The nearest riding stables were a short distance outside of the main gates she had come in through. The stables were huge, and she realised there were more than horses available to purchase and ride. Stable boys were dragging four-legged animals as large as elephants around, there were also creatures that looked similar to ostriches and some smaller and more practical ones that appeared to be mules of varying sizes and length. After asking around, she was told where to find the riding school.

"Excuse me, are you the right person to inquire about learning to ride a horse?"

She had found a young man, human and good looking, who was supposed to be the riding trainer. He was busy carrying a saddle and an armful of riding tackle from one end of the yard to the other.

"Yes, that's me. You can sign up over there." He pointed out a noticeboard behind them and carried on walking.

Anika made her way to the noticeboard when she heard the trainer shout.

"Sorry lady, don't take this the wrong way, but you need more experience before you learn to ride. We can teach you after level 20, so come back then and sign yourself up for the lessons." With that, he kept walking and didn't pay her any further attention.

Anika felt as if her heart had sunk into her stomach. This just meant further delays. What was the point in having a level restriction for riding around? Didn't the game developers want you to explore the game and everything it offered? She kicked the dirt in front of her and walked back towards the main gates of the city. It would be too early to check if her request for a map of Gliphos had been filled, but she could at least get back to the Explorer's quarters and ask around.

As she was walking back through the main gates, it occurred to her she might speed up her travel time by using her talent points. Every time she had gained a level, she had been too busy either fighting or preparing for the next fight, that she had forgotten to have a look at the options available to her.

She opened the talent section and studied it for a while. She had already put two points into improved speed and was hoping to see if there were additional possibilities. At the moment her main dilemma was whether to spend time and energy in levelling up so she could get her riding skill, or whether it would be faster to just set off on foot.

Only the first tier of her talent tree was available. As she placed her third point into Improved Speed, she noticed that the second-tier of the talent tree opened some new options up to her. To her dismay, there was no way for how to increase her speed any further. The main options available to her looked like they followed the three distinct Hunter specialisations. There were places to attribute points for Accuracy and some different shots. The Magical shot was one of them, and she didn't hesitate to put her point into that one, remembering how useless she had been in the Nightmare Caverns without her Magical shot. To her surprise, the magical shot she had placed the point into a moment ago, did not appear in her skill section. When she focused on the ability on the talent tree, there was a small helpful note telling her she would have to find a Hunter trainer to unlock any new abilities from the 2nd tier.

She had three points left to spend. One option was to learn how to set a poison trap. It would give her the information required to load a regular trap with various toxins, and there were some additional bonuses relating to Trapping, Stealth and Camouflage.

Looking at the branch in her talent tree of the Beastmaster specialisation, she saw a few options that looked tempting. She could spend additional points that would improve the health and damage output of her companions, and a single point that would allow her to tame a beast even if it had been hurt by her.

Improved Taming: 0/1

Causing damage to a creature will no longer prevent it from being tamed.

She felt like she needed a crash course in this stuff, so she decided to find the League of Hunters to train her new shooting ability and to get advice on her talent selections.

The League of Hunters had their main cabin close to the outer walls of the city. On display, there were many types of hunting weapons and trapping gear, and some stalls selling different weapons and equipment that all looked useful for people needing to survive in the wild.

There were also some stuffed animals hanging on the walls as she went inside the main cabin. She found the man who was supposed to be the main Hunter trainer in Windfall city, his name was Beastmaster Fitch, and he was standing near an open fireplace, polishing a large hunting rifle with one foot on a sofa. This was his domain, and he was busy bragging and re-enacting a story of a savage encounter when she walked up to him and his audience.

"Excuse me, Fitch?"

She had waited a few moments before speaking, but since he didn't pay her any attention, she spoke up.

"That's me."

He stopped talking to the other hunters and sized her up after responding to her.

"A novice hunter I can see. Here for some training lass?" He raised his eyebrows, turned to the others and smiled like someone who loves being the centre of attention, wanting the others to be part of the conversation.

"Yes, I am. Can you help me unlock the second-tier of my talent tree, please?

"I sure can. A Beastmaster I can see. What an excellent path for a young hunter like yourself to take. They call me Beastmaster Fitch. I have been taming and working with exotic beasts from here to the Frozen Isles for longer than I can remember. You've come to the right place."

He moved away from the crowd he had been talking to, possibly because they had stopped paying attention to him and were engaged in a conversation of their own.

He then walked her over to a wall covered in hunting trophies. There were stuffed animal heads of every conceivable type of beast. Some were easy to recognise, others were alien to Anika. He admired them for a while before continuing.

"This path you have chosen is not just about taming beasts. Despite this, I've killed a few dozen of these myself. Sometimes they won't let you take them home, so it's a bullet or a knife to the throat." He smiled at her looking very content with himself.

"So, about my training?" Anika continued. "When my second tier is unlocked, are there any options for me to run faster? I've spent three talent points in improved speed, but am wondering if there are any more options."

"Going somewhere fast are you?"

She nodded and was about to speak when he interrupted her.

"I think speed is overrated. In most situations, you should take your time. Being in the right place at the right time is much more valuable than getting somewhere fast, wouldn't you agree?"

Another smug grin from the Master.

"Well since you ask, I have to get somewhere fast. I need to get to Belhaven as soon as possible, and they can't teach me riding yet, so I think I will go there by foot."

Fitch looked away for a couple of moments, considering something.

"Here's what we'll do. First, to unlock the next level of your training, I will need you to go outside the city walls and tame yourself three different beasts. Show me you can tame a Raven, a Spider and the fierce Wolf. Show me that, and you'll be worthy of the next rank."

New Quest: Tame three beasts for Fitch

Raven 0/1

Spider 0/1

Wolf 0/1

Accept Yes/No

"On top of that, and to help you get to Belhaven as fast as possible, I have a little challenge for you. If you can tame a rare version of each of the three creatures, I'll unlock a unique ability for you. How about that?"

"What unique ability are you thinking about?"

"Well, there is a skill we teach hunters who have excelled on the path of the Beastmaster. This would only be accessible to you after many years of dedication. But, if you can tame the rare creatures as I explained, you will have shown promise, and I will help you. The ability I'm thinking about allows you to ride your own companions. There are a few exceptions of course. The beast you intend to ride would need to have the strength to carry your weight, and I wouldn't try riding a creature who isn't your most loyal companion. Things can only go wrong, I've tried that myself."

This might be what she needed, Anika thought. As long as this quest would not take longer than getting up to level 20, or the two weeks, she would have to travel by foot.

"I'll do it. Can you tell me where to find the creatures?" She was already picturing herself on the back of Beth, riding as fast as the strong legs of her bear could take them, on their way to Belhaven.

"Just check your map, there should be indications on where you might go. I can't promise you'll find any rare creatures though, that is up to chance and your attention to detail. What I can tell you, is that the unique animals are found far away from the beaten path. They are rare because nobody has spotted or killed them yet, so you can expect quite a challenge. I wish you well."