent after the first time they reunited.
Wu Hai picked the weapon up from the dust and gravel, coughed and said, "I guess I'm just stronger." He said so knowing that it was just to tease his brother, after getting directions from the compass, he already knew which direction he would go. Wu Hai would travel to to the East and Meet with the source of the strange jumping compass needle.
"Little Brother Zao, we have some ammunition you can take." A Guard passed him a standard bow and some arrows. "Those always seem to come in handy when you least suspect it, so store them for backup, we go through so many that we have plenty sitting around and unused for combat. Please accept them."
Trading one last pleasantry with his Brother before he set off, Wu Hai gave Zhan a hug and said, "I will return with my own destiny and my own life to live in the future. Make the most of yours as well." As rivals, they bumped each others shoulders before they parted ways.
Wu Hai put the wooden cube back into the sheath and the Duck felt like could finally fly again. Sensing it's weight reduced, the Duck ran at a sprint before bouncing its legs and spreading its wings. The Beast seemed happy to finally be getting some exercise while they slowly flew to the East. Not knowing when the compass would change directions, Wu Hai tried his best to fly through the afternoon.