The road was long and tiring, but Brand had slept well. His dreams were of him training over and over again, fighting endlessly against enemies that weren’t there and getting ready for when they would be. His shoulders still ached from his tiresome training the day before, and his heavy pack on his back locked them into a position of soreness that they were constantly straining against.

Still he felt that he was in good company and was pleased with their destination. Shingle City wasn’t far away now, and that meant he was making progress in the search for Ember and Kelvin. All the drama in Quartz Creek had almost distracted him from his main goal, which drove him forward down the long and dusty road.

He knew Kelvin and Ember had been investigating the abandoned laboratory town near Quartz Creek, but not why they’d done it. Before that they’d been in Shingle City. He’d get some levels before exploring the abandoned town, but for now he might be able to figure out their motivation whilst in Shingle City.

Given that Ravena was also exploring ruins near Quartz Creek, he figured he might be able to get some info from her.

“Hey Ravena.” He called, sidling up closer to her. The rest of the group hadn’t been talking much, so they immediately began listening in. “If you don’t mind me asking, why exactly were you exploring the forest ruins near Quartz Creek?”

She laughed at that, as if he’d told a funny joke. “I definitely don’t mind you asking. Usually people ask me to stop talking about it! I’m a researcher-adventurer at Shingle City, and I investigate the initial migrations across Excoria by humanity. I’m looking into those ruins to assess their age and what they were used for. And I think I might have found something interesting.”

Brand could see everyone else had perked up their ears at that. He had to ask for all of their sakes. “Oh wow. What’s that?”

“Well. There’s a strong theory that excursions, like you are all on now, were much more heavily ritualised all those years ago. And that there was a sort of liminal space where the youth - and sometimes older - partaking in excursions would go to at a certain time of the year. From there they’d organise which groups they’d travel in, where they’d go, and what they’d try and achieve. In these liminal spaces would be semi-permanent shaman with a Databeast that has mind-altering abilities, possibly like the Anugent you faced before, and they would initiate those going on excursion into Adventurers and Tamers. Nowadays, those two terms are used interchangeably, but back then they appeared to refer to two different groups. But back then, Adventurers would be larger groups tasked with the exploration of new lands and areas and battling the Databeasts there, whereas the Tamers would be smaller groups of people searching for Databeast eggs, OR they would be setting out to “tame the land” and set up a new outpost somewhere that would later transform into a settlement.”

Brand was frankly awestruck by the explanation. They’d had a quick rundown of the history of their people in school, and had learned the barebones of the history of excursions, but most of his historical education was spent on recent or semi-recent political events in Cabletown, usually with a very heated attitude by the teacher. He remembered when a student had questioned his teacher's telling of events. That had been an ugly display that quickly subdued the poor boy, who had nodded meekly whenever he was addressed after that. Which was often, as the teacher had seemed to want to make an example of him. It had worked, and Brand had learned from the interaction to smile along and keep quiet during his history classes.

If Ravena had been Brand’s teacher however, he didn’t think he’d have been able to stop talking. His mind was practically spilling out of him with all of the questions he wanted to ask.

“So first you’d become a Tamer and then you’d become an Adventurer? And then maybe a Tamer again?” Brand asked her.

“It’s likely that you’d be an Adventurer first, but those on their first excursion would have one or two mentors that would guide them. After gaining some levels you’d attune your element stone, and then you’d become a Tamer, but once again you’d go out with an experienced mentor, likely someone looking for their second Databeast egg whilst you look for your first. Then you’d be an Adventurer if you go out again, a proper one with a Databeast, and you’d likely have some youngsters with you that are on their first excursion. And then if you get to the level where you can get two Databeasts, you’d go out with some youth who’s after their first one. So you see it was different the excursions of today where most people go with those their own age, often as a leisurely activity and travel. For these people, excursions were a deeply integrated part of the community and building bonds. The fact that Tamers and Adventurers had their own designations and were specifically treated as occupations of their own, outside the settled society shows that there was a level of importance and distinction attached to them.” Ravena explained.

“And what about those who set up new cities, what about them? Presumably they weren’t youngsters?” Rosie wondered aloud.

“It was rare that someone would set up a new settlement, but those that did were highly respected as Tamers. They had to leave on an excursion to set up an outpost in a designated place. For exactly one year they would have to stay there and hold it down, as a year from the day that they left excursions would be sent to that outpost with people ready to start new lives there, turning it into a real settlement. That year was how they proved their mastery of the land. To be a Tamer setting up a colony would get you a lot of respect and status. For the new humans who found themselves in our harsh world, it was a symbol of resilience and pride, that we would not be destroyed and could even flourish.” Said Ravena.

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Brand took that all in, thinking to himself about the implications. Would he ever be up to the task of doing that? And if he did, what if it turned into another Cabletown? How would he feel, if the town he set up had turned into that? He wondered if the Tamer was turning in his grave. Brand certainly would be. He wondered too, if he could find out the name of the brave Tamers that set up Cabletown, or whether that had been lost to the winds of time. He asked Ravena this.

