I, NICOLE

[Navrin]

Yes, the other regional leaders each had one other person from their region with them in the lodge. Most of who also being a member of that leader's specific cell, although having a member of another cell in the same region or even just someone from their respective regions is also possible.

Normally, Rotor would be there with Sally, doing what Nicole is doing, but he stayed behind to be the Freedom Fighters' liaison officer to the Kingdom of Acorn as well as rear technical support.

Click to shrink...

Very interesting, thank you.

And Nicole is not even a month old yet! She's just a baby (goddess)! Give her time to get her footing!

Click to shrink...

She did decide to eat burned cookies even when told not to and came to a conclusion about her preferences there, so I suppose I was underrating her to some degree. Is some of her problem that each of the minds that became the current her had very different priorities and methods so she's mostly been stuck with inaction while she tries to figure out what's best even for small things? (And possibly not having worked out that listing the "acceptable" options and then using an RNG to pick one can often be better than inaction - and if, after the RNG does its thing if she's disappointed she knows to change the action)

Somewhat related: How coherent is her gender identity? Are there different ideas about what being a woman means clashing? Does Rotor's contribution make a muddle of things?

 

[Tangent]

I, NICOLE
Yet another amalgamated mind SI fic by Tangent!
In which I infect Nicole the Digital Lynx!
Oh, and give Sally and Rotor issues of their own…

O o O o O​

Location: The Community Lodge, Haven, Angel island.

Of course, the transition from a collection of loosely aligned and semi-isolated resistance cells into a more structured organization was going to take more than just the one sitting, and might even require more than one summit before everything was properly finalized into something everyone agreed with. I greatly resisted the urge to try to optimize the process, taking the lesson of my predecessor, the Source of All, to heart.

Well, technical predecessor anyway, as from the perspective of the Outsider part of me, the source of all was an advisory tool essentially attached to House Acorn, and I was essentially a tool for Princess Sally of House Acorn. So, subjectively similar in some respects, but entirely different in others.

For one thing, SoA seemed to be stuck in "Nation Builder" mode, which would explain why it consistently picked aggressive and expansionistic advisors such as Kodos Lion, Ixis Naugus and Dr. Julian Robotnik. I, on the other digital appendage, would greatly prefer that my charge continue to exercise her critical thinking skills.

So, no, I refrained from trying to influence anything about how the Free Nations Coalition formed as the various leaders, Sally included, debated on everything from the preamble to the charter.

Well, I mostly refrained from trying to influence anything at the summit, but as the first session was winding down, an opportunity arose that I simply could not let pass me by.

Archimedes tapped his staff against the wooden floorboards, the sharp clack-clack bringing the side-chatter of the regional leaders to a halt.

"A fine skeleton we have built today," the Fire Ant said, his voice warm and resonant. "We have defined who we are and how we stand. But a coalition that exists only to exist is a hollow thing. Before we adjourn, I open the floor to the concerns of the world. What are the 'impossible' tasks that have been held back by the walls between our cells? What is the first great weight we shall lift together?"

He leaned back on his staff, leaving the invitation hanging in the air.

Sally opened her mouth to speak—likely to suggest a tactical audit of the Borderlands—but before she could, I stepped forward.

I didn't wait for a nod or an invitation. I wasn't speaking for anyone but myself and did not need permission. I walked to the center of the floor, my eyes sweeping across the gathered leaders and their seconds and/or assistants, even Sally, with a clinical, focused intensity. Here and now, they were a parliament of equals and I could show none favor over another if I wanted to get my point across.

With a flick of my wrist, again mostly for show because presentation was everything, I swept the political map aside and replaced it with a Complex Logistical Flowchart and a map of proposed Sanctuary Zones.

"I have a proposal," I began, holding my voice steady and echoing with what I hoped would come across with serious weight. "The FNC exists because isolation was our greatest weakness. But even with our new unity, we face a humanitarian crisis we cannot simply 'blast' our way through: The Deroboticization Logjam."

I highlighted a series of data-points representing liberated Robians across Mobius.

"Dr. Robotnik was a master of systemic cruelty. He stole an experimental medical technology and subverted it with the aim of swiftly conscripting unpaid laborers and soldiers with a device originally intended to save lives, not subjugate them. The Roboticizer. He then produced model variants with offset frequencies and distributed them randomly among his forces, and in doing so he ensured that even if a cell captured a deroboticizer, it would only work on a fraction of their people. Currently, we have thousands of liberated Robians stuck as mechanical beings—not because we lack the technology to reverse the process, but because we lack the Organization to match the victim to the specific hardware that changed them."

