Fandom High School

Class would be meeting in the danger shop that week, and, considering the steep, rocky, craggy cliffs set out before them and stretching up nice and high, it shouldn't be too difficult to guess which skill Gladio wanted to talk about this week. And, if the rockfaces with more than a few cleverly spaced out divots or protrusions weren't enough, there was all the climbing gear spread out before them.

"This one," he said, as he got things started, "might not come up as much, or it might be extremely relevant, depending on your situation, but one thing that I figured it wouldn't hurt to go over before we finished out for the semester is rock climbing. Because what's the point of all that other stuff if you're just going to end up slipping and falling to your death? Plus, it's fun. So, today, we're going to focus on what sort of gear might be a good idea to bring along if you're venturing into rocky terrain, as well as some moves and techniques that'll make the going a little easier whether you've got gear or not. And even a little bit on how to fall, because your body and brain'll probably want to do stuff that's counterintuitive to how to best protect yourself, actually, so it's good to know what's what and get some practice in beating those instincts and keeping cool, calm, and strategic about it if you do slip up.

"So everyone, grab a pack with some gear, we'll start going over it, and then let's get you up these rocks, yeah?"

Looks like the weather was holding out to be pretty springtime nasty and gross that day...

Perfect.

Of course class was being held outside today! Of course all the usual gear was waiting for everyone just outside of the preserve, keeping nice and dry and ready underneath a large tarp he'd put up well before class.

"Alright, everyone," he said, "gather on up under the tarp for now and enjoy it before we head out there, because, naturally, we're talking about hiking in crappy weather, and it looks like the forecast decided to cooperate with us on that one. Now, obviously, we're going to go over a lot of things, like protecting your gear and proper clothing and things like that, then we're gearing up, heading out, putting these into practice, and then at the end of the trail, I've already got a nice little shelter set up so we can get a fire going and warm up a bit with hot cocoa and things like that. If you're going to be trudging through the woods on a day like today, might as well have a little something to look forward to at the end, right?"

And that might not sound like everyone's idea of something to look forward to at the end, but, well, it wasn't their class, now, was it?

Class had received notes that they'd be meeting back outside the preserve again for class, and, hopefully, they'd be doing the same for the rest of the semester, and when they arrived at the spot, they'd find Gladio waiting for them....with lots and lots of stuff.

"Hey, guys," he said, "we've been spending way too much time inside the danger shop for how nice it's starting to get out here, so we're back in the real woods again. And since the last few weeks have been pretty intensive with our sustenance units, I was thinking we'd take it easy this week with a nice hike through the preserve."

He paused, looked at all the stuff gathered around him, and then grinned.

"Well," he amended, "easier, and by my standards. Which means it's a good time for a lesson on building a pack for wilderness survival when you head out into the woods. We'll go over the the essentials, and then you'll take some time to figure out what you want in yours and how you want to pack it, keeping in mind that we're taking it with us. And I want to see at least a few basics, so you can't just stuff a pillow in yours and call it good."

Although there might be a weird sort of respect for anyone who had been thinking of trying that. Gladio was definitely a work harder type of guy, but he knew there was a lot to be said for the work smarter types, too.

"Well, everyone," said Gladio, with a nod, as they were back on that familiar mountaintop again, "time to get back to it. When we left off before the break, we were talking a lot about sustenance. We've covered how to obtain water, some good foraging practices, and different methods of fishing. Today, we're going to up that to a bit of small game hunting and trapping, so apologies to anyone who gets a little squeamish about the fact, out here in the wilderness, there's nothing between us and the meat we eat except ourselves. And I'm not sure about the rest of you, but it hits a little different when it's meat you've caught yourself, that's for sure. Especially when there's no meat at all if you don't.

"Now, we're going to go over a lot of different things about small game hunting and trapping," Gladio continued, "including several different kinds of snares and traps and how to build some, as well as a general overview of what kind of small game you might find most places. Obviously, that's going to change a lot depending on where you are, but that just goes to show that, when going to a new place, it's always good to research this sort of thing before going, because you never know what might come in handy to know. As for today, this list will cover everything programmed into the simulation so you know what you might be hunting for in just a bit. And if there's not any initial questions, then, I'm just gonna jump right in."