“I think you ought to be able to. Most places can.” She told him.

“I was told the names of the people that founded Quartz Creek.” Said Rosie. “My family name was among them, but I don’t remember the others. But we’re quite recent compared to most places. I don’t think they were called Tamers then.”

“No, the highly ritualised practice of excursion turned into what we see today. Though in more dangerous parts of the world they take it a lot more seriously than we do.” Ravena told them.

“They take it seriously in Cabletown.” Brand muttered. “They just go about it the wrong way.”

“I’m a little confused. Earlier you said there was a shaman during excursion. What was the point of that?” Asked Tommen.

“Right, so.” Ravena was growing more animated by the second. Brand thought it was very cute, and wondered if there was anything that would make his eyes light up like that. With that being said, he was very content to watch hers light up as well. “I said before that Adventurers and Tamers were considered distinct occupations to the settled life, and that excursions were taken more seriously than today. The rates of death were much higher, and it was closer to something like war. War against an unknown enemy, that was how excursions were treated. A necessary part of your duty, but highly dangerous.

“Well, there was a lot more trauma associated with it, a lot more fear. These were ordinary people you see, it wasn’t something you could just go home and quit like today. Adventuring is self-selecting for certain traits nowadays, but that’s a different story… The shaman would help transform the mind of the Adventurer or Tamer through ecstatic states and they would no longer be a baker, a lab technician or a miner, they would be an Adventurer or a Tamer. And then, before returning to the settlement, they would visit the shaman again, who would alter their mind in a more soothing way to prepare them for settlement life once more. There was one exception to that rule though.”

“The Tamers who founded new settlements?” Brand asked.

“That’s right! They were Tamers for good now, permanently on excursion. Only, the excursion they were on was making sure their settlement never failed and was never overcome by the Databeasts.” She said, pleased.

“So, the ruins you were investigating was one of these shaman-camps?” Asked Marius, bringing the conversation full circle.

“I think so.” She told him. “But if so, they’re one of the largest ones we’ve found in this area. It would be a big deal.”

“Why’s that?” He responded.

“Well for one, this place would be more important historically than we remember. But also, a lot of these shaman encampments tend to be close to areas that have a high amount of Databeast eggs - sometimes called sprite eggs by researchers - form. So it’d be useful to the tamers of today!” She said cheerily.

“Really!?” Tommen exclaimed. “Well why are you leaving? Don’t tell me you’ve already got a Databeast?”

She smiled at him, before a shimmering light appeared and coalesced in her arms. Everybody stopped moving to observe.

A round creature sat there, with four stubby little legs, big pointed ears and a stubby little black mane in a mohawk shape. It was as if someone had squashed a puppy into a ball shape and made it the cutest thing ever, Brand thought. It looked up at them with big eyes and then started panting.

“This is Clerk. I got him around the same time you guys found your Databeast egg. I didn’t want to rub it in. He’s not the only reason I’m going back though, I need to check with my supervisor and see whether he thinks my findings are right. If so, there’ll be more BITs and more help.”

“You’re telling me we’re walking away from the area filled with Databeast eggs!?” Tommen was gobsmacked.

“Well I wouldn’t say filled, just more common. But I’ll take you there when we get back. Besides, you need to attune your element stone.” She told him.

“Can I pet him?” Rosie asked, referring to Clerk the Instar-stage Databeast.

Ravena smiled again and put Clerk on the ground. Clerk looked up at her, seemingly confused, but trotted over to Rosie when she squatted. His little legs moved rapidly, but he didn’t get there very fast. It seemed he was more of a Databeast for being carried. Rosie cooed and picked stroked him, which he seemed to like, then he went around inspecting the shoes of the gathered humans.

He made Brand think of his parent’s Databeast, a Spinehound, and he got a pang of homesickness. When would he see his family again? Even the little things, like getting up and petting the Databeast, were outside of his reach for now and in the foreseeable future. He liked his new companions, but he sorely hurt that he knew where his family was but couldn’t access them, and that he didn’t know where his old friends were, even though there was nothing stopping him from seeing them.

He felt alone despite the company. He petted the Databeast as it came to him, feeling a little better.

“I meant to ask.” He said. “My friends were investigating the abandoned laboratory town near Quartz Creek. Do you know anything about that? Why they’d be doing that?”

“I know a fair bit.” Ravena replied. “In fact, I suspect the shaman camp I’m investigating was the camp for that town specifically. Which is also unusual, as most shaman camps are usually supported by a number of settlements. So this one seems to be special in a lot of ways. But anyway, I wouldn’t know what they were doing there specifically, but I do know of a group that often pays adventurers to carry out research there, my supervisor is mildly affiliated with them. Come with me to the College and my supervisor will be able to give you their HQ.”

Brand smiled and his heart felt full again. He was on the right track! As they got a move on once more, Brand found that the dusty road wasn’t so long or tiring anymore, after all.