Private Isulus Alchemic Considerations

[Nymoria]

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Ranged Weapons ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hyper Sense

Nymoria stared at the flyer again, trying to wrap her head around what it was asking of her. The details were questionable at best, the outcome more of less spelt out in...having fun? She'd read over the flyer about six times now, and still she was at a bit of a loss as to why this was posted to begin with.

Head into the jungles just outside Isulus, look for some mushrooms...and then? All that the flyer seemed to note was that they would be found within a cavern, somewhere in the jungles, and that the deeper one went, the more dangerous the situation would get. Which seemed obvious, to Nymoria. I guess they really have to spell it out for some people, though.

Mentally shrugging, she tucked away the flyer again. The small camp she'd come to - she wasn't even entirely sure of the name of it - bustled with activity. Individuals moving to and fro as they passed through the encampment for whatever purpose they had in their day. Nymoria couldn't help but wonder what each one was doing - were they running important messages? Were they players, like her, who were looking to find their moment of excitement in some quest or form? Or, were they simple common folk, moving about their daily activities as they did nothing more than try to survive?

Doesn't really matter...for now, I just need to go mushroom hunting. Should be easy enough, I guess...

She mumbled the words to herself, pulling out the flyer and glancing over it one more time. Somehow, she still didn't entirely understand what the aspects of the quest were - but she was determined to follow through with it, even if it was only to collect them for her own purposes. There was always something to it, some cause and reason, even if she didn't see it in the moment.

Her determination made, Nymoria shifted towards the front of the camp - a small wooden gate that seemed to enclose if required, leading out to the jungle beyond. She'd passed through it a mere hour ago, when she'd originally found her way here. The guards had been wary - something Nymoria was more than pleased to see, it meant the place was safe - but had waved her through nonetheless. And now I head back out, won't raise any suspicion at all. I hope.

 

[MAI]

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The Magia had absolutely no idea about mushrooms. But one of her newly made friends was... a mushroom witch, to put it simply. As strange as it was, it seemed like a nice gesture to get her some more unique specimens. The idea came to the girl when she received a message from Trinity. They were something she usually ignored in their entirety, but it seemed that this one was gonna be an exception.

The only issue presented was that she knew nothing of Tangleweaves and Isulus. With her first time being here, the girl bumbled around for a while before she found one of the local camps, a much-welcome bastion of civilization that could point her in a more concrete direction. It was shortly after that she ended up colliding with someone leaving through the front gate.

Distracted by the vistas around as well as the buzz of life from within the camp, MAI stopped paying attention for a brief moment. And as for the other person, they, unfortunately, had no hope of reacting in time, either. There was no sound or even vibration of incoming steps, after all. After training her Astramancy, the girl got quickly used to using it on herself to break free of the shackles of gravity.

Touching down on the ground only once in a while, she would propel herself and simply float slightly above the land. This seemed to be one of the unfortunate side effects. The collision had sent her flying back slightly, only pausing once her feet touched the ground again. Thankfully the bump was rather light, and Starcalled were generally pretty tough, so there was no harm done. Although the person she bumped into looked... almost a bit mean, with the gear they wore.

"Apology - This unit did not intend to collide with anyone. This unit will pay more attention when moving around here."

@Nymoria

 

[Nymoria]

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Nymoria was ripped from her thoughts as she bumped into...something. She shook her head before realising she was staring at another person - half machine, half humanoid. Entirely apologetic, for having collided with Nymoria. She opened her mouth to snap at the individual, to tell them to watch where they were going, before she realised she was at fault.

No...no need to apologise. I wasn't paying attention. If anything, I'm sorry -
I had my face stuck in a flyer, and...well, I should have watched where I was going. My bad.

She offered a look that she hoped was kind and apologetic in essence, before side-stepping around the other player. She still needed to head out into the jungle, to look for the mushrooms and whatever else was hidden within the cavern, and it wasn't like the day had come to a standstill.

Sorry...erm, I'd offer to buy you a drink or something, but I was actually just headed out. Mushrooms to collect...and all that. Uhm, maybe next time!

She doubted she'd run into the other person another time, even as she offered. Nymoria rarely saw the same people twice, and the few that she did weren't anywhere near this area of the world. Empty promises or not, however, she'd made it out of habit - and she knew that if push came to shove, she'd likely be dragged into living up to it.

