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

[aestrix]

It feels evil.

More than evil, actually, it feels sick. Like the earth itself is diseased and corrupted and wrong. But the wrongness is alive, and it could very definitely spread if given half a chance. Fortunately, it has exactly zero of a chance, because it can't seem to get through solid stone, only grass. The landscape is not entirely grass, and thus the sickness can't spread. It's - contained. Dubiously, dubiously contained.

Also the sickness very strongly hates her and wants her to die. How nice.

[greatestgift]

Ow.

Her groundsense snaps shut instinctively, and she clings to a tree to avoid falling over, muttering curses under her breath. Blighted crazy cube world with its blighted crazy purple death dirt. Ugh ugh ugh.

[aestrix]

The blighted crazy purple death dirt hates her too.

Obligingly, the tree holds her up. It does not hate her. It is a tree, it doesn't feel anything in particular about the situation.

[greatestgift]

Sable hugs the tree. What a good tree. How delightfully not-evil it is. Touching living things still hurts, but not nearly as much as the evil purple death dirt. It's soothing in comparison.

[aestrix]

The tree would be happy to be of assistance, if it were in fact aware of the situation. It is not aware of the situation.

[greatestgift]

"Ugh ugh ugh..."

Okay. She lets go of the tree. She looks at the purple place, just looks, to get a sense of it visually so she can recognize it in future, and then she heads straight back home to curl up in bed next to her campfire for an hour.

After that, she's feeling well enough to go ask Dylan, "What's the horrible evil purple place?"

[aestrix]

"The ebonstone in the corruption can be purified using some powder from a dryad, or it can be destroyed with explosives."

[greatestgift]

"'The corruption'? Is that what it's called?"

[aestrix]

"Demonic altars can usually be found in the corruption. You will need to be near them to craft some items." Is that a confirmation? That sounds like a confirmation.

[greatestgift]

"What? What items? Are they worth it?"

[aestrix]

"If you combine lenses at a demon altar, you might be able to find a way to summon a powerful monster. You will want to wait until night before using it, though."

[greatestgift]

"I don't want to summon a powerful monster! Why would I want to summon a powerful monster?!"

[aestrix]

"You should prove yourself by defeating a strong monster. That will get the attention of a dryad."

[greatestgift]

"...And dryads are the people - or 'people' - who make the powder that purifies corruption?"

[aestrix]

"The ebonstone in the corruption can be purified using some powder from a dryad, or it can be destroyed with explosives."

[greatestgift]

"Does the dryad powder purify all corruption things, or just this 'ebonstone'? What's ebonstone?"

[aestrix]

"Ebonstone is stone that has been twisted by the corruption. Two ebonstone can be used at a furnace to make ebonstone bricks."

[greatestgift]

"Twisted by the corruption. What else gets twisted by the corruption?"

[aestrix]

"Corrupt grass can be planted using corrupt seeds."

[greatestgift]

"What if I want to un-corrupt things, what then?"

[aestrix]

"Sunflowers, when planted, stop the spread of the corruption nearby. They also have delicious seeds!"

[greatestgift]

"...Where do I find sunflowers?"

[aestrix]

"Sunflowers can be found in the world and harvested, or bought from a dryad."

[greatestgift]

"If I ask you exactly what I have to do to find a dryad are you going to be annoyingly useless again?"

[aestrix]

"You should prove yourself by defeating a strong monster. That will get the attention of a dryad."