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

[greatestgift]

"Debatably. I was there for ten years and found evidence of other people having been there before in about twenty places and all of those people were dead."

[light_another_life]

"... Charming. That's. Ugh. And no dream world to catch them, they'd be gone for good, damn."

[greatestgift]

"Yeah. I survived, but there were some dicey moments even for me."

[light_another_life]

... Slightly ominous plant woman makes a face that says, 'I would really like to suggest you connect to the dream world,' but does not actually suggest this out loud.

"I'm sorry," she says, instead. "I can get you some protection charms and a death protection poppet, if you want them."

[greatestgift]

"Learning about your world's magic first, then deciding which of its shiny toys I want, I think," she says.

[light_another_life]

"Fair," she snorts. "We do have something of a track record with it, I can understand your caution."

[greatestgift]

"Anyway, let's test the Staff of Regrowth."

[light_another_life]

"Right, yes."

They pass a stone dais, three circles drawn onto it in a different kind of chalk than the smaller circle indoors. At it center is a similar golden rune to the interior circle. Past the dais is an exit outside the compound, mysteriously missing a door of any kind.

The lack of a door does absolutely nothing to impede either of them, and then they are in the wastes.

She waves at a patch of wasteland, and... Nothing happens.

"... Could be because it doesn't count as dirt," she observes, sounding disappointed.

[greatestgift]

"It's really dry," Sable observes. "Would a bucket of infinite water help this situation any?"

[light_another_life]

Blink. "Possibly, yeah. I have been working on something that will make it rain, but hand watering everything can help a bit."

[greatestgift]

She takes a tiny bucket from one of her many pockets and de-miniaturizes it.

It's very full of water.

It doesn't seem to get any less full when she pours a bunch on the ground.

[light_another_life]

How utterly bizarre.

And helpful.

The water takes a bit to seep into the ground, but then it looks... much more dirt like.

Miss Still-Hasn't-Given-Her-Name tries the Staff of Regrowth on the more dirt-like dirt.

Grass!

[greatestgift]

"...So should I just fly in circles watering your terrible dirt?" wonders Sable.

[light_another_life]

Giggle. "You can! I might want to aim you at a sickly node, though, have you fly around watering the dirt nearby and growing grass for it to eat. I've gotten most of the nodes around here, but there are a few a bit further afield that could be fed."

[greatestgift]

"I can absolutely fly in circles watering your terrible dirt and growing grass on it," says Sable. "Where's a node that needs some attention?"

[light_another_life]

"It's a bit of a walk. Do you have an extra pair of wings that I can borrow? So I could show you. I have a map, but there aren't exactly any landmarks when you're not near the coast, so it probably wouldn't be very helpful."

[greatestgift]

"Sure. Pick your favourite," she says, and she digs in a pocket and pulls out several pairs of miniaturized wings:

A feathered pair, blue and brown.

A pair like pale blue goldfish fins, filmy and translucent.

A feathered pair haloed in heatless flames.

A pair that seem to be mechanical, black and silver with angular vanes.

[light_another_life]

She picks the feathered blue and brown ones.

"Do I just... Stick these to my back, and then I have wings?"

[greatestgift]

"Pretty much!"

She puts the other ones away.

[light_another_life]

"Okay then."

Wings go on. She stretches them, and smiles.

"Well, that is convenient. I was expecting to have an awkward flight lesson. Okay, if we're going node feeding, let me get my supplies and my map."

[greatestgift]

"Sure."

Back inside they go? (Sable re-miniaturizes her bucket and puts it away.)

[light_another_life]

Back inside they go!

She flits around the storage room, gathering up several items. A set of potions, a map, a compass, notes, a magic quill, food (bread with nuts and berries in it) and water, several bits of jewelry that feel distinctly magical, a bow, and some kind of swirling glass lens that also feels distinctly magical. She has lots of magic stuff, actually.

"Ready," she says, when all of this is on her person in an organized fashion that suggests she has done this sort of thing a lot.

[greatestgift]

"All right, where to?"

[light_another_life]

"North east. Before we get there, though, I'm going to give you a potion to drink. It's perfectly healthy, it's just - sickly nodes aren't. There's a reason why I don't let any exist nearby. They eat the essence of everything, including people. Stay around one long enough and you'll die. What the potion does is give you an essence buffer for it to eat instead, so yours can remain uneaten."

[greatestgift]

"...Well, that sounds unsettlingly familiar. Sure, I'll try this potion."