Inside lay something familiar, yet utterly alien. It looked like a cuirass, similar in style to what he wore when he rode as a Beserian cavalryman. The main difference was in its workmanship and coloring. It was dark and had a wood grain finish, reaching forward he gave it a quick tap with his knuckle.
It was solid wood. Pulling it out, Jaeger confirmed that it was indeed a cuirass, front and back made only of wood. He turned to the others.
“Can anyone identify gear or should I wait to get back to the guild?”
Brad glanced over, drawing his attention away from his prize, a short and brutal looking blade made of leaves.
“Normally my friend, you would have to wait until you reached the guild or pay a wild sum for an unaffiliated identifier, but the Guardian was merciful. There should be an Identification Card in your chest, it's most likely at the bottom.”
The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow, put the armor down and checked the chest. Brad was right, a faintly glowing map lay at the bottom.
“Thanks.”
Grabbing it, Jaeger read the information on the armor.
Jaeger looked from the card to the armor and considered it. After leaving the military, he had avoided heavy armor, preferring to keep himself light, but since coming to this new world, he had experienced the downside of that mindset. In every major fight he'd had so far, he'd been unable to completely dodge or parry the blows that came his way, and he'd suffered for it. It seemed he wasn't the only one to notice.
After pocketing the card, he took off his jacket and grabbed the armor before taking a moment to simply admire it. It was dyed a deep, dark green and brown; smooth, almost gleaming in its polish, it was adorned with decorations. It was outlined with vines and leaves, while the chest held a stylized image of a large tree. It sat in the middle of the chest, almost like a coat of armor, and he noticed that on two different boughs of the tree sat two familiar-looking cats; one was depicted with a broad smile, the other with a lazy, predatory grace.
“I’m becoming a cat person.” He muttered with a world weary sigh.
Shaking off that depressing thought, he tried to open the armor. True to the description, the vines and thorns came apart, somehow holding the individual plates of armor together. This made it much easier for Jaeger to put on the armor and he practically slid into it. As the plates touched his back, he felt the vines and thorns snap together. The armor seemed to slide slightly as it adjusted to his body before stopping and tightening. Rolling his shoulders, he practiced moving, crouching, jumping, and any other movement he could think of.
The armor was surprisingly light, almost weightless compared to his old metal cuirass. Satisfied, he grabbed his jacket and threw it back on, feeling it grow slightly to accommodate his new size.
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“That looks like a solid bit of armor, my friend.” Brad said as he watched Jaeger.
Jaeger gestured at his sword.
“That looks like a piece of magically death.”
Brad smiled and brandished the sword, making a faint sound of appreciation as it cut through the wind.
“Yes, it is a Leaf on the Wind. It's made from the sharpest leaves of the Greenwood. I wonder why it's shaped like a blade I would have carried in my old life, but the familiarity is nice enough that I don't question it.”
“My armor is the same, made from some elder Greenwood, I had a piece like this once.” Jaeger replied.
“Perhaps the Greenwoods' thanks are twofold, a material gift and an immaterial one.”
“This is the nature of Rangaea. Sometimes it offers items of an exotic and foreign nature, sometimes it offers items that are meant to bring you ease.” Emilia walked over, a bulbous metal device in her hands. “Some scholars theorize that it is the world's way of prototyping.”
“Everyone knows that the stars provide what we need, the world is simply their physical representative.” Troy said as he walked over, wearing a pair of star-shaped earrings.
“Troy, if you go on another rant about the stars, I won't be providing water services for you anymore.” Sivly said as she came closer, Jaeger noticed that she didn't seem to have any new items.
“All right, you win this time,” Troy said holding up his hands, before muttering. “just as the stars have foretold.”
Sivly narrowed her eyes at him.
“What kind of loot did everyone get?” Brad asked.
Sivly turned to him and smiled, patting a one of her pouches.
“I have a race upgrade acorn. I'll take it as soon as we get home.”
Troy whistled at that.
“Impressive. Will it completely change your race or is it just a boost?”
“It's a full upgrade. It's aimed at nature and predator upgrades, so I'm hoping it'll take me right back to what my ancestors were like.”
Jaeger raised an eyebrow, her ancestors? Wouldn’t that be a downgrade? He decided to ask Emilia.
“No, but I can see why you might think so. On some worlds, a being's ancestors were the pinnacle of what their race could be. The smartest, most powerful, magical, or whatever their race was best at. Someone should have mentioned how you might change races over time?”
Jaeger nodded, remembering being told of his and Ventress' possible race changes.
“It is similar to this. Humans are one of the most adaptable races, so any racial upgrade for you is going to be affected by what you are, what you do, or any number of factors. For races like Sivly, they have a more solid foundation and return to their apex.”
Jaeger thanked Emilia and fell into thought. The idea of something affecting him enough to change him was troubling until he caught a glimpse of the tattoos on his arms. Deciding not to obsess over it, he focused on the idea that not all change was bad.
“Are you ready to leave?” Troy asked Jaeger quickly, turning fully to face the bounty hunter.
Jaeger eyed the rouge, and from the angry look Sivly directed at Troy’s back, he knew he'd missed something.
Emilia nodded and added.
“We are heading back to Patterson, so you’re welcome to travel with us.”
The bounty hunter took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair.
“I have to stop in at Clivetown.”
Emilia tilted her head as she looked at him.
“Why?”
“I made a deal with an FRC contact for information on the location of this camp. Part of the deal is that I'll return once I've done the deed.”
Emilia’s eyes glowed as she squinted at him.
“Are you affiliated with this group? Do you plan to sell us to them? Have you ever deliberately killed an adventurer? What is your deal with them?”
Jaeger felt a pressure emanating from the patchwork woman.
“I'm not affiliated with them, nor would I ever betray an adventurer to them. To the best of my knowledge, I have never killed an adventurer. My deal with the FRC is that I will be open to accepting bounties from them. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Emilia let his words hang in the air, saying nothing for almost too long before nodding.
“Acceptable. I will have to report this to the Adventurers' Guild, but I will also inform them that I have already questioned you.” She extended her hand. “It was a pleasure working with you, Bounty Hunter Jaeger, and thank you for saving us. May all your hunts be successful.”
Jaeger took her hand and shook it firmly.
“I have also enjoyed working with professionals. May your adventures be exciting and profitable.”
Emilia smiled at him, a genuine smile, and walked away, stopping just short of the camp.
Troy, Brad and Sivly came up.
“This is where we part ways, I guess. Stay in touch and reach out if you need us.” Troy said shaking Jaeger’s hand.
“If I need you, I'll be in touch, so stay out of trouble.”
Brad enveloped the bounty hunter in a crushing hug before stepping back.
“You are a loyal and true man; I look forward to seeing you again, my friend.”
“You're a better man than I am, Brad, and I look forward to our next meeting.”
Sivly shoved them both aside and walked over to Jaeger.
“You better take care of yourself, there won't always be a great Otterkin around to heal you.”
“Then you’d best keep an eye out for attacks, as there won't always be a bounty hunter to save you.”
She snorted and rushed to hug him, whispering.
“Don’t die out there.”
Then she pushed him off and joined the rest of her group.
As the others turned to leave, a flash on the horizon caught their eye, and out of the setting sun came a figure moving swiftly and steadily toward them; a thunderous rumble heralded its arrival. It grew in size and speed as it approached.