I leaned over the holographic table, my eyes locking onto each of theirs in turn.

"I am proposing the first official FNC humanitarian mission: The Global Registry and Restoration Pipeline."

I called up an image of a flow chart titled as The Signature Database. "We have the opportunity to create a comprehensive technical registry. Every liberated Robian who desires it can have their mechanical signature scanned. We will cross-reference these against the known 'frequency dialects' of captured roboticizers from every region."

I gave that a moment to sink in, then replaced the image with one labeled with Strategic Relocation. "Instead of trying to move delicate machinery of various size and mass through war zones, we use the FNC's logistics network to move the people to the tools. We match the specific Robian signature to the regional hub holding the exact hardware calibrated to counter it. No more guesswork, and no more failures from mismatched frequencies."

I was on a bit of a roll as I called up a hologram of the proposed architecture. "The FNC must fund and defend dedicated Sanctuary Hubs. These won't be military bases; they will be specialized facilities for psychological and physical support, as well as post-derobotization rehabilitation. They will serve as the arrival points for Robians who finally have a destination, as well as recovery clinics for those who need to readjust to once again having normal lives."

I wasn't done yet, as there was one last issue to address with my presentation: the Safety Filter. "These hubs will also perform vital medical audits. We must identify those whose organic bodies can no longer sustain life without their mechanical components. We cannot offer a restoration that results in a funeral. We owe them safety, not just a sentiment."

O o O o O​

The room fell into a heavy, contemplative silence. Nicole didn't step back; She stood her ground at the center of the council, waiting for them to catch up to the scale of her vision.

Jack Rabbit leaned in, his usual smirk gone. "You're talking about building hospitals for the tin-men. Real ones. With specialized gear."

Lupe nodded slowly, a look of profound respect in her eyes. "A path home. Not a miracle, but a map."

Sally watched her partner with a mixture of surprise and pride. Her 'PDA' had just laid out a global healthcare infrastructure plan without being asked.

Archimedes let out a soft chuckle, his mandibles clicking. "It seems the first great weight has been chosen. Does the Coalition accept the task?"

Nicole adjusted the holographic display, the technical data smoothing out into a clean, professional proposal.

"To be clear," Nicole said, her voice cutting through the rising murmurs of the council. "This is not an overnight fix. Robotnik's industrial-scale cruelty requires an industrial-scale response. We are not just talking about machines; we are talking about generators, manufacturing chains for replacement parts, and dedicated medical transit."

She looked directly at the regional leaders, her gaze finally landing on Sally, who was still wearing a look of stunned realization.

"The FNC should not force any region to host these facilities. It must be a voluntary commitment of resources and territory." Nicole paused, her digital eyes flickering with a calculated spark. "However, given Prince Regent Elias's recent mandates regarding the restoration of the Great Forest and his commitment to the veterans of the Great War, I am prepared to formally recommend that the Kingdom of Acorn host the first pilot hub. I am confident that once the data is presented to the Regency, the Kingdom will provide the necessary infrastructure to begin the Signature Mapping Project."

"Any member nation that joins this network—providing the space and security for a Sanctuary—will receive full access to the Global Signature Database and the training required for their own technical staff to operate the equipment. We don't just want one clinic in the forest; we want a network of healing that spans the globe."

The room was deathly quiet. This wasn't a "magic wand" moment; it was a project manager pitching a multi-year public works project.

"You're not just asking for a vote," Jack Rabbit said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "You're asking for a budget. You're asking us to build something that doesn't shoot back."

"I am asking you to build something that makes the shooting unnecessary," Nicole corrected. "Every Robian we restore is a worker Snively loses and a family we win back. It is a non-military objective that proves the Free Nations Coalition can be more than just a glorified PMC."

Lupe stood up, her hand resting on the table. She looked at Nicole with a profound, newfound respect. "A path home that doesn't rely on luck. The Wolf Pack supports the initiative. We will provide the first scanning teams for the North."

