Daily life

Coming back from a scouting session, Arc enters the inn's common room where he finds the three other arguing.

- Hello BCD, what are you talking about?

Because of their name, Arc often jokingly call their group the ABCDs, mostly to infuriate Belina.

- The arctodus, we cannot agree on how to face them. (Chris)

- Why do you want to face them, everyone's been telling me they don't come out of the forest, ever. Leave them be. (Arc)

- You are what, around 26? (Chris)

- 25, thank you. (Arc)

- How long have you been doing this job? (Chris)

- 9 years? (Arc)

- I'm amazed you survived this long with this mentality. (Chris)

Chris look him right in the eyes until she's got his full attention, then proceed to explain him her vision of the job.

- A hunter must plan for all eventuality, you don't get another chance with this job. You go prepared or you go down, that's all there is to it. (Chris)

- Come on, I know my job too, I'm just saying we don't have to plan for their annihilation when they don't pose a threat. (Arc)

- Yet, they don't pose a threat yet. And we are not preparing to wipe them out, just strategizing in case we have to. (Chris)

Belina grumbles, sit back in her chair and exclaim:

- You don't, and that's the problem. Dalene, being a zoologist, you should know better than anyone that when the environment changes, the behavior changes too. From now on we have to assume those bears are going to come out of the forest and prepare for that. None of my equipment is meant to fight an army of small bears... And from what you told me, the big can order the small ones around. We have to take it down while we've got the initiative, it's too risky! (Belina)

- The mayor won't pay for that, the whole city thinks that giant arctodus is some sort of forest guardian. (Arc)

- Dalene and I are with Arc on that, planning how to deal with them is one thing, going out there and putting everyone at risk is something else entirely. There are at least twenty of those things including the young! They move fast and can climb trees! (Chris)

- In the end, they are just bears, a bit of asphyxiation poison and they're down. (Belina)

- I'm not wasting my poison on those bears, I don't mind using it on the big one, but it cost ten time its weight in gold. (Arc)

- That reminds me Dalene, is there any plant or fauna we can harvest for useful poison in these parts? (Arc)

Dalene closes his eyes to think for an instant then take a book from his side bag. After reading for a while, he answers Chris' question.

- There are a few plants and fungi that can be used to make compounds similar to asphyxiation poison, but it's in minimal amounts and hard to extract without the right equipment. (Dalene)

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

He rock and his chair for an instant then continue talking.

- There are animals who eat them and make a reserve of it, the most common is a nocturnal monkey. There are also frogs with a powerful poison that can stop a deer's heart in a few minutes and some rivers snake with powerful toxins, one which liquefies the blood while the other clots it. But considering they are from the same habitat, and the bears are at the summit of the food chain around here, it is quite possible that for them to be immune to any if not all of those poisons. (Dalene)

- So? (Arc)

- Harvest all you want, but until you've tested it, using foreign poison is safer. (Dalene)

- Can't we use the gas then, they are not as costly? (Arc)

Chris look at Arc with an air of exasperation:

- Too windy for that. (Chris)

- I'm not that dumb, I did not mean to kill with it, just to slow them enough to deal with them normally. (Arc)

- Sound doable, but I'd keep that for a worst case scenario though. Make use drawings and description of what to look for, it'd be a waste not to collect free stuff while we're here. (Chris)

- That will have to wait for later though, I need an escort for the digger. (Belina)

- I'll take the flame-gel thrower. (Chris)

- Eh, I don't want to carry the anti-fire powder again! (Arc)

- Don't worry, I'll have one of the workers carry it, you take the vials. (Chris)

- Come one, that's not a weapon, let me take a pole-arm at least. (Arc)

- I don't mind, as long you take the vials too. What do you expect to do against drake-lings, with a weapon? They'll run around you and go straight for the workers! (Chris)

- Yeah, you're right, it's just I don't feel safe if I don't have a weapon. (Arc)

Later that day, the sun is going down and they walk back toward the city, escorting the digger, as they are nearing the city they all start relaxing asking each other about their plan for the night.

- What about you Chris, are you gonna meet your drunk again? (Arc)

Belina cut in angrily.

- Better than your tavern wench, you should get rid of that thing before you end up in debt. (Belina)

- She's not a prostitute. (Arc)

- You're right, she's worst, a jobless gold digger. (Belina)

- How is she any worse than her boy? (Arc)

Chris whisper to him:

- Shouldn't have involved me, asshole. (Chris)

Then louder.

- Easy, mine's got a job, and he has never gotten more than dinner and drinks from me. What about yours, how many trinkets did you buy? (Chris)

- Come one, she's a bit childish but she's not a bad girl. Why are you all against her? (Arc)

- Just saying, I don't care what you do with your money. Just remember this, the minute you are in debt it becomes our concern too. And since there is no way we're staying here till you can pay, that means you're out, understood?! (Belina)

- Yes, ma'am... (Arc)

- Good, as for her kid, he's a pretty good worker, he's helping me set up the ballistas and disk launcher, pretty good with his hands, and not just in bed. If he wasn't so old, I would not have minded taking him as my apprentice. (Belina)

- So old? He's like 19. (Arc)

- Old enough to get stuck in his bad habits and losing the ability to learn and adapt. I started engineering when I was 8, and my teacher when he was 10. Plus he's a drunk, not a trait you want when you work with siege weapons and dangerous materials. (Belina)

Arc shiver thinking about what could go wrong while Chris let out a laugh.

- The good thing about our job is that the bad ones don't get old enough to become a menace for their teammate. (Chris)

- I like her though, she's cute and funny. (Arc)

- Till you're out of money. What? You want to settle here and marry her? (Belina)

- Sometimes I think about settling down, becoming a resident hunter or something. (Arc)

- We all do, from time to time... Did you ever see an old vanguard? (Chris)

- Don't know, don't think I did. (Arc)

- That's because we can't quit, it's always 'one last hunt' and then we die. The way of the world, no one can settle with a boring life after doing this kind of job. (Chris)

- Is that why you're never getting a man, Bel? (Arc)

Surprised by the silence, Arc looks at Chris and seeing the horror in her eyes, realize what he just said.

- What I meant is...(Arc)

- I know perfectly what you meant. What I think is that you've got far too much time on your hands, so tonight forget about your wench, you're helping me prepping tomorrow's equipment, I get to bed early and you save some money, everybody win. (Belina)