random pointless swirls

[sturdycoldsteel]

The shaper known as Steel is flying down the right side of a road, shoring up the edges of the bluestream that lets her lift herself off the ground as she goes. Sure, she'll be a bit clumsy and weak when she gets to Opri, but she's not planning on doing much more stream-shaping today, so might as well.

She glances at the bluestream (the magical vision blinds her physical vision for a short moment, but not long enough to crash into anything) and determines that this next crossroads is where she needs to turn. She tilts to the right...

...And lands on a patch of orange grass in a forest clearing. This is not the town of Opri. She opens her eyes and ears to the bluestream, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

The bluestream here isn't a nice, orderly, useful pattern like on the roads, or the formless fog that it usually decays to after a while. Instead it's a riot of random patterns swirling around, wispy and confused and obviously not designed to do anything useful.

Steel, deaf and blind for a few seconds thanks to her peek at the bluestream, stands very still and is very confused.

Comments

[imeanforever]

"As far as I know, yes. When I started I knew I was a leaflet."

[sturdycoldsteel]

Hmm. The wings are metallic. "What if I claimed I was an ironwing? Is there already a kind like that?"

[imeanforever]

"Not that I've heard of but I don't know all the kinds. It's a plausible name, anyway."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I'll go look at some rocks, then. I'll probably want to explore a little, if rock from this forest is no good, rock from another part of the forest is probably also no good. Don't worry if I'm gone for a while - I've gotten pretty good at combining bluestream stuff and basic sorcery, and I've got like a month's worth of food in these clothes."

[imeanforever]

"Okay. Make sure your food's stashed carefully, though, someone could sneak something into it while you sleep."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Sealed packages all. If it's got a hole in it, I won't touch it, and I can tell if they sorcered it from the eddies' aftereffects."

[imeanforever]

"Sounds good. And - probably better to leave a fairy's territory if asked rather than get into an attention-getting sorcerous fight. You don't want the Queen's attention."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"If I'm on someone's turf and they want me off, of course I'll leave. Who's the Queen?"

[imeanforever]

"...Have I not mentioned the Queen? I haven't, have I. The Queen is a one-of-a-kind fairy whose kind magic is to know the names of every fairy that exists. She wouldn't know yours, but she wouldn't need it; she has her pick of all the best sorcerers in the world and more who wouldn't need sorcery to threaten you."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Oh my. Yes, that's to be avoided, especially since she'll be wondering why she can't find my name. I can fly six or seven times as fast as River now, if I really push hard - What would you give my chances of escaping long enough to find a gate to somewhere that isn't fairyland?"

[imeanforever]

"I don't know. I've never tangled directly with her court and hope to avoid it indefinitely. Actually, once you've bluestoned me, if it works, I'm probably going to take a cutting of my tree and move to another continent."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"She might expand to your new continent eventually. Still sensible, though. Either way, I'm off."

She flies out at a brisk pace in the opposite direction from River's house, landing to investigate the stones of each new biome.

[alicornucopia]

Fairyland contains rocks. Quartz and mica. Marble and granite. Moss-covered boulders and colorful gravel. Limestone and smooth river rocks and veins of gem in a cliff-face and ragged columns of a ruined old architecture.

[sturdycoldsteel]

Eventually, she finds a vein of dolerite spotted with quartz crystals hanging under a waterfall - if she transmutes them to feldspar it'll be perfect. Problem is, this particular vein of rock is very near some sort of large complex full of fairies. It's probably within their territory, and therefore would provoke a fight if she just walked up and took it.

She approaches the court, taking care not to seem like she's sneaking around, and addresses the first (very short, almost flower-sized) fairy she sees. "Excuse me. I was passing through this area and saw some beautiful stone on a cliff nearby. I'd like to speak to your master about trading for permission to take it."

[alicornucopia]

"Master will not be here for some time, but one of his higher ranked vassals will make rounds soon," squeaks the tiny fairy.

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Do you think anyone would mind if I waited here and talked to this person? I don't intend harm on anyone here except in self-defense."

[alicornucopia]

"You may wait there by the bleeding tree," says the tiny fairy, indicating a tree with red resin in globs all along its bark.

[sturdycoldsteel]

Steel's face pretty clearly shows her opinion of the bleeding tree, but she waits patiently by it.

[alicornucopia]

The bleeding tree has a pleasant smell and it's nicely shady, actually.

About an hour later a fairy with metal-lace wings lands, and looks at Steel, and speaks quietly to the tiny fairy, and then goes up to Steel.

"Where is the stone you want?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"It's between the waterfall and the grove of pine trees, off that way." (point) "I would want about two tons of it. I can handle transportation. I'm not sure what your master would like in return. I don't have these things with me right now, but I can provide a large amount of candied dewdrops, some paper and ink, a few books."

[alicornucopia]

"Master prefers to take trade in vassals but may also be interested in books."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I don't trade in vassals. It'll have to be books. I think copies of twenty sorcery books he hasn't heard of would be fine payment for some rock he wasn't using anyway, but of course it's up to him. I can also get a few books from the mortal realm - I met one a few years ago."

[alicornucopia]

"Two tons of rock might easily spoil the view until someone can sculpt what's left nicely," says the fairy. "If you can find twenty sorcery books we don't have in our court then that will be very impressive and I provisionally accept on Master's behalf. Mortal books - it might depend on what they are."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"It sounds like you have a very impressive library. I had assumed my books would be new to you simply by virtue of my being from far away, but perhaps not. The mortal books are fiction, mostly."

[alicornucopia]

"Each mortal fiction book will count for one-fourth of an unfamiliar sorcery book."