Almost like flying

[what_greater_weapon]

Zinseyn sometimes wishes she could pass as Aluvai reliably, but then if she could pass Aluvai reliably, she would have some other problems besides just getting to the inside of the planet. Or, maybe, if she was too good at passing as Aluvai she'd be unable to get to the outside of the planet. Which would be just as annoying. Only being able to go to certain places because people will want to kill you is just annoying as a concept.

She does know how to play up her more Aluvai traits, though. This helps a bit. Usually she plays them down - long hair covering the hint of a point in her ears, the type of smile that doesn't show the hint of fang. Here, though, she'll play it up, though pulling her hair back in a ponytail's all she can do. It's not like she can drag out her Aluvai father and go, "No, wait, see, I am actually part Aluvai, just, the other part is Ceirene!" Not without causing some... problems.

She would like to avoid those problems. See; why she isn't taking the elevator. Awkward questions. Possible chance of rampant racism. And climbing is fun, and there's no place more interesting to climb than one of these chasms. There's no other place where she can get as close as one can get to flying without a pair of wings. If she were on an elevator, they would - make it professional, boring. She is not on an elevator. So when she climbs down far enough that she's stopped being insistently pulled downward and is instead weightless, she can just hang out here. And be weightless.

When she first did this, she was very careful to stay near the edges of the chasm. Very careful to not go careening off into the open air with no way to stop.

Well, she's now had more practice with this, and has learned that with careful application of rope and climbing materials and planning, and with a certain fearlessness towards scrapes and scratches, you can fly. Sort of. Kind of. Eh, it'll do until she figures out what she has to do to get a proper pair of wings and be able to fly anywhere. Better than nothing. And it's sort of like a reward, for a lot of hard work getting there.

So Zinseyn is enjoying herself a relaxing float before going into Aluvanna proper, carefully attached with multiple ropes to multiple places so she doesn't go floating off to someplace strange. The climb up is always the hardest part, and there is literally nowhere to go but up. Not being fully rested before it is a bad call. Besides, this is relaxing.

And then it stops being relaxing, when down suddenly reasserts itself so strongly that she thinks she must have fallen through a portal, because down does not hit you randomly like that. She opens her eyes to check her ropes, see what went wrong, and finds them all cut. She lands painlessly on soft grass before she can even think to scream. She stares at the blue sky above her, even though she left hers hours ago. Even though there's a lot of rock between her and it, now. Even though it is impossible.

She sits up. Must have found a secret portal to a Sphere, she thinks, brushing herself off. Strange that the ropes were broken, though, her mother's portal doesn't do that. Some aspect of the Sphere that's responsible...?

Standing, she looks around.

"Hello?" she calls.

Comments

[pythbox]

Dig dig dig dig diggy diggy hole...

Iron!

[what_greater_weapon]

Yes.

She doesn't think this is enough for her sleep based purposes, but it is proof that she can in fact find iron. This is excellent news.

She goes back up her staircase to check on just how much ore makes a bar of iron, and just how many bars she needs. This involves making a furnace, but she needed to make a furnace anyway, this isn't a loss.

Eight iron bars, and three iron ore per bar. This is annoying, but not impossible. She doubts she can get it all today, though, which means that she will be sleeping on the floor again. Ugh. Fine. She checks on the time outside to see how much longer she has for mining; she would still like to be safely indoors during the nighttime instead of in her mine where she's sort of vulnerable.

Some, but not very much. Eh. She'll pass, for now, and instead grill the not-person on what she can do with copper.

She goes and makes the ore into copper bars, and then brings them to the not-person. "What can I do with these?"

[pythbox]

"Using Copper Bars, you can make: Copper Pickaxe. Copper Axe. Copper Hammer. Copper Shortsword. Copper Broadsword. Copper Bow. Copper Helmet. Copper Chainmail. Copper Greaves. Amethyst Staff. Copper Chandelier. Copper Watch."

[what_greater_weapon]

Head tilt. "What's an amethyst staff?"

[pythbox]

"An Amethyst Staff is a magic weapon."

[what_greater_weapon]

That makes so much fucking sense.

Of course the mechanics of the world are weird, it has magic.

"What do I need to make an amethyst staff? How do I use magic?"

[pythbox]

"To make an Amethyst Staff at an Iron Anvil, use: 10 Copper Bar. 8 Amethyst." Pause. "Stars fall all over the world at night. They can be used for all sorts of useful things. If you see one, be sure to grab it because they disappear after sunrise."

[what_greater_weapon]

... Stars don't work like ordinary stars, okay, got it.

"What can I make with stars?"

[pythbox]

"Using Fallen Stars, you can make: Sunplate Block. Mana Crystal. Enchanted Nightcrawler. Jester's Arrow. Star in a Bottle. Super Mana Potion. Magic Power Potion. Mana Regeneration Potion. Star Cannon."

[what_greater_weapon]

"What's a mana crystal. What's an enchanted nightcrawler. What does a jester's arrow do. What's a star in a bottle."

[pythbox]

"If you gather 3 fallen stars, they can be combined to create an item that will increase your magic capacity. An Enchanted Nightcrawler is a critter. A Jester's Arrow is weapon ammunition. A Star in a Bottle is a light source."

[what_greater_weapon]

Sigh.

"What can I do with my magical capacity? Use magic weapons?"

[pythbox]

"An Amethyst Staff is a magic weapon."

[what_greater_weapon]

What an incredibly circular conversation.

