Sooty nodded his approval. “Noise makers should be enough. Not much is likely to approach us, not with the walking rug,” he said, thumbing over his shoulder at Perses.
“Titan’s awfully small for a rug,” Rose said, cracking a smile as Baby failed to hold back her giggles.
Sooty turned and studied Titan up and down for a moment before saying, “I could make it work.”
“Evil,” Titan complained. “You’re all evil.”
Olaf chuckled with the rest of us before setting us all to work. “Alright everyone, let’s get to it already. Light tents tonight, I want us to pack up early tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get to the city within a few hours,” he ordered, moving to start creating a perimeter for our campsite.
It was a good thing Rose and I didn’t sell all our camping equipment. Rose had the wherewithal to note that we might need the simpler tent at some point if we didn’t have time to setup the nicer tent. Turned out, she was right.
“We will have a guard rotation tonight just to be safe,” Sooty said, continuing to set up camp and put us to work. Not just setting up tents, but getting a fire going, and collecting and boiling water for drinking, digging a hole to bury any food waste, and a dozen other tasks I didn’t even know were part of camping. All of which resulted in several levels to ‘Campsite Management’ and a few new subskills.
Campsite Management
Level: 16
Experience: 22.57%
Subskill: Tent Pitching
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to construct a rudimentary tent.
Subskill: Campsite Kitchen
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to set up a kitchen area near your campsite.
Subskill: Campsite Selection
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to organize a campsite for safety and comfort.
Subskill: Campfire Construction
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to start a safe campfire.
Subskill: Campfire Safety
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to put safety measures in place to prevent a campfire from burning out of control.
Subskill: Campfire Cooking
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to cook food over a campfire and add 1 seasoning.
Subskill: Campsite Perimeter
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to establish a campsite perimeter with a rudimentary warning system.
Subskill: Camp Water Purification
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to purify water for drinking and cooking.
Subskill: Camp Waste Disposal
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to properly dispose of waste so as not to attract unwanted beasts.
Subskill: Camp Laundry
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to clean clothes so as not to attract unwanted beasts.
Sooty really knew what he was doing and once again impressed me with his level of expertise in this kind of thing. Having him with us was a real boon.
Once the camp was established, we ate and chatted before calling it an early night and I crawled into my tent. I was joined by Rose a few minutes later after she had a short discussion with her sister. Rose laid her head on my shoulder and hugged me close before we both fell asleep, mentally exhausted from the very full day.
Morning came way too soon for my liking. It took about an hour to take down the campsite and get back on the road. It was almost noon when the road turned into something resembling a road and not just two ruts in the ground. Another hour after that before we finally spotted the city. The Bazaar of Beasts was bordered on one side by a large lake, with a wooden palisade butting right up to it. The palisade wasn’t the most exceptional wall I’d ever seen but it was sufficiently tall to block the city beyond it from view.
“We should set up a more permanent campsite,” Sooty said once were only a few miles from the city gates, one hand pointing toward the lake.
“Shouldn’t we at least try to enter the city first?” Baby asked, a sentiment I agreed with.
Sooty shrugged. “Up to you, but I would like to have a safe place for us before you try to enter. If they are as hostile as Bye-bye suggested, it might be best for those of us that do not come back from the dead to be someplace out of danger,” he explained, glancing to Loral as if to communicate he intent to keep his new wife safe.
“It’s reasonable,” Olaf said. “It might not be a bad idea for Mic and me to approach first and have a look around. See if we can’t get a little information.”
Reluctantly, I agreed. Letting Olaf and Micaela gather some information first wouldn’t hurt. Still, the quest from my Goddess to get into the city and to the temple as soon as possible was pricking at my subconscious.
“Looks like we’re not the only ones camping out,” Titan volunteered from his spot above us, a spyglass of some kind in his hands.
“Want to go meet the new neighbors?” Rose asked cheekily, taking my arm in her. “It’s only polite.”
I couldn’t help grinning with her. “I would love to,” I replied just as cheekily.
“We’ll get started on a campsite,” Olaf said, shaking his head.
Chapter 10
The other campsite, our new neighbors, was more akin to a small village than it was a campsite. Sure, the buildings were all tents, but they had a wall and gate with guards all their own. Granted, the wall was barely waist high, but it was probably there just to discourage small animals and the like. The gate was less a gate and more of an open doorway made from two large posts driven into the ground and a signboard connecting them. The sign read ‘Hunter’s Union’ in large black letters burned into the wood.
“Welcome,” one of the two guards greeted Rose and me, surprising me with his lack of hostility toward Rose or me for being half-Elves. “This is the Hunter’s Union camp, is there something we can help you with?” The guard was a Wood Elf from the look of his dark brown skin. He had a bow slung across his back and a quiver hanging from his belt at his hip suggesting he was some kind of archer, maybe a Ranger, Hunter, or even Archer class, though the latter tended to be more military related.
