PART V - MEET THE TRAINERS - THE RANGERS (I)
Callie and Jesca joked as they walked through the crowd of recruits, Thucax not far behind. Callie knew she should be talking a lot less, but Jesca’s joyful outlook was just so infectious. In time, they all arrived at the Warrior row of tents. So many huge and burly people. Even the Elves, with their normally slim frames, sported tight muscles and calves that rippled with strength.
“I just can’t imagine being considered a Warrior hybrid,” Jesca said. “It’s been over a year since I got my class, and even with my unlocked Ranger skills, the idea of fighting is just strange to me. I was always going to be a Scholar, I thought. Or maybe a Scholar Hybrid.”
“Strange to me, too,” Callie said. “And I just learned about my class a few hours ago I guess. Or at least the first I remember it.”
A large Beastkin stepped into their path. He was easily two meters tall with light-brown fur and ursine features. There was a scowl on his face.
“What are you doing on Warrior Row?” he growled at Callie. While not Ogre sized, this Bearkin was still huge. The muscles in his bulging robe’s sleeves seemed to strain for release and the teeth were sharp and seemed to flash in the sunlight.
Callie looked around, seeing fear on Jesca’s face and seeing Thucax had backed several meters away, seeming to want no part in the exchange. She turned back to the gigantic man blocking their path. She looked him in the eye, waved and simply said “Hi!” She wasn’t afraid. In fact, she was actually irritated.
The muscled Bearkin glared down at the three Rangers.
Callie couldn’t think of anything else to say, but then quickly fished in her robes to fetch her class identification block. She held it up, colors facing the giant. “We’re looking for the Ranger tent. Could you point the way?”
The Bearkin glared down at the block of wood. A tiny part of Callie was worried she was reading the situation wrong, and wondered if he might simply chomp off the end of her arm. Hand, wood and all. But she refused to back down. They stared at each other and Callie counted the loud beats of her own heart. One. Two. Three.
“Oh! You’re looking for the Ranger tent? Why didn’t you say so?” The Bearkin’s face brightened as he straightened. “I know it’s that way, four of five tents I think.” He gestured in the general direction the Rangers were already heading. “Have a nice day.”
Jesca and Callie looked at each other, confused by the sudden mood change. Jesca was still shaking in fear, and Thucax had backed way off to the side.
The Bearkin turned, and started to walk back to the group of other oversized Warriors.
“Hey! You! Bear Guy!” Callie said sharply, anger in her voice and eyes narrowed to mere slits.
“What are you doing, Callie,” Jesca whispered.
The big Bearkin swung around, staring in disbelief at Callie and stomped back over to her. He towered above the Gnome, but Callie didn’t flinch.
“What’s with trying to scare us?”
“What?”
“You heard me. You intentionally tried to scare us! That was not cool!”
“I didn’t try to…”
“Yes you did. You intentionally blocked our path and you snarled and you bared your teeth. That will scare almost anyone that’s smaller than you. What’s your name!”
“Koda.”
“Listen here, Bear Guy Koda! Don’t go scaring people for fun! It’s not nice!”
Koda just stood there, completely dumbfounded. Behind him, the other recruits were looking on in shocked silence as well
Callie jabbed a finger towards him. “Just because you’re frickin’ bigger than somebody, doesn’t give you the right to be a jerk to them. Got it?”
“I …”
“Got … it …?“ Callie said with a sneer, louder this time.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Good! Now, thank you for the directions. Have a nice day.”
Callie reached up and took Jesca’s still-shaking hand. Still glaring at the confused Bearkin, she walked around him and continued down the row of tents. Everyone was quiet and looking from the little Gnome to Koda and back again. Thucax quickly jogged up to the two Rangers, sticking close.
Behind the trio, there was a sudden burst of laughter and several people walked up to Koda, patting him on his back and shoulders. Koda, for his part, just stared after the Gnome and her companions, utterly lost in confusion.
“Congratulations to Paladin Bear Guy!” someone yelled out, “He almost defeated a Gnome!”
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Roars of laughter arose, followed by a chant of “Bear Guy! Bear Guy! Bear Guy!”
Callie for her part, just did her best not to smirk too hard, or worse, break down in a fit of giggles. Then it occurred to her … she never really felt afraid. Nervous, of course. But the true fear that would lead to a flight-response? She never felt that. How odd.
“Why did you do that?” Jesca said in a loud whisper
“What?”
Callie stopped, still holding Jesca’s hand. “Listen, Jesca, I don’t like bullies, and I don’t like jerks. Someone had to call him on that.”
“But he could have hurt you!” Jesca said earnestly.
“Bear Guy? Nah, he’s a pussycat,” Callie lied. “Come on, let’s find our tent,” Callie added happily and started to pull Jesca down the row. Behind them, there were still a few dwindling chants of “Bear Guy!” rolling around.
Jesca followed Callie’s lead as she just dumbfoundedly looked at Thucax, who stared right back at Jesca, equally confused.
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The Ranger tent was three further down the row, and there appeared to be no one else there when Callie and company arrived.
“I guess we just wait,” Callie said.
“Why did you do that?” Thucax asked Callie.
“Do what?”
“Call out that Bearkin, Koda, like that.”
“Somebody had to. What he did was totally out of line!” Callie said, a tone of anger in her response. “If nobody stands up to him, he’ll just keep doing it to other people.”