"Are there other magic weapons?"

[pythbox]

With my sincerest apologies to the reader, this is his response:

"A Wand of Sparking is a magic weapon. An Amethyst Staff is a magic weapon. A Topaz Staff is a magic weapon. A Sapphire Staff is a magic weapon. An Emerald Staff is a magic weapon. A Ruby Staff is a magic weapon. A Diamond Staff is a magic weapon. An Amber Staff is a magic weapon. A Vilethorn is a magic weapon. A Crimson Rod is a magic weapon. A Magic Missile is a magic weapon. A Flamelash is a magic weapon. An Ice Rod is a magic weapon. A Crystal Vile Shard is a magic weapon. A Life Drain is a magic weapon. A Clinger Staff is a magic weapon. A Frost Staff is a magic weapon. A Meteor Staff is a magic weapon. A Rainbow Rod is a magic weapon. A Nimbus Rod is a magic weapon. A Poison Staff is a magic weapon. A Nettle Burst is a magic weapon. A Venom Staff is a magic weapon. A Staff of Earth is a magic weapon. A Shadowbeam Staff is a magic weapon. A Blizzard Staff is a magic weapon. An Inferno Fork is a magic weapon. A Spectre Staff is a magic weapon. A Space Gun is a magic weapon. A Bee Gun is a magic weapon. A Laser Rifle is a magic weapon. A Leaf Blower is a magic weapon. A Razorpine is a magic weapon. A Heat Ray is a magic weapon. A Bubble Gun is a magic weapon. A Rainbow Gun is a magic weapon. A Wasp Gun is a magic weapon. A Laser Machinegun is a magic weapon. A Charged Blaster Cannon is a magic weapon. A Water Bolt is a magic weapon. A Demon Scythe is a magic weapon. A Book of Skulls is a magic weapon. A Golden Shower is a magic weapon. A Magnet Sphere is a magic weapon. A Crystal Storm is a magic weapon. A Cursed Flames is a magic weapon. A Razorblade Typhoon is a magic weapon. A Lunar Flare is a magic weapon. An Aqua Scepter is a magic weapon. A Flower of Fire is a magic weapon. A Medusa Head is a magic weapon. A Magic Dagger is a magic weapon. A Magical Harp is a magic weapon. A Shadowflame Hex Doll is a magic weapon. A Flower of Frost is a magic weapon. An Unholy Trident is a magic weapon. A Bat Scepter is a magic weapon. A Crystal Serpent is a magic weapon. A Toxic Flask is a magic weapon. A Nebula Arcanum is a magic weapon. A Nebula Blaze is a magic weapon. A Last Prism is a magic weapon."

It appears nonpersons don't need to breathe in order to talk.

[what_greater_weapon]

Zinseyn does not interrupt. Instead she listens, carefully, to each and every one.

Those seem to be sorted, by type if not by power. Interesting. There seems to be options for her magical weaponry.

Knowing full well the tidal wave she's about to unleash, she asks in a very calm voice, "How do I make those?"

[pythbox]

He begins reciting recipes. There are so many recipes.

Interestingly, some of them aren't recipes. For example, "A Wand of Sparking can be found in a chest." Or, "A Vilethorn can be collected after destroying a Shadow Orb." Or, "An Inferno Fork can be collected after killing a Diabolist."

[what_greater_weapon]

... Hm. And some of them are from killing very specific things, not just 'a' Diabolist, but instead getting a book of skulls from something called 'Skeletron.' She now would really like to know what is out there in the dark.

Once the torrent is complete:

"Where can I find chests. Where can I find Shadow Orbs. Where can I find the dungeon. What is Skeletron."

[pythbox]

"There is treasure hidden all over the world. Some amazing things can be found deep underground!" Pause. "Your current equipment simply won't do. You need to make better armor." Pause. "Skeletron is a strong monster."

[what_greater_weapon]

How odd that the nonperson is advising her to stay safe. Almost like someone involved in this cares about her well being. She's okay with that. So, dig underground, find ores and 'amazing things'? She can do that.

"What can I make armor out of?" Copper, obviously, but she would like to know if there's something better available.

[pythbox]

Pause.

"Copper is stronger than wood. Iron is stronger than copper. Silver is stronger than iron. Gold is stronger than silver."

[what_greater_weapon]

... Okay. Gold is the strongest material available.

This does not make sense, but okay.

So: go dig underground, find iron for the sake of having a bed, find gold for... Everything else, she supposes. Well. Isn't that exciting.

That is about all of the exposition she wants to deal with right now. She's going to go have some grilled fish and water and then go crash. She barricades the doors, again, because her current equipment simply won't do, apparently. Best to be safe. And then once she is fed and watered, she sleeps.

[pythbox]

There are assorted noises during the night, as of monsters trying ineffectually to beat down the doors of her cozy cave.

[what_greater_weapon]

Gosh, it's almost like she shouldn't go outside at night. Yet. She'll be getting stars eventually, but she will wait until she's better equipped.

The nonperson is disturbing and infuriating, but credit where it's due. He's been helpful. She's glad he broke into her home to stay. Sort of.

The next morning, she fetches more water, 'boils' it, drinks it, fetches more, boils that, has herself some grilled fish (with a side of blueberries, for the novelty) and then it's time to get to work. She is going to dig like her life depended on it. It probably does.

Diggy diggy hole.

[pythbox]

Diggy diggy hole diggy diggy iron! Diggy diggy hole diggy diggy silver!