Chapter 31: Void Hunters, And The Solvish Keep
"Void Hunters are association-bound individuals," Charishe said, twirling her skewer like a pointer, "registered under a local ledger and authorized neutral faction to take requests, missions, recovery jobs, bounty dispatches, and information gathering. They also defend the bastion they're stationed in!
"Not that I participate in all of that often." Charishe shrugged with a grin. "I'm a cook. Forager. Idea generator, and I prefer it that way."
Kivas clapped her hands together. "So, like adventurers!"
"Exactly!" Charishe pointed at her with triumphant joy. "You get it! That's the perfect word for it. I've been calling them that too, but nobody ever clicks with it! Wait—wait—Kivas, do video games exist in your world?"
"Of course they do!" Kivas practically beamed. "I've spent a quarter of my miserable years grinding dungeons and optimizing loot routes as a way to procrastinate!"
Charishe staggered back with an exaggerated gasp and dropped her skewer onto a nearby crate. "Fifty years! I've lived in this chaos pit for fifty years and never met anyone who knew what a video game was! Finally! A cultured soul! Someone who understands!"
Voille tilted their head slightly, resting one elbow on their knee. "Congratulations, Charishe, you finally have someone to share your weird obsession with now."
"Can you believe it?" Charishe was pacing now, energized. "No one here knows what the internet is. Not even basic online databases. No memes. No livestreams. And this one right here—" she pointed toward Voille, "comes from a world where science wasn't even a publicly accepted concept!"
Voille didn't look remotely offended. "Ranching. Farming. Daily meals. Seasonal festivals. It was peaceful. Science sounds great but doesn't sound necessary."
"That's quite interesting," Kivas said, trying to imagine a world that primitive. "Were there at least books?"
"There were goats," Voille answered. "They produce milk. Milk is good."