When Edge showed up at Trapper’s lodge, Jumo was already in the yard.

While he was waiting for Edge to arrive, the hunter had been working with Blue, taking the beast through a range of exercises. “Good morning.” Jumo raised a hand in greeting. “I’ll be done soon. You should watch while you wait. I’m sure that you’ll find this educational.” With that, he turned his attention back to Blue.

After observing for a few minutes, Edge realized that they were going through a series of combat drills. Jumo was calling out commands while pointing to a line of straw-stuffed dummies posted around the yard. He ordered the dino to use her offensive skills, thrust, charge, and gore, interspersed with signals to advance, fall back, change targets, or guard a certain location.

It was Edge’s first time watching a combat-trained beast at work, and he found the process fascinating. Blue had been too shocked by the death of Lucky to obey commands during the fight with the reavers, but it was clear that she was capable of far more than pulling a cart. Blue has some incredible power at her disposal, and her speed is impressive too.

Splinters and straw went flying as the beast tore the targets to shreds without breaking a sweat. Then she trotted back over to bask in Jumo’s praise. When they were done, he put Blue back in her pen, gave her some fruit as a treat, and then walked over to Edge’s side.

“Thanks for waiting. She hasn’t been the same since Lucky died. We’re trying to spend more time with her to help get her back on her feet. They were with each other since they were pups, and it was a hard bond to lose.”

“No problem,” Edge replied, taking a close look at his instructor for the next two days.

Jumo was several inches taller than Edge, with broad shoulders and rippling muscles. His skin was tanned a deep bronze hue. He had hazel eyes and a nose that had been broken at least a couple of times. His head was clean shaven, and his body was covered in intricate tattoos in a style that Edge didn’t recognize, which meant that the man probably wasn’t from Earth.

Unlike Riller, Jumo was cored, somewhere between early and mid stage-one. Every move that he made projected a palpable aura of strength. It was clear at a glance that he had devoted long hours to conditioning his body, on top of the points he’d gained from cycling-up.

He wasn’t as fast or as nimble as Riller. But he was far more powerful and tough as nails, with enough durability to soak up considerable damage and the endurance to fight for far longer.

Although everyone on Trapper’s team could use a bow or crossbow, Jumo was a melee specialist. His role was to protect the party in case of an ambush, or to finish off prey if a hunt turned sour. Edge hoped to pick up some pointers from the man over the next forty-eight hours. Tips on how to fight against beasts up close.

After they shook hands, Jumo went to grab his gear. He began strapping on his armor, which was formed from red chitin plates that must have come from some manner of giant insect. That material looks light and strong. I should consider having something similar made when I can afford it.

Jumo’s spear was carved from a dense, dark wood. It had to be incredibly tough, given the latticework of scratches that covered every inch of its shaft. Edge ran his eyes across the legacy of hundreds of fights, deeply impressed by what he saw. The tip was fashioned from sea-green ivory, harvested from some manner of beast that he wasn’t familiar with.

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When Jumo was done, he turned to Edge and said, “I’m supposed to be training you on team tactics. Which is fine, and I will. But if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to use this opportunity to make some credits too. I need to buy some more gear before we head into the field next week.”

“That sounds good to me. I’m in a similar position and I’m happy to follow your lead.”

“Great. Let’s take a cart with us today so that we can bring back our haul. We can take turns pulling it. I’ll go first, since you haven’t done it before. That way, you won’t need to worry about bumping into anything while we make our way out of town.”

Jumo tossed his weapon into the cart and stowed his pack, then gestured for Edge to do the same. He added his new backpack to the pile, glad to have the weight off his shoulders. Once their gear was secured, they began heading for the north gate.

While they walked, they discussed potential targets. Jumo began listing beasts that lived within a few miles of town, along with various resources they could collect along the way.

When he was done, he turned to Edge and said, “We might as well take this opportunity to get to know each other better. To start with, what have you battled so far besides the reavers? Hopefully, we won’t run into more monsters anytime soon.”

“I fought a weasel, a pair of nymphs, and a jobo so far. I ran into some buffalo out on the plains, but I’m not crazy enough to mess with the herd.”

“Nymphs, eh?” Jumo’s eyebrows went up. “Nasty little shits. They’re never alone and there’s nothing worth selling on them unless you have alchemical training and can extract the parts while they’re still fresh. Since you’re already familiar with jobos, why don’t we hunt one today? I know where an early stage-one male lives. I can teach you some tactics along the way, and we can split the profit for the kill.”

“I’m good with that, lead the way.” With their target decided, they moved on to discussing their skills, attributes, and gear. Since he was the team’s melee specialist, Jumo’s skillset was designed to engage powerful beasts and deal with opponents that could take a beating.

Jumo had a basic core, so he had more attributes than Edge but no ultimate ability. He was high in power, durability, and endurance, with a lesser emphasis on control. In addition to his spear, he carried a pair of nets and a brace of throwing knives in his kit. That way, he could always attack from range to at least some extent, increasing his strategic options.

As far as skills went, Jumo had lunge to break through an enemy’s guard or penetrate heavy armor. Rapid barrage was perfect for overwhelming agile opponents. Second wind was a passive ability that burned mana to remove fatigue, allowing him to stay at his best during a prolonged exchange.

Rounding out his skillset was dash. It let the warrior reposition as needed. Take advantage of openings as they appeared in the fluid tide of battle or move to defend his team if they were threatened. It also gave him a head start if he was forced to flee from something nasty. Jumo told Edge that he was saving his fifth skill slot for a power that would either let him heal or deal with a swarm of small opponents.

Edge shared the details of slash, elemental blade, and regeneration. He was keeping the existence of his other skills a secret for now, although he implied that shadow step was his ultimate. That it drained a lot of mana and could only be used once a day.

Jumo nodded along until he was finished. “Since you’re still waiting on your new weapon, you’ll be relying on your iceblade today. Try to target your prey’s limbs, otherwise you will lower the value of the remains. But if you find yourself in a tight spot, don’t hesitate to go all out. It’s not worth risking your life for a few thousand credits.”

“Thanks, but I think that I can kill it cleanly this time around.” Apparently, Edge’s word was all that the athletic hunter needed.

“That sounds great, man. I can’t wait to see you in action.”