Pokémon Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Between Twilight and Daybreak

[Caliburn]

Spoiler: Preamble

Alrighty, I think I can start posting my new fic to the forums. After what feels like the longest time, I've returned to writing fanfiction, driven by the urge to craft the sort of Mystery Dungeon story I've yearned to write since Explorers of Time first fell into my hands twelve years ago. My last attempt was back in 2016, and I've cannibalized some parts from that old corpse to make the creation of this tale a bit easier on me. If you've read the fic on my DeviantArt (which I don't recommend doing now), then some of the characters and scenarios in the first few chapters will feel familiar; albeit more of a rhyme than simple repetition. If you are curious enough to dig through it, I can link the folder, but I digress.

While I try not to dip too deep into them, I cannot promise that this story will be devoid of cliché. That said, nothing's really new under the sun anymore, so I don't see that as too much of an issue as long as the end result is still compelling. Anyhow, I think I've rambled on long enough. Here's the first chapter.

Spoiler: Content Warning

The following fanfiction contains foul language and mild violence. Reader discretion may be advised. Please note that this content warning may change as the story progresses.

Episode 1: The Edge of Dawn

I woke from my dreamless sleep to a roaring chorus of rain, pounding rhythmically all around me as I shivered by myself. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know something was amiss. Cold, damp, drafty, basically the exact opposite of how I expect my bedroom to be in the morning. Even beyond that, my body felt wrong in some indescribable way. At first, I had no idea why I felt so off, but then I tried rubbing my eyes and it all became clear with one sharp poke to the brow.

Claws. That was the first thing I saw when my eyes shot open. Two sharp claws poking out of the paw taking the place of my hand. My lower lip trembled as my eyes trailed down my arm, gradually taking in every new detail it bore. It was completely covered in black fur, save for a puffy grey ruff below my wrist. At once, I was both amazed and terrified as I processed what I saw. Aching to find out what had happened to me, my gaze turned to the rest of my body once my shoulder was in view. Similarly black-furred, but with pure white stripes like a skunk that led to an honest-to-god tail… I looked like a Pokémon, but the exact kind wasn’t coming to mind. All I could do as I processed the sight was gaze dumbfoundedly at the body I now inhabited. This isn’t a dream, I know for a fact that I’m wide awake now. But then, why am I a Pokémon? And for that matter, where the hell even am I?

Rain. My focus turned back to the rain pouring down around me. I scanned my surroundings, finding myself in the middle of a dense array of drenched greenery. I was in some lush forest, lucky enough to have woken up below the branches of a particularly massive tree. If it weren’t for the leafy cover above me, I’d probably be soaked to the bone. I rolled over and got on my feet, crawling closer to the tree’s trunk. I knew it wouldn’t be any warmer than the rest of this place, but I’d at least appreciate having something to lean on as I get my bearings here.

With a hushed yawn, I slumped against the tree and glanced back down at myself. It took me a few more seconds than I’d like to admit, but it finally clicked with me what I was. A Linoone, specifically a Galarian one. A sigh escaped my mouth as the revelation hit me. Beggars can’t be choosers, I know, but why did I have to wake up as a Pokémon that’ll faint to a light punch? I mused. I guess it’s not all bad; Obstagoon’s got a cool look, so I can at least look forward to that.

“You comfy there?” A voice spoke to me, calm but with a vaguely teasing lilt to it. I froze up for a moment before craning my head in the direction it came from. A Meowstic girl stood not too far from me, holding a giant leaf over her like an umbrella as her tails swished steadily behind her. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything back to her immediately, partly because of a small sense of unease I felt, partly because my mind was still off on a tangent of ideas at the same time. “Hey, hello? Stardust?” The Meowstic piped back up, “There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Especially on a day like this.”

“No kidding,” I said, trying to match the slight smile she was giving me. “I would’ve picked anywhere else if I had a choice, frankly.” I’ve played the Mystery Dungeon games back at home, so I know how this scenario should play out, I thought, but how much do I really want to tell her right off the bat? For that matter, how do I know I can just take this whole situation at face value? I could be in a Pokémon version of Re:Zero for all I know...

