She wasn't quite sure if this was some kind of cruel joke, or a serious attempt to make her life better. It honestly didn't matter at the time. Here she was, at the edge of some kind of funky forest, and the package at her feet was nothing like she expected.
First was the note, as cryptic as any of the others she'd received from the mysterious "144":
134:
You have made it this far, which is impressive. The contents of this packet are a tool and a gift. Instructions for use have been built into your DEXTER model device. Please use your time here to train yourself and gather information within the items left here. Best of luck, and good hunting.
144.
She held the "item" up again, squinting a little. It was a sphere of some kind, about the size of a tennis ball. There was a button, but it didn't do anything except shrink the item down to the size of a golf ball. This was for collecting information? She didn't bother pulling Dexter out to identify it, just stuffed the six balls and the note into her satchel with a shake of her head. Whoever was doing this for her, they weren't exactly open about what they were planning.
Still... she'd heard rumors about this place. She wanted to get stronger, and to get stronger she would need to train. The letter might be vague, but its advice wasn't half bad. She shrugged. Worst case scenario she could always just leave again. Amita Volante took a deep breath, then confidently stepped over the border of the Scablands.
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