Eclipse Arc, or: I'm getting paid to be alone on a space station, so I'm playing VRMMOs

Vote closed.

You could try to pick up some sort of quest immediately… or you could scout the place out, and maybe work on your 'personal' quest. Is that even the right term? Well, it's personalized, so you'll go with that.

You turn off the main road, making sure to stay on the sidewalk as you check the place out more thoroughy. The population seems to be mostly Hicys or what you think is some kind of dwarf, givern their short, muscular builds and penchant for hammers. You say "some kind," of course, because they don't have the classic barrel-like build or enormous beards, instead with hourglass-shaped figures and bare faces or neatly trimmed beards. Topping it off – and making you not quite sure they are dwarves at all – are the pair of crystalline horns of varying shapes each of them have. Maybe one in three people on the street isn't one of those two species, and a large portion of that last third is humans. Who, if the blurb you got at character generation is any guide, exist basically everywhere and are incorporated into other cultures rather than being their own distinct group. The remaining mix is eccentric, but mostly humanoid. Some are furry, some are scaly, and some are fleshy. You do spy one centaur, and a… floating polyhedron? You would have assumed the last of those wasn't a person at all, except it seems to be having some sort of disagreement with a small pixie carrying a spear.

The town does not appear to be very large. The main cross street you have turned onto has a handful of buildings that appear to be craftsmen and general stores, a few you can't discern the purpose of, and an inn across the street from… you squint at the blurry sign and a window pops up.


…huh. Well you can deal with that one later. You dismiss the notification and move on. A few more businesses, one which… you sniff. Many of the scents you've been able to pick up with your new senses have been alien to you, but that one is an unmistakably chemical scent. Solvents, maybe? That meant an alchemist or chemist, probably. You pad up to the door of the shop and open it with your tail.

The interior of the shop is floored with clean gray stone, though the walls are wooden, and the room is lined with shelves, each of which supports several generously-spaced glass bottles. Each bottle is filled with liquids of varying colors, and has a neat paper card describing the potion's effects. The front counter is mostly wood, but the countertop is the same gray stone as the floor, and is surprisingly short, maybe 70, 75 centimeters – short enough, in fact, that you're taller than it. You shrug and reach up with one paw and ring the bell on the counter.

A thump, followed by a yelp of surprise and string of muttered cursing comes from the back room, and before long the proprietor steps out of the curtains separating the front room from the back. She is, as it turns out, one of those maybe-dwarves who are common here, wearing a work apron over casual clothes. Short, with more muscle than you'd expect from an alchemist, and a rather generous figure, with amethyst horns that curl forward and then up.

She starts as she sees you waiting patiently, apparently not expecting a canid that can make easy eye contact with her. It only takes her a moment, though, and she walks forward and inclines her head. "Do you have a note for me?" She asks, "I'm afraid I don't usually do pickups by familiar, but I can at least write a response explaining that."

"Oh no, I'm not a familiar," you say – you have a somewhat deep, feminine voice, you note, and a surprisingly human one given your body type – and when she jerks this time you can hear the clonk of her kneeing – or maybe kicking – the counter. You wait politely.

"I uh, sorry," she says once she recovers. "I've never seen uh… a person like you before." She shakes her head. "Sorry, that was rude of me. Lystin Goldrock, alchemist, at your service. How can I help you?"

"Saphielle va'Tisharin," you say, tilting your head. "I'm actually here to ask a few questions, but I am an adventurer of sorts, so it's good to know you're here."

She seems a bit confused by the clearly elven name, but doesn't let it slow her down. "Questions? Not exactly an information broker here. 'Less it's about alchemy, I probably don't know, and I do charge for people who want tutoring."

Hm. Maybe she can teach the Alchemy skill? That'd be neat, useful for a starting village. Wouldn't want a crafter to have to get all the way to the hub to get started, after all. Still, that wasn't the point.

"Actually, I'm here looking for a family friend, another alchemist. Bhomon guy, name of Bosrin. Last we heard he was here on Erini II, then stopped sending letters."

"Bosrin, Bosrin…" she frowns, a hand rubbing at a horn in a thinking gesture. "Where do I know that name from… oh! Yeah, he came through here a month or so back. Kind of a weird guy, you'd think he was Eclipsed or something if you didn't know better, but knew his stuff. That one," she points at one of the shelves, "is actually his work. Still not sure how he got it to be that pretty color, but it's great for sales."

"A month ago… do you know where he went after? You say 'came through,' so I assume he's not still here."

"Hmm, can't say I know for sure. He did some work here for some cash, spent a lot of time over in the library and the tea house. I can't rightly say what he was looking for, but he asked me some questions about nearby ruins. I told him all the good ruins were down on the surface, but he didn't seem interested in listening."

Down on the surface, and ruins? Is this not the surface? Weird, it looks surface-y. Probably a good idea to look into this place's backstory a bit more. "Are you sure that's all you know?" you ask.

"Mm… all I got for you offhand, sorry. I'd have to start bugging the other folks he spent time with to get more."

She considers you for a moment, arms crossing beneath her chest. It does… distracting things. You look back up when she talks again. "If you're an adventurer, though, I have some jobs I'd be happy to hire you for. Ingredients that are hard to get without risk, deliveries to my more… reclusive customers, so on. Interested?"

[ ] Yeah, you're interested. (Take the quests, get some cash and experience).
[ ] Yeah, you're interested, but you'd prefer payment in kind.
- [ ] You'd love some potions on the cheap.
- [ ] You'd like some alchemy training.
[ ] No, you'll pass. Got too many things to do to get bogged down here.
[ ] Something else (write in; if you choose multiple options you'll be locked into working for her for longer, but it's doable)