Flyer still in hand, she took another step towards the gate, glancing between the individual and the world beyond. She had begun biting her bottom lip at some point, her concentration on the situation divided.

Uhm...maybe if you're here when I get back!

@MAI​

 

[MAI]

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She wasn't about to get killed because she made some dangerous individual mad, and that was good. However, the magia was confident in her ability to escape a tricky situation if the shove came to push. Her golden eyes, flickering with synthetic lines and symbols, followed the beastfolk as she excused herself and walked past MAI to head out into the jungle.

Having the caenis walk so close past her also meant that the girl got a good look from the side and behind, namely at the surprisingly large asset that was... the girl's tail. MAI blinked a few times, and the next time Nymoria looked to her side, she would spot the magia floating right next to her again. Just like before, without a sound or any warning, she was there, studiously observing.

"Inquiry - Does this individual know their way around Tangleweaves? This unit heard about this individual wanting to gather mushrooms."

She paused briefly before adding a bit more.

"Request - This unit hopes to gather some unique mushrooms for personal reasons. Could this unit accompany this individual? This unit's name is MAI."

@Nymoria

 

[Nymoria]

140 / 140

Ranged Weapons ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hyper Sense

Gods above! Nine hells where did you...

Nymoria quite literally jumped in response to the sudden voice beside her, the Magia girl having floating up and continued their conversation as if there'd been no break. Startling, to say the least - but nothing that Nymoria couldn't recover from.

Uhm...mushrooms. Yeah, I'm...headed out to collect some. Supposedly a nearby cavern, or cave or something has some. Useful for alchemic purposes, or so I've been told...plus there might be a nice reward inside, so it's worth trying, right?

She shook her head - mostly to clear away the residual feeling of shivers running down her spine - before she decided to offer a hand of support. She'd been alone in the game for a long time, but that didn't mean that she hadn't once been supported as well, but others.

If...if you wanted, you could tag along, I guess. The jungle can be a bit of a crazy place, and getting lost is never good - plus, it's always safer together and all that...or so I've been told.

She gave a smile that she hoped was welcoming, before nodding her head towards the jungle beyond - the direction somewhat north-eastward.

I mean, if we're both looking for the same thing...we'll likely meet up again anyways, right?

She didn't wait for an answer, heading towards the gate once more. As she passed through the gate, she swung the crossbow off her shoulder, placing away the flyer and taking the weapon up in hand as she let her eyes and ears glaze the area around them. Content that there was no immediate danger, she began her trek into the jungle itself, following a less-than-perfect footpath that had been worn into the dirt; barely visible and likely older based upon the lack of recent prints.

Should be...this ways, a bit...I think...

@MAI​

 

[MAI]

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"Explanation - This unit uses anti-gravity modules combined with aeromancy to move around easily. Side effect includes moving silently and scaring others when talking to them out of nowhere."

It seemed that this wasn't the first time the Magia nearly spooked someone out of their skin. At least the Beastfolk was still willing to cooperate even after that. Some people were far more careful than that and wouldn't let someone with the ability to move that silently near them after such an experience.

But with the approval, MAI would nod and try to return a smile in kind. She was far from expressive, so hers wasn't quite as warm, only faint but still there nonetheless.

"Grateful - This unit is happy to not get lost anymore. It will also do its best to not scare or otherwise inconvenience you any further."

There was no guarantee she could fulfill those, but she would do her best. She was well aware that some people held a certain disdain toward Magia, especially those like MAI, who were a bit more robotic, especially in the matter of speech. That said, as they headed out and Nymoria started sounding wholly uncertain whether they were going the right way, she asked one more question.

"Query - How should this unit address this individual?"

@Nymoria

 

[Nymoria]

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Nymoria paused in her steps, cocking her head as she considered what the girl had stated about the combination of magics. She had to admit, it was effective - the sounds coming from the individual were muted, barely audible even to Nymorai's enhanced hearing. There was no way she would have heard the other in the noise of the camp; although out here was ever so slightly different.

Huh...silent is good. Especially out here...helps making hunting easier...I may consider something like that in the future...

She'd been talking aloud, and shook herself as she realised that the girl had posed another question. One which Nymoria should've realised more immediately, and likely would have, if she hadn't been distracted with...well, everything else going on currently.