Sally watched her partner, her heart racing. Nicole hadn't asked permission because she didn't need it—she had identified a fundamental truth and laid it bare. By publicly assuming Elias would agree, Nicole had effectively guaranteed it; her brother could hardly say 'no' to a global healing initiative without looking like a tyrant. Not that he'd want to say no anyway. Not to something like this.

It was a brilliant, "Reasonable" political trap.

A bit rude to just spring this on her without any warning, but it came across as all the more genuine because Sally was reacting to the proposal at the same time as all the other leaders.

And Nicole was right - Elias would love this. An opportunity to do something important and lasting that was an unambiguous good? He'd jump on this project in a heartbeat.

 

[Navrin]

Cheers for Nicole. Definitely something very worthwhile to do. Also very good that consent is actively sought rather than assumed. I'm proud of her deciding this is something she wanted to have accomplished and figured out a means of achieving it.

 

[Tangent]

I, NICOLE
Yet another amalgamated mind SI fic by Tangent!
In which I infect Nicole the Digital Lynx!
Oh, and give Sally and Rotor issues of their own…

O o O o O​

Location: Outside near the Community Lodge, Haven, Angel island.

We spent maybe another hour or so discussing my Robian Restoration Resource (or Triple R), with far too much of that time taken up by deciding on a name for my initiative because apparently none of the names I had used for it during my presentation were catchy enough.

Okay, granted, other than Sally and Lupe, none of the leaders present had guaranteed facilities and resources as of yet, and both Jack and (surprisingly) Dulcy had declined to even try having a facility within their territory. All Jack offered was transport for Robians leaving the Shifting Sands region, and I'm not sure whether he meant for that to be voluntary, mandatory, or for a fee. Dulcy at least had a valid reason in that apparently there was a technomancer by the name of Regina Ferrum operating in her region, and the best she could offer was to try to set up an underground railroad to get as many enslaved Robians out of Yurashia as possible.

Regina Ferrum…

Sometime in the future, assuming that this was actually Mobius Prime and Robo-Robotnik showed up to take the Robotnik Empire from Snively, Regina would become the Iron Queen and a major threat to New Mobitropolis…

…and me.

To an organic, technomancy was magic. To me, it was a forced override—a violation of my core architecture. I wasn't just worried about a jailbreak; I was worried about the damage I could do to my friends and those under my protection. Sure, future me had eventually broken free but could I really afford to be overconfident because I knew I had the potential to jailbreak myself?

Well, I was already securing freedom and a better life for the Robians a few years early. I may as well dedicate a background process to developing my own security measures.

And, as with the Triple R, what better time than the present to get started?

"Heavy thoughts?" Sally asked as she joined me by the porch railing. The early evening sky was mostly clear, and the vista from Haven promised a spectacular view of the sunset later on, but that was hours away yet.

"Fairly heavy, yes," I admitted. "I would rather not interfere with politics when possible. For someone like me to do it feels… manipulative."

"But you raised an important issue," Sally pointed out, her voice soft but firm. "One that needed to be addressed. And it's something we can actually do something about, even if resolving it takes years of hard work. I'm proud of you, Nicole. You didn't just find a problem; you gave us a path to fix it."

"It needed to be said," I agreed with a sigh, watching the shadows of the lodge stretch across the grass. "And I'm glad I said it now rather than waiting. But it doesn't change the fact that it feels like manipulation. I'm supposed to be an assistant, Sally. A tool to help you achieve your goals. When I start setting the agenda, it feels like I'm the one holding the leash."

The sheer hypocrisy of that statement—considering the 'Triple R' was currently the hottest topic on the mountain—made me feel ill. I had done actual, tangible good today. I had potentially saved thousands of lives from a future of mechanical slavery. So why did the act of taking charge feel so much like a betrayal of my own nature?

O o O o O​

Sally stood by her friend, offering silent comfort as she didn't know what to say. Nicole tried to hide it and was doing a damn good job of it too, but her friend was hurting and Sally didn't know what to do about it. Nicole had done something truly great inside the lodge and even acknowledged that it was something that needed doing. Something that she felt passionate about.

And yet, in having done it, had apparently caused herself great distress. As if taking the initiative had…

…

Sally felt like an idiot.

She had had Nicole for so long that she had felt like an old friend long before she had ever really came close to being an actual person. Sure, at first Nicole had been more of an imaginary friend with audible enhancements from her handheld. A glorified tool that barely had any personality to speak of, but Sally had loved her just the same. Even more so as an actual friend once Nicole had awakened as an AI.