“Yes. But he could have hurt you,” the Gnoll said. “And now he has a grudge against you. He will be your enemy. And you drew attention to yourself, so others will know of you.”
“What?” Callie said. “Nah. He’ll laugh it off and be fine. And more importantly, maybe the next time he doesn’t act like that.”
Thucax shook his furry head. “It is better to be invisible and anger nobody, than bring on so much attention. I would think you would know that being just a small Gnome.”
Callie looked the Gnoll in the eyes and wondered if there was more than just personality in that response. Were Gnolls maybe simply predisposed to avoiding conflict and remaining unobtrusive? The only other Beastkins she really knew were Jesca and Xin, and she hadn’t seen anything racially unique to either of them outside of Xin’s chameleon effects. And even the others she’d met briefly like Thorn and Rowani just seemed like people, each with their own personalities.
“Rangers, correct?” a voice asked, and Callie turned to see yet another Beastkin had arrived. This one was a golden-furred Tigerkin. He was taller than both Jesca and Thucax and sported much heavier muscles than the lean Jesca’s, although you could still see a spryness in his step. “The colors seem right, but then I saw the Gnome, so I’m not sure if this is where I should be.”
“Yup!” Callie said happily. “Welcome to the Ranger tent.”
The Tiger wore a confused expression. “I see. And what class are you, Little One?”
“Ugh,” Callie groaned. “Am I going to go through this with everyone I meet?”
“Probably,” Jesca said. “You’re pretty strange.”
“Gee, thanks,” Callie said dryly. Then, addressing the new arrival, “Short answer, yes, I am probably a Ranger.”
“Probably?”
Callie let out a whimper. “I have an Advanced Archery Perk but they couldn’t find out what my class was, so they put me here.”
“Oh. I see. That is strange.”
Callie shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m just going where I’m told to.”
“A Gnome? At the Ranger tent?” a new voice asked. “Am I in the correct place?”
Callie let out an overly-dramatic wail.
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Everyone welcomed the newcomer, who introduced themself as Shul'an, and the Tigerkin introduced himself as Kiasess. Callie, Jesca and Thucax likewise made introductions.
Shul'an was a Beastkin, but of a new variant Callie hadn’t seen before and had a strange accent to their speech. They had features similar to Xin, but instead of scales, their skin was very smooth and taut. Periodically, their long, forked tongue would flick out, which surprised Callie the first couple of times. They were otherwise about the same height as Kiasess, with a lean, muscled build. It was the colors that fascinated Callie, though. Shul'an’s skin was of the darkest jet black, except for random patches of dark reds. Their eyes were likewise black, with no iris to be seen. Emerging from under their robe, a heavy, muscled tail was visible, with the same two-color pattern as on their face and neck.
“I have to ask,” Jesca said, “You’re of Salamander origin, right? I’ve never seen one of your kind, only heard stories.”
“Of course they are,” Thucax chided. “Stop being rude.”
Shul'an laughed. “No matter, my good Gnoll friend. I know my kind are not from around here, so it is of little surprise she is unsure. Yes, I am of Salamander origin, Fire Salamanders to be precise. I come from the Great Oasis in the southern desert, and was a guard for a merchant expedition. Alas, I was Conscripted, and realized I would never make it home to my own army before it would begin to take its toll, and this was the best chance for me to train and satisfy the Curse’s requirements. When this is over, I shall return and once again bathe in the boiling mineral waters of my home.”
“Is it true that Fire Salamanders can breathe fire?” Jesca asked quietly.
“Jesca! You continue to be rude!” Thucax said, chiding her for a second time.
Shul'an waved Thucax off dismissively and leaned in close, whispering loud enough for all to hear, “Yes, we can,” They straightened and then continued, “but not completely. Wild Fire Salamanders produce a flammable spit that will stick to whatever it may touch, and in their mouth is a small organ that will produce a spark, allowing it to be set alight. Myself and my kin? We can only produce the flammable spit, but have no natural way to ignite it.”
Jesca’s eyes were wide, and Callie realized her own were as well. Fire breathing people! Sort of, at least.
The five chatted more and Callie talked about the bow that Master Trainer Thorn had given her and how it was enchanted to create arrows on demand. Jesca and Shul’an wanted to see the bow in action, but Callie declined saying there were too many people milling around and it would be a safety issue.
Everyone was friendly. Everyone but Thucax that was. It wasn’t that he was unfriendly, just seemed to have very little patience for people or for smalltalk, so he had a really strong aura of ‘leave me alone’ about him. Questions from him were short, answers were often single-worded. Callie could see that Jesca was doing what she could to make sure he was included, and that he was doing what he could to remain not included.
Ten minutes later, Callie saw a Beastkin coming down the row of tents. He had a bow slung over one shoulder and a smile on his face. He was chatting to a heavily-muscled Dwarf with a spiked warhammer and a shield, who was also smiling. The Dwarf waved a farewell and started walking to a group of three recruits in front of another tent, and the other continued down the row towards the Rangers.
“Hey, everyone, I think this is our trainer. At least he has a bow.”
The rest of the Rangers shifted and instinctively lined up as the bow-carrying Beastkin came into view of the tent. He was a little shorter than Kiasess and Shul'an, with a red-furred whiskered face and black pointed ears. His hugely fluffy tail of reds and blacks was fitted through a hole in his leather armor. The tip of the tail was white and looked really soft.
“A fox!” Callie squeed in a whisper to herself, trying to hold the excitement.
“Shhh,” Jesca snapped.