10

Brellan’s airbike thing whispered up the valley preceded only by the slight whining hum of whatever powered it. I waited in the shade, letting myself continue enjoying the smells on the breeze. Some of it was a dusty scent, but there was also the musk of damp earth, a hint of blooming flowers. And something that smelled like sourdough bread. I had no idea what that might be coming from. The bike settled on retractable landing struts and lowered closer to the ground, settling into the grasses.

“Took you long enough,” Brellan carped as he hopped off. Tightness in his face made the smile he put on look fake. “But you got it. Good work.” I stuck the bird in his outstretched hand.

“Not the prettiest kill, but you could still mount it if you wanted. Just from the side a little. Not that grawk are really trophy birds.” He plucked a long wing feather off, suggesting, “You should keep one of these, however. I’m sure you learned a couple of things today, kid. Keep the memento so you don’t forget.”

Quest completed: Stalk the Grawk

Reputation increase with Outcrop Hunters’ Hall

+500 XP (total 3250)

Level gained! (4)

+18 Health

+18 Stamina

+15 Focus

+5 Primary Characteristic Points

+10 Skill Points

I did take it and tucked it into a pocket, glad to have an outfit that included them.

“Come on, we should head back.” The smile sagged away, letting the underlying glumness show. I climbed on behind him, and we rose up and away.

We skimmed the treetops in silence. If he wasn’t wanting to talk about whatever was bothering him it didn’t seem my place to push it. I instead took the time to review my stats and spend points. I put all 5 characteristic points into Agility, taking it up to 23. That bumped Ranged Attack and Evasion by 5 each to 128 and 135, respectively. The skill points I split between Sneak and Pistol. One to help me avoid trouble, and the other to give me more options when I couldn’t avoid it.

A shuttle, marked in Federalist blue and white, descended towards the town, ultimately landing somewhere in the town. Not on one of the landing pads. Interesting.

“Troop ferry,” Grellan grumbled. “Probably forty to fifty more in that, a whole platoon.” A low growl rumbled in his throat; it was only because I was as close as I was I could hear it. “Third one today.”

“Something going on?” I had waited long enough to ask.

“Seems like it. Nobody’s got good guesses about what. I’ll tell you one thing, though. There’s lots of nervous people in town. Old fears getting stirred up. Some of our members with...past problems with the Feds...are talking about leaving. Some were packing things up when I left to come get you.”

Grellan brought them over the wall and immediately dropped to street level, zipping above traffic and between rooftops faster than I would have. We set down behind the Hall. A pair of women in brown overalls ran out and took the bike in through a loading door.

“We’ve got a little more work to do, you and I. So we’re going to finish up what we can tonight. You’re always welcome in our Hall as long as you don’t bring trouble with you. But…,um, if you think you might have plans that involve going anywhere else? I’d seriously consider going there early tomorrow. I won’t be at all surprised if this place is locked down by tomorrow night.”

“I’ve gotta find someone,” I reminded him, doubtless unnecessarily. “I’m supposed to meet someone at noon tomorrow that I’m really hoping will have a lead for me. Wherever that points I’ll try and head for right away. Thanks for the warning.”

I was glad I had found good people. In some ways I enjoyed dinner a little more for knowing that. Other hunters included me in conversation more. I was becoming one of them, starting to belong. Nervous undertones rang in conversations. Several were quieter than normal. No one boasted of recent deeds. A slight hush dampened everything. It was harder to enjoy dinner, although we all tried to. Several were clearly sharing final meals before departures. One woman was boarding a shuttle right after dinner.

Words were being left out, avoided. Invasion. Occupation. While many seemed to have ideas of what to expect, none shared details. More than one said they hoped they were wrong, or they didn’t want to be right. I was sure new quests were becoming available throughout the town based on what sides people had chosen.

After dinner Grellan took me downstairs again, through the shooting range to one of the rooms beyond. An elven technician with a toolbox on his lap sat on a couch next to a drab green bundle. The elf stood when they entered.

“First,” Grellan said, “a quick upgrade.”

“Have a seat,” the elf said, indicating the spot he had vacated.

“Upgrade?” I asked as I sat.

The technician had me take my shirt and jacket off, and started fiddling with my arm. He opened a panel and brought a number of tools to bear, even plugging a hand computer up to it. I couldn’t see what he did to the implant that included my right eye. I was, however, rewarded with a dialog box spelling out the upgrade. I certainly wasn’t going to complain.

Tactical Package II

+4 Intellect, +4 Willpower, +10 Crit Chance

+10 Evasion, +10 Ranged Attacks

Triple nightvision range (60m)

X10 vision magnification

“Now, get changed and come back out,” Brellan instructed before leading the technician away. I checked the green bundle. Green and brown pants and an olive colored jacket. Brown reinforced patches covers shoulders, elbows, and knees. Both were nice upgrades, as well.

Basic Hunter’s Pants

These brown and green pants offer a small degree of padding and reinforcement

Toughness

Resistance

Durability

+5

+5

30/30

Basic Hunter’s Jacket

This green jacket offer a small degree of padding and reinforcement. When combined with Basic Hunter’s Pants provides +5 Sneak

Toughness

Resistance

Durability

+5

+10

30/30

I decided to hang onto my prior outfit. You never know when more run-of-the-mill clothes might be called for. The new outfit looked more Hunter-y, and fit perfectly. Brellan nodded approvingly when I rejoined him in the firing range.

He had one more gift for me, a long, scoped rifle. A cord connected the scope to the weapon just above the handgrip. I couldn’t find a safety mechanism.

Item acquired: Hunter’s Training Laser Rifle

The classic sporting rifle, accurate with good range, but less capable of sustained rapid fire. A scope on it allows for Sniper Shots. Weapon Link compatible.

Range

Accuracy

Damage

Durability

100m

+20

40

50/50

This was definitely a nice weapon. The damage wasn’t as high as the soldiers’ rifles, and did not seem to be burst-capable. When I gripped it for firing, however, I learned some more about it. For one thing, a “Safety Off” indicator came up in my view, along with an ammunition counter reading 20. On top of that, a crosshair in my vision showed where the rifle was pointed. I brought the rifle up to my shoulder and sighted through the scope. A dotted line showed me precisely where it was pointed.

“The upgrade to your arm and visual implant will give you this ability with any weapon fitted out for it,” Brennan explained. Now I understood what Weapon Link compatible meant. I liked it.

We spent another couple of hours shooting, going through quite a few energy packs, picking up another +5 to my Rifle skill. He left me with two additional rifle power packs and two pistol ones. His final gift was another ten gold chips to buy additional gear with.

“You’re as ready as I can make you right now. Good hunting, and stay out of trouble.”

I thanked him and headed to bed. Tomorrow I had shopping to do, which would conveniently put me in the market by noon. Sleep was fitful but dreamless.