The hunting location was a portion of the coastal plains just outside of Clearharbor.
The surrounding environment of the city was best known as the Emerald Grasslands, a wide stretch of hills, plateaus, and rivers that eventually gave way to mountain ranges or forests at their furthest expanses depending on if one headed northward of southward.
Heading further east along the highways that cut through the natural expanse would lead one through several more cities and rural towns along the plains and forests that made up most of Laguna’s territory on the continent, and eventually, one would reach Aurora, the grand capital city of Laguna that dominated enough territory on its own to warrant maps being redrawn to really show how dominant it was within its territory.
But, Syr and Soren’s task wasn’t quite taking them that far out, despite warranting a trip out of Clearhabor itself.
To Soren’s amusement, the fact Syr had next to never been in a car was apparent as they drove down the highway to their destination.
Vehicle chartering was a common enough service for Freelancers, be it tickets for airship travel to go vast distances or even from one continent to another, or simple car rentals for more direct, short-distance affairs such as this request.
Like any other technology in the world, pretty much any vehicle, from the most compact automobile to the grandest airship, was powered by a Crystal-powered ether engine.
Meaning that the sedan Soren had rented out for the drive rode in near total silence, only the hum of the ether engine coming from it as it sped along the highway.
There had certainly been a time where vehicles powered by less efficient and clean engines had existed, and Soren knew of at least a couple of collectors who coveted such vehicles for their historical value, but the march of technology and magic had rendered such devices nigh obsolete in modern times.
Of course, this also depended on who one was speaking too.
For example, one was quite unlikely to be paying a visit to the Dwarven lands across the sea and find themselves running across ether-engine run devices, or if they were to find themselves among the Orc shamans from afar as well.
Technology in their world was something just as vast in scope as the people who lived within it.
“So…” Syr spoke up after they were about halfway to their destination a good fifteen minutes into the drive.
“Do you have any idea why it is they’d go request for a danger level increase on a Greater Plains Raptor, of all things?”
“Well, sometimes you get unusual specimens,” Soren said, craning his neck to glance further ahead to some of the signs ahead, making sure they were staying on track even with the GPS active.
“It’s not uncommon for a new sub-species to pop up that ends up being more dangerous than the normal version… though I can’t say that’d happen with a Raptor.
Those ones tend to be pretty static.”
“So what could have caused the request, if it’s not some previously unknown sub-species?”
“The other cause would be an external factor… something that’s causing it to behave in more dangerous ways… or that made it stronger somehow.”
“Hmm… well, I guess that’s what we’re here to find out, huh?”
“Most likely.”
With that being the extent of the conversation, the rest of the drive was relatively quiet outside of Syr tuning the radio channels to browse what was on the air for her own interests.
After a point Soren had to turn off from the main highway, taking them into an area far sparser in any signs of civilization and into a forested area.
When they came to a stop, it was in the parking lot of what Syr could only guess would be the forward observation base that had put out the request.
It wasn’t that unusual for these kinds of forward bases to be set around various watchpoints so that Guardian Freelancers could keep track of things like Magic Beast movements and air or land traffic to make sure threats weren’t getting through.
It was a simple enough building, utilitarian Lagunan concrete with some purpose-arranged vegetation on the topside of the building to offer it some camouflage among the tree line surrounding it. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
Handy when a Flying Wyvern or other kind of aerial Magic Beast decided to come snooping around.
A similar cover also stretched over the parking lot, giving some nice shade for the warm sunlight otherwise coming down from above.
“So… do we just go in?” Syr glanced at Soren as he hopped out of the car, leaning back in as he chuckled.
“Hey, this is your job.
I’m just tagging along to make sure you don’t get caught in a mess.
So, take the lead, Leader.”
“Don’t have to emphasize it like that,” Syr sighed as she exited, adjusting her folded staff in its holder at her waist, taking the lead into the building with Soren right behind her.
The lobby was rather quiet as they entered, only a single Keeper at the desk hurriedly browsing through a terminal in front of her.
A young Dynoriath woman, her black hair a scraggly mess no doubt from running her hands through it far too often.
“Uhm… excuse me?” Syr cleared her throat, the Keeper yelping as she was yanked from whatever state of focus she’d been in.
“Did we… come at a bad time?”
“W-What?
No no, not at all!” The Keeper chuckled as she adjusted the quite thick glasses she wore, her eyes narrowing as she looked from Syr to Soren.
At which point she promptly yelped again when Soren gave a slight wave.
“W-W-What in the… M-Mr.
Ragnvald?!
I thought you were still in Vanira!”
“… somehow I am not surprised…” Syr shook her head as Soren stifled his own snickering.
“Then again I guess I should just expect that Freelancers would probably know each other.”
“Ahahaha, hey there Rahni,” Soren folded his arms as he stood to the side.
“Don’t mind me too much.
I’m just here to supervise this one on her first outing.”
“O-Oh, you’re a new member of Amber Dawn?” Syr nodded as Rahni adjusted herself again.
Things have just been k-kind of hectic out here the past few days, so everyone is running a bit on edge.”
“Well, you’ve definitely got to be busy if this place is so quiet,” Syr looked around the otherwise empty lobby, devoid of anyone else but the three of them.
“Anyway, allow me to introduce myself.
I’m Syr Fleyldis, a new member of the Amber Dawn, as you’ve guessed.
I’m here taking the hunting request for those Plains Raptors that was posted back at the guild.”
“A-Ah!
The one that got bumped up from Blue to Red!
Didn’t think we’d get a taker so quickly…” Rahni cleared her throat as she turned back to her monitor, then glancing at Syr.
“Can I… see your Scroll for a moment?
I just need to upload some map data to it since its your first time at this base area.”
“Sure,” Syr drew the device and handed it over, then once again scanning around the lobby as Rahni worked.
“So… what kind of place is this?
I know Guardians make use of forward bases like this, but the full function… well, escapes me a bit.”
“Well, the basics are obvious.
Observation and general things in the like, but mostly these bases are home centers for making sure hunting expeditions have a safety net.
You know… considering what a Magic Beast could do to someone if they’re unprepared.”
“Yeah…” Syr took her Deck as the device was handed back to her, the screen still on the map, now showing an image of the local area.
“The functions on these devices are shockingly useful.”
“There’s a reason they’re standard issue,” Rahni then leaned over the counter, spotting Soren browsing the trophy wall with various mounts of notable Magic Beasts no doubt hunted by the regulars of this spot.
“Oi, Mr.
Ragnvald!
I’m about to give her the details on what we know, care to listen in?”
“I may as well,” Soren stepped over and leaned on the counter, raising a hand palm up.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Let’s start with why the threat level was raised,” Rahni opened a new window on her monitor, turning it around to face the Freelancers, showing various images of what were clearly the Plains Raptor pack they were to go hunting for.
“The pack your hunting down was sticking to their territory, at least until a few days ago… in fact, it wasn’t just this pack.
A lot of the Magic Beasts have been acting strangely.”
“Well that explains how barren this place is…” Soren commented.
“Any ideas why the things are acting up all of a sudden?”