“Greetings,” I said, being as friendly as possible. “Just wanted to come over and introduce ourselves. We’ll be setting up camp just down the way,” I said, pointing toward where the first tent had already gone up. “I’m Bye-bye Jacko and this is Rose Thorns.”
“Pleased to meet you. I am Lodanis Grafis,” the guard introduced himself, his nameplate updating accordingly,
“We have,” I said. “And as this is our first opportunity to interact with the Hunter’s Union, I’m hoping we’ll be able to assist you or maybe even join you on some of your hunts.” We weren’t necessarily ever going to join them on a hunt but having the option to would be a good idea. That juvenile grootslang would have eventually died . . . probably. Having the support of the Hunter’s Union would have made it much easier.
“We have many standing bounties you are welcome to attempt. As for joining us on our hunts, we lean more toward caution when including nonmembers in our hunts,” Lodanis replied kindly.
“Then we’ll just need to prove ourselves,” Rose volunteered.
Lodanis laughed mirthfully. “That is an excellent attitude. But please, do not leap into too much danger. Though you are both adventurers, I would not want to see you lose your lives unnecessarily.”
“Thank you for the concern,” I started. “That being the case, is there a hunt you can suggest for our current levels? Something challenging enough to prove ourselves but not impossible?”
“I would, but as I am on duty here, I would advise you to head into the main tent and ask for Huntmaster B.T. Twill, he should be able to assist you,” Lodanis replied.
I found I liked that Elf. Even more so after the way that High Elf had treated me the day before, it still left me wondering why he wasn’t hostile. “Thank you,” I said, pausing only for
a moment before asking, “Do mind me asking, why aren’t you . . . um . . . hostile toward Rose and I, we’re both half-Elves?”
“I have been a Hunter for nearly two hundred years. I will admit, in my early days I was as hostile as could be toward any half-Elf that I ever had the misfortune to work with. If you live long enough as a Hunter, eventually, someone is going to save your life. After that, hating someone because of the circumstance of their birth is just a waste of time,” Lodanis explained.
“I see, thank you again,” I said, then entered the camp with Rose a moment later. It was nice to know that not all Elves were bigots.
Entering the camp, I tried to take in as much detail as I could, starting with a large pit in the center that had the remnants of a bonfire. About twenty yards away from it was a massive wall tent, which I assumed was the main tent Lodanis mentioned. There were another dozen wall tents radiating out to each side of it and circled along the inside of the short wall marking the camp’s boundary. As I was taking in the camp and trying to learn from its organization, I saw an open area dominated by animal skins being stretched on poles as part of the preparation for the tanning process. And just next to that, and much more importantly, there was a small smithy set up with an anvil and a forge. The forge glowed red hot for the short moment the smith working it had the hatch open. I made a note of it before focusing again on the main tent.
There were two flaps on either side of the main tent that were tied back allowing open access, which made entering the tent less imposing. Inside the tent was a game hunters paradise. It was decorated in what I imagine an old hunting lodge would have had, things like mounted animal and monster heads on every post of the tent. They were often stacked from the floor to the top of the post. That part actually wasn’t so bad as some of the monsters looked . . . awesome and terrifying at the same time. No, it was the eyes that followed you as you moved, almost accusingly, that was more than a little disturbing.
“Do not mind the eyes, our taxidermist is . . . anyway. How can I help you young folk?” an older Human asked, coming up to us not even a minute after entering the tent.
“Lodanis said we should look for Huntmaster Twill,” I said, trying to be polite. Even though his nameplate told us that was who he was, I thought it might be good to let him introduce himself.
“That would be me,” Twill replied, his words clipped and rushed. “So, what can this old Hunter do for you? Looking to join up by chance?”
“Join up?” I asked. I didn’t even know that was an option.
“Of course, lad. We welcome anyone with an appropriate class among our Hunters,” Twill replied. “So, are you interested?”
“What’s an appropriate class?” Rose asked.
“Hunters, obviously. Rangers are welcome. Rifleman like myself of course. We occasionally accept Scouts, but they are just not as good as a good Hunter for tracking game,” Twill explained. “Trappers and Beast Tamers of course, we always need someone to take the heavy hits while us damage dealers knock down our trophies. Medics and Priests are always welcome even if they are not much good in a fight, we can always use someone capable of patching us up when the fighting ends.”
Ranger and Rifleman were obviously range damage dealers. Hunters probably were as well but it sounded like they were used more for tracking. And unless I missed my guess, a Trapper was some kind of tank as were the Beast Tamers, though I imagine it was the Beast Tamer’s tamed beasts doing the tanking and not the Tamer. It didn’t sound like there were any melee fighters among them except for the Trapper.
“What about melee fighters?” Rose asked.