Class was back on the mountain again, with its temperate main base and its snowy side off in one direction and the desert side of in the other, and there was a small table set up beside Gladio this time with a bunch of booklets, pamphlets, and other information.

"Fire," he said, getting class started and lifting the first finger before continuing the list, "shelter, water. We've got three of the main points of wilderness survival down pretty solid so far, but now we're going to move onto the next one: food. There's a couple different directions to go with that one, so this'll span over several lessons, but today, we're focusing on what might seem like the most simple, but, out in the wild, it can get a little complicated...and maybe even dangerous, and that's foraging.

"Now, we could have foraged pretty okay here in the preserve on the island," he continued, "but things are still pretty limited and safe out there. Here, we have the opportunity to spot a wider variety and a wider range of things to avoid, plus a couple of different climates, because you'll obviously have a harder time in more difficult terrain.

"SO we're going to take some time to go over some general guidelines on how to tell if a plant might be safe to forage for food, as well as some general guides to what you might find around these simulations for reference. Of course, the best way to prepare for a foraging situation is to be well-versed in these skills and have a wide knowledge of your area, but in an emergency situation, you might not exactly have had the time to prepare, so today we'll practice being able to determine what to forage effectively. Let's start, then, with some common plants that'll really pull you out of a desperate pinch...."

To say that Gladio was going to be a bit busy that Wednesday morning was a bit of an understatement. What he'd hoped would just be a really, really late night was turning out to be a whole lot more, and while he had a lot going on right now, he could at least spare a few moments to call Nell and update her on what was going on, and then text his students to let them know that they could definitely still show up for class, but he wasn't going to be there:

Hey, guys. Sorry for the late notice, but no class this week. Enjoy the time off.
Please pass this on to any of your classmates you know of that might not get this text, too.
Thanks. See you next week instead.
--Gladio

So enjoy at least a little slice of your Wednesday more free than usual! But you can still go run around in the woods and build fires if you want. There won't be any extra credit or anything, but your teacher would be very proud.

While the weather was still pretty wintry, it didn't seem that bad to Gladio, but, ultimately, he decided he'd rather have the students focusing on the lessons on these early weeks rather than the cold, so it was another week in the danger shop on the same mountainside where they'd been last week to build their fires. And while it was hardly freezing, it was still a bit chilly. Didn't want anyone getting too comfortable, after all!

"Alright, guys," he said, "first things first, we're gonna review what we covered last week by having you all gather up some wood to get a fire or two going before we get into today's lesson. Pretty much that's going to be how most of these classes start, to the point where it should just become second nature when we get to a sight, to start getting that fire going, with maybe a few exceptions. But today's not one of 'em, so let's get some wood gathered and get some fire to work by."

Once that had been taken care of, then, it was onto the lesson of the day, which some more savvy students might be able to guess based on the amount of rope and tarps around them that week. "After knowing how to build a good campfire," Gladio said, "your next big important skill in wilderness survival is shelter, and, next week, we're going to go a little bit further into detail about different shelters for different conditions, but today, we're going to keep it simple, because there's an important skill to learn before you get too deep into shelters that'll be useful for a lot of other things across the board, and that's knowing how to tie a good knot.

"A good rope can help out in a lot of situations, from getting you through difficult terrain, making traps for wild animals, and one of the big ones is using them in making structures and shelters. So we're going to learn some of the most useful ones and spend a good deal of time practicing them until we're confident we've got it right, and then, we're going to use those knot skills to put up some basic tarp shelters. There's a lot of different styles of those, too, so we'll go over them once we get to it, but for now, we're going to start in with our knots. Now, who here's already got a pretty good handle on knots? This'll be good review, and as for those unfamiliar, our first one's going to be a clove hitch, which is probably the most versatile...."

