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Sojaveña Wilds Totally Normal Bulletin Board

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With little more to say, the small group gathered up a few simple requests and set off to investigate. It would hopefully be something simple for them to deal with that would get them some starting cash. She only hoped it would be enough to tie them over until they found their momentum...

Still...

Mhynt stared at the bulletin board, turning back to do so. She had the strangest feeling, the more she thought about it. It didn't come from any of the other adventurers. It didn't come from her allies who'd taken missions with her. Yet she still had the strangest, eerie feeling...

Were they being watched?

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[Ch01] Nova plants a Mhynt sprig
  • Threadmarks
    • Mhynt's legs hurt.

    Which was rare. She didn't like that. She also didn't like how sunny everything was.

    The Treecko procured a small bucket of water and plopped herself inside of it. Her leaves and body naturally absorbed the water as if she drank it, anyway, and she could use the hydration in the desert dry heat.

    She took up residence in the shadow of another tent that an adventurer had been so kind as to not be around to care. But she was here on a mission... to figure out what the hell was wrong with that bulletin board.

    So far, her efforts were fruitless.
     
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    • The mythical William "Bill" Board. Nova had heard whispers of it in the Haus' halls. Something that had gathered enough attention that many of his "teammates" didn't seem all that interested in his freakish appearance. Nova still had a meeting with Lucien to contend to. A steady source of income was important, after all. But the null had time to kill, so he was able to locate the board.

    What Nova wasn't expecting was to find that treecko standing in a bucket. Hopefully not an emotional support bucket, because Nova pegged her as being a lot more... together than that. Perhaps it was a response to the weather? Grass types liked their sun, sure, but this climate was a much better fit for cacturne and maractus than other plants.

    He approached from the other side of the tent, essentially creating more shade with how much larger Nova was compared to the treecko.

    "Speaking as a guy who was homeless for a while, I don't think this plan of yours is sustainable." Smooth, Nova. Buttery smooth.
     
    "Oh, I'll find a home later," Mhynt replied, not looking at him just yet. It was as if she thought glancing away for an instant would make her miss something important. "I'm only using this as a comfortable place to rest. As it turns out, the desert heat does not agree with me while I'm... as weak as I am."

    Finally, she spared a glance at him to nod.

    "And how has the environment treated you?"

    All things considered, Mhynt didn't appear to be the slightest bit intimidated by Nova. If anything, she seemed more at ease--perhaps only slightly--around him than the others who'd arrived.
     
    "Homelessness breeds worse environments," was Nova's earnest answer. "I figured the mask would trap the heat and make me miserable, but it appears to insulate me instead. Someone knew what they were doing."

    Which, naturally, made him all the more suspicious about what their summoner was capable of. And what sort of technology was in the Commonwealth, compared to the frontier.

    He followed the treecko's gaze. "Not sure I ever got a name off you, by the way. I'm Nova."
     
    "Mm. You may call me Mhynt." She gave him a polite nod. "It's nice to meet you, Nova. Are you still suspicious of... our circumstances?" Her gaze trailed back to the bulletin board. "It seems that our arrival is not the only strange thing happening in this part of the world... Perhaps I'm paranoid about where I've come from, but I don't think I can trust without much evidence anyone capable of summoning spirits."
     
    "Anyone who has the knowledge to replicate this warrants suspicion." Nova sat down and gestured to himself. "Even got my white belly fur, too. Between that and the fact this call even reached me in the first place..."

    He had tried not to think about it since his arrival. To stay upbeat and everything. "It should've been impossible."

    Nova stepped closer. "You heard what the bird said yesterday, right? My gut tells me the person responsible is more likely in the Commonwealth than out here. The long distance could also help explain why they botched our entrance so badly."
     
    "Commonwealth?" Mhynt asked, tilting her head. "Do tell. It sounds like you might know more about the 'distant lands' than I do. The most I have is... academic experience."

    She adjusted herself in the bucket of water and ran some water over the scales of her face. If one looked very closely, they would see that some vibrancy returned to them; they weren't necessarily scales so much as tiny, hard leaves...
     
