Edge expected Trapper to be waiting for him to arrive, since she was supposed to conduct the final two days of his training. He was surprised to find someone else standing in the yard instead—a woman who he hadn’t met before.

Thanks to his obsession with the Prison World broadcasts, Edge knew that she was Violet, the final member of the crew. Violet played several supporting roles that kept the team running at peak efficiency. Although she didn’t go into the field as often as the others, she was still a vital member of the team.

First and foremost, she was their quartermaster, in charge of obtaining, maintaining, and repairing their equipment, and keeping the wagon in good condition. She was the person who had crafted Trapper’s bladewire nets. Although Trapper had the last say, Violet made most of the day-to-day decisions, and handled the crew’s finances and negotiations with prospective clients.

She was also their beast tamer and trainer, the person who had taught Blue to obey commands, and Lucky before he was killed by the reavers. Last but not least, Violet was the crew’s cook, at least while they were out on multiday excursions.

Edge introduced himself and they shook hands. Then she motioned for him to take a seat at the bench and explained what was going on.

“Your run in with the big lizard set into motion a series of events that affects the whole settlement. Although several oversized critters have been spotted recently, none have come close enough to threaten the town until now. Trapper and other leaders from the hunting community are meeting with Dialla and Earl as we speak, trying to decide what to do about these threats, now and going forward.

“She won’t be available today or tomorrow. But the day after that, she will be handling your final day of training as planned. Today’s lesson will be a one-day affair, although I’m going to keep you here a little longer than usual. Tomorrow, you can have the whole day off to train on your own.

“To prepare for your exam, I’m going to teach you a variety of things that are important to know when going into the field to stalk big game. I’ll show you how to load and unload the cart. How to care for your gear and familiarize you with the equipment we take with us on hunts.

“I’ll demonstrate some techniques for storing beast parts, so they don’t rot before you can sell them in town. I’ll also be working with you on basic hand signals, which are how we communicate at a distance or when we can’t afford to make a sound. That’s enough talking for now, it’s time to get to work.”

As promised, she spent the next three hours educating Edge on a broad range of topics. He soon learned that Violet took her work seriously. She made sure that he understood the importance of each item on her list, and how to go about it in the proper manner. While their hands were busy, he used the opportunity to get a good look at his instructor for the day.

Violet’s body was in its late forties, making her one of the town’s oldest residents. She had platinum hair that was so light it was almost white, broad shoulders, and the striking purple eyes that she had named herself after. Her humor was dry and sharp enough to draw blood, although there was a kindness to her expression that offset her rougher aspects.

All the while, she kept filling his head with information, all of which was valuable and relevant to his situation. “Your armor will crack if you don’t oil it on occasion. That pack will grow all kinds of nasty microorganisms if you don’t use boiling water to wash out the part-pouch every time that you use it.”

She showed him what to use to clean his gear—substances that wouldn’t reveal his presence to beasts with sharp senses. How to tie a knot, pitch a tent, and build a proper campfire that didn’t make much smoke. When they were done with his orientation, Violet let Edge know what was on the menu for the second half of his training.

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“If you want to understand beasts, it’s important that you interact with them. Get to know them in ways beyond just hunting, fighting, and killing them. For the rest of the afternoon, you’re going to spend some quality time with Blue. Your goal is to play nice and make friends. To show her that it’s safe to trust you. If you can get on her back by the end of the day, I’ll consider it a pass.”

Edge wasn’t sure what this method was supposed to teach him. But it was the first chance he’d had to get up close and personal with a beast that wasn’t trying to eat him. One of his favorites from the feed no less. He knew that Violet wouldn’t waste his time, so there had to be an opportunity here somewhere. Figuring it out must be part of the process.

He walked into the back yard, where the azure dino was in the middle of kicking a ball around the grass. Since he had seen Trapper doing it, he picked up a stick and gave it a toss. Blue watched it sail in a lazy arc… Then she took off in a flash, using charge to tear up the ground and get under the stick before it came down.

To Edge’s delight, she brought it right back. After waiting to receive his praise and a pat on the head, she motioned for him to give it another toss. “Alright, Blue. Go long.”

After playing with Blue for the better part of an hour, Edge decided to see if the beast would let him ride her. He put a hand on her back and got ready to hop on… only to scramble back at the deep growl that rattled his teeth within his jaw. “Easy there, girl. I hear you. You’re the boss.”

She forgave him after some particularly good scritches behind her horns. A good twenty minutes of begging and petting later, Blue relented, lowering herself so that Edge could put one leg over her back. Then she rose to her feet and began to trot.

He let out a whoop of joy as they picked up speed, basking in the glory that only those who have ridden a dinosaur bareback can know.

When Violet came out to check on him, she let out an appreciative whistle at the sight of Edge riding across the yard. “Not bad. Blue doesn’t let just anyone ride her. You must be quite skilled with your fingers. Sasha is a lucky girl.”

At that last line, Edge flushed beet red, finding himself at a complete loss for words. Violet laughed so hard that she had to fight for breath, and nearly collapsed to one knee.

“I knew it. After slipping out last night dressed to kill, I knew that she was hunting game of another sort. I mean she’s always dressed to kill, but you know what I’m talking about. Ah, to be young again.”

When she had regained control of her body, Violet walked over and showed Edge how to signal Blue to kneel. He hopped off, thanked the dino for the ride, then turned to face his instructor. “That concludes your training for the day. Come back the day after tomorrow and Trapper will give you your last lesson before the big exam.”

Edge took advantage of the opportunity to high tail it out of there before Violet managed to embarrass him further.

He put in a solid night of conditioning, including another round of sparring with Mel that took him down to his last 60 Credits. They began by reversing their roles. Edge took the offensive and tried as hard as he could to break through Melenia’s guard.

He rained blows upon the muscular woman, but he might as well have been punching the earth. Not a single hit got through and each impact stung his hands. He did eventually get her to take a step back, after a rapid combination of jabs followed by a reverse kick.

“Nice one, Edge.” A beaming smile crossed Mel’s face. “Now it’s my turn.” After mopping the floor with him until he was running low on mana, they decided to call it a night. A friendly fist bump followed by a cold shower later, he left the station, pleased with his gains for the day.

By conditioning your body, your Control has increased by 1.

By conditioning your body, your Durability has increased by 1.

After turning the corner, Edge walked over to the town square, ready to get in one last bit of training before bed.

This time, instead of running on the track, he took his naginata out on the green to start familiarizing himself with the weapon. He spent the next two hours moving it around his body, learning how to slice and thrust at various angles.

Then he moved on to some training with slash and elemental blade, two skills that everyone already knew he had. He didn’t have enough in the tank to practice for long, so Edge did his best to work on using his skills as efficiently as possible. After all, the same situation could come up in a real fight, and he needed to be prepared.

When he finally made it back to his room, he had a coded message from Ann waiting for him. His heart-guard had arrived, and Lilly was ready to install it.

Edge’s pulse began racing with excitement. It seemed that his night wasn’t quite over after all. It was finally time to get his first implant.