Nymoria...although I go by Nym, really. Either works, though. You said your name was...MAI, right?

She suddenly held out her left hand, as if waiting for a handshake. An instantaneous action that she had carried over from the real world without thought or consideration.

Not getting lost is definitely...erm, beneficial. I'd prefer not getting lost as well. Seems like we're a bit in luck though, this pathway heads in the correct general direction.

For now. She didn't add that last bit, hoping that they'd somehow come across the cave they were looking for long before they had to leave the pathway behind. Still, it would be useful to be properly prepared. Moving once more, she decided to carry on the conversation a bit - there was no need to stay silent, for the moment.

So...what are your strong suits? Aside from getting lost, that is. I'm personally better staying the rear...overwatch, and all that...

She gave a slight lift of her crossbow, as if to draw attention to it - her tail swaying calmly behind her in a motion of pride at the item. Simple, but effective. The piece had saved her many times over, and although it didn't look like much - she felt like it was a part of her she could never replace.

@MAI​

 

[MAI]

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MAI naturally stopped in her tracks along with her company, taking a few short seconds for her feet to touch down on the grass even as she was no longer moving forward. And listening to what the beastfolk muttered about really made it clear that she ran into that kind of player. Not a bad thing, actually. It meant that their abilities would complement each other, in a way.

And now that she knew the other girl's name, their interactions would hopefully become a bit better as well. The Magia was already plenty frustrated with how her speech functioned sometimes, but whenever it forced her to refer to someone as 'this individual', it made her die on the inside a bit. Not that it ever became expressed verbally or in any other way, though. The handshake was accepted eagerly.

"Greetings - Unit MAI is very pleased that we will get to work together and that she will not have a bolt in her back for running into Nymoria."

...it also made her a bit more blunt and honest than she liked. But speaking of bolts, the girl's golden synthetic eyes fixated on the weapon that her company was carrying, all the while a pretty important information was shared. It did confirm MAI's image of how Nymoria operated on the battlefield.

"Information - This unit is not a hunter. This unit possesses several aid protocols to help with injuries and other ailments, but would prefer to resolve conflict peacefully when possible."

In essence, she was a support. Hopefully that came across well enough. Actually, before things would get too awkward, she decided to apologize a bit as well.

"Apologies - This unit's manner of speech may be irritating to some. Speech behavior patterns have been corrupted, resulting in this outcome. Further proposal, this unit can expend large amounts of energy to overcome the corruption if Nymoria finds this manner of speech to difficult to understand or annoying."

@Nymoria

 

[Nymoria]

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Nymoria shook her head at the final request. She'd been processing the other's capabilities - a supporter, from the sounds of it, which was not a bad thing - when they'd offered to overcome their speech. Something that Nymoria had naturally overlooked without consideration, albeit noting that it was a little robotic.

No...no, don't worry about that. It's more important to conserve your energy if we encounter something. Never know what you're going to run into out here...although I do like the idea of peaceful negotiations.

She gave another shift of her crossbow, before taking another step ahead and continuing their path through the jungle. She spoke back over her shoulder as she went, continuing the conversation even as she made sure that they were moving forwards again.

As much as it may appear contrary...I'd prefer not to fight every little thing we come across. Sometimes the best way to hunt, is silently and undetected - which means avoiding conflict, when possible.

She turned her gaze towards her new companion, smiling as she looked at the Magia. She tried to make her appearance friendly, as much as she possibly could considering the wolf-like features and appearance she had gone for. Nymoria was well aware how dangerous, and hunter-like she appeared - which was what she had wanted.

Peaceful...sounds nice. So if we can do that, I'm all for it. This...

She lifted the crossbow, as if to bring attention towards it, before continuing her trailing thought.

...is just for protection in case of the absolute worst. I hope we don't have to use it...especially for just collecting mushroom!

@MAI​

 

[MAI]

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It was good that the caenis was at least willing to consider a peaceful approach to what would normally be considered a hostile situation. Though, of course, a method of hunting as she described it was still something that would result in the death of something in most cases. But for the time being, MAI perished the thought and focused on what was going on right now rather than in some distant what-if.

"Understood - This unit is appreciative of Nymoria being open to a multitude of approaches to the situation."

