Jack knocked on the professor’s door.

“Come on in!” was the response from the other side, shouted in a raspy tenor.

Professor Grant’s office was the messiest space that Jack had seen in a while. Boxes and boxes of broken ceramics lay thrown about, forming a labyrinth that could rival any of Piri’s dungeons.

There was a large working table with colorful vials, cups filled with brushes, and other tools that Jack couldn’t identify. Looking at him from across the table was an elderly man with bony arms and fingers. His head was almost completely bald, but his mustache and eyebrows retained the vitality the rest of his facial hair had lost. The eyebrows were so furry that they could rival the mustache.

The professor held his hand up, signaling Jack not to take another step into the office.

“Please stay over there. I have everything exactly where I want it, and I don’t want you to break anything.”

Given how there wasn’t a single item in the professor’s office that wasn’t in shambles, it seemed like an odd request, but Jack obeyed. “Excuse me, Professor Grant. I'm here because of the request you've posted on the bulletin board.”

“Oh yes, the ceramic shards in the jungle. Yes, of course. Good lad. Thank you for being willing to retrieve the ceramics.”

This NPC was a little strange. The professor didn’t look him in the eye and seemed shy and uncomfortable with his visit. He seemed like the kind of person who cared more about relics than people. These shards thrown in boxes were his friends. Jack suspected that, in order to endure the conversation, the professor had imagined Jack as a walking-talking vase.

“You're a potter, yes?” the professor asked while gently brushing a broken pot.

“That's correct.”

“And what other skills do you have?”

“I'm also learning bushcraft.”

“An odd choice, but skills that make you suitable for this task. You see, trekking in the jungle, despite being so close to the wall, is still arduous, seeing how it's between gates. Without any survival skills, you wouldn’t last. And how many are in your party?”

“Two.”

The professor’s bushy brows furrowed. “That's less than ideal. If a pack gets you, you're going to be doomed.”

“We’ll be careful.” Jack tried.

“I know, lad. I trust that if you've volunteered for the task, you are aware of the risks and still want to pursue it. Yes?”

“That's right, sir.”

“Here's a map marking the site. They are ruins of an old village. You probably won’t have to dig anything. The ceramics should be lying about. Let me show you what I'm looking for.”

Even though it all looked chaotic to Jack, the man must have had some system to help him quickly find what he required. The professor navigated the many boxes littered with ceramic fragments and promptly found what he wanted.

Unlike all the others, this box only contained two loose pieces of ceramics. They were yellower than the clay Jack was used to working with and painted with bold, black lines. Jack couldn't help but think of the vases outside telling the story of the man forging a sword and offering it to the statue.

The professor picked the bigger shard and held it up to the light so that Jack could examine it. “Can you see what I'm looking for?”

Jack nodded.

“Based on the information gathered from the previous expedition, the compsognathus have turned the village ruins into their nesting grounds. Therefore, you should expect them to be close to the ceramics. Plan accordingly. Just make sure you retrieve as many pieces as possible; your rewards will depend on how well you do. Yes?”

“Alright.”

The professor turned his attention back to the vase, and Jack left his office. Now, with a map and a better idea of what was expected of him, Jack shot a message to Amari.

“I'm done here. Where are you?”

“Close. The quest mentions compies, right?”

“Compies?” Jack didn’t recall hearing the word.

“Compsognathus. Compies,” Amari explained.

“Oh, right! It does. The NPC handing out the quest said our destination is a compy nest. Sorry. Didn’t realize they were called that.” Jack was a big fan of anything that saved him work. Abbreviations that spared him the pain of pronouncing too many syllables were most welcome.

“A nest? Uuf. Bad news. Come and meet me at the Zoology Department.”

Jack wanted to ask why, but careful not to shoo away his newfound ally, he obeyed and headed back toward the Historical Society's entrance. He found Amari under the archway leading toward the Zoology Department.

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“Hi, Amari.”

“Hey, greeny. Are you ready for this?”

Jack nodded excitedly.

“Zoology Department. Have you been?”

Jack shook his head.

“Alright. Expeditions 101,” Amari said as if a teacher instructing the child, “half of the expedition’s success depends on good preparation. For example, we already know what species we’ll find in this hunt. That’s great. Before every expedition, hunt, or whatever, if you know what mobs you’ll find, you should always come to the Historical Society first. Come. Follow me.”

Jack followed after Amari as he passed exhibits filled with birds, mammals, and invertebrates and finally turned toward the dinosaur exhibit. Even though Jack expected to find fossils like the ones at the entrance, what he found was quite different.

Long corridors of glass walls navigated through a series of animal statues. Jack inspected the one nearest the entrance and found a tiny dinosaur. It had a beak and a round head, and over its back, there were several spikes, similar to a porcupine’s. Its eyes were glassy, but otherwise, it looked real.

There was a tablet with information on the animal. It featured the name of the species, what it ate, habits, predators, and locations where it could be found.

“Are these real?”

“Yeap. Stuffed dinosaurs.”

“H-how does that work? Why?” Jack couldn’t help but blabber.

“It’s the work of taxidermists, a popular profession for rangers because of the [Vital Strike] skill.”

