The world of RWBY does not belong to me; all rights belong to Rooster Teeth.
Chapter 4. Welcome Arc: Earning a Living
Artyom walked alongside the others down the foggy path. He noticed several things: it was cold, and the structures, be they cars, houses, or man-made things, were covered in moss or grass. It was a surprising vision of how small we were in Remnant.
In the distance, he saw an Atlas flag on a watchtower. It was a brick warehouse with two watchtowers, surrounded by sandbags for cover, with machine guns positioned at strategic points. Boris spoke, "There it is, Base Beta; they usually maintain control and bring in the necessary resources for the stalkers and Arcanes. I recommend you don't attempt an attack unless you want a bullet in your backside."
Some laughed, while others remained serious. They continued until they reached an asphalt road leading to a village surrounded by wooden walls and some stakes driven into the ground. "And here we are! Welcome to Ludvin, better known as the village of the rookies!"
Inside were a series of established houses and a hole in the front: the first house connected to the walls had a red cross tarp, two houses had the drawing of a bed, the last had a picture of a beer jug, and in the center was a main bonfire where some stalkers were gathered. "That's the infirmary, those two houses are the common houses, the bar, and at the back, Sidorovich's store."
The people who accompanied him split up. Artyom went with Boris to talk to him.
"Excuse me," he said.
"Hello, kid, welcome to hell on earth... Haha! Just kidding. How can I help you?" Boris asked.
"Why do they call this the village of the rookies?"
"Well, kid, you see, this is the safest area around here. There may be quite a few mutants, the occasional bandit, and anomalies. Because as you venture deeper into the Zone, the dangers increase."
"I've heard about the mutants. Are they like animals?"
Boris shook his head in denial. "They are not. You see, the Zone caused certain... mutations in the flora and fauna, and in the case of animals, you can eat them, and their skins are quite durable, but I hope you have a strong stomach," he chuckled, not quite understanding the situation.
"And you? Aren't you too young to be here?" he asked, pulling out a cigarette.
"I'm looking for my mother. Have you seen her? White skin, gray hair, named Jessica."
Boris shook his head. "Sorry, kid, I see a lot of new faces, and I don't have the time to get to know them."
Artyom tried something. "Do you know the stalker John?"
"Are you talking about Fixer?" he said, curious.
"Well... I heard Fixer traveled with her a long time ago."
"I'm sorry to say that Fixer died a long time ago," Artyom would pull out his father's PDA, and Boris's eyes widened. "How did you get that?"
"Well, it happens that I'm his son, and Jessica was the ecologist who accompanied him."
Boris looked at him seriously. "Who are you?"
"I'm Artyom Belinsky. Son of Jessica and John."
Both fell silent, and Boris looked around. "Let's go to the bar."
Artyom wanted answers but decided to follow him.
Upon entering the bar, it was rather small, with a stool where the bartender served drinks, and in the center was a bonfire where a kind of boar was being cooked, but it was larger than usual. Inside, there were some tables where stalkers chatted, played, and exchanged goods. Boris picked a table and gestured to the bartender to bring a blue bottle and a glass.
Boris poured himself a drink and drank. "Well, it seems the rumors were true."
"What do you know about my parents, Boris?" leaning in.
"I don't know much about them, but they usually came here with a soldier who brought the artifacts they found and transported them to Remnant. From what little we talked, they said they were just companions…I guess they hid their relationship. The last I heard from them was that Jessica left the Zone and John…well, he died from a horde of mutants. My condolences."
"At least I know a bit more about my family. Why did you keep it from me?" he thought. "What can you tell me about this soldier?"
"I don't know. You could go to Sidorovich; he might know," Artyom nodded and began to leave when Boris told him, "A word of advice, don't trust him. He's just another opportunistic Atlassian." Artyom nodded and left. While Boris poured himself another drink, he watched the boy. "The sins of their parents fall upon the child."
Artyom would leave the bar aiming for the hole in the ground that had concrete walls leading to some stairs going down. Upon descending, he saw a metal door that he would open and noticed a chubby man with a white shirt and a light black vest behind a metal barred display case, with a desk in front of him and a large array of weapons behind him.
Sidorovich lifted his gaze, analyzing Artyom, who stood in front of the door. "Welcome to my humble store, kid!" he spoke with a strong accent. "Everything you see, I sell, for the right price, of course," he concluded.
Artyom took a breath and said, "I heard you know the last location of an ecologist named Jessica." Sidorovich raised an eyebrow.
"Jessica? That name sounds familiar, but I can't remember."
