Discontinued Private Story Quest Isulus Cleaning up after oneself

[Mystia]

Spoiler: Quest prompt

Camp Renovation

Camp Nisus was already in disarray before the expedition's arrival. After the apes' assault, the camp became even more wrecked. As the majority of the expedition were preparing to depart, a message came from the Astorean capital, enlisting your help to get the outpost operational again. It could use some major repair and improvement.

The camp itself is built next to a tall hill with wooden wall encircling the interior. Within the walls, the camp is split into a tented area where each tent is pitched on top of a platform held up by stilts to deal with flood. Most of it was broken by the time the dangers passed.

Near the center of the enclosed area is the massive mushroom, which had been converted into the MIT's workspace. The inside of the mushroom house is a complete mess from the rushed R&D of the Serenity Mist. The mushroom's exterior also seems to be rotting from the lack of maintenance.

[HR=3][/HR]

Party Size: 2-4
Completion: Minimum 3 posts per person

Objectives

• (Optional) Gather materials
• Repair, rebuild, and/or improve Camp Nisus

It was almost nostalgic, looking at the giant mushroom and what a mess it still was. So many people were helping, yet the camp was still looking like a total war zone. Probably because it quite literally was a war zone not that long ago. Mystia was frankly impressed when she heard about the ape assault. The MIT folk were so absorbed in the chaotic work that none of them had any clue all of that happened while they were figuring out the cure.

"OBSERVATION — MIT RESEARCH LABORATORY IN DISARRAY. PROPOSAL — REPAIR DAMAGE CAUSED BY INCORRECT HANDLING OF INGREDIENTS!"

"You're the one who removed the front door so you could reach inside while we were working…"

The small fae stood right next to her titanic mech, both of them looking at the poor structure ahead. The message from the capital was one thing, but Mystia just wanted to help. Especially since she felt kind of guilty after leaving the whole encounter right before the main boss. It was probably the right thing to do for her at the time, but that did not prevent those kinds of feelings from bubbling up.

Thankfully she had the perfect thing to help - her companion! Her own body wasn't anything special, but the machine was powerful enough to lift entire fallen walls. With his size, he could do all kinds of tasks to help with the renovation! That said, the due didn't even know where to begin. So many people were already running around and repairing, it almost felt like she was getting in the way instead! Someone needed to show them around…

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

The battle against the Kurungaar Mother had been hard-fought, and they had been victorious in the end, but that didn't mean that the expedition was finished. Now that the threat had been dealt with they had to take care of the aftermath. There were still those in need of assistance, creatures who had been affected by the Red Fever who needed to be cured or dealt with, and the camp from which they'd staged their assault on the demonic insect was a complete and utter mess.

Although to be fair, that had more to do with a swarm of open-brained apes that had apparently attacked the camp while Mizuki was out gathering ingredients and fighting a giant golem with the rest of the Adventurers. The luna wolf admittedly wasn't sure what to think of that. She was incredulous that there were apes with exposed brains running around in this forest, but beyond that, she was also a bit disappointed she hadn't been in the camp to witness what certainly sounded like an exhilarating fight against some unusual foes.

But that was in the past. Amidst all the people running around doing their part in fixing the camp up Mizuki was trying to figure out how she could help best. Her Nature Magic meant that she could probably be of significant use when it came to repairing wooden structures, but at the same time she wasn't an architect or anything so she didn't know what to work on first. As she looked around her eyes fell on another person who seemed to be having trouble getting started, accompanied by a mecha, which was a relatively unique sight both on Earth and in Terrasphere.

She remembered this girl arriving late to the party, but if she had been part of the final battle Mizuki couldn't remember her. For now though, it was better to focus on the present, so the huntress approached Mystia and called out to her.

You there, with the mecha! (She'd raise a hand once she got Mystia's attention.) Apologies, but you were with the MIT, correct?