“Hunters and Rangers are usually a good mix of range and melee fighters. Anyway, are you interested?” Twill asked.
“I’m afraid we don’t have any of those classes,” I said. It was a small fib. I was technically a Priest and a Warrior.
“That is just too bad. So, if you are not here to join up, what can I do for you?” Twill asked again.
“We originally came in looking for a bounty that would prove we were capable enough to hunt with you on some of your bigger hunts,” Rose answered.
Twill nodded with a hum as he looked us both up and down. “I see, I see, hmm, yes. I suppose we may be able to accommodate you. First, you will need to prove yourselves. I think a Mfalme lion should be a sufficient test, though I do recommend you gather a few more adventures to join you. Not many come through this camp unfortunately and as you are not Beastkin, it will be impossible to ask at the city.”
“We have a few others with us, but they are setting up camp nearby,” I said.
“Alright, then a Mfalme lion it is,” Twill said, prompting a quest.
Quest Alert: Hunter’s Union Dues 1 (Recommended Level 17-20)
The Hunter’s Union has set a test for you as a way to start building trust to gain permission to hunt with a larger expedition. Track and kill a Mfalme lion and return with its body.
Reward: Experience, Collectable Trophy, +1-Random Status Point
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
“We’ll do it, probably be a few days,” I said, accepting the quest. This was the first time I had seen a stat point offered as part of the quest reward. I suppose we were about in the range that those kinds of quests would start coming in, according to the forums.
“There is no rush. One should never rush a hunt,” Twill said. “That is how good Hunters end up dead. No, patience and planning make for the most successful hunts.”
“Where should we look for a Mfalme lion?” Rose asked, stumbling slightly over the word ‘Mfalme’.
“That is part of your test. I asked you to hunt the beast. That means tracking it down on your own,” Twill replied.
That certainly made it more difficult. And yet, I was kind of excited. This would be a real challenge for us . . . unless we asked Sooty to track it. But that would be cheating, wouldn’t it? It was something to discuss with my friends at the very least.
“Okay, I do have another question. Would one of my companions be able to make use of your forge if she wanted to?” I requested.
“Certainly,” Twill replied jovially. “Assuming she can convince old iron beard to give it up . . . well, old compared to a Human like me. Ruddy Dwarves seem to live forever. So do you Elven folk for that matter. Anyway, your friend is welcome to try. She will need to speak with Brodie Gow, he is our resident blacksmith and everything dealing with that forge goes through him.”
“Thank you,” I said, making a mental note to share with Marie. I wanted to ask his stance on Beastkin, but I figured that could wait until we established more of a rapport with the Hunter’s Union. For now, this was a good first step.
“One more question,” Rose said, making me cringe for fear she was going to ask the very question I held back on. “Do you know what’s going on with the City and the whole Beastkin issue?”
“About two months ago an adventurer showed up. Seemed like a friendly enough Beastkin at first. Then one day, he took over the town and kicked out anyone that wasn’t a Beastkin. Now, anyone that tries to enter who is not a Beastkin is turned away or killed,” Twill answered.
Strange. Very strange. Why the change in attitude? Why suddenly kick out the non-Beastkin? What changed? I needed more information. Ho
pefully, Olaf would be able to come up with something.
“Any idea what changed?” I asked, knowing he probably wouldn’t have the answer.
“If I knew, I would have done something about it,” Twill replied. It was about what I expected.
“Anyway, we should probably get going and try to help our friends with our campsite,” I said.
“I understand. Now, neither of you be a stranger. If you need help with your campsite or just want to learn a little more about the beast that roam the Endless Savanna, you feel free to drop by,” Twill said.
“We will,” I said. Maybe it was just me, but that sounded an awful lot like free ‘Lore’ training.
Back at the campsite, things appeared to be well in hand. Olaf was busy setting up traps, this time of the more lethal variety in addition to those designed to make noise. Meanwhile, Sooty was making sure the campsite was set up for a longer-term stay.
“I take it this is the spot for us?” Rose asked, seeing the large area between the lazing Ursa Major and Sooty and Loral’s tent.
Sooty only grunted before moving on.
I pulled the ‘Deluxe Two-Room Luxury Wall Tent’ pack from my bag and set it on the ground.
“The instructions say to set it in the middle of the spot you want to put the tent up,” Rose said, and I followed her instructions. “Arrow up,” she added.
I looked at the strange pack for the arrow, it was pointing at the ground, so I rolled it over.
“Pull the rip cord and step outside the circle,” Rose said.
“What circle?” I asked.
“I’m guessing the area the tent sets up in is the circle,” Rose said.
“But the tent was square wasn’t it?” I asked.
Rose shrugged. “It’s just what the instructions say.”
I furrowed my brow and went over to her. “Let me see,” I said.
World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive Page 17