That said, the other girl was also correct in that they shouldn't even have to worry about being forced to defend themselves on a mission to collect mushrooms, of all things. If anything, Nym probably was the one who should worry at all, and that was about inhaling some more... wild spores produced by the mushrooms. MAI wasn't exactly sure if any hallucinogenics would even affect her.

"Reassurance - If Nymoria gets high from inhaling spores of mushrooms, this unit will carry Nymoria to safety."

@Nymoria

 

[Nymoria]

140 / 140

Ranged Weapons ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hyper Sense

Uh...wait, hallucin...uhm, I hadn't thought....of that...

She tilted her head as she suddenly realised a major problem that she'd overlooked. Her tail drooped slightly behind her, the tip swishing a bit as she considered the situation. It would do no good to either of them if Nymoria found herself incapacitated, nor would it be beneficial in any way to send just the Magia into the cavern.

Well, she did say she'd carry me out. Guess we'll just have to risk it. She couldn't think of any immediate way to overcome the problem, and as such decided it was one of those things that they would just have to deal with as it came - there was nothing else for it, at least for the time being.

Hopefully...hopefully there'll be no problems. But if it does come to that, I guess we'll...just have to play it by ear, right?

She shrugged in turn, hoping that her carefree attitude wouldn't be mistaken for carelessness. She simply realised that there wasn't much to plan for - she had no way to counter the possible effects, as much as she'd prefer to be able to. For now...best I can hope for is that there's nothing that would effect us, or that one - if not both - of us are immune to it... Wishful thinking, most likely, but Nymoria wasn't about to turn around just because of one minor setback.

We should be there shortly...based upon the limited information the flyer gave, I think the cave is up ahead. Another few dozen metres, maybe...

She felt far less confident than her voice sounded. The map itself - if it could be called that, even - hadn't given much reference for her to work with. Simplistic, but overall useless for what it was needed for. She'd gotten a general direction from it, but the rest had been simple guess work - not that she'd admit that to the Magia aloud.

@MAI​

 

[MAI]

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While it was rude to stare off into the distance while someone was talking to you, MAI couldn't quite help but stare at Nym's tail from time to time. Given just how expressive it was, the entire appendage was almost mesmerizing to observe. Not to mention that it could possibly give some insight into the girl's true intentions and feelings. That said, the Magia also wanted to reassure her new beastfolk friend, although there wasn't much coming to mind...

"Reassurance - probability of aforementioned mushroom spores having mood enhancing effects upon inhalation... reasonably high."

Okay, maybe that wasn't quite the way to go. That said, according to Nym herself, they were close to the entrance now. It was actually impressive that this place even had caves to begin with, given what structure Tangleweaves had. Most of the movement was done on massive roots and branches rather than the ground. But now that they were nearby, MAI actually had a way of helping.

"Assistance - This unit has control over aeromancy. In other words, this unit can control air... and sense its flow. Sensing a nearby opening sucking air in. Probability of a cave is high. Please, follow."

With that, she let her instincts guide her to where this 'feeling' was coming from. It was as unexplainable as ever, but it seemed like the game was inserting new sensations into the girl's brain to actually make her capable of 'sensing' these things, thanks to her masteries.

@Nymoria

 

[Nymoria]

140 / 140

Ranged Weapons ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hyper Sense

Nymoria was about to argue when the Magia took the lead, before realising that the other girl was as capable as Nymoria herself was. There was no need to shelter or protect them - at least, not right at the moment. Besides, it's not like you being out front and centre is going to change anything...you're not exactly designed for up and personal.

Shrugging to herself, she followed the Magia's lead as the two pushed through some foliage towards something off the main pathway they'd been following. It didn't take long for Nymoria to spot the cave entrance - barely visible against the collection of vines and assorted roots that covered the majority of it.

Over there...covered, mostly. But definitely an underground entrance of sorts. Looks...

Her words cut off as she ducked to enter the cavern itself, the entrance barely reaching above Nymoria's waist. She glanced back at the Magia girl, smiling in a way that bespoke excitement at their newfound adventure, and whatever lay ahead of them.

Slight incline downwards, nothing major...we'll be able to get back out this way. Uhm...watch your head, the original entrance is a bit low - but it's more than high enough inside. Just seems to be a bit below ground level is all...oh, and I hear water.