“‘If you had a choice’?” The Meowstic repeated back to me, her head tilting to the side. “What, did somebody just drop you here?”

“Maybe? Hell if I know, honestly.” I clumsily scratched my neck in an attempt to seem more natural. Best that I keep it vague for now. I don’t have a good read on this lady, I dunno how she’d take to the idea that I’m a human. Or at least, a former human, anyhow.

“Nasty hangover, huh?” She just quipped back. “Yeah, that’s why I don’t drink. Plus, inebriation and destructive psychic power’s kind of a bad mix, y’know?”

“Wha- no, I don’t drink either!” I replied, my brow furrowing. “All I can tell you is that I just woke up here, no clue as to how or why.” Not entirely true, but I don’t think anyone’s gonna take me seriously if I say I’m here to save the world from an embodiment of everyone’s despair, or the cessation of time itself.

“Very, very curious,” the Meowstic remarked, scratching her chin with a pawlike hand. “We should probably get somewhere less dreary if we’re going to talk about this more, hm?” She took a step towards me and shook her leaf umbrella. “C’mon under, I’ll take you back to where I’m crashing.”

I squinted at Meowstic, looking her dead in the eyes. Seems trustworthy enough, as far as I can tell, and I’m not really in a position to refuse anyhow. I got back on my feet and made some uneasy strides toward her. “That works for me. You got a name?”

“Well, duh.” She said with a subdued chuckle. “It’s Mona. How about you?”

“Cassie.”

“Cassie. Well, that sounds nice. Rolls off the tongue well.” Mona turned around as I went beneath her umbrella, guiding me away from the tree and through the soaked grass. I winced as my paws became wetter and muddier with each step, but I did my best not to show it. Mona doesn’t look too bothered by it, so I probably shouldn’t be either. And then, right as we started walking, Mona went and said something that made me freeze up. “So, still getting used to your body now?”

Does she know? Shit. Shit! How did I already give myself away? I tried playing it off with a stiff laugh, hoping that Mona wouldn’t catch onto just how quickly my heart was pounding. “What kind of question is that? I mean, it’s my body, I’d think I’m used to it by now.”

“You sure?” Mona asked. “I saw you stumbling around when you got up, y’know. You’re acting like you just evolved overnight.”

Oh. Oh, is that what she meant? Damn, I feel like a fool for thinking otherwise. “Oh, yeah, okay.” A nervous yet relieved chuckle leaves my lips as I scurry back to her side. “That’s about right, dunno what I thought you were saying.”

“Heh, ain’t you a strange one?” Mona remarked.

“Strange in a good way?”

“Not strange in a bad way, s’far as I can tell.” Mona shrugged. “Might even be helpful for…” She trailed off, quickly snapping back to attention when she realized she was mumbling to herself. “Oh, never mind. Not important now.”

“Helpful for what?” I asked. Oh yeah, “not important” my furry ass. If I’m getting roped into something already, I’m gonna need a few more details.

“Do you wanna talk about it in the pouring rain, or do you wanna get dry first?” Mona snapped. I flinched, even though her tone wasn’t that severe.

“You’re right,” I said, “sorry, sorry.” I piped down, and we continued on in silence, trudging through the forest as the downpour continued around us. Mona didn’t seem too ticked off as we walked, but I didn’t want to press things further. Things were pretty uneventful from then on.

Well, they were for a little while, anyway.

At some point, Mona stopped in her tracks. “Wait,” she said with a hushed tone as she carefully scanned the bushes and trees around us. “Someone else is here. You hear them?”

“Not really,” I replied, keeping my voice down as well. “Why? Someone trying to jump us?”

“Before I answer that, how good are you in a fight?”

“Not the best,” I say, as if I’ve ever thrown a punch at someone in my life.