Her mismatched eyes turned upwards towards the mushroom the MIT had used as their improvised laboratory for developing a cure for the Red Fever. Or at least a temporary protection. The mushroom, like the rest of the camp, had certainly seen better days.

I'd like to thank you for doing your part in keeping us from succumbing to the Red Fever. That said, do you know what happened to the mushroom?

@Mystia

 

[Mystia]

Apparently she did not have to wait long! A voice that she was wholly unfamiliar with had called out to her, drawing the fae's single uncovered eye toward the source. Yup, no one she knew. But apparently the wolf beastfolk was aware of who Mystia was, at least in general terms of being part of the Red Fever event. With a chuckle, Mystia scratched the back of her head.

"Ah, heh, it was nothing! I was just glad to have helped in some way!"

It was surprisingly embarrassing to have her participation acknowledged like that, especially since she felt like she hadn't done all that much. But then again, the entirety of MIT seemed to be rather chaotic during the cure development process. Which seemed like exactly what Miss Wolf here wanted to talk about as well.

"It's where we were developing the antidote. And, well, how to say... the emotion amplifying effect was not very conducive to a calm working environment. Especially when we started working with more volatile ingredients."

Tossing a glance toward the building, she could only feel bad for everyone else who was trying to help with its cleanup. The interior was frozen, melted, all kinds of damaged. And the exterior certainly did not look all too inviting, either.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

The faerin replied with an upbeat attitude to Mizuki's inquiry, which was a pleasant development. It was always easier to talk to someone who was upbeat enough that it was difficult to imagine upsetting them. The luna wolf came to a halt once she was close enough that the two of them could talk without having to raise their voices, planting one hand on her hip as she smiled.

It probably saved our hides back then, so it's appreciated that you did what you could.

Without the cure for the Red Fever, Mizuki couldn't imagine that the final battle would have gone as well as it did. The magically augmented surge of emotions would have ruined any attempts at strategy and possibly even caused the entire expedition team to fall apart as those who were afflicted with negative emotions began to attack others... just like what had most likely happened to the original inhabitants of this camp.

As also demonstrated by Mystia's explanation of how the Red Fever's symptoms were responsible for the state the mushroom was now in. The luna wolf nodded as she studied the mushroom some more before returning her gaze to the faerin.

It's a good thing none of you got seriously hurt and managed to work through all that. That said, since you're still here I imagine you want to help clean up. (She looked up at the intimidating mecha that accompanied the silver-haired female.) I don't think that thing can fit inside, but I could give you a hand with cleaning up the lab. Is this thing capable of acting autonomously?

Since this world used magitech instead of electronics Mizuki had no idea what to expect from a mecha like this. It looked like it would serve as a battle suit, but with magic involved it might be a full-fledged person. Who knew, especially with other masteries like Spirit Magic also existing?

@Mystia

 

[Mystia]

Who wouldn't at least try to lend a hand when it felt like so much was at stake? Mystia witnessed everything that had happened inside of the lab, some of it quite extreme. If things continued uncurbed, who knew just how bad it would get? But then again, she knew that there were people who really thought of this place as nothing more than a game, and could even go against the wishes of others for the sake of some strange amusement. It was good that no one like that showed up during the events of Red Fever.

"We all did our part to ensure the whole operation went smoothly is all!"

She really did see it that simply. They were playing an MMO, after all. It was designed for people to tackle such challenges together, to strategize, do their part, and eventually take down the boss and obtain the loot! Even if the fae wasn't personally there for the last part. The wolf beastfolk standing in front of her was surely no different? That was getting besides the point now, however, as she decided to ask about the machine standing by Mystia's side. Like usual when this happened, he was capable of response on his own.

"DO I LOOK LIKE A CHILD THAT REQUIRES SUPERVISION?"

"Well, depending on the angle... you did break the door to the lab by trying to fit inside before. So to confirm - it cannot fit inside, no."