Her ears twitched at the last comment, pinpointing the sound suddenly. A soft dripping sound, which seemed to signify some sort of moisture or water field within the cavern itself. The small amount of light filtering in made it harder to see from where she was; but she figured her eyes would adjust as they went deeper.

Coming?

With that, Nymoria slid into the cavern, letting her feet drop onto the floor as she settled herself and moved out of the way for the other. Her crossbow came up and scanned the area, looking for any dangers. She relaxed a mere second later, content that she was alone in the cave, for now.

@MAI​

 

[MAI]

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With a bit of guidance from the creatively used mastery, the cave was found easy enough. Hopefully that was the 'hard' part bypassed by one of the two girls just happening to have a way of easily locating it. Although if this cave was gonna be anything like the videos of people crawling through caves that MAI had seen online... oh boy, were they in for a horror of an adventure.

Nym, however, appeared to be the brave type and very quickly crawled through the relatively small opening to scout the inside. Once the green light was given, the Magia tried her best to follow. It was somewhat impressive that the other girl was even shorter than the mechanical girl, but thankfully the entrance was large enough that she could fit through just fine as well. And with the inner chamber much larger than the entrance, it was of no concern either way.

"Information - Water inside of a cave will be problematic if we have to swim through flooded tunnels or downpour begins outside and the water levels begin rising."

Hopefully neither one would be the case here. But at least it was likely that they found the correct cave. Mushrooms lovely high humidity and moisture, as far as the girl was aware, so it made sense that their goal would be in a cave that provided exactly that. To make their journey here a little bit more bearable, MAI also released one of her drones with a mounted flashlight, quickly illuminating the interior of the first chamber.

"Query - Does Nymoria have experience with cave diving?"

@Nymoria

 

[Nymoria]

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Nymoria had taken a single step, when the Magia had mentioned the dangers around water within caves. She came to a sudden halt - her entire body held motionless as she processed the new information. She'd known, as much as common sense would allow, that it would be dangerous below ground if there was water. She hadn't considered just how dangerous that could be, however.

I mean...cave diving...? Uh...no, no I don't...uh...I didn't think...that would be necessary...I mean mushrooms don't grow underwater, right? Like there's no reason that we should have to go into the water, in a cave, underground...

She could feel the panic in her voice, the images of drowning underneath the earth surfacing in her head even as she tried to force herself to stay calm and collected. There's no way that you need to worry about drowning beneath the surface. You'll be fine...just...just keep a cool head. You're not the only one here, now. She glanced over towards MAI at the words in her head, realising that she was likely scaring the other girl as well.

Coughing slightly, trying to collect herself, she forced herself to stand up straight and throw a smile at the other girl - a smile that likely showed her fear, but also the attempt at being brave in the face of such fear. Her words came out confident, however, the tone of fear gone from them as she spoke.

I mean...we have nothing to worry about. It just sounds like...like dripping water up ahead. I don't think...I mean, if the cavern was filled with water, we would've already encountered it - at least at our feet, right? We should have nothing at all to worry about.

She hoped she was right, but she knew now that there was no turning back. Instead, she turned and led the duo further into the cave, relying on MAI's floating flashlight in order to see what was ahead of them. She moved slowly, carefully, keeping a constant eye and ear open for more sounds of water, or anything else of concern.

@MAI​

 

[MAI]

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Oh dear, it appeared that MAI was only making things worse with her contributions. Taking a pause for a moment, she observed Nym and listened to the way she spoke, very clearly letting the possibility get to her. It honestly made the Magia feel a bit bad, given the circumstances. So what were her options to fix this now?

"Reassurance - water deep enough to require diving is rare in caverns of this type. Likelihood of encountering running water is high, unlikely to be deeper than a centimeter or two."

Was that any better? Hopefully. Either way, Nymoria was clearly trying her best to appear braver than she might have been after that prior consideration. It was appreciated, but also somewhat amusing... when they ran into each other, MAI found the other girl's appearance rather frightening. Or her armor specifically. A dark hunter through and through. This was a bit of a reminder that Starcalled were just normal people outside of their characters, and sometimes even kids.

"Proposal - If the Starcalled Nymoria is nervous or otherwise unwell, this unit can provide comfort in any way available. Furthermore, this unit can assist with movement in tighter or difficult to reach spaces."

@Nymoria