Indeed, the notice of their trainee assignment showed up the very next day, albeit late in the evening.

That meant Linden had an entire day to familiarize himself with his new holster, reevaluate his belongings, and find some things he needed for medicinal and violent use.

First, he went to three different shops, and for whatever money he managed to scrounge up, he managed to buy some chemicals and tools.

He found potassium permanganate at apothecary, it was a chemical apparently only recently developed as a disinfectant.

Solution of those violet crystals is great at preventing festering of wounds, you just have to remember not to put it on severe burns, unless you want to have a colorful scar.

Then again, if it makes you not die of gangrene, then who cares for such small things. Tattoos exist, violet scarring is no big deal.

But that is not the limit of its uses. To make it a truly versatile piece of your first aid kit, carry some glycerin with you. That sweet essence of fat is pretty useful for skin care, but where it truly shines, is lighting things on fire when you mix it with potassium permanganate.

The recipe is simple. The intensity of the flame and time until it all starts burning depends mainly on temperature and how finely you grind the potassium permanganate.

It won’t explode awesomely, but it will help you when you can’t use your flint and steel due to lack of suitable tinder, plain laziness or the noise striking flint makes.

But that’s not all. There was bleach sold for disinfection as well. Ed wouldn’t shove it into his wounds, but it would still be useful. Especially after he discovered unusually cheap smelling salts, upon closer inspection consisting mainly of ammonia.

He bought a lot. It wasn’t necessary to carry that much household cleaning chemicals, but it’s always nicer to have the option of going against Chemical Weapons’ Conventions.

Other things bought at apothecary included a needle more suitable for sewing a person together, thread for the same purpose, bandages, tweezers, several various types of dressings, and alcohol.

Now, it was possible to just buy booze for cheap, but he would have to distill it himself, and that was quite impossible within this time frame.

Then, he headed for toy store. There were indeed, aluminum toys there. Linden bled his money out of his pocket, but acquired some busted ones.

Rust was acquired with the help of a blacksmith. Now, most stores looked normal to Linden. Very vintage looking, but normal.

But not the blacksmith. Security there was quite something, undoubtedly the result of the price of steel.

But the owner was nice, and parted with what rust his wares happened to catch after his cat pissed all over the storage.

It wasn’t enough for Linden’s long term plans, but it’d have to do.

He was spending his time on grinding and mixing, until the letter arrived, brought by an orphanage kid.

When it did, he picked up everything he felt he needed, and let himself be guided again.

When he arrived at relevant building, Lukas was once again, already there.

After showing his trainee badge, Ed was informed that they can begin immediately.

The assignment was simple.

The boys were to hunt and bring five niharabikks, a kihaki pig, and gather a cup of mustached lichen.

A funny name, but supposedly very descriptive. It had some medicinal properties, or so it was said.

Linden would have to listen to a better explanation at a later date.

Two boys exited the town through a tunnel in the eastern town leg.

“Our supervisor might be looking. Let’s look like we know what we are doing.” Lukas said half jokingly.

Linden giggled and picked up his pace.

“What can you tell me about those animals we are supposed to hunt?

Lukas gestured him to stop, and started scribbling on dirt.

Upon closer inspection, the scribbles depicted tracks. One set consisted of both larger and smaller five fingered paws.

The other set had more paws, but bigger. The hind legs were supposed to leave only four fingered footprints. The front ones were five fingered, and had longer claws.

“That’s a niharabikk” Lukas said, pointing at the smaller drawing. “That’s a kihaki pig” “They both often live in herds.”

“Anything else?”

“Niharabiks are fast, nailing one at a time shouldn’t be too difficult with a gun, but the rest will run away. Kihaki pigs aren’t too fast, but we should avoid making them mad. Those claws aren’t for show, especially when you encounter a mother with piglets.”

Linden looked at the drawing.

‘Doesn’t really look like hooves of a pig. Then again, guinea pig exists. I think.’

Linden nodded, and the boys moved again.

Not too long after descending from the mountain, they came across tracks of niharabikks. Multiple.

“They probably have their burrows around here”

There was no better way to hunt than relying on luck. Linden pulled out his blunderbuss.

