witchcraft and sorcery

[witchwatcher]

For a brief moment, in a certain part of fairyland there is a tear that leads to the cold sky above a snow-covered hilly forest somewhere in the mortal world.

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[alicornucopia]

Well, that depends on what signs she knows to look for, but if she checks them all systematically she will find a cascade who lives by himself, upstream from Promise's cave by a section of rapids.

[witchwatcher]

The next time that cascade takes a drink of something that's not water, he'll find an extra eighth-ounce of apple juice in his mouth from no apparent source.

[alicornucopia]

...He pretty much only drinks water.

[witchwatcher]

He might notice the taste if she puts it in his water. She could teleport it directly into his stomach, guessing where his stomach might be. Fairies can't die, so even if she messes up...

She tries that, but the magic won't go. 'Inside a fairy' is not a valid teleport-target. Annoying. She'll be spotted sooner or later at this rate. And the risk of the whole endeavor is making her hair stand on end.

She risks him noticing the tiny amounts of juice that are the smallest possible volume of liquid she can teleport, 'ported into his open mouth as he swallows water.

[alicornucopia]

Yeah, he notices that. He spits and looks alarmed and sticks his head in the river, perhaps to rinse his mouth out.

[witchwatcher]

Did it take? No way to tell without giving him an order, but if the answer is 'no'...

Scatter disappears.

[alicornucopia]

The cascade does not chase her or anything.

[witchwatcher]

The next time Scatter enters Fairyland is with Copycat after two and a bit weeks to check up on Promise.

[imeanforever]

Promise looks less stressed out. She has a little farm and found something to make pillows out of to line her cave. But she still wants her tree.

[witchwatcher]

"What's the plan for getting it? Invisible and inaudible of course. Teleport in, teleport out? Gates?"

[imeanforever]

"Teleporting is faster than waiting for a gate and having to monitor it. I can invisible and inaudible Scatter, so she doesn't spend down mana taking passengers? I don't need more than a twig."

[witchwatcher]

"I checked, and 'Promise's Tree' is specific enough that I can get right to it. You have the rest of the gold though, right?"

Scatter's wearing armor, and has a bow and some arrows.

[imeanforever]

Promise hands over golden bullets.

[witchwatcher]

"Good, good. Ready to go whenever you sorcer at me."

[imeanforever]

Sorcery!

[witchwatcher]

And the invisible inaudible Scatter is flying a hundred feet above Promise's tree.

She carefully looks around for any fairies. She won't find anyone else who's invisible, but she knows they come in 'small' and 'blending-in colors'.

[alicornucopia]

Nobody is visible.

[witchwatcher]

She hovers near the top of the tree, looking for a good small-mediumish branch to extract. When she finds a good candidate that includes some leaves, she snaps it off and immediately teleports back to Promise.

[imeanforever]

Promise lights up to behold her branch and holds out her hands eagerly.

[witchwatcher]

Scatter hands it over. Then she writes in the dirt, "Can you re-audible me? I want to talk to Copycat."

[imeanforever]

Scatter's breath is suddenly loud in her ears.

Promise goes to plant her branch.

[witchwatcher]

Scatter has a hushed, possibly slightly combative conversation with Copycat.

After a couple of minutes, Copycat asks, "Promise, would you mind trying to see if you can name Neuroi in a couple of days? It's unlikely I think, but if it turns out you can later we'll have let the war go on for no reason."

[imeanforever]

"I can try. They'll have to hear me for it to do any good besides making me a useful shield, though."

[witchwatcher]

"Not a problem," Scatter insists, "Chatterbox."

"Yeah, her special is to relay voices between people. Her own is easiest, but she can cast others' voices too."

[imeanforever]

"And she can use this to relay orders to Neuroi sufficiently unambiguously? All right then. Although I'm not sure they'll convey through a relay like that. Might be worth testing with Copycat telling me to do something innocuous through her to check."