The woman was true to her word; Mayumi first led Artie to a food stall located in the town center. There'd been several stands, each selling various items and food, much like a market.
The market was a circular clearing, no larger than a baseball stadium. The majority of the stalls were composed of wooden shelves and an overhead cloth roof to shade from the sun. This particular booth had a small dining area behind it consisting of simple tables and stools.
Artie and the women were alone, sitting across from one another in comfortable silence. Mayumi often impatiently turned her head, waiting for the food's arrival while Artie relaxed his head on the rough table. He rested to the pacifying sound of a bustling crowd. The compound of noises made it hard to pick up on any specific conversation, and it settled as simple white noise.
He became attentive to the sound of a wooden dish being placed on the table. Artie picked up his head and eyed the contents of the plate.
"Is that meat?" He asked skeptically.
"Not much different than food back home," the woman readily responded.
He questioned the taste of that world's cuisine. Though, it was a short question because the feeling of starvation was the best motivator to eat whatever was presented to you. There were no utensils; he just picked up a slab of dark meat and bit into it. The grub was parallel to pork chop but was darker and had a less distinct smell. His first bite was small; he looked depleted as he slowly parted his dry and busted lips to nibble on the food.
"..."
He chewed, swallowed, then took another bite. The second bite set something off within him.
"Not much different !?"
He'd exclaimed so loud that others passing could hear. He puffed out his chest and then blew air out of his nose; it made an audible sound and made him slightly dizzy.
"It's an insult to this food to compare it to Earth's," said Artie, crossing his legs.
He continued to bite into the meat until it was finished, then he used his shirt to wipe his mouth. Holding his head down, a tear rolled down his face upon realizing his starvation had finally subsided.
"At Least your mood has improved," Watched Mayumi.
She looked at Artie frivolously and sipped something from a cup before continuing.
"You'll learn that while our job is dangerous, the accommodations make it worthwhile."
Artie looked up at the woman as she'd spoken. He rested his head on his hand and sent looks of doubt. She noticed this, placed her cup down, then put both of her elbows on the table.
"After seeing all this, you don't believe me?" She questioned, raising her eyebrows.
"I've never been very trusting," Artie admitted, uncrossing his legs.
The woman looked down and chuckled to herself.
"You've already made that abundantly clear. For starters, you haven't introduced yourself yet."
"I'll introduce myself when you dismiss me from your stupid hunting squad," scoffed Artie, also adverting his sight.
"How can you loathe something so much without any knowledge of it?" Mayumi questioned, curiously tapping her cheek.
Artie turned back to, then gazed at her irately.
"If there's a misunderstanding, then please, by all means, enlighten me as to what you 'hunters" do."
Mayumi placed her hands on the table's edge and pushed herself back, balancing herself on the stool's hind legs.
"No, it's probably exactly what you're imagining," the woman playfully responded.
Mayumi lowered her chair, finished the drink before her, and stood.
"I'll take you to get looked at. You can ask any questions you have along the way."
**
As they traveled through town, Artie scanned the area admiring the handiwork. He'd also been watching the back of Mayumi's neck. Every couple of steps, the leather armor she wore would slide down just enough for him to see the start of a tattoo.
("Is it a cult symbol…")
The woman could have felt his gaze because she turned slightly and confronted him.
"Are you sure you want to spend this time looking at me and not asking your questions?"
Artie quickly looked away from her and towards the upcoming buildings.
"Then… Have you seen a pair of siblings? A young boy named Freddy with brown ruffled hair. And his older sister-"
Artie face-palmed himself when he realized he'd never asked her name, not recalling the circumstances that made it difficult to do so.
"She's about our age, roughly my height, and looks similar to the boy I described."
"There's a lot of people here; if they made it to town, they'd eventually visit the market," Mayumi lightly responded.
Artie sighed and rotated his head, stretching his neck. The act sent pain down the right side of his body and caused him to groan below his breath.
"So, I'll just have to stand there and wait for them to visit…."
"Then, tell me about that stone. Is there a way to re-test as a worker?"
"No, there haven't been any cases of hunters losing their level," said the woman plainly.