The class would be gathering outside the school again, where Gladio was surrounded by some equipment, supplies, and an Ignis. "Alright," he started, "so. Obviously, we've covered a few things about sustinence in this class. Forgaging, fishing, how to make sure you have clean water. And there's always things like making sure you've got a good supply of ration. And that's all well and good and will keep you kicking in the wilderness for a while, but just because you're out in the woods doesn't mean you can't at least eat well...or at least halfway decently. So that's why I've got my buddy Ignis here today," he clapped a hand on Ignis' shoulder, rough enough that the other man's torso was pushed forward a little, and he shot Gladio a less than impressed look as he adjusted his glasses, and Gladio just grinning, "to help us out. This guy's a master at camp cooking, and he's going to show you a few easy meals that don't even require a lot of equipment to make when you're out camping.

"But first," his grin was now all for the students, "we've got to get there, of course. So everyone, grab a bag, grab two if you're feeling amibitious, and let's head out. You know the drill!"

Well, Gladio had been regaled with stories about what was going on with the island this week, and he realized he'd felt a little bit of it himself on Sunday before leaving, even if he didn't know at the time that's what it was. And the fact that he couldn't seem to stop sneezing definitely lead credence to the suggestion that it was definitely something in the air. So making the class do the usual thing out in the preserve did seem a little needlessly cruel, if that was true, so he'd been trying to think of a good alternative lesson.

It was a lot harder to do than it should have been, but, eventually, he landed on something, posted up a sign and sent out a message to let the students know to meet him out by the docks after he'd conveniently been able to locate what he needed in a supply shed somewhere...after having to chase a few amormous squirrels out.

"Sorry if any of you are afraid of water," he started with a bit of a grin, gesturing toward the small fleet of rowboat bobbing in the water, "but we're going over rowing today." There was a pause, lifting a finger as if to tell them to hold on a moment, as a sneeze started to build up, seemed to have gone away, and then hit with force. Gladio sniffled a little, shook his head. The constant horny thoughts, he could deal with, but these allergies were the worst!" So hop in, we'll go over some instructions, and then we'll set out, and see how far we can get without anyone going overboard."

And maybe he was sort of conducting a little test of his own to try and see how far out you'd have to go before you stopped feeling the effects of the pollen in the air, because that was the kind of weird wilderness survival details he was interested in.

You know what? When Gladio got back on the island for his class that morning and saw that the weather was going to be pretty rainy, he felt that was a good opportunity to take advantage of the gifts nature had given them and do a nice little hiking trip again. Had they already done a class about being in the wilderness in the rain? Of course they had. But why not take advantage of the actual rain to cement in those skills and do an all-important review?

So they were meeting outside the school again, and Gladio was handing out ponchos, one of which he was already wearing and ready to go.

Besides, he may still be trying to put off that lesson on fishing for a little bit longer.

"Thing about this class," Gladio said, "is we've got this nice preserve and it's a shame to let it go to waste on a beautiful day like this, so let's get moving and hiking out to our usual spot, which I'm hoping you guys probably know the way to with your eyes clothes by now, and we'll go over camping in the rain again for old time's sake and with a little more focus on something more than just a shelter. So let's roll out!"

"Hey, look at that!" Gladio greeted the class with a grin, in the danger shop, on the edge of a nice, decently thick forest that they were all clearly going to be traipsing through that day. "None of you got eaten by any wildlife during our trip last week! I'm going to take that as a personal testiments to my teaching abilities and your own clearly excellent capacity to learn. Good job, guys."

He even through in a little bit of applause before he chuckled and shook his head.

"But," he said, "time to get back to it. Next few weeks, we're going to be talking about what to do when you're out in the wilderness with dwindling food sources. Now, keep in mind, this is a topic that will vary greatly based on location, so it's nearly impossible to predict every situation, but we can at least cover some of the basics. First option? Foraging, which is basically scavaging for wild-grown food. For the most part, foraging can be a pretty good option, but it can also be rife with danger, as there's a lot of thihngs out there that aren't fit for human consumption. Before you eat anything grown in the wild, you want to make sure it's not poisonous, which is where knowledge and research into the types of plants that grow in an area you know you're going to be in is imperative, as well as identifying important distinctions between a version of something that's fine to eat and the version that'll definitely kill you. Or at least make you extremely uncomfortable for the next few days.