It was loaded with small pieces of cut copper wire. It was a surprise for Edward how cheap copper was, but he wouldn’t complain.

They followed the tracks, doing their best to walk as quietly as possible.

Eventually, they arrived at a clearing, and from afar, small creatures could be seen. Some of them were walking on the ground, and some of them had climbed trees in order to eat fruit still hanging from branches.

If Linden were to describe niharabikks somehow, he would compare them to a mix of large squirrels and rabbits, with nice, grayish brown fur.

He looked at the scene, and set his blunderbuss aside.

Sure, it would be possible to nail some of them with it, but the rest would inevitably escape.

Instead, he pulled out his sling, and focused on a specimen who wandered away from the rest.

In a corner of his eye, he saw Lukas doing the same, with a similar weapon.

Linden gestured to him, pointing at the niharabikk he was about to nail.

Lukas nodded, and pointed in a direction of an animal high up on a tree. Ed didn’t notice that one, but it was indeed a fine choice. If Lukas could sling stones well enough, the rest of the herd would most likely only run away after the tree hugger fell.

With how high on his tree he was, that would probably take two seconds or so.

They both nodded, and prepared stones.

Linden noticed the other boy to be using a projectile perfectly round in shape. It was most likely made of clay.

He would have to ask Lukas if they were properly fired, for that extra hardness and weather resistance.

They prepared, and flung their stones at practically the same time.

Both niharabikks dropped , Linden quickly picking up his blunderbuss and aiming it at a group of creatures.

The sound of niharabikk hitting the ground was drowned out by a sound of a solid dose of gunpowder exploding.

The smoke obscured their vision, so both boys started running towards the herd. Suffice to say, the herd ran in opposite direction. Two niharabikks were laying on the ground peppered with copper, two other twitched with their skulls all but shattered.

One to go.

Lukas pointed at a nearby blade of grass. There was a drop of red liquid marking it.

Blood.

Linden pulled out his revolver, and gestured for Lukas to pick up the corpses.

Ed himself ran after an injured niharabikk.

‘ It must’ve been hit by my shot, but not enough to kill it. It either dies on its own, and I pick it up, or it doesn’t. In which case I need to finish the job.’

Linden hurried. There was a real possibility of the creature burrowing itself, and dying underground.

‘That would be a pain in the ass.’

He almost passed the poor thing, as it was trying to make itself smaller, and remain unnoticed.

It most likely just couldn’t run anymore.

Linden pretended not to notice for several seconds. Even if it couldn’t run away it might still move a bit if it knew it was discovered.

Ed slowly pulled the hammer back, and shot it, ending its misery.

‘And now we know why hunting with buckshot is illegal in some places. It’s as unethical as it is effective.’

He picked up the corpse, and made his way towards Lukas.

They met up, and started working.

Both of them knew how to butcher rodents, so it went well.

“That went smoothly. Do we stay the night and go for Kihaki pig?” Asked Lukas, obviously eager.

‘I’d rather we confirm completion of that part, and go for it tomorrow. It’ll be night very soon. ‘

Lukas shrugged, and pulled out a navigation instrument. It looked like two compasses merged together, except the needles were pointing in directions Linden was pretty sure weren’t south and north, judging by the sun.

“Could you teach me about this?” Linden asked, pointing at the thing.

“Sure. You know compasses?”

“Yes”

“Well, the principle is the same, except this is pointing at two different places.”

“What places?”

“There isn’t much information, but the bottom one is supposed to point at ‘Iron Mountain’ and the top one towards the ‘Golden City’. I personally think it’s bullshit, but that’s just my opinion. Steel wouldn’t be so expensive if there were mountains of it.’

“Okay I get it. But why not simply use a compass?”

“They get weird in sometimes, in some places. This doesn’t.”

Linden didn’t have more questions. Before they arrived at the Town of Promise, It was already well past midnight.

Luckily, guild butchery had some people working overtime(Read: Sleeping in hammocks instead of beds for extra money), so the Niharabikk carcasses were safely deposited.

Ms. Lisa had to be a light sleeper, because she opened the doors within a minute from when Ed arrived.

Luckily, his puberty hasn’t arrived yet, so he could fall asleep even after seeing her disheveled sleepwear.