"Rachel can tell you more about the moonstone if you're interested," she explained, pointing to an approaching building.
Located far west of the town, the structure was one of the largest he'd seen. Two stories high, with each floor roughly the size of a gymnasium. The sign hanging outside wrote "Research and Lab." Unlike the buildings nearby, the lab did not have a triangular roof, nor was it made entirely of wood. The first floor had gray stone walls, while the second was lumber. The windows of the building were few and far apart.
When they neared the building entrance, a man standing guard opened the door. Once in, Artie immediately noticed how irregular the interior was. The roof of the building and the second floor had a wide cut-out that stretched across most of the ceiling. Natural light flooded the premise, revealing more of the unusual establishment.
The entire building had been littered with paper and cluttered desks with people wildly wandering the facility. There were two sets of stairs, one on the left and the other on the right of the building. Said stairway led to the second floor, where stone railings outlined the edge and prevented anyone from falling.
Artie would often hear excited voices yell single words like "Eureka, Bingo, Fascinating!" Each outburst gave him a small jolt as Mayumi led him along the back wall of the first floor, passing heavy, shut doors that seemed to house mysteries.
Entering an orange lumber door, Mayumi gently pushed Artie forward.
"I've brought him," she candidly announced.
The woman with the taped glasses excitedly turned away from her desk and scampered over to the two.
"You're the best, Mai!"
Her blonde hair was even messier than when they'd first met, and her clothing was wrinkled like she'd been rolling on the ground. Her entire demeanor was gleaming as if the joy she felt seeped out into the surrounding space.
"Since we're going to be working together, I believe introductions are in order," she said excitedly, stretching out her open hand.
Artie looked at the woman eerily, then glanced around the room. It was a simple square room with two desks and stools, all of which were covered with paper. The sole provider of light was lit torches on the wall and ceiling.
"What do you mean, working together?"
The woman bounced forward, grabbed Artie's hand, then shook it.
"We can't forget the pleasantries, now can we!?" She enthusiastically exclaimed.
Artie tugged his hand away from her and stared angrily before raising his voice.
"Where were your 'pleasantries" earlier when you forced that stupid stone on me?"
"That was…" She began but fell silent.
The woman's face turned flat, and her voice drained of its past energy.
"Sorry, I can get a bit carried away," she said softly as she lowered her head, and her run-down pair of glasses began to slide down her nose.
Artie walked past the woman, then swiped papers off a stool before sitting on it and crossing his arms.
"Make sure he's at the north gate before we leave," instructed Mayumi, writing herself out of the setting.
"Sure, thanks, Mai," replied the mellowed woman.
**
Before they started, she roamed around the room, sulking and grabbing her possessions. Once she gathered them, she placed everything on the ground and pulled a chair close to Artie.
"I have a clean bandage," she mumbled, reaching but stopping halfway towards his wrapped shoulder.
"Go ahead," he mumbled back skittishly.
Using a sharp stone, she cut away what remained of Artie's tattered shirt, exposing his bare and feeble body beneath a torch's light.
Immediately after the woman began to operate, it hurt. Her movements as she bandaged his injury only furthered his agony. Artie's body rattled and tensed up as he grunted and whimpered.
"Ah!" He shouted, looking at her sharply.
"I'm doing my best, okay?" The woman said remorsefully.
The job was done relatively quickly. Artie grabbed onto his shoulder and delicately massaged it.
"I-It feels weird," he stuttered.
"Sorry, I've never done anything like this before," she muttered, washing her hands of his blood.
Baffled and shocked by her words. Artie's gaze jerked up.
"You're not a doctor?" He inquired.
"I'm a researcher at this la-"
"Are there no doctors in this town?" Artie interrupted.
"There are, but the clinic is too far. There's not enough time," she answered, seizing more bizarre items.
Awestruck, Artie sat there, staring at the woman. She motioned for his hand, but he didn't move; he just stared.
"It'll only take a moment," She proclaimed, taking his hand unwillingly.
The woman placed the same stone on his palm, and it glowed just the same.
"Fascinating!" She exclaimed.