“Then try and stay out of this if you can.” Mona handed her umbrella off to me as she honed her focus in on a bush at the edge of the clearing we were walking through. Her ears unfolded, brimming with radiant energy before firing off a pair of sickly green blasts at the bush. Two Pokemon jumped out before the blasts hit, a Lurantis and a Nuzleaf.

“Damn!” The Nuzleaf yelled, getting to his feet in a battle stance. “Keep forgetting how sharp you are, Mona!”

“That’s Psychic-types for you,” the Lurantis chimed in.

“Sherry, Mitsuo, what a shock it is to see you here.” Mona said, with a faux surprise that dropped off the more she spoke. “Let me guess, still mad at me and my crew for smoking your asses again last week?”

“You know these two?” I asked Mona, my tail nervously brushing against the grass behind me.

“We’ve got a history, sure,” Mona replied.

“That your gang’s new blood?” The Lurantis asked. “Looks like kind of a weak-ass to me.”

“Gang?” I nudged Mona, trying to get her attention for a second. “Hey, Mona, this isn’t like a West Side Story thing or anything, right?” Oh yeah, just namedrop West Side Story, Cassie. They’ll definitely know what you’re talking about in this completely new world. Very smart, good job.

“We can talk about books later, Cassie,” Mona replied, not even giving me a glance. “All you need to know is that their crew is jealous of my crew because we keep kicking their asses.”

“Jealous? Ah, nah-nah-nah-nah-no, our issue is that you fight dirty!” The Nuzleaf bit back. “And not just regular dirty, I mean dirty dirty! You don’t even give us a chance!”

“And that’s why we’re getting the drop on you while we’re alone!” The Lurantis added. “Tilt the scales in our favor a little, take y’all down one-by-one! How’s that sound?”

“Not really one-by-one if I’ve got company, now, is it?” Mona retorted.

“I’m not much of a fighter, though, I said that.” I mumbled quickly to Mona.

“I can still take them on myself, it’s fine,” she replied.

“Shut up!” The Nuzleaf threw a razor-sharp leaf between us, just barely missing my head. “You! Linoone! Stay out of this and we won’t hurt you, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m staying out, I’m staying out!” I backed away from Mona, fumbling to hold her umbrella between my paws. Mona said she can fight by herself, it should be fine if I sit back, right?

“I was gonna give you a chance to back down,” Mona said, scratching at the base of her ear. “But hey, if you’re gonna throw the first stone, far be it from me to refuse you a curbstomping.” Mona’s ears opened up again, firing off another blast toward her attackers. It’s another miss, though. That attack doesn’t seem too high-power. What is it, Signal Beam?

“Sherry!” The Nuzleaf called out. “Flank her!” He produced another Razor Leaf in his hand and flung it at her as his Lurantis companion scurried off to the side. The leaf just barely grazed Mona’s shoulder as she shot another Signal Beam at him. This time she hit her mark, sending him tumbling back with a pained grunt, out cold. If Mona’s the partner fate’s assigned to me, all I gotta say is, thank god she can fight like this already.

The Lurantis—Sherry, I think?—then leapt at Mona, brandishing her scythes wildly. Mona couldn’t react in time, getting sliced up pretty bad, and she staggered back. “Why, you little-” Mona’s venomous growl was quite literally cut short as Sherry followed her flurry of swipes up with one mighty dual cut. With that, she fell to the damp earth below, quietly snarling at the Lurantis standing over her.

“Shit, Mona!” Against my better judgement, I ran to her side.

“How do you like, that, bitch?” Sherry yelled, staking the earth around Mona with her blades. “Lemme tell you, I have been dying to even our little score. And hey, now I get to rip that smug-ass smile off your face! Ain’t that fun?” Something welled up inside me, seeing this play out. I didn’t know anything about Mona, and these attackers weren’t giving me the best impression of her either, but I could feel a burning within me as I watched the Lurantis kick Mona while she was down.

To hell with it. Mona’s the only person I even remotely know here, I can’t let this slide.