"I AM ASHAMED. I SHALL PROCEED TO THE SULKING PROTOCOL AND EXECUTE IT IN THE CORNER OVER THERE."

With that, the hulking machine would turn around and start heading toward the place it pointed toward as it spoke. Along with it, the fae would shoot Mizuki a glance and a smile, as if saying that they were free to go inside of the mushroom now. Though, before they did, she paused briefly.

"Ah, I don't believe I've introduced myself! You can call me Mystia, it's nice to meet you!"

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki nodded in response to Mystia's words, although in all honesty, she felt a bit embarrassed as she thought back to what her contribution to the mission had been like. Mucking about in the slime to find some rare ingredients, in the process destroying some valuable reagents because in her emotional tumult she wasn't able to control her strength properly. All things considered, it was a good thing that not too many people had seen that.

And a good thing too, because if we didn't have everyone giving it their all I don't think it would have gone as smoothly as it did.

Although several people had died, overall the mission had been a resounding success. They'd discovered what had caused the demise of the denizens of Camp Nisus, figured out a countermeasure, found the source, and eliminated it with the majority of the expedition surviving the ordeal. It was far from ideal, but it was as good as they could hope for.

She was a little bit surprised when the mecha responded with what sounded like indignity, further augmented by the faerin pointing out that it had failed to enter the mushroom without causing a mess. Watching the retreating mechanical figure Mizuki let out a thoughtful sound before turning her head as Mystia spoke up again, answering the smile with one of her own as she stepped through the doorway.

It's nice to meet you as well Mystia. My name is Ueno Mizuki, Mizuki for short. I'm guessing you entered Terrasphere only recently?

She'd never seen or heard of Mystia before, and she was pretty confident that she could at least recognise other veterans. Although such thoughts left her mind as she entered the mushroom proper, blinking several times as she looked at the mess. It was like a storm had swept through.

...You weren't joking when you said that the emotion amplifying effect affected the work environment.

@Mystia

 

[Mystia]

Only a few mere steps into the laboratory and Mystia was already almost slipping on a bit of ice that still covered the floor in some places. The walls were corroded and partly melted from various ingredients being tossed around, as well as misfired spells. It truly did look like a battlefield on the inside.

"Yeah, somewhat recently. I guess the expedition itself was one of the first things I really did? Well, right after I built my companion that just left us."

Probably a rather impressive thing that a complete newbie was able to construct something so impressive from what amount to tossed-out scraps and only a basic understanding of how the game itself worked. Well, to have Red Fever expedition as one of the first experiences here must have been quite something as well.

"When some of the stronger players went haywire because of the Fever, powerful spells started being thrown around as well. Looking back at it, it's surprising that the mushroom managed to withstand all of that to begin with..."

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki placed her feet down with sufficient force to ensure that the ice wouldn't cause her to slip. As a member of the caenis race, she was well-suited for dealing with such surfaces, the claws on her toes scratching the ice for additional purchase. Seeing that Mystia was in danger of slipping, however, Mizuki placed a hand on the faerin's shoulder to help steady her.

I don't think there's many people whose first act in Terrasphere is building a mecha. Do you have any experience with mechanics and electronics on Earth?

Magitech allowed one to create things which didn't necessarily make sense, and to Mizuki's knowledge, it also didn't require you to be an expert in the field of engineering. But she assumed that such knowledge could still allow you to maximise the effectiveness of the mastery, and it would explain how someone could build such a sophisticated machine.

Once it looked like her companion would no longer need help in staying upright Mizuki would let go so she could get to work cleaning up the interior of the mushroom. She couldn't immediately get rid of the ice, but seeing that some heavy equipment had been toppled over she began to put her physical prowess to work, leaving the more precise work to Mystia as she did the heavy lifting.

Let's chalk it up to good luck, although I imagine that the effects of the Red Fever also interfered with their ability to focus. (She grunted.) Used to be that there was a mastery that directly turned anger into power, but with that gone having your emotions flare up is more likely to make you mess up.