The researcher shoved her face closer to the dimly lit stone and studied it.
"Phenomenal, a rare find indeed!" She shouted.
The woman stood and tampered with his body more. Lifting his head toward the light, feeling around his chest, and pulling out his tongue.
Artie continued to stare at the woman, dumbfounded. He'd never encountered a person so extraordinary. Not like her, who buzzed around him with a sparkling grin.
"You're crazy," He stated bluntly.
The woman snapped out of her lively inspection of Artie and returned a look of perplexity.
"Right, sorry. BUT, there's much to do and little time," she hastily replied.
"Now, the other two have definite resistances to certain afflictions. We simply have to find yours," spouted the woman, grabbing a torch and holding it close to Artie.
He felt the uncomfortable heat of the torch and instantly jolted back, falling onto the stone floor and groaning.
"Did you notice any abnormalities in your body, mutations perhaps?" Continued the researcher, kneeling down and easing the flame closer to him.
"Get that fucking fire out of my face!" Roared Artie, swatting the torch away and allowing his face to reveal all of his animosity for the woman.
Her eyes widened; she sat unnerved in front of the hostile Artie for a moment before breaking from her silence.
"That's enough for today…." She mumbled, raising herself from the floor.
"Stay the hell away from me," he said bitterly.
"..."
"I'll escort you to the gate," the researcher shakily voiced.
Artie was given a stranger's black shirt, then he and the woman left the room, then the building. They shared a silent stroll through town, making only one stop at the armory, where Artie grabbed a wooden spear.
**
"Here we are," The woman announced sheepishly.
A crowd of nearly a thousand people rallied at the town's north exit. Both males and females were present, some in better-looking gear than others.
"Be careful," the woman in glasses murmured. And with her wishes expressed, she receded away.
Artie didn't reply, he'd tried to calm himself while en route there, but his uneasiness only escalated.
("No one should be expecting too much from a beginner,") he thought, looking around in worry and gripping onto the spear he held.
("Just sit back, and let them work.")
The chatter among the crowd stopped when five figures stepped up onto a platform. Artie didn't pay too much attention to them because he spotted Ryu right away. The man stood at the center wearing the same detestable face as when they met. From the rear, it was hard to see, but he noticed that Ryu wore large stone gauntlets. The others next to Ryu were similarly geared; they all had leather armor and carried heavy weapons. First, a man holding a spear, then a woman wielding a sword and shield, followed by Ryu, then a male archer, and last, a man with a long sword.
("That looks heavy. Does she really wield that in a fight? It's rare to see female shield-tanks in RPGs.")
{RPGs: Role Playing Games}
There was only one woman on the platform. Her frame was feminine and slender, yet her body carried stone weapons that weighed much more than himself. As he eyed her, she took a step ahead of the others. The atmosphere changed when she did, and all mouths were shut while everyone's attention was fixed on her.
"It's time. As most of you know, we hunters are the sole providers for this town. Our cooks can't cook without ingredients, and our crafters can't craft without materials. So, once again, we venture outside of the town's protection to hunt and gather anything useful."
Artie couldn't care less about what she was saying. He wasn't a team player before the end of the world and didn't plan to become one then. Especially since he reluctantly joined thanks to a rock. However, Artie couldn't help but admire the woman that stood above the rest. Her dark skin was radiant under the sun, and her proud face looked down on the crowd as she spoke slowly and clearly as if inviting danger to try and stop them. He had to squint his eyes to capture more of her appeal, but he found the woman's features to be model-like. A clear face, long dark hair, thick eyelashes, and plump lips. Artie assumed she wore contacts, as her eyes were an unnatural crimson color.
At the rear of the crowd, he could hear the sound of a bridge being lowered. The woman raised her sword in the air and confidently and calmly called out to the hunters.
"Let's show these monsters where we stand on the food chain."
The multitude of fighters mightily roared. The sheer fierceness of their battle cry compelled Artie to cover his ears and involuntarily stumble back.
The gate was down, and the soldiers were ripe for a fight. Artie stood nervously among them, preparing to return to the inhumane hell he'd barely escaped the first time.