    "This is the frontier. It had to front from something, right?" Nova slowly turned around. Mask meant looking over his shoulder was impossible. Which wasn't great for his more paranoid moments. "We're on a large continent. A great distance away is the Landsverd Commonwealth. Sounds like there's more, uh, civilization there. Including a train. The railroad's under construction out here. Not done yet. But it's going to be the most efficient way to get there."

    He dragged a foreleg through the dirt. "Without it, the road to the Commonwealth is long and barren. We'd have to make do with whatever supplies we could carry and there are very likely mystery dungeons waiting for us. Ones could spawn on us without warning.

    "I may have wandered around for a long time, but I'd like to avoid it here."
     
    "Hmmm." The Treecko leaned back and closed her eyes. "It sounds like it would be more practical to wait for the station to reach us during its construction unless something urgent comes about. It would only be a waste of resources otherwise. It's not like everyone can Teleport like I can. Mm. Speaking of which..."

    Mhynt noticed that as the sun crept along, the shadow she'd taken shelter in was starting to wane. She focused. In a flash of light, she and the bucket moved a few feet over. It was cool again.

    "Do you think I could battle well enough from in here? This desert heat is not kind to me."
     
    Nova slowly turned around to follow. Her earlier attitude had given Nova the sense there was something going on with Mhynt. And now she'd teleported. Not far. But it still happened.

    So, it was time for Nova to shoot his shot. "You're ex-military." There was no accusatory tone, but it was still stated with confidence. "Or whatever an equivalent is where you're from."
     
    "Hmm." It didn't look like she was toying with him. The way she brought her hand to her chin seemed to be a typical pensive gesture for her. Genuine and casual. "...I think that counts," she said. "But I think it would be more accurate to say I'm an ex-servant. High ranking... but everyone is a servant to the king."
     
    "Royalty, huh?" Nova cringed. Images of giant machines drilling into the earth and massive purple chains latching onto the edges of an entire city and ripping it from its very foundations cycled through Nova's mind.

    Her tone was neutral. It was hard for Nova to tell if she genuinely liked that job, save for one part. "Fired, betrayed, or left of your own accord?"
     
    "Hmhm." The first laugh. But when she opened her eyes, they looked tired. "When I go back," she said, "I'm going to be a servant again. A puppet... of sorts. Oh, I have perfect control over myself... very aware of what I'm doing... as long as I behave. So, in some ways, I'm in no control at all." She closed her eyes again but then seemed to remember that she had a bulletin board to watch. She returned her attention to it.

    "Whatever's happening here, I'm going to treat it as a nice vacation. If I'm not going to remember any of it... at least, in the moment, I have a reprieve. And maybe a small echo will push me along..."
     
    Nova followed her gaze to the billboard. The phrase puppet made his claws instinctively curl up in the dirt and his hackles raise. Again, the mask proved valuable to hide his expression.

    "At least you can control yourself. That means there's a chance something can change."

    Damn it, he should've stopped himself from saying that one out loud.
     
    Mhynt didn't react, but Nova would know by now that she registered everything. She nodded solemnly. "I can only offer my well wishes," she said. "I do hope there is a chance as well. I'm just glad to be away from him for now."
     
    "Yeah..." There was a wistful longing in Nova's voice. He fixed his gaze on the board. "So, I guess you're trying to 'solve' this magic trick?"
     
    "Yes." Mhynt refocused on the board. "It's going to be noon soon. The board updates at two times a day: At the apex of noon, and at last light." But before she elaborated further on her theory, she asked, "Do you have any theories on it?"
     
    "Could be a strangely benevolent mystery dungeon," Nova said. With limited range and a very high density of stuff for such a small surface area. Which sounded ridiculous. Quieter, he continued, "But you know something about teleportation. You don't think it's possible someone or something is warping these objects? A strong enough psychic could observe from a distance. Figure out who's doing what."
     
    "That's my thought as well," Mhynt said. "But I'm not strong enough... and may not even have the means for... detecting where a Teleport is coming from, or loose Psychic energy like that. So I'm relying on my eyes for now until my strength returns. Maybe you'll see something." She eyed Nova. "Do you happen to have any... special powers about yourself manifesting?"
     
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