I trained my gaze on Sherry and barked, “Hey! You done yet?” She looked back to me, a bit perplexed at first, before letting out a laugh and sneering.

“What’s it to you?” She said. “This chick’s an asshole! Am I right, Mona, or am I right?”

“Bite me!” Mona spat back.

“See? Point proven. Now then, if you don’t mind…” Sherry pulled back one of her scythes, and it soon took on a verdant glow. Alright, I’ve had enough of her shit. I pounced.

“Lay off!” I leapt up and took a swipe at Sherry, digging my claws into her face. Nothing deep, but enough to send her staggering back. As my paws touched the ground, a pair of green rays shot over me, shining more vividly than before as they struck the dazed Lurantis. She fell just as her companion before her did, out cold. I peeked back to see Mona, back on her feet and clutching her arm.

“‘Not much of a fighter,’ you said?”

“Not really,” I told Mona. “Not as far as I knew, anyhow.”

“Well, you don’t seem half bad, s’far as I can tell.” Mona grabbed her leaf umbrella off the ground. Oh yeah, dropped that when I lunged at the Lurantis. Shit, I hope she’s not mad about it. “But I think I’d need to see you in like, an actual fight to really know.”

“I mean, as long as you don’t expect that much from me, I guess…” I gave Mona a cross between a sigh and a chuckle. Please, please don’t throw me into another fight today, Mona…

“Eh, if you say so. I gotta talk to my crew about it first anyhow. C’mon.” Mona beckoned to me, and I joined her under her leafy umbrella again as we continued along our way.

I gave a look back to Mona’s unconscious rivals as we walked away from them. “Uh, is it okay if we leave just them there?”

“Eh, they’ll pick ‘emselves back up in thirty minutes, they’ll be fine.” Mona punctuated this with a snicker to herself. “Happens all the time with these dips. Now then, our little hideaway shouldn’t be too far from here…”

With that, I gave a quiet nod and followed Mona through the rain. All I did from then till we reached her place was think. I hadn’t the foggiest idea what I’d been thrown into, where this new life would take me, why I was even here. All questions I’d probably get the answers to in due time, I figured, but I couldn’t help but wonder.

Well, no matter what happens, I just hope I don’t make any more enemies.

 

[Caliburn]

Spoiler: Author's Notes

First of all, thanks for the feedback, Tanuki! I've taken your grammatical remarks into account and I'm glad to hear that you're invested already.

Second, I've been sitting on this second chapter for a while now, and I figure that now's as good a time to submit it as ever, since I'm putting this fic up for Catnip review this weekend. Get some more material ready for whoever's going to be taking a look, y'know?

This chapter's going to be a slower one, but hopefully it'll still be interesting.

Chapter 2: Come Home with Me

After finding and walking along a cobblestone path through the woods, Mona took me to a plain-looking wooden hovel, tucked away just within the treeline, as if hiding from the road. From the outside it didn’t look like much; it seemed sturdy enough, and I imagined it kept the rain out well enough, but there was an air of desperation to it, like Mona herself would’ve picked any other place to live if she had a choice. Still, I wasn’t expecting to live in Sharpedo Bluff or anything.

“Well, here we are,” Mona declared, coming to a halt just before the door. “I didn’t get your hopes up too much, did I?”

“Nah, I’m not picky,” I said. “Your friends live here too?”

“Yeah, we’re sorta like roommates,” Mona said, shooting me a quick grin as she added, “with about about as much infighting as you’d expect.” She looked up at the door (a fairly large door, at least from my diminished point of view) and pounded on it with the ferocity of a soccer mom asking for a store’s manager. “Willow! Open up, I got company!”

A noxious purple cloud began to waft from the door’s cracks as Mona banged on it, swirling behind her as more and more of it wafted out. She soon caught on and stopped knocking, turning around with a humorless expression as she faced the coagulating mass of fumes. At first I was thrown, crouching down in a weak attempt to avoid whatever the hell this was, but as I saw the look on Mona’s face, my nerves died down. That’s when I noticed the shape the smoke took on.