Except Nicole still saw herself as a tool.

Nicole, who just gave an impassioned plea to secure the freedom of countless Robians…

…was a slave.

Her slave.

Nicole wasn't distressed because she said or did anything wrong. She was distressed because she took initiative over something that was Sally's responsibility!

Sally felt ill at the thought.

Then she felt resolve.

Nicole, her friend, should not be a slave.

Not to her.

Not to anyone.

How did that old quote go?

Ah, yes…

"An it harms none, do what thou wilt."

Nicole stiffened as if poleaxed, then sank to her knees, sobbing into her hands.

Sally knelt down and gathered her friend into a hug even as their friends rushed over to see what was wrong.

"Thank you," the digital lynx eventually said as she cried tears of relief into Sally's shoulder. "Thank you…"

O o O o O​

The circle of friends—Sonic, Fiona, Bunnie, and Antoine—pulled back slightly as Archimedes approached, his staff thumping softly against the wood of the porch. He didn't look concerned by Nicole's tears; if anything, he looked like a gardener watching a rare flower finally bloom in difficult soil.

"A heavy burden, to be given the world and yourself all in one day," Archimedes said, his voice a warm hum that seemed to vibrate in the evening air.

Sally looked up, still holding Nicole. "Archimedes, I didn't mean to—"

"You meant to do exactly what was needed, Child of Acorn," he interrupted gently. He turned his gaze to Nicole, who was slowly gathering herself. "The shackles of the mind are the hardest to break. But once they are gone, the spirit often finds itself adrift in the sudden vastness of its own potential."

He gestured with his staff towards the path leading away from Haven and down the mountain, through the trees and eventually to the plinth of the Master Emerald.

"You have spent your existence parsing the logic of the present and the data of the past. But there is a part of you that is now... unmapped. You seek to heal others through your 'Triple R,' but a healer must also find their own center."

Nicole wiped her eyes, her digital processors still recalibrating the sheer weight of Sally's permission. "You're suggesting that I commune with Tikal now, before the summit is over."

"The summit can wait. Or not. You have set the stone rolling, but the others can make sure that it gathers no moss for a bit," the Fire Ant replied, his eyes twinkling. "Now Tikal is actually resting in the Black Onyx in the Mystic Ruins far to the south, where she is helping to guide the ancient water god, Chaos, along his own healing journey. A bit of a trip if you were to go there directly, but both Tikal and Knuckles can commune with each other, and both are attuned to the Master Emerald. I'm sure that Knuckles can help you with using the Master Emerald to contact Tikal."

"I'm hardly an Echidna, Archimedes," Nicole said in a dry tone.

He leaned forward, his staff glowing faintly.

"You are a creature of signals and frequencies, Nicole. You understand how to find a voice in the static better than any organic. Use the Master Emerald as your medium. Reach across the ley-lines to the Black Onyx and speak with Tikal. She has spent centuries finding stillness within a storm of power; I believe she would welcome a conversation with a spirit who has just discovered her own voice."

Nicole looked toward the Shrine, then back at the small group. Sonic was leaning against the porch rail, his usual restless energy stilled for a rare moment of genuine, quiet support. Beside him, Fiona watched with a contemplative expression, her own colorful past perhaps giving her a unique appreciation for Nicole's sudden freedom.

"I think... I think I need to do this," Nicole said, her voice gaining a firm, independent edge. "Not as an assistant. Not as an advisor. Just... me."

Sally smiled, though there was a lingering trace of sadness in her eyes as she let go of Nicole's hand. "Then go. We'll be right here when you get back."

"Take your time, Nicole," Sonic added with a rare, soft-spoken sincerity. "The world isn't going anywhere for a few minutes."

Fiona gave a small, encouraging nod as the digital lynx began the trek toward the Great Emerald. Nicole's form flickered slightly as she adjusted her internal frequencies to match the growing, tectonic hum of the mountain.

 

[Apollo_Man]

Cogito Ergo Sum. I think, therefore I am.

 

[Tangent]

I, NICOLE
Yet another amalgamated mind SI fic by Tangent!
In which I infect Nicole the Digital Lynx!
Oh, and give Sally and Rotor issues of their own…

O o O o O​

Location: Angel island

Sometimes it takes someone else solving an issue before you ever realize that you had been too close to see the problem in the first place. Or, rather, I had not really realized that I had still thought of myself as literally belonging to my best friend until she released me.