There were still people who became stronger as their emotions rose, especially anger, but for most people a rise in emotion meant a decrease in effectiveness.

@Mystia

 

[Mystia]

There was a moment when the girl's feet started sliding on the smooth ice, her equipment not exactly designed to deal with this kind of weather. But while she did manage to remain standing upright on her own, the hand on her shoulder was appreciated. Although given the difference in size between the two girls, there was a brief moment of hesitation whether a claw would pierce through her clothes and skin.

"Thanks. And, well... I'm an IT teacher. Though I did study engineering for several years as well. Most things here are nothing like what you see outside of the game, but it still makes sense somehow."

If nothing else, her expertise in the field of IT did help her program that quirky personality her mech displayed. But whether it was made at least partially sentient by the game or if the fae really was that good when it came to neural networks and self-learning AI was anyone's guess.

As for the work that had to be done, she also had a few things up her sleeves. Pulling out a small remote of sorts from the pocket of her skirt, Mystia would press a few buttons and wait. Moments later, a drone, not too unlike those one could see outside of the game, flew in through the door.

"Could you try to open the windows? There will be a lot of steam soon."

After the brief request and warning, the girl would press a few more buttons and the drone started radiating substantial amount of heat. Not enough to melt all the ice instantly, but it was happening steadily. And the heat was growing in intensity as well, though only when one stood very close to the small bot. After ice turned into water, the water would turn into steam... eventually.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki nodded as Mystia explained that she did have some experience with both programming and engineering. That did make a lot of sense, although naturally Terrasphere also made it a lot easier than it would have been on Earth. Full-fledged AI wasn't a thing yet on Earth, after all.

I must say, it's interesting to see what Magitech allows you to do. Four years ago it didn't exist yet: the closest thing was Tinkerer, which allowed you to create gadgets but nothing like the equipment Magitech is capable of.

She'd expected Mystia to focus on the more detailed tasks, such as sorting out paperwork and collecting the alchemical tools that were strewn about. Instead, she watched as the faerin summoned some kind of drone, after which she was requested to open the windows. Having a suspicion about what was about to happen the luna wolf quickly did so, after which she halted her own work for a moment to observe the drone emitting a substantial amount of heat, enough to warm up the entire interior of the mushroom and causing the ice to melt.

I hope that there's nothing in here that's sensitive to water damage.

It was a creative method for dealing with the ice, but the steam could still cause some trouble. Mizuki got to work putting away anything that looked like it would react badly to humidity, stuffing papers and tools into closets and other storage spaces she'd just returned to their proper places. The drone was quite effective, however, the ice quickly melted, after which the water vaporised and the air inside the giant mushroom became foggier and foggier. Mizuki began to sweat, swiping her brow as she kept working. Fortunately, the open windows also allowed the steam to escape, so she just had to endure it for as long as it took for most of the water to escape into the open air.

I can't really help with sorting things, so if you take care of that we should be done quickly.

@Mystia

 

[Mystia]

It was nice that Mizuki cared about any potential research or other documents that might have been laying around and could have been damaged or even destroyed by the water and steam that it turned into. Though it was unlikely that anything survived the initial frosting over to begin with.

"Ah, this place was just an outpost. I'm not sure what it was originally for, but I don't think it was anything super important... and all the research regarding red fever was already transferred to the MIT headquarters right after the mission. Honestly, it'd be a miracle if there was much that could still be legible..."

That said, the steam might have been a bit much, forcing Mystia herself to take a few steps back if she didn't want to become Ms. wet t-shirt. The white kind she wore was awfully prone to becoming transparent when wet. Thankfully the environment stabilized pretty quickly, leaving behind a relatively dry and warm room for them to work with. And just like Mizuki suggested, the fae started collecting whatever she could and putting it back to where it belonged... for what help that might have been.