"What's your price?" he asked.
"Maybe… refresh my memory with two thousand Liem." Artyom's eyes widened, and he checked his wallet, sighing.
"I don't have that much money."
"Well, that's a shame. I suppose I'll forget that name," he emphasized. Artyom sighed, annoyed.
"What do you want in exchange?" he asked. Sidorovich smiled confidently.
"That's what I wanted to hear, kid. You see, since you're new here, you'll learn how things work in the Zone."
Artyom decided to listen in silence. "Since you're a rookie stalker, I'll tell you this. Forget your reasons for being here; the Zone treats everyone the same. Whether you're a stupid human or a filthy Faunus. That being said, the dangers will be on every side; even in the safest settlements."
"If you want to ensure you live longer and possibly retire or become a veteran, then you'll see… Here you must take any kind of job; there's no honest work here. We all try to survive as best we can. Look at your PDA."
Artyom would pull it out. Sidorovich saw it and shook his head in disappointment. "An old model, quite durable, but susceptible to hacks. Go to the map." He followed the instruction, seeing the map now functional and his location marked. "As you can see, you are in the South of the Zone. Quite far from the action zone, but plenty of mutants and some anomalies; not to mention points where there are emissions of the red cloud."
"Red cloud?" he asked, puzzled by the term.
"The explosion in Lumina somehow created a strange toxic cloud. Inhaling it causes irreversible damage to the lungs. That's why it's advisable to use a gas mask. Your PDA will beep to indicate the appearance of red clouds."
"But back to the point. You can earn money in any way. Whether from your fellow stalkers, some faction, or simply with the Arcanes. That being said, I have some jobs I can offer you."
Sidorovich pulled out a USB. "We're running low on food, and the bartender offers a good amount of money for any mutant meat we can eat... and I heard that a certain Arcana offers a good bonus for good skins and scrap. You could earn something extra. Besides, it's obvious you've never fired a weapon. You can ask some stalker to help you. But remember; we all want something in return."
"Can't you add something to my account? I didn't bring any weapons," accepting the facts.
"...You tempt me, you tempt me...Fine!" he said, getting up from the table and going to the armory where he took some things. "Here. 9mm pistol with ten standard Dust rounds, some air filters, a knife, and" to Artyom's confusion, he pulled out a bag that, when opened, contained screws.
"Screws?" he asked, puzzled.
"The anomalies are very sensitive to anything, and BELIEVE ME you don't want to get caught by one. Your PDA will warn you of one. Throw one where you think it is, and you'll see how it reacts, avoiding a certain death."
Artyom would take the items and stow them in his backpack. He looked at the weapon and was surprised by the weight; it was similar to his BB pistol, but he also felt a strange sensation; was it strength or fear? He stashed it in his pocket and took the USB, which he connected to his PDA, loading the mission. He went to the section of it.
Hunt a good amount of mutants for dinner and deliver them to Karl.
Optional: Deliver skins in perfect condition.
Artyom would step out and see some stalkers chatting among themselves, and among them was Scott talking to Boris.
"Hello, Scott," he said.
Scott turned to look at him and smiled. "Hey, kid, how's your arm?"
"It's getting better," Artyom thought about how to make his proposal. "Do you know how to hunt?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"I'm going on a mission to hunt some… mutants, and to be honest, I have no idea how to hunt and skin animals, and I could use a bit of help."
"Count me in," Scott said.
A surprised Artyom spoke, "Don't you want money or something from my supplies?"
Scott laughed a bit. "Kid, I'm a hunter; it's not in my nature to take advantage of people," smiling at him. "Let's find those animals, and along the way, I'll teach you some survival tips."
Artyom smiled, silently grateful that he was a good person, but he noticed how some stalkers looked at Scott with suspicion. The two would leave the base to go into the forest.
The forest was quite dense with some abandoned cars. As they walked, Artyom noticed how Scott was attentive to anything; from footsteps to the sound of the wind. Possibly using his aura or his experience in the field was substantial.
"Have you ever hunted?" Artyom asked.
"I was in one of the pre-academies before Shade Academy. There, I was taught to hunt and track. Eventually, supplies run out, and you need to know how to get new ones," Scott raised his hand indicating to stop and crouched down to look at some animal excrement.
"It's recent... It must have gone that way," he pointed to the area. "Follow me, and let's avoid making noise."
Artyom took out his pistol and followed him. As they moved in a crouch, he heard the PDA suddenly beep. Remembering Sidorovich's advice, he took a screw and threw it ahead. To both their surprise, they saw a small explosion of air happen in front of them. Scott looked at him surprised.
