´´ Yes, due to the wide variety of requests received by the association and the varied nature of our hunters; currently there are five classes of hunters officially recognized by the association. ´´
´´ Only five? I thought there would be more. ´´
´´ One might think that there are not many, but the scope of each one is quite wide; The five classes of hunters that currently exist are Wild hunters, Shadow hunters, Resource hunters, Treasure hunters, and finally the species hunters. I will start by describing the general functions of each one so that you can get an idea of what kind of hunter you want to be. ´´
´´ Ok, that sounds good. ´´
´´ First, we have the wild hunters, their function is probably the simplest of all; They seek out all manner of dangerous beasts and hunt them in order to obtain resources from them. These hunters usually hunt on their own initiative and due to their nature, they receive more restrictions on their hunts to prevent them from slaughtering rare species without measure. They can also receive orders to hunt a specific beast and it is their duty to track, hunt, and extract the resources of said beast. ´´
´´ I guess they are the closest to the traditional concept of hunters who are known in my world. ´´
´´ They are also the most common kind of hunter, the next type of hunter is Shadowhunters; These are very similar to bounty hunters. Its main function is to track and hunt or capture criminals, spies, or targets of interest. They also receive assassination or capture contracts that are approved by the association. In some cases, they are allowed to enter worlds that are in conflict to do their own work within those worlds. ´´
´´ That sounds pretty bleak, although I guess that's where the name comes from. ´´
´´ It can be said that they are in charge of the darkest works of the association and their media are not the kindest. But at the end of the day, the association is a force of order so the activities of these hunters are monitored and their contracts carefully reviewed before being accepted. On an additional note, the vast majority of the contracts they receive come from the worlds under the custody and protection of the celestial race; These contracts are generally issued by the victims of cruel criminals or something like that. ´´
´´ Does the celestial race do nothing? ´´ Desmond exclaimed a little surprised.
´´ As I said before, the celestial race advocates order, according to its own vision of the world; These kinds of cruelties are part of the natural order as long as a greater force from a foreign world does not intervene. ´´
´´ That's a bit cold. ´´
´´ Not really, being objective they are right; furthermore, in real terms, the celestial race has never had an obligation to protect any race or world. They do so solely because it is in their innate nature to protect and care for the weak. You also have to keep in mind that, although they do not intervene directly, they still provide the inhabitants of these worlds access to us so that they can issue contracts that do them justice. ´´
´´ It is a bit confusing if you put it that way, they do not intervene directly because it is not in the natural order of things, but they still provide the means for intervention. ´´
´´ They are a somewhat complex race. Well now let's talk about the third type of hunter: resource hunters. Their function is as simple as it sounds, they simply search for natural resources of all kinds through various worlds. Most of the time they roam on their own initiative and sell these resources through association, but they also receive commissions to search for specific resources. Similar to the case of wild hunters, they also receive restrictions on the number of trips they can make and the number of resources they can loot on each trip. ´´
´´ I think their role is quite similar to that of wild hunters only with a different approach. ´´
´´ And you have not mistaken Desmond, the reason why there are two such similar classes of hunters is that the skills necessary to be either one are somewhat specialized. Wild hunters have highly developed tracking and combat skills; while resource hunters have their tracking, movement, and stealth abilities. There is also a certain amount of knowledge related to both types of hunter that are different, such as botany and geology for resource hunters; and biology and anatomy for wild hunters. ´´
´´ Put that way, it's only natural that they exist in two different classifications. ´´
´´ Yes, but there is also the fact that they do not get along with each other. ´´
is that so? ´´
´´ Yes, the truth is that wild hunter is like their name. . . pretty wild. And resource hunters tend to be calmer and somewhat cowardly. ´´
´´ Ok, there is no way for those two to get along. ´´
'' Exactly, hunters have never been good at cooperating with each other, to begin with; that's why the buddy and pet system exists. Those were the resource hunters; So now we move on to the fourth type of hunter: Treasure Hunters. Its main function in tracking down and obtaining all kinds of artifacts, the investigation of ancient ruins and relics; They also receive contracts to search for objects that meet certain characteristics sought by the employer. Unfortunately, they are also our most problematic kind of hunter, most of the time they obtain their treasures through unconventional means, but since it is not against the rules of the association they are never punished. ´´
´´ Aren't they basically professional thieves? ´´
´´ Never say that to their face Desmond. ´´
´´ Why am I at risk of being vaporized?
´´ What do you have to be vaporized, that is not what will happen; Treasure hunters always do the same thing when someone calls them like that: They cynically boast about how good thieves they are, you will spend hours listening to them talk about their biggest robberies, how many women they slept with and how many people they killed; They're a bunch of arrogant, violent womanizing bastards. ´´
Desmond could only move uncomfortably when he noticed the scorn and his hair flying furiously when Elaisa talked about how treasure hunters were violent and arrogant womanizers. Desmond may be an idiot and a rather annoying one at that, but at least he was aware of his own shortcomings; but that was just the problem because Desmond knew that violent and arrogant womanizer is a very accurate way to describe him.
´´ Miss Rossi, what is the next type of hunter? ´´
Not noticing Desmond's sudden respectful way of speaking, Miss Rossi began explaining the latter type of hunter.
´´ The last on the list is the species hunters, their work is one of the most difficult and least paid in normal times. Its function is the protection of endangered species. They usually visit worlds with species of immense value and try to determine why they are in danger; if possible they solve the cause and if not then they capture some samples to be bred in captivity by the association. Some of them are also dedicated to the breeding of these species and the study of these exotic species. The vast majority of their commissions come from the association itself seeking to protect valuable biological resources, but they also receive independent commissions. ´´
´´ From what I have heard so far they are probably the noblest class of hunter there is, but also the most difficult to perform. ´´
´´ You are not at all bad Desmond, normally the hunters of species and the hunters of shadows are usually considered the two most difficult types of hunter´s; due to the high specialty of skills. ´´
I imagine. ´´
´´ So what kind of hunter does Desmond Astryd want to be? ´´