It was a Gastly.

“Another unwanted guest, Mona?” He spoke with a low, rumbling tone. He sounds unearthly… perfect for a YouTube channel about true crime or something, but it’s almost unnerving to hear in-person.

A petty puff of breath left Mona’s mouth. “Oh great, here we go again,” she mumbled. “Look, can we talk about this inside? Kinda need some patching-up, if you can’t tell.”

“I was wondering why you look like hell,” the Gastly remarked, before turning his gaze to me. “Who is she, though?”

“C-Cassie,” I stammered, offering the Gastly a stiff wave. “Hi.” You have a type advantage over him, Cassie, there’s nothing to worry about. Stop freaking out about the low-level mon that sounds like a hell demon.

“Found her on the way back,” Mona said, “she was just waking up when I got to her. Dunno what her deal is, but hey, she helped me whip the Wildflowers, so there’s that.”

“Team Wildflower jumped you again?” The Gastly asked, looking back to Mona.

“I’m sorry? Team Wildflower?” Shit, was that a rescue team we just beat up? Er, exploration team? Whichever name’s more common. I thought they were just some jerks, I hope to god we don’t get in legal trouble for this.

Mona answered my question with a silent glance before returning to her conversation with the Gastly. “Yeah, I think we oughta take this inside. Fur’s freaking soaked anyhow.”

The Gastly let out a grumble before saying, “Fine. But you and me need to talk.” With that, he seeped back into the hut, opening the door for us as he entered. Mona followed behind him, pausing in the doorway to beckon me inside. I trotted in after her, shaking the water out of my fur as my paws touched the floorboards.

The interior of Mona’s hut wasn’t much more remarkable than the exterior; on one end of the room was a fireplace with a threadbare rug set before it, and on the other was a table with two chairs. I walked over to the table as Mona followed the Gastly to a pair of doors in the back of the room, and there seemed to be a deck of playing cards strewn about the tabletop. The suits and designs weren’t familiar to me, but I could at least make out the letters and numbers on the cards. So I can speak and read Pokémonese, or whatever their language is called. Seems the isekai gods were generous to me in that regard.

“Hey Mona, who’s the new face?” An unfamiliar voice asked. Looking up, I saw a Pancham seated at the table, looking me over with curiosity in her eyes. Did she sit down while I was looking at the cards, or was she always there and I just didn’t notice?

“That’s Cassie,” Mona replied, telepathically closing the outside door from across the room. “Found her outside. Sleeping in the mud or something.”

“We’re not keeping her, just so we’re clear,” the Gastly added.

“Don’t trust Willow, we still need to talk it out.” Mona pulled open one of the doors at the far end of the room, allowing Willow the Gastly to drift inside. “Mind keeping her busy for me while gasbag talks my ears off?”

The Pancham shot Mona a thumbs-up. “Hell yeah, leave it to me!” Mona gave the Pancham a nod in return before exiting the room, shutting the door behind her. The Pancham, meanwhile, began to pick cards off the table and shuffle them rather haphazardly. “So, I’m Jo, nice to meetcha!” She said to me.

“Nice to meet you too,” I said back, before climbing onto the chair and attempting to sit comfortably on it. Not easy with my new quadrupedal body, but I found a way. “You play?” I ask, sliding a card to her.

“Uh… I know war and blackjack,” Jo said. “Mona’s been trying to teach me poker, but Willow just thinks it’s pointless. Screw him though, right?”

“I- I guess, sure.” Well, she’s making a bit more positive an impression than her friends, I’ll give her that.

“Oh!” Jo slammed her cards down on the table, her eyes wide with revelation. “Mona said you were passed out in the forest, right! You haven’t had anything to eat yet, have you?”

I shook my head. Come to think of it, my stomach does feel awfully empty. Guess I didn’t realize before since I didn’t have any time to settle down.

