The endless waste

[aestrix]

Once, this planet teemed with life. It doesn't do that, anymore. The ground is dry and cracked and occasionally broken up by charred remains of trees. There are no birds, no bugs, no living plants - nothing but an empty, endless waste.

With one exception.

But the world is so very big, and the exception so very small. If someone showed up away from it, they could be quite forgiven for thinking this world is completely dead.




with Sable (Kappa)

with Aisilian (Link)

with Grendyne (Rockeye)

with Temple (Curiousdiscoverer)

Comments

[characterquarry]

"It's probably the witch-magic. It's strong stuff, I can feel it from half a mile away. They send me cruising across cities to detect new Witches before they hurt someone by accident, sometimes."

She walks back outside. Once there is no longer a roof over her head she takes a deep breath and punches the air sharply. A bolt of white energy shoots up about twenty feet before dissipating, and dumps more essence into the air then thirty seconds of Grendyne just sitting there.

"Egh. That was really weak, I'm too tired."

[light_another_life]

"Yep, essence," says Saevetei. "I couldn't quite pick out what type, I'm not that sensitive to it, but - it's essence." Pause. "I wonder what drinking pure essence would do for you?"

[characterquarry]

"It's not likely to hurt me, is it? Then again, you need it to make the bed, so I'd better not drink the stuff."

[light_another_life]

"It's incredibly unlikely to hurt you - I'd say it wouldn't at all, but I'm not actually sure how you work, so I can't guarantee it. I actually have some more vials of it, I need to make it for fixing the nodes - the only reason why I'm running low now is because I went on a node feeding run earlier today."

[witchwatcher]

[note: changed account because Grendyne got her own.]

"Incredibly unlikely to hurt me. Alright, let's try it then."

[light_another_life]

Saevetei offers her the vial.

"Just a small sip in case I'm horrifically wrong?"

[witchwatcher]

She takes a small sip. Nothing happens. She takes a bigger sip. "...I think it's just giving me more mana. I don't get numbers, it's an abstract sense, but I feel like I have more than I did a minute ago."

[light_another_life]

"That... sounds like it could be incredibly useful, if I ever get you back to your world," muses Saevetei, blinking.

[witchwatcher]

"It really, really could. Depending on how hard it is to make this stuff."

[light_another_life]

"I mean, it was a pain to get this far - I had to get the infrastructure set up - but now? Not really difficult at all, just a bit time consuming. My major problem is space to grow the essence plants, not growing the essence plants themselves."

[witchwatcher]

"I'd probably need a dozen of those vials to go from running on empty to fighting-fit. But I'm barely 17, I'm still at close to peak power. Essence could keep our older, more experienced Witches useful for longer. Plants won't grow over empty nodes because it just eats them?"

[light_another_life]

"Basically. If the nodes can at all reach the essence plants and are at all not healthy nodes, the essence plants are toast."

[witchwatcher]

"Does your little aggressively alive fort have wards to keep them out or something? I only ever met one Witch who could do permanent wards. Couldn't keep the ability, either."

[light_another_life]

"I can do wards, sort of, but they're not cost efficient right now and that's not what's keeping the essence plants safe. The nodes in the immediate area are all safe now, the problem is that - nodes have a range of things that they can take from? And the range it can take from people is actually much shorter than the range it can take for something as easy and delicious as essence nodes. The glowing plants around are actually meant to tell me where nodes start eating things that are easy and delicious. Among other things. The light's useful for keeping shadow monsters from showing up and taking issue with my flowers." Pause. "And my face."

[witchwatcher]

"I should help you grow things while you try to figure out how to get me home. Am I going to have to kill shadow monsters?"

[light_another_life]

"No. It's sort of pointless, actually. They only show up at night and killing them doesn't solve anything, there will just be more of them later."

[witchwatcher]

"Alright, no killing shadow monsters. Good, killing monsters has been every day of my life for two years."

[light_another_life]

Saevetei - does not let herself wince. Nineteen was not a good age for being an experimental test subject that volunteers to die over and over again for the sake of saving the world. She doesn't have much space to judge.

"Saving the world here is actually kind of - not boring, exactly, but not extremely exciting, as long as you mind the hungry nodes."

[witchwatcher]

"I see you looking at me like that. Yeah, a lot of us don't deal with it well, but what else are you going to do? People were dying. Though, less exciting might be better for a while."

[light_another_life]

"I'm not arguing with the decision. I get it. I, of anyone, definitely don't have the moral grounds to say you're too young to save the world."

[witchwatcher]

"Glad we're in agreement. How can I help save your world?"

[light_another_life]

"I'm not sure yet, actually. I don't know if you can give nodes the essence you're pouring off, if you can - probably that."

[witchwatcher]

"That's a new one. Is there a way to test whether I can do that?"

[light_another_life]

"We can see if you emulate essence potions? Or if there's a way to siphon it off you. ... Tomorrow, though - I need to consult some people about how to handle this. Magically, I mean."

[witchwatcher]

"...Consult? With who? I didn't see anyone else in your fort."