by C E Keene
It was a strange combination, but one Arheis couldn’t help but respect.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet, Sergei?" The question was asked in a motherly way that really didn't fit the look of the woman before them.
"Not yet, Matron."
"Stop and get a meal from the kitchens on your way out," she urged him. "And don't let them feed you that slop some of the initiates have taken to eating. I know they still have steaks and sweetcakes cooking on the griddle."
Despite the fact that he'd eaten breakfast this morning, Arheis' stomach growled softly. That sounded a lot better than the potato hash mixture he'd wolfed down earlier.
Sergei bowed, giving his thanks before leaving. The door closed behind him, and despite her kind words with the guard, Arheis actually felt intimidated by the prospect of being alone with her.
It didn't help that she began to circle them like a predatory cat.
"So, you're the Hunters Eadric has commissioned to take care of the Petravor. Never mind the fact that I could have handled it myself if he'd bothered to ask."
Arheis was tempted to defend himself and his friends, but the Matron spoke before he had the chance to.
"No, it's not your fault Eadric has a soft-spot for the scrappy ones. So do I, honestly." The edge of her lips quirked up just slightly. "Come in and have a seat. I'd like to hear about your individual experience before I register you."
They headed deeper inside and sat down, Arheis' muscles--still aching from not getting enough sleep last night--immediately thanking him for the cushy support of the Matron's chairs.
Ylsa sat on the edge of a large, mahogany desk, reaching into a drawer to take out a carved wooden box. She withdrew a pipe and some tobacco from within, lighting up with the flick of a match. The room filled with a spicy scent, like the hint of peppers roasting over a fire.
After taking a few puffs, the Matron asked each of them a series of questions. She started with Higrem, then went to Mira and Zindar before coming to Arheis.
"You already know what I'm going to ask, but for the sake of posterity," she took another puff, holding her pipe between her fingers, "your name, please, and the highest rank you've achieved."
"Arheis," he responded, "and I reached rank 6 at the Lacerda Guild Hall."
"What is your fighting style?"
The others had used the names Apex gave to classes, so Arheis decided to use his, as well. "I'm a Guardian. I have proficiency with spear and shield."
Ylsa considered this for a moment, giving him a once-over. "Every Guardian I've met has been tall, wide, or both."
"But not agile, I'd guess."
The slightest smirk touched her lips again. She blew out a ring of smoke, gave him a nod of acknowledgment, then continued. "And every other Striker uses dual blades, so I don't expect anyone to conform too rigidly."
She gestured to a rack on the wall behind her where the whip pictured in that massive painting currently rested. Arheis would have never guessed she was a Striker, but it made sense with her build.
"Why did you decide to become a Hunter?"
It was a question she'd posed to the others, but one Arheis still hadn't answered. He wasn't sure he could think of an answer that made sense with the lore. He hadn't grown up in this world, after all. He hadn't seen other Hunters when he was growing up like Zindar, or helped patch up a wounded Hunter in the field like Mira. His answer was going to be closer to Higrem's, he suspected.
He thought instead of the things that had drawn him to Apex in the first place. He'd always liked challenging games that took a bit of player skill to learn and a lot of practice to master. He'd also been crazy about dinosaurs as a kid, and the very first Apex game had an abundance of dinosaur and draconic beast designs.
Now he just needed to say those things in a way that made sense for the world of Estalia. Maybe he'd leave out the dinosaur part.
"I wanted to be a part of something greater than myself; to reach the limits of what I thought I could do and push past them. Every hunt feels like a puzzle I need to solve. Like I’m giving it everything I've got to overcome an adversary I shouldn't be able to take down." He looked at Mira and Zindar, realizing he'd left out a more recent addition. "And doing all of that in sync with other Hunters is a feeling I haven't found anywhere else."
Ylsa regarded him for a long moment. "Very inspiring. I should have you write my recruitment flyers when we start looking for more initiates."
Arheis couldn't tell if her comment was sarcastic or not, and she immediately moved on to ask the same questions of Galen. Once he'd given his answers, she took a few final puffs from her pipe, then pulled out a book that was at least twice the size of the Lacerda Curator's tome.
She wrote down what Arheis presumed must be their names and information without a word, her very presence discouraging him from asking any questions while she was doing it.
The confirmation came from the game shortly after she was done.
> You have been registered with the Iskaral Guild Hall.
> Current rank: 1 (Initiate)
> Complete bounties and report kills to rank up at this Guild Hall and gain access to Hall-specific perks.
"You're all registered," Ylsa said, closing the book. “And you’re the first initiates in almost seven months, so count yourselves lucky you have a royal pulling for you."
"Why is that?" Arheis couldn't help but ask, ignoring the oppressive aura that seemed to emanate from the woman. "Why close the Hall to new members?"
"Our barracks are full," she said simply, walking around the desk and continuing past them. "I don't like promising beds, because it means I have to promise that some of my current members will be killed. But as you've come here with His Highness' blessing, I'm sure you can sort out the terms of your own lodging."