“I’ll be right back, hold on.” Jo lept away from the table, doing a cartwheel as she made for the other door on the far side of the room. She pulled it open and darted inside, coming out mere seconds later with two apples and a small bag in her arms. She rushed back to the table, setting them down and rolling the yellow apple over to me. She took the other and bit into it.

“Oh.” Well, she’s enthusiastic, isn’t she? I grabbed the apple on my side of the table, digging my claws in to help me grip it, and took a bite. The skin was starting to wrinkle, but I always did like golden delicious most, so I didn’t mind. “Thank you,” I said after swallowing my first bite.

“It ain’t anything fancy, but this’ll do, right?” Jo asked, scooping a handful of granola from the pouch and dropping it into her mouth.

“Oh, this is more than enough, thank you.” As I took another bite of my apple, a thought crossed my mind. Jo’s giving me better vibes than Mona and Willow, I feel confident in saying that much. I feel like she wouldn’t be as harsh as I picture them being if I asked her some of my stupid questions? Maybe not all at once, but still…

“You thinking about something?” Jo asked, bringing me back to reality.

“Oh! Yeah yeah, yeah, I um… got something dumb to ask, if that’s alright?” C’mon, Cassie, you can do it. “Where am I, exactly?”

Jo tilted her head to the side, mulling over my question. “You mean like, where’s this hideout on the map? How far’s the next town? What’s outside all these woods?”

“All of the above. Just, in general, what is this place?”

“Okay, uh,” Jo reached back and scratched her neck. “You’re definitely not a local, huh?” I shook my head. “Well that’s alright! We’re just along the outskirts of Woodedge, that’s this town to the north… wait, north or west, which was it?” Jo paused, pouting as she rested her chin on her fist before continuing on. “Well, either way, Woodedge is in one of those directions, and if I’m being blunt? Kinda sucks, not anything special. Most folks just stop by there on their way to or from Lugia’s Landing, that’s this cool port town a few miles away. Then a few towns over in the other direction is New… Modalstroke?” That… sounds kinda familiar, but dear lord, I think she mangled that name. “This big city place. I’ve never been there, but I hear it’s super glitzy and advanced. Someday, we’re gonna make it big there, I just know it!” With that last sentence, Jo took on a giddy, wide-eyed grin, and for a moment I could swear there was a twinkling in her pupils.

“That’s uh, good to know,” I said, “thanks.” A bit much to process all at once, honestly, but I think I got the gist. Woodedge, Lugia’s Landing, whatever the hell New Modalstroke’s supposed to be…

“Now I gotta ask, though.” Jo said, biting into her apple again before she continued. “What’re you doing here if you’ve got no clue where ‘here’ is?”

I shrugged. “Hell if I know, I just woke up here. I mean, I guess last night’s a bit of a blur, but that’s more cuz my nights usually aren’t anything special. They just kinda blend together when they’re all the same.” I pawed a bit of granola out of the bag and started munching on it. Kinda bland, actually. Bit of a shame, but I'm not surprised. “And I don’t know anyone who would or could do this to me, either. S’just an enigma to me, I dunno.”

Jo’s next question came out of almost nowhere. “And you’re sure you don’t have amnesia?”

“Amnesia?” I stared blankly at Jo. “I think I’d remember having amnesia, where’d that come from?”

“I guess you like, kinda reminded me of these old legends my ma used to tell me,” she replied, a bit less exuberant in tone.

“What kind of legends, specifically?”

“You know!” Jo waved her hands in the air, as if her point should be bleedingly obvious. “Mysterious stranger wakes up someplace with no memory of who they are or how they got there, and then, guess what? They’re human! And then they gotta save the world from darkness or whatever!”

In a bit of a flat tone, I said, “Ah, those kinds of legends.” I dunno if I should be surprised that I’m apparently not the first human to get Pokéfied or not. I want to assume that the other Mystery Dungeon games happened in this world, but I guess I can’t be too sure yet. “Right, yeah, cool stuff.”