"In addition to knowledge, you can also rely on your sense to help you out, too. Look, feel, texture, smell...all can be helpful if you're unsure about something. Not all poisonous plants will smell bad, but if something's putting you off and you're unsure, better play it safe and not take your chances. Also, some parts of certain plants may be fine, but other parts of the same plant aren't, so keep that in mind. Some plants are companion plants, and grow together, so if you see one, another might not be too far away, which can be helpful...."

So on, and so forth.

"Now, for today," Gladio concluded, "you've probably figured out that we're going to do a bit of forgaging ourselves. Here I have a short guide to a few edible wild plants...and a few inedible ones...that you'll find in these woods here. Take some time to review the materials, ask any questions if you've got them, and then set off to see what you can find. And, hey, at least in here, if you get it wrong, you'll be fine, but definitely keep in mind that foraging in the wild can be a bit tricky, and best done only when you're one hundred percent sure about a plant.

"Happy foraging, guys."

While Gladio had started this course thinking he'd be pretty big on the whole actual outdoors concept of it, he was quickly realizing that the Danger Shop was actually pretty useful for making sure his survival scenarios went according to plan...especially now that he wasn't stuck with a couple dozen chocobos everywhere whenever he used it. So it was back into the fake wilderness again that morning, though the weather itself seemed to reflect the weather outside pretty closely, just with a very clear and imminent threat of rain.

Which they would definitely be using in a little bit.

"Alright," Gladio grinned at the students, "so we've covered some hiking, we've covered fires, we've covered shelter, and the next thing we're going to cover that's pretty important to wilderness survival is water. You know, that thing that most of us kind of need to live. Ideally, you'll always be prepared with a canteen or a hydration pack, like one of these great Coleman^TM brand options," lifted up to show them for great ad revenue potential. "But that's not always going to be the case. Or you may misjudge how much water you've brought with you or you've gotten lost and drained through it pretty quickly, but the good thing is, you've got options, no need to die of dehydration. So, today, we're going to talk about the best ways to find water in the wild in a few different scenarios, and, even more important, how to properly purify your water, because it's all well and good to make it out of the woods nice and hydrated, but not if you're going to just turn around and get sick because of it. Alright," he grinned, turning a little and waving his arm to get them to follow him up the slope of the wooded mountainside they were currently standing on, "let's get moving!"

Because of course this was going to be a lesson taught while hiking! Multitasking!

This week, the class was back in the Danger Shop, back on that very snowy mountain, and the teacher was back to the age he was supposed to be as he got things started, and hopefully, they'd actually be able to get to what he'd wanted to do last week.

"Sorry, guys," Gladio greeted them with a grin that wasn't nearly as apologetic as you think it might have been, "no snowball fights today. Or, well, I guess there's nothing stopping you, but today, we're going to talk about what to do if you happen to find yourself in a very cold place and needing a good way to keep yourself not only warm but protected from the elements, and we're going to build a snow shelter. Now, there's two ways we can do this: either all together in one big snow shelter, but," he didn't look at any particular students while he was emphasizing that but, no, how could you, "...everyone's gotta pull their weight. Either that, or you can just set out to make your own personal shelter. This is definitely something that's going to be a lot easier with a team, though, I can tell you that much. But time's limited, so, let's get this started."

Meeting outside the school yet again, Gladio couldn't help but be amused as he waited to see, if anything, his students at least learned to be better prepared to dress accordingly for this class, arms folded in front of him before waiting to get started.

"Looks like the weather likes you guys," he stated, looking up at the cloudy sky. "It's practically balmy out here comapred to last weekend, huh? Still a bit chilly, sure, so if you don't already have a good jacket, I've got some in my pack, and I hope none of you," he wasn't thinking of anyone in particular, no, perish the thought, "are afraid of mud, because we'll be dealing with it a lot today. Let's head out," he cocked his head toward the woods, "scout out a good spot, and then we'll talk about today's topic when we get there. Gotta make the most out of this nice," yes, there was a small snerk in there, "weather while we got it, right?"

He clapped his hands together, hitched his thumbs toward the preserve.

"Gear up!" he said. "And let's roll out!"