The answer made sense, but it wasn't exactly satisfying. Not everything had to be a conspiracy, though, and Arheis chastised himself for looking at a game system as anything so complex. Yes, Apex suddenly had politics at work, but Guild Halls were at the very center of what the game was by design. There was no way they'd changed that much.
"I don't normally give initiates access to the facilities until they've ranked up at least once," the Matron said, reaching the door, "but if Eadric wants you to take down that Petravor, you'll need all the help you can get. Visit our smiths on your way out, and stop by the barracks if you want to take a look at the bounties."
She opened the door and stood expectantly. Higrem was the first to get up, everyone else following suit. Suspicion pinged in the back of Arheis’ mind, but the door was closed behind him and he was forced to file that feeling away just like everything else he'd suddenly discovered about Estalia.
"Not exactly rekindling my love for the Guild," Mira muttered, just loud enough for Arheis to hear.
"Yeah, that was a little strange," he admitted, "but we need the Guild for bounties, and we might as well check out the smith while we're here."
They headed down the two sets of stairs and out into the compound proper, veering toward the two forges. A man worked at one, a woman at the other, both of them broad and brown-haired, their features painting them as twins, or at least brother and sister.
"Haven't seen you lot around here," the woman greeted, resting a smith's hammer over one shoulder.
Like the Matron, her arms were covered in tattoos. Instead of the rose motif, though, her designs were stylized depictions of beasts wrapping around her sizable biceps, standing out in stark contrast to her pale skin.
"We're new initiates," Arheis said. "Matron Ylsa sent us to take a look at your wares."
"The Matron hasn't approved any new initiates in months," the man said, wiping his brow with the back of one arm.
His skin was slightly more tanned than the woman's and he only had one tattoo on his shoulder--a hammer and anvil.
"Obviously she approved these ones, or they wouldn't be here," his sister said with a roll of her eyes. "The name's Brona. That's my brother, Keste
r. I can help you with armor, he takes care of augments."
"Arheis," he said, extending his hand.
The woman shook it firmly, squeezing so hard he thought his bones might break. The slight residue of sweat lingered on his palm, and Arheis fought hard to avoid wiping his palm on his pants.
Everyone else went through the same crushing handshake, with Kester having already gone into his forge to get back to work. Apparently they were going to start with armor.
"So what can I make for you?"
"We've been commissioned to fight a Petravor," Arheis said.
Before he could continue that thought, Brona let out a low whistle. "They're giving those to initiates these days? Back when I was rising through the ranks, you had to be at least Journeyman."
"The circumstances are a bit unique, I'm afraid," Galen put in.
"Well, doesn't matter what rank you are. Without the right armor, that thing'll make quick work of you."
"So we discovered," Mira said.
That got an eyebrow raise from Brona, but she didn't ask the obvious follow-up question. Arheis was almost glad for that.
"Do you have a book of designs we can look at?" he asked.
The smith shook her head. "I don't do premade designs. Everything's original. You tell me what you need protection from, I give you a list of materials I'll need to make it, you hand me those and a stack of credits, and I give you a one-of-a-kind set of Masterwork armor."
Masterwork? Arheis hadn't expected to see anything of that quality until much later in the ranks. Apparently Iskaral's Guild Hall only employed the very best.
"For a Petravor, you'll need something extra durable. Regular old leather's not going to cut it."
"As much as I'd love to wear metal armor," Higrem said, "we can't risk it hearing us coming from a mile away."
The smith snorted at that. "Oh honey, you think a Petravor can't hear you as soon as you enter the caves? They can pick up on every vibration, no matter how small. Your armor's not going to make a damn bit of difference there, but it will make a difference in whether or not you get crushed."
Arheis looked at his companions. He wasn't eager to "upgrade" to metal armor, either. It was heavier and required more care than leather. But the smith had a point.
"We could use the extra protection," he admitted. "What would we need to bring you?"
"First thing's first: Measurements and design."
Rather than just take some measurements with tape, she had each of them stand with their arms at their side as she sketched out their figures with graphite on parchment. She made notes as she drew, scribbled in cramped, messy script that Arheis couldn't read. He could see numbers, though, so apparently she had some uncanny method of determining how big each piece needed to be.
Once that was done, Brona took out five more pieces of parchment and scratched out a list of materials on each. These were only slightly more legible, and Arheis squinted as he looked down at his:
> Materials Needed:
7x Leathery Hide
6x Leather Strip
4x Sharp Claw
6x Sturdy Bone
8x Corysta Shell
2x Ancient Beryl
4x Vespernum Wing
2x Celir Springhoof
That was a lot. They'd have to see about getting some of those things from the materials shop he'd seen nearby. The prince's credits would cover that much. Hopefully.
"The better quality the material, the better the armor'll be," the smith told them. “You bring me those materials and… let's say 15,000GC apiece, and I'll make you armor that can stand up to a Petravor."
"15,000GC?" Higrem’s tone was incredulous. "That's highway robbery."