“Oh, I see,” Jack faked as if he knew what Amari was saying. He didn't want to let on how much of a newbie he was.

“We are looking at grey compies based on our levels and the quest description. Here it is. Read the description, and we'll be on our way.”

Seeing what a compy was, Jack sighed in relief. It turned out to be a dinosaur no bigger than a chicken. It walked on two hind legs and had a long tail. The forelimbs, even though smaller, had two large clawed digits. Its skull was narrow, and the specimen’s mouth was open, revealing the small, pointed teeth.

This was much more manageable than the large dinosaur he'd seen at the museum's entrance. “Is this it? We just have to deal with these chickens?” Jack joked.

Amari laughed heartily. Jack thought Amari had laughed at his quip, but what he said next let him know it wasn’t it. “Just read the description. Don't underestimate these guys. They've killed me more times than I can remember.”

“Really?” Jack said. “Are they that dangerous?”

“Oh yeah, the stuff of nightmares. See for yourself.”

Species: Compsognathus griseus

Diet: Carnivore

Level: 10-14

Wild: A small predator with high reproductivity and a wide distribution. Even though this animal is small, it lives in large packs that can overwhelm larger prey.

When running into a lone compsognathus, celerity is the key, either to kill it or to run away before it can summon its kin. Whenever a compy dies nearby, the whole pack is sent into a frenzy.

Distribution: Vicinity of the wall, ruins.

As soon as Jack finished reading the plaque with information on this dinosaur species, he received a notification.

You’ve learned more about compsognathus griseus. You’ve received a buff, [Compsognathus Griseus Insight], for 24 hours.

10% damage reduction when attacked by compsognathus griseus.

10% stamina reduction when blocking attacks from compsognathus griseus.

“Wow!”

“See why you should always come here before heading out? These bonuses are worth it.”

“They are. Thanks! There’s something bugging me, though. It says that these compies are over level 10, but I’m only level 5. You?”

“Level 5, too.”

“How are we going to fight these dinosaurs then?”

“Who said anything bout fighting? Don’t worry. Can you invite me to the quest?”

Jack searched the relevant options in the menu and quickly found out how to get Amari into his party. Amari read the quest description and checked the map.

“I get why we need someone with bushcraft now. It’s a long trek.”

“Do you think we’ll make it?” Jack asked, hoping to gauge whether their levels and equipment were good enough for this expedition.

“We’ll need to prepare some items for the trip. How much money do you have?”

Jack’s brow raised. Why was Amari asking him about something so personal? “50 silver,” Jack lied.

“That’s too little,” Amari concluded. “You’ll need at least one gold to get us the necessary supplies.”

Jack didn’t like where this was going. He would need to buy them supplies? Was this Amari guy a scammer or something? He thought he was a veteran swimming in gold. Why did Jack have to be the one footing the bill? Wasn’t this going to be good for Amari too?

“Can’t you chip in?” Jack asked, a little hesitant.

Amari turned, eyes narrowing. “I already am. Since you're a bushcrafter, it’s your job to keep us fed and maintain stamina. Didn’t you know that?” His tone sharpened.

Jack hadn’t meant to sound accusing, but it did feel like he was getting the short end of the stick. Still, maybe Amari was right. Jack opened his browser, quickly typing in to see if bushcraft came with more responsibilities than he realized.

“So, I’m buying everything?” Jack said, eyes flicking between his screen and Amari. “What’s your role then?”

“I was thinking I’d get consumables to deal with the compies. Man, why are you acting so defensive? I thought you were cool.”

“I-I…” Jack stuttered as he opened a browser, trying to verify Amari’s claims. He typed ‘bushcraft party responsibility.’ Sure enough, he found a post.

Am I Being Ripped Off?

I’m running a quest with this party. Just because I’m a bushcrafter they expect me to cook, make medicine for them, and start a fire whenever they ask me to. Something’s fishy here. I think they’re scamming me. What should I do?

AdrianHill: Super normal requests.

KleinNur: If you don’t like to do those things, why did you even take bushcraft? That’s the whole point of it.

JimmyJones: Fellow bushcrafter here. Those requests are reasonable, provided others also chip in the quest. Who’s buying whetstones? Who’s covering repair costs? Who’s buying feed for the horses? Whose quest is it?

Sure enough, being a bushcrafter meant a lot more responsibilities than he thought. Other players seemed to agree with Amari.

“Uh... I just wanted to check,” Jack mumbled, feeling the awkward tension. I’m sorry. I started playing the game yesterday, and I was afraid you were scamming me. I’m trying to make a living out of the game. I don’t even own a helmet. I’m just renting one. I really can’t afford to use my in-game money carelessly. I was just making sure you weren’t making unreasonable requests.”

Amari let out a deep sigh.

“This is my first time hunting with a party. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

The tall man stared Jack down, and Jack stared at him back. After a few moments, Amari smirked. “I guess I can’t blame you. I’d be suspicious, too, if I were you.”

Jack hurriedly invited Amari back to the party before he changed his mind. Seeing that he accepted, Jack sighed in relief.

“I must do New Earth a favor and teach you some basics about hunting with a party.” Amari declared as he headed out of the exhibit. Jack followed, head low.