“Hey, I’m not boring you or anything, am I?” Jo asked.

“No, no, you’re fine!” I said. “It’s fine! You’re fine. It’s fine.” Goddammit Cassie that’s overkill, stop saying she’s fine before she ends up feeling less fine!

“Okay,” Jo chimed. “Got a bit worried there. I’m a sucker for stories like that, you know? It’d be a dream come true to even be on the sidelines of something like that.” With her mood restored, she started munching away at her apple, quickly reducing it to nothing but a core. I was content to just shovel some more granola into my mouth, gazing at the spectacle with an odd curiosity.

“I don’t like, blame you,” I eventually added, “I dunno if I’m the most familiar with all that, but uh-”

The door that Mona and Willow had vanished behind earlier slammed back open, Mona rushing out in a hurry. Oh thank god, I had no idea where I was going with that train of thought.

“Jo, we need to get our bags now.” Mona said, an unusual severity to her voice. “Can’t believe this slipped our minds, we’re usually better than this.”

“Wait, we’re going out today?” Jo asked, jumping from her seat. “Didn’t we plot our next outing for the 27th?”

“Yes, and as it turns out, it is the 27th,” Willow explained, entering the central room. “We’ll miss our window of opportunity if we don’t go today.”

“Wait,” I said, “what’s going on?”

“It’s not important,” Mona replied, grabbing a bag from beside the fireplace. “We can explain on the way there.” Well that’s helpful.

“No, we’re not bringing potential dead weight along,” Willow rebuked. “She doesn’t fit into our plans, she could compromise our mission.”

“I mean, you wouldn’t want her alone in the hideout by herself, would you?”

“I wouldn’t want that either, no.”

“Wait, wait,” I tried again to interject, “what kind of mission is this? What are you guys doing?” I swear to god, if nobody tells me what I’m getting dragged into, I’m going to scream.

“So, we should take her out with us!” Jo said. “See what she’s capable of, y’know?”

“That doesn’t answer my question, what-”

“We cannot add an unknown variable to the equation this late, Jo!” Willow barked.

“She has a point, Willow,” Mona added, “besides, if you don’t want her here or there, where do you want her, hm?”

“Guys, can I please have a say in this, please?” I said, hoping I wouldn’t fall on deaf ears again. I’m gonna go insane, oh my god.

“Fine,” Willow conceded, “you have a point. New girl, hope you’re ready to show us what you’re made of.”

“What are we even doing, though?” I spat. “Where are we going, what’s the goal, are we gonna have to fight people? Are you- When you- Can you people even hear me? What am I helping you with?” I want to sink my claws into something. Holy shit, these people.

The room went silent after my outburst. Mona was the first to speak, putting a hand on my shoulder as she did. “Look, ideally, we won’t need to fight anyone. We’re going on a… supply run mixed with a treasure hunt, I guess you can call it.” I dunno what I’d call that, but alright, sure. “If all goes well, this should make the next month a little easier on us. If not…” Mona just shrugged.

“Run for the hills?” Jo finished.

“Sure, that works. So, how’s that sound?”

I sighed. “I guess there’s not much of a choice here to begin with,” I muttered.

“Yeah, you’ll get the spirit of it soon ‘nuff!” Jo cheered, slapping me abruptly on the back before rushing back into the other room. She emerged a few seconds later with a satchel slung around her shoulder, running outside while screaming, “Let's get this done!” I guess I’m tagging along now, like it or not...

“Dammit, wait up, Jo!” Willow called after her. “Ugh, stupid kid. Mona, I’m following her. You two’d better not be that far behind us.” Willow then drifted out of the hut, following after Jo.

All I could do for a good moment was stare at Mona, my open-mouthed bewilderment against her sly smirk. “Well, Cassie?” Mona said. “Only got so much daylight to burn, now. C’mon.” She strolled over to the doorway and waved to me. With a long, agonized sigh, I hopped off the chair and went after her.

What the fresh hell am I getting myself into here?