"That's the cost of custom work," she said with a shrug. "Expect the same thing from Kester."
Paying 75,000GC just for the armor was impossible right now. They'd have to hope for well-paying bounties, or for a bigger stipend from the prince, the latter of which Arheis wanted to avoid.
But maybe they could afford an augment or two in the meantime. Switching forges, they spoke to Kester next. Like Brahm, he barely even bothered to look up from his work. Apparently armorsmiths were universally more friendly than their augmenter counterparts.
"You'll need something that'll break the plates," he said, "or you won't make any headway at all. Set your weapons on the table there."
He used the same rough process as his sister, sketching out their weapons and adding notes in a more legible script, but still so cramped Arheis had to strain to read it. Once the concept was designed, he gave them the much more manageable material list.
> Materials Needed
2x Terebris Drillbeak
5x Calidus Steam Pouch
"5,000GC apiece," he said before shooing them out of his forge, leaving absolutely no room for haggling.
For now, anyway. Arheis might try his luck later.
"I guess we'd better make some credits, seeing as how all that work’s going to cost over twice what the prince gave us once the materials are factored in," Zindar said with a sigh. "Let's check out the available bounties."
They made their way to the barracks, and Arheis was already thinking with his gamer brain as he looked at the list of bounties posted up on the board.
Funding was the primary concern, so they needed to maximize their credit gain as much as possible. But he also wanted to level and invest more points in his abilities, so XP was just as important. If he could find several bounties that were clustered together, maybe they could knock out all of them in one trip.
Scanning the list of Initiate bounties, he mentally circled the ones that met the first two conditions he'd put forth: high amount of credits rewarded, and decent XP.
> The Ice Queen Cometh
825 XP, 20,000GC
> All Steamed Up
375 XP, 5,000GC
> Mountain Menace
600 XP, 10,000GC
> Egg Thieves
713 XP, 15,000GC
> The Grand Banquet
488 XP, 8,000GC
The credits offered from those five were the highest, and the XP wasn't bad, either. Way better than what he would've earned in Lacerda, on both fronts. He suspected that bump in reward also came with a bump in difficulty, but with five Hunters it might be less of a problem.
"How are there so many bounties?" Mira asked, her finger moving down the list.
"This is the biggest Guild Hall on the continent. They've probably got people coming from all over to beg for help." Higrem shrugged. "Lots of them with deep pockets, too."
"We're going to need to do a lot of these to make enough credits," Zindar said with a frown. "Can we really afford to wait that long before facing the Petravor again?"
Now was Arheis’ opportunity to share his gamer wisdom and convince his friends there was merit in his idea.
"We won't have to. Not if we can group them up. Take a few bounties that are close to each other and finish them today, then do it all again after we’ve had a chance to rest."
He knew it was a stretch. In old Apex games, it'd been easy for him to cram several hunts into an hour once he knew what he was doing. But that was with near-instant teleportation to the associated area, the ability to run non-stop, and the knowledge that if he died, he could just come back and keep wailing on the beast.
Untamed was different. Arheis didn't have those kinds of assurances here, save for the last, and he didn't want to rely on that if he didn't have to.
His friends’ reaction was predictable. Zindar, Mira, and Galen looked apprehensive. Higrem nodded, likely taking it as a given. He understood. Arheis would have to win over the others.
"It takes all day to prepare for a hunt," Mira pointed out, "how are we going to complete multiple bounties in an afternoon?"
"With even more preparation," Arheis explained. "We'll use the funds we have to pay for supplies that will help keep us going. Potions, bandages, traps, and any other items that'll make each hunt easier. Then we’ll pl
an a route, break in between each hunt, and come back at the end of the day to turn everything in."
"It's how a lot of the higher-ranking Hunters do it," Higrem pointed out.
"It sounds risky," Zindar said, glancing at the list again. "These aren't exactly easy hunts."
"Which means better rewards, and a better chance of getting back down to those caves within the next week."
He'd already planned it out in his head. They'd knock out three bounties today, rest tomorrow and commission what pieces they could, knock out another three the day after, and continue that until they had enough.
"It does sound efficient, but…" Galen's hesitation wasn't as defined as the other two’s, but it came nonetheless.
"I'd like to try. Everyone here knows what they're good at, and if we work together, I'm positive we can pull it off. If I'm wrong?" Arheis shrugged. "Then we come back here and turn in whatever we have. No big risks, but no holding back, either."
He leaned into his Leadership ability, hoping it would actually apply here. It felt strange to be the leader of this particular party, but he'd fulfilled that role when they fought the Nepondus Queen. There was no reason why he shouldn't take up the mantle here, too.
"Alright," Mira said. "I'm in. But if you get me killed, I swear I'll come back and haunt you to the end of your days."
"Fair," he laughed, "but the decision needs to be unanimous."
"I'm in." Higrem shrugged, then gave Arheis a cocky little grin. "This is the way all hunts should be done."
Higrem was a shoe-in, and he’d suspected Mira might give it a chance. It was down to Galen and Zindar now.