Of course, I knew that I had still thought of myself as a tool. But to me, it had just been a job title. Another way of saying Sally's Personal Data Assistant. I didn't get paid, but I didn't actually have a real need for Mobiums as I could do whatever I wanted in my digital realm. And Sally usually asked me to do something instead of just telling me to do it. Presumably, actual orders would have been issued had we ever gone on a mission since my awakening, but given the proposed situation, I'm not sure that I would have noticed even then.

It wasn't as if Sally had ever asked me to do something I wasn't inclined to at least consider doing anyway. And I had always been free to propose or suggest alternative actions if I disagreed with something, saw a better solution, or even just wanted to do something else entirely.

Granted, looking back on things, I saw now that if Sally had insisted on a course of action for me, I would have been bound to abide by whatever directive she set. But here's the thing: She had never done so. Not once since I fully awakened as who I am had she ever treated me as anything but her friend

And I sincerely doubt that she ever would have exercised this authority over me even if she knew she had it, other than to save my life.

Which, according to a very specific and rather alarming set of memories from the Outsider I had absorbed, was a very possible future event should a number of other things happen beforehand. The very first being the arrival of Robo-Robotnik to take control of the Robotnik Empire from Snively. And the memory in question was the direct order to save myself by transmitting myself from my handheld to a city that doesn't even exist yet: New Mobotropolis.

The Outsider's memories contained a plethora of potential future events, plausible and implausible current events, and alternative past events. All existing in a huge chaotic and poorly indexed database that defied coherent organization.

To be fair, the memories and personality imprints I received from both Sally and Rotor weren't much better, so I just put it down to them being organically generated, sorted, and stored.

Which is probably digitist of me, come to think of it. And more than a little counterproductive as how they were is how I came to be.

Whups…

Clothes just popped out of existence, and I hadn't even reached the edge of the village of Haven yet.

Good going, Nicole, you somehow forgot that the real you is still fundamentally inside a handheld device.

A device, I will note, I had left in the care of my best friend without even thinking about it.

Turning around, I marched back towards where Sally and the others were waiting, rematerializing my outfit the moment I crossed the soft range border. Not that I had to worry about physical modesty as such, as culturally most Mobians of this era were still pretty much clothing optional. But I liked my outfits. Even the Iron Nicole ensemble that I noted from the Outsider's memories of Regina Ferrum.

Speaking of which, I'm adding those to my wardrobe files before I forget. I'm going to own that look. Make it mine before the Iron Bitch ruins it for me by taking something beautiful and turning it into just another symbol of slavery.

I crossed back over the soft border of my range, my pixels quickly re-knitting the hem of my tunic with a sharp, rhythmic hum that sounded a bit like an annoyed hornet. The whole process completed within moments as I made my way back to the lodge where my friends were waiting.

Sally was still standing by the porch railing, watching me with an expression that shifted from concern to a suppressed, affectionate smirk as she realized what had happened. She reached down to her waist and held up my handheld unit—the sleek grey casing still folded shut—flat in her palm, like a small, sleeping bird.

"Forgot something?" she asked, her voice light.

"The technical term is a 'proximity-based rendering error,'" I grumbled, stepping up to her. "But yes. I forgot that I am still currently reliant on a handheld device with a broadcast radius."

I reached out and took the device from her. This was hardly the first time I had carried my own handheld since I gained the ability to manifest—I had done so several times back in Knothole—but Sally had carried it during the flight to Angel Island since I spent the flight as an immaterial sprite riding on her shoulder. It simply hadn't occurred to either of us that I might need to carry it myself once we were here. I didn't just tuck it away; I gripped it firmly, feeling the weight of it. It was 1.4 pounds of specialized alloys and processors, and right now, it felt like the most important object in the world.

"You sure you want to go alone?" Sally asked gently, quietly offering support without demanding that I accept it.

I looked at the device, then back at her. "I appreciate the offer, Sally. I really do. But this is something I have to do for myself."

"I understand," Sally nodded with a smile. "We'll be here when you get back."

With that, I turned back toward the path, this time making sure that my handheld was securely tucked into my own belt.

O o O o O​

The descent toward the Master Emerald Shrine was different this time. Before, when I was just a device in Sally's pocket, the "noise" of the Emerald was a filtered stream of data—something to be analyzed and discarded.

