An hour or so after the sun rose, people started actually, well, existing. The village, as small as it was, was actually home to more people than houses.
I can easily spot about three dozen people. There are a lot of children, but few teenagers. I don't really want to think about why that is, but I have a feeling it isn't a very fun reason. Other than that, there were also quite a wide variety of people, old people, young people, middle-aged people.
For some reason, SRI didn't give me any box for the people. It might be because I'm too far away, or it might be because I don't place my focus on any one single person.
Man, I really wanna come closer to take a look inside the houses, but I don't want to spook them. That is, if anything, the last thing I want to do.
And so, I watch.
But since I've never been much good at staying still for copious amounts of time, I decide to play with the fire. In other words, I circle around through the forest to view the village from different vantage points. The first thing I notice through this is a large structure placed in the very middle of the village, outside the largest house.
Oh, a sundial! I was wondering what time it was!
As it turns out, telling what a sundial says from the side is no easy feat.
Right. Only one way to do this.
Placing all my hopes in the brightness of the sun, I rise above the village, slowly flying over the houses and people until I get a clear view of the sundial.
About... 08:15? Pretty late 'innit? Well, I guess, in a forest like this, you can only rise with the sun.
Hm? Where are they off to?
A small bunch of men, about four or five at most, are heading off into the woods for some reason. They're all wearing wool clothes, which isn't so strange, but along with it, they're carrying all sorts of weapons. One man has a bow and arrow, another carries a sword, and yet another a wooden staff.
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Where in the world could they be headed?...
Discarding my curiosity for the village, I follow them, making sure to, as with Antonio, keep a fair bit of distance. Closer up, I notice how the man with the sword also carries an iron breastplate, crude in design and upkeep, and the fourth man I carrying a pair of daggers, with the fifth man not carrying anything at all.
"-I'm just not sure if I'm up to it. I still feel a bit queasy from yesterday."
"Pull yourself together man, it was just a bad piece of meat! And I told you not to eat it!"
"Sorry to say man, but he's right. You did do this to yourself. And don't you dare blame Mister Antonio, right?"
"It's not like we can just not do it, either. You can hang back for a bit while we hunt, but when you join, I don't want to see you messing up big-time."
"...Fine, sure. But if I pass out, the lot of you are carrying me back!"
"Big guy like you? Not in a million years."
-So went their conversation. In other words, they, too, are hunters? Like Antonio? I might just be a bit too far away to activate SRI, hold on just a moment...
Skill (System Recon Interferance) has been used, information will now be shown
Human "Gautier Bossuet", Lv.25 (Race)
Human "Preie-Tuitt Grenuille", Lv.23 (Race)
Human "Gaston Oeuf", Lv.27 (Race)
Elf "Mal", Lv.19 (Race)
Human "Anders Kohlmann", Lv.22 (Race)
A group of hunters belonging to the village of Thum, these hunters, consisting of Gautier the warrior, Grenuille the archer, Gaston the rogue, Mal the wizard's apprentice, and Anders the healer. These five humans hunt monsters and treasure in the nearby dungeon. Due to not being registered to the guild of adventurers, none of these are adventurers, but are instead hunters.
...Uhuh, huh, alright, yes, uh. Dungeon?... Like, like a torture dungeon-? Or am I getting things all wrong again...? Either way, these people seem kind of, well... strong. If they see me, I'm sure they'll make fried chicken out of me in five seconds flat.
...But I can't say I don't want to see what a dungeon is. And, furthermore, one these seems magically inclined! If I can just see this Mal guy use some magic, I should be able to tell what level I lie on! And, if I somehow befriend them, or just befriend the village sometime in the future, I might just be able to learn some things from him! Considering I got fall damage reduction from falling a bunch, getting some notice magic should be able to happen in the very same way.
Alright, I've decided, I'm following these guys into whatever dungeon they're headed to!
Let's go!!