"Sidorovich said anomalies are easy to identify with the PDA and by throwing a screw at them."
"Are they dangerous?" he said while they circled the anomaly.
"He said to avoid a certain death," Scott shook his head in denial as if he didn't like the term.
After circling it, they moved on, paying special attention to the PDA's beeping. Scott saw tracks in the ground. "I think it's a boar… or a deer. We're getting closer." They continued until they reached a river. In front of them, they saw a white-tailed deer grazing on the grass. It was beautiful to behold.
"Do you know how to use it?" Scott whispered.
"Yes."
"Good. Try for a clean shot to the head. That way, we damage the skin less. I'll call its attention." Artyom aimed for the head, and Scott whistled. When it turned to see the source of the sound, they were both surprised to see that on its left neck, there was another head. Despite his surprise, Artyom shot the right head and managed to bring down the deer. However, the other head took control of the body and was about to flee. But Scott threw his lasso around the neck, and it struggled to break free, but he got closer to it. "Knife!"
Artyom quickly gave it to him, and in a swift motion, he ended the life of the deer.
"Okay… THAT isn't possible," Scott said, surprised.
"Do you think the explosion in Lumina caused this... mutation?" he asked Scott, who took a deep breath to calm his outburst.
"I don't know… But if that exists… do you think the rest of the animals had the same thing happen to them?"
"Boris said the animals adapted… I think so," Artyom said.
Let's look for another animal. But first, I'll teach you how to skin them and fully take advantage of their meat."
Scott taught Artyom step by step how to do it. Admittedly, Artyom found it disgusting and wanted to vomit. But he pressed on until they stored the skin and meat in bags made of the same leather as the animal to avoid any spills.
Leaving the body of the mutated deer behind, they looked for another animal. Scott taught him how to track after seeing another footprint. They followed the trail and spotted a boar. But this one was larger than usual and had larger tusks. Artyom did the same, and it didn't put up as much fight as the other and repeated the procedure. Scott carried the rest to balance the weight, in addition to taking some horns. An extra bonus, Scott said.
Upon returning to the base, they went to the tavern where a man was at the bar. It must be Karl.
"Do you have what I requested?" he asked directly.
"Yes," said Artyom, pulling out the skin and meat from the deer along with that of the boar. "Karl analyzed them and nodded, satisfied. "Good job, Stalkers," he said, pulling out some Liem cards from a safe, dividing them between the two. "One thousand five hundred Liem for your work. With this, we'll eat until tomorrow."
"Do you know where the Arcana is to sell these skins?" Karl pointed to a woman calmly drinking the same beverage while knitting something. Both thanked her and went to her. She looked at them sideways and analyzed them.
"Are you Renmantian travelers?" she asked with an accent they hadn't heard.
"What?" Scott asked.
The woman rolled her eyes and said, "I'm saying you're dressed like you're out shopping in the Axis."
"What's wrong with our clothes!" Artyom asked.
"Where do I begin… First, kid. Your jacket will barely protect against knives and scratches, but the lack of pockets for your weapons and ammunition is noticeable. You look like a typical bandit, and you," pointing at Scott. "It's obvious you're a hunter, but your colors are way too bright and attract too much attention here."
"And what's your solution?" Scott asked, offended.
Seeing that they had skins. "I can make you both something more 'suitable' for Arcadia. But I want an upfront payment of three hundred Liem and for you to fetch me some things."
"What do you need?" asked Artyom.
"Nearby, there's a derailed train. I heard there's good scrap there. Bring me anything you think would be useful, and I'll complete it with that." She pointed to the skins. "Do we have a deal?" she asked.
"...Fine," said Artyom, handing over the skin just like Scott, who was a bit brusque. "Fine... It would be five hundred..." She handed them only three hundred Liem, surprising both.
"It's supposed to be five hundred Liem. Why did you lower it?" Artyom asked.
"Because stalkers are charged a debt with us."
"Why?" Scott said, disliking the tone.
She looked at them with disgust. "Ask about Honey Springs," which puzzled both of them. She took the money along with everything else. "The rest will be my pay to give you something more appropriate. Good night."
Both left, puzzled. Whatever had happened in Honey Springs must have affected the Arcanes so much.
As Artyom sat down, he looked at the earnings and grimaced. He needed more money to buy the information from Sidorovich. Just as he said. Here everyone wants something in return.
What do you think? See you in the next chapter. :)