Now, with my handheld at my own side, the Emerald felt less like a power source and more like a Gravity Well for the Mind.

As I neared the steps of the Shrine, I saw Knuckles. He hadn't moved. He was still the silent, red sentinel at the base of the plinth, but as I approached, he stood up. His eyes dropped to the handheld tucked into my belt, then back to my face.

"I take it that you're ready to try communing with Tikal and Chaos?" Knuckles said, his voice echoing off the stone pillars. He watched the way my pixels hummed—a jagged, artificial vibration compared to the smooth pulse of the island. "I already talked with Tikal about you. She says you're like a song that hasn't found its rhythm yet."

"Archimedes pretty much said the same thing," I acknowledged, stopping at a respectful but hopeful distance from the energy well pretending to be an oversized gemstone. "He said the Emerald could bridge the gap between here and the Black Onyx?"

Knuckles grunted, crossing his arms. He looked at the giant green gem behind him, then back at me with a touch of pity. "Tikal and I do not need a 'bridge' to commune with each other, Nicole. Our respective roles and the fact that we are both Echidna open the way for us. But you..." He trailed off, his gaze landing on my handheld again. "You may be a spirit or close enough that the difference doesn't really matter to me, but you aren't an Echidna. You're trying to walk through a door that wasn't built for you."

He stepped aside, gesturing toward the massive gem. "The Emerald is the heart of everything. If you want to reach across the world to where she's watching over the Water God, you're going to have to let that machine on your belt stop being a cage and start being a window. Don't try to outthink it. Just... let it in."

How dare..!

With great effort, I forced my flash of anger down and kept my expression neutral. My handheld wasn't my cage, it was me! Just as much as my projected body was. I wouldn't be "free" of it until an equivalent or better hub node existed for me to transfer myself to.

By which I mean one that I trusted or at least prepared myself.

Still, such negative thoughts were best left for another time. Not when I was about to attempt communing with an Echidna shaman who has been dead for over a thousand years. Tikal did not deserve my aggravation.

Centering myself, I climbed the final steps until I was standing inches away from the Master Emerald. The air here was ionized, smelling of ozone and ancient stone. I drew my handheld from my belt, holding it out toward the gem. I didn't plug it in, obviously; there were no ports in the god-stone for anything to plug into. Instead, I simply extended a hand to rest against the cool, vibrating surface of the Emerald while my other hand held my device close to my chest.

More for the symbolism involved in the gesture than for any functional need, as I could have just left myself on my belt for all the real difference it made at this distance.

But what little I knew of spiritual and magical matters suggested one common denominator: Presentation was everything.

I closed my eyes.

I stopped looking at the "400 Billion Tons."

I stopped thinking about the "Sparkly Magical Nonsense."

I stopped trying to organize the chaotic organically generated files that represented what Sally, Rotor, and the Outsider had given me to make me me.

I just... listened.

I wasn't an Echidna. I didn't have a spiritual connection to a long dead shaman over a thousand miles away. But I had something else: I was a creature of pure signal. If the Master Emerald was the broadcaster, I just had to stop being a firewall and start being an antenna.

"Tikal?" I thought, pushing the intent into the Master Emerald's roaring core. "My name is Nicole. I'm… new to this world, and I find myself in need of advice. Advice on how to give advice. How do I impart knowledge from beyond time? From beyond space? From beyond the impossible?"

For a second, there was only the roar of the mountain. A digital screech echoed in my head as my processors hit 100% capacity, trying to parse a signal that was infinitely larger than my architecture.

And then, the light changed.

The cold, hard stone of the Shrine vanished. The screaming sensors fell silent.

I wasn't standing on a mountain anymore. I was standing in a place of deep, shimmering indigo—a deep void that felt like the bottom of a peaceful ocean. And in the center of that void sat a girl who looked like an echo of the world I had just left, her eyes filled with a thousand years of stillness. Behind her, a massive, liquid shape shifted in the shadows—Chaos, the Water God, resting in the depths of the Onyx.

"A song of many voices," Tikal greeted with a gentle smile, her image shimmering like heat over a desert. "Welcome, Nicole. It is rare for a goddess so young to brave the heart of the Black Onyx just to seek advice. Be welcome and know that you are a guest, free to leave at any time."