"But to think that this world is actually subjected to updates and changes like that... it reminds one that this really is a game and not second shot at life. Even if the possibility of death is a very real one."

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Given that Mizuki's clothes were designed to survive harsh environments she wasn't particularly worried that the steam would reveal anything she didn't want other people to see. Instead the heat and the humidity were making her pant, her tongue even hanging out of her mouth as she tried to avoid overheating. Her caenis metabolism meant that she heated up pretty quickly, which was usually a boon but could be a hindrance as well.

Do you think the Red Fever research will still reveal anything useful? We took care of the source, and before now I hadn't encountered anything like demons so they must be rare.

That could also be a matter of location, of course. Once the steam was gone and the temperature began to return to something more tolerable Mizuki stopped panting as well, although her matted fur made it clear that she'd have a hard time with saunas.

Hrmmm... (She frowned as Mystia mentioned how the updates made Terrasphere feel more like a game.) It could also be seen as progress, but I agree that a lot of things changed within just four years.

With Mystia sorting all the important stuff which Mizuki wasn't knowledgeable enough about all that was left for the luna wolf was to tidy up. The faerin's trick had done a good job getting rid of all the water, but there were still objects to pick up and place back in containers, and trash to sweep together before dumping it outside. It was a far cry from the usual adventures one experienced in this world, but it was a way to keep her hands busy, her tail swishing from side to side behind her.

Are you planning to join more expeditions like this one? Not that we often have to deal with entire outposts mysteriously dying.

@Mystia

 

[Mystia]

While the area was now stabilizing, some of the warmth generated by temporarily changing the entire room into a pseudo-sauna did remain. At the very least, that meant the room was a nice warm temperature while the weather outside seemed to turn for the worse and colder again. Which, of course, meant that the mech would complain once the party was reunited again.

"Useful... who knows. It's not really possible to predict those things. But if you want to hear something more optimistic, then further study could lead to a more stable and readily available cure for the Red Fever itself."

From what she heard, everything concluded with a big fight against a massive bug and its hive, or somesuch. That implied that just about any creature could be affected by the unfortunate condition. It would be far better if they could combat such creatures by simply curing them rather than killing them. Although even as the fae continued to sift through the various documents and placed samples back where they should be, she didn't find much.

"If there really will be another expedition, then I wouldn't mind lending a helping hand. Especially if things were the same as before. We needed all the help we could get in the lab, and no doubt other teams were the same."

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki nodded as Mystia explained that she considered it both possible and more important to find a cure for the Red Fever. Admittedly the huntress felt like if the Red Fever was an affliction tied to a demon killing the demon was a valid solution, but the faerin might have a point that they couldn't always rely on the idea of just finding something big and killing it.

True enough. The demon appears to have been dealt with, but the Red Fever might still come back in some form.

With all the ice having been removed and most of the tools and documents having been stored away it looked like the interior of the mushroom was now more or less in good shape, although unsurprisingly there were still quite a few small objects to pick up and put away. Mizuki left the documents and samples to Mystia, knowing that despite her curiosity she wouldn't be able to make much sense of the notes the geniuses of the MIT had written down.

As the faerin stated she wouldn't be opposed to joining another expedition Mizuki smiled, her tail wagging once before calming down again.

Glad to hear it. There are a lot of different things going on in this world, so there's usually something to do for anyone who wants to help.

She glanced outside, where the weather was indeed getting colder. After summer autumn had already arrived, and it looked like winter wasn't far away either.

Of course, that also means that there's lots of danger, so make sure to look after yourself. (She thought back to her own role in this expedition.) I'd say that everything was going fine with us Adventurers until the temple we were scavenging for ingredients turned into a massive golem. At that point we really needed all the help we could get.

That reminded her that Mystia's companion, the self-aware mecha, was still standing outside. Certainly not as big as that stone thing, but similar in other ways.

A mecha like your friend would certainly have helped a lot. I imagine that you sit inside if there's danger?

@Mystia