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Ari's ninth birthday was last week, and the last of his baby teeth finally came out. (Mama said she'd have to yank it out herself if it didn't get with the program. He wriggled in exaggerated fear.) And she let him come pixie-hunting with her! They didn't catch many, but it was a lot of fun. He hopes she lets him do it again soon.
They're walking through the brush of Shallow Winter, and Mama's telling him about ley lines. He listens intently.
So intently that he doesn't notice the quiet growling coming out of the ground.
It abruptly falls away, and he's swallowed into the earth.
sonofsnow
He lands in the middle of a forest.
It's a... very weird forest.
All the trees are exactly the same width, although they have different heights and different numbers of branches. They seem to be laid out on an invisible grid, where each square in the grid is exactly big enough to fit one tree. In between the trees, there is grass, populated by the occasional bush or flower. The grass grows in strangely regular tufts.
There is a person standing there. He appears to be human. He has a slightly blank smile on his face, and he is holding a sack in one hand, which he extends toward Ari.
"If you want to survive, you will need to create weapons and shelter. Start by chopping down trees and gathering wood," the blank man says serenely.
The blank man continues standing there holding out his canvas sack.
"I am here to give you advice on what to do next. It is recommended that you talk with me anytime you get stuck!"
"I am here to give you advice on what to do next. It is recommended that you talk with me anytime you get stuck!"
sonofsnow
Ari sighs. "Okay, I know I'm a kid, but I'm not, like, new. I am not taking gifts."
"You can use your pickaxe to dig through dirt, and your axe to chop down trees," says the blank man, continuing to hold out the sack.
sonofsnow
Ari ignores him and sits down to think.
So. He's fallen through the earth into some... profoundly weird section of the Never. Belinda never taught him Ways, since he's too little for that to be anything like a good idea, but he can defend himself well enough as long as an Elder Gruff or something doesn't show up. So... he'll wait for her to find him. Shouldn't be too long.
In the meantime, he turns to the blank. "Are you Summer or Wyld?" he asks, speaking slowly and clearly. (He doesn't bother to mention Winter. Winter's children aren't this dumb.)
"My name is Wyatt," says the blank man, still patiently holding out the sack. "Greetings, Ari. Is there something I can help you with?"
sonofsnow
Aaaaagh. Not enough intonation to be the True name but how did he know it in the first place and-
Ari gives in. "Wyatt," he says, perfectly matched to how the blank man said it. He pushes his will into an icepick-heavy point and slams it into the man in front of him. "Tell me what is going on."
Wyatt continues to hold out his sack.
"If you want to survive, you will need to create weapons and shelter. Start by chopping down trees and gathering wood," he says.
"If you want to survive, you will need to create weapons and shelter. Start by chopping down trees and gathering wood," he says.
He doesn't flinch, or give any other indication that he notices.
"They say there is a person who will tell you how to survive in this land... oh wait. That's me."
"They say there is a person who will tell you how to survive in this land... oh wait. That's me."
sonofsnow
Ari sighs. "This is so weird..."
He picks up a rock and offers it in exchange for the satchel. "Say something weird and off-topic if you agree to trade your satchel for this rock in a fair bargain."
He picks up a rock and offers it in exchange for the satchel. "Say something weird and off-topic if you agree to trade your satchel for this rock in a fair bargain."
"Once you have a wooden sword, you might try to gather some gel from the slimes. Combine wood and gel to make a torch!" advises Wyatt.
sonofsnow
"Incredibly weird, thank you. By the Six and the Three, so mote it be."
Ari takes the satchel and deposits the rock in Wyatt's hand. Then he opens the goodie bag.
Ari takes the satchel and deposits the rock in Wyatt's hand. Then he opens the goodie bag.
Wyatt looks at the rock and shakes his head somewhat robotically. "You can't craft with this," he says, and drops it.
Inside the goodie bag: one copper pickaxe, one copper axe, one copper short sword.
A small adorable white rabbit hops along through the grass nearby.
Inside the goodie bag: one copper pickaxe, one copper axe, one copper short sword.
A small adorable white rabbit hops along through the grass nearby.
sonofsnow
"Fair's fair, you don't get takebacks once you've consented by weirdness pact."
These goodies are appreciated! As is the small adorable rabbit. He approaches it gently, then grabs it once he's close enough and wrings its neck.
These goodies are appreciated! As is the small adorable rabbit. He approaches it gently, then grabs it once he's close enough and wrings its neck.
The rabbit explodes violently in his hands, splattering him with blood and rabbit chunks.
Another, identical white rabbit hops past, totally unalarmed by the proceedings.
Wyatt says, "When you have enough wood, create a workbench. This will allow you to create more complicated things, as long as you are standing close to it."
Another, identical white rabbit hops past, totally unalarmed by the proceedings.
Wyatt says, "When you have enough wood, create a workbench. This will allow you to create more complicated things, as long as you are standing close to it."
"You can use your pickaxe to dig through dirt, and your axe to chop down trees," Wyatt reminds him.
sonofsnow
"Yeah, thanks! What the fuck!"
Ari flicks the gore off of himself with a bit of evocation Belinda drove into him a while back. It showers over the grass, the other rabbit, and Wyatt.
Lacking better things to do particularly, Ari elects to amuse himself with the axe and a nearby tree. (The axe is obviously too blunt to do much actual damage, but hitting things is always fun.)
Ari flicks the gore off of himself with a bit of evocation Belinda drove into him a while back. It showers over the grass, the other rabbit, and Wyatt.
Lacking better things to do particularly, Ari elects to amuse himself with the axe and a nearby tree. (The axe is obviously too blunt to do much actual damage, but hitting things is always fun.)
"You should do some mining to find metal ore. You can craft very useful things with it," says Wyatt.
After several hits, the tree decomposes into a shower of small wooden cubes about an inch wide. Where two cubes strike each other, they merge into one with a soft riffling/clattering sound.
After several hits, the tree decomposes into a shower of small wooden cubes about an inch wide. Where two cubes strike each other, they merge into one with a soft riffling/clattering sound.
sonofsnow
"...I need to stop being surprised by this kind of thing," Ari sighs.
He scoops the cubes into multicubes. Upon collecting ten of them, he pauses. "Workbench. Right."
The process of $%WORKBENCH is pretty intuitive. He $%WORKBENCHs. He has a workbench.
He scoops the cubes into multicubes. Upon collecting ten of them, he pauses. "Workbench. Right."
The process of $%WORKBENCH is pretty intuitive. He $%WORKBENCHs. He has a workbench.
Much as the wooden cubes inform him that he can place # blocks of wood, the tiny model workbench informs him that he can place 1 workbench.
"You can build a shelter by placing wood or other blocks in the world. Don't forget to create and place walls," says Wyatt.
"You can build a shelter by placing wood or other blocks in the world. Don't forget to create and place walls," says Wyatt.
sonofsnow
"Thanks."
Ari pauses.
"...If you want a shelter, I can make you one in exchange for you giving me advice in the future. You're kind of helpful."
And he'd feel bad just leaving him out in the rain or whatever, even if he is some kind of meat robot.
Ari pauses.
"...If you want a shelter, I can make you one in exchange for you giving me advice in the future. You're kind of helpful."
And he'd feel bad just leaving him out in the rain or whatever, even if he is some kind of meat robot.
"I am here to give you advice on what to do next. It is recommended that you talk with me anytime you get stuck," says Wyatt.