A whole new world

[aestrix]

There is a forest that likes to pretend that it's ordinary. It isn't, it's quite bizarre. Every night, in fact, zombies and other horrible monsters swarm this place, looking for people to kill. Not that they've found anyone, the forest itself is quite empty of residents. But they search anyway, during the night, shambling and groaning and occasionally leaving body parts lying around. Those disappear pretty quickly, but it still happens. Then the day comes, and they depart to who knows where, swearing (if mindless monsters could think, or in fact swear to anything in particular) that they'l be back the next night. Repeat ad nauseum.

It's currently in the day portion of this cycle of directionless attempts at violence. Maybe this day will be different from all of the others.

But then, probably not, it's a very boring island without anyone here.

Comments

[greatestgift]

"...The slimes? What is a slime?"

[aestrix]

"There are many monsters that roam the land. Most at night, but some, like slimes, are out and about during the day," informs the guide.

[greatestgift]

"Oh. Great," says Sable. "I better keep clearing these trees, then."

Several trees later, she has a roughly cottage-sized space cleared out and more than enough wood to build a small cottage. She starts putting down walls. Building things in cube land sure is fast.

[aestrix]

It is! The place is convenient like that.

Partway through the cottage's construction, a slime hops into her groundsense radius. It is green, partially transparent, and looks like it's made out of some kind of spherical gelatin.

[greatestgift]

"Is that thing a slime?" she asks the guide, pointing.

[aestrix]

"Slimes come in many different sizes and colors. The most common are blue and green slimes. They are usually found on the surface. Other types can be found in other areas, depending on biome and distance above or below water level."

[greatestgift]

"I'm going to take that as a yes," she sighs.

She makes a wooden sword. Except - "Is there a good reason why I need a wooden sword specifically for slimes?"

[aestrix]

"There are lots of different kinds of weapons," he says, almost conversationally. "A wooden sword is often considered the most basic."

[greatestgift]

"Ugh. Fine."

Sable collects the pack and puts it on, to have an easier time keeping track of her mysterious tools, and she picks up the wooden sword and goes and hits the slime with it.

[aestrix]

The slime is knocked back! It lands a few feet away, and scrunches itself a bit, like it's lost its temper. Scrunch scrunch scrunch - jump! It's method of attack is 'launch itself at Sable,' apparently.

[greatestgift]

She dodges and whacks it again.

[aestrix]

It is not a very smart slime. It is whacked, and goes right back to trying to launch itself at Sable. This doesn't work particularly well for it, but apparently upon seeing a tactic fail hilariously it's method is to do it some more. It's a pretty one sided fight. To no one's surprise, the slime loses.

[greatestgift]

And does it then vanish, leaving small mysterious items in its place?

[aestrix]

It sort of explodes, actually. But it leaves small mysterious items in its place, along with the mess. The mess that is partially on Sable.

[greatestgift]

"Eugh!"

She picks up the small mysterious items anyway.

[aestrix]

The small mysterious items are: two little balls of gel and three coins made out of copper. The gel consolidates itself at the first opportunity, the coins do not.

[greatestgift]

The coins go in her pack. She prods the little consolidated ball of gel, assessing it for likelihood of getting goop on things.

[aestrix]

It's surprisingly neat! It does not want to get goop on things, it wants to stay a little goopy ball of gel.

(If she's paying attention, the 'she can craft' portion of her head has had a new addition. She can craft torches, now.)

[greatestgift]

Okay, then, sure. She will craft torches.

[aestrix]

Torches! They are sticks that are on fire. Surprisingly they're at an ordinary size. They consolidate, and the fire doesn't actually appear to be hot. Just - bright.

[greatestgift]

Sable prods the fire at the end of the consolidated torch.

[aestrix]

It doesn't burn her.

[greatestgift]

Weird.

Also weird: they can be put, like the wood blocks and the workbench. She puts them all in a row along one wall of her cottage, just out of a superstitious desire not to shove them in her pack in case the fire decides to start acting like real fire all of a sudden. Maybe attaching them to her wooden house isn't much better for that purpose, but at least she isn't wearing her house.

And back to construction.

[aestrix]

She isn't interrupted, this time. But the remnants of the slime she killed slowly fade away, like she was never partially covered in goo at all. How... tidy.

[greatestgift]

Well why'd it have to go and explode on her in the first place, then?

She makes a door and places it and finishes the roof. There. And now she goes outside again and looks for the creepy guide-thing.

"What's the pickaxe for?"