"Uh huh. That looks like a city. People live in cities. I invite you to convince me this is wrong for that particular city and that it ought to be destroyed."

"Fair enough. No one lives there, that city is an horrible example of magic going wrong, it drains ambient lifeforce... it doesn't hurt to just stand there, but you can't heal, you can't sleep, nothing grows and the damn thing spreads like an infection and so far the only way to stop it is by cutting all the way through the bottom of the world."

"The... Bottom? This is a new thing for worlds to have, to me."

"Oh, yes. This world is basically a layer of rock, usually two miles thick. Atmosphere, gravity and light are done magically. The dead city subverts that magic into that."

"Sounds nasty, for sure. I hope you don't blame me if I check your claims by visiting. And do you mind telling me what else your magic can do?"

"Sure. It isn't that urgent actually, that was mostly my shocked reaction because having any kind of easy solution to the problem was... new." He sighs. "My magic is based on spending lifeforce, of which there are five sub-components. It can do moving, changing and creating things, not necessarily easy. It also can do healing, limited shapeshifting, teleportation, control over different kinds of energy, control over plants or animals... powers that influence the mind are rare but exist.. multiple kinds of protection and senses. Basically that."

"Are the effects permanent? Can you make a new kind of plant? Because if so, I want that as pay for removing the city-cancer."

"The lifeforce recovers over time, unless you spend Youth which is required to do any permanent magical things. What do you mean with new kind?"

"A new species of plant. Something useful that I could take home and have reproduce, that makes a useful thing we don't already get from plants."

"I could kiss you for giving me an excuse to do that! What exactly you don't get from plants? I can make something that is actively magical but the effect will only remain if the plant is alive and healthy, some of the stronger effects might require the lifeforce expenditure."

"Ah, please don't actually kiss me? I might be up for that if you were a woman, but you're not, that's just how it is. We get food, medicine, that sort of thing, from plants. I'll need to look at some notes to figure something we don't already have. Something actively magical sounds very interesting, as long as fairies can grow and use it. We might not have lifeforce."

"I will restrain from kissing." Temple says dryly. "Do you mind if I actually check if you have lifeforce?"

"Go ahead and check, sure."

"Okay, this will take a minute." Temple stars drawing a much simple set of runes on a piece of paper once he concludes that he rests his hand on the paper and looks at Nick. "That is weird... Your lifeforce is different and your Youth takes most of it... Are you immortal?!"

"Quite so. Fairies are indestructible. Destruction includes age and disease."

"I see, it's so interesting! Seeing your lifeforce is kinda like... dunno, seeing a person with a fleshy exterior and a steel core. Anyway, you are able to empower a magic plant through lifeforce... Some of the effects I can do for you: plants that glow as strongly as sunlight; plants that cast darkness; a plant that can change color by your intent so you can make ink or paint of any color you want; plants that float and support... at least four times their own weight, I might push that to seven times. I can add the ability to shape their growth to any of those effects, by the way. Plants that generate wind, cold, heat or electricity... maybe filtration. Anything of interest so far?"

"Colors and darkness are the most interesting ones listed so far. Maybe cold and heat."

"The color-changing: If you want to make ink with it I can make a berrybush where the berries change color by holding and concentrating, making glowing paint is an option. What do you want the darkness for? I can make a beach umbrella that casts a cover of darkness. Cold and Heat have more constraints, but they are manegeable, I can actually combine the two and have a plant that takes heat and directs somewhere else. Also, sinking the dead city might take a while... I would need to see you in action to be sure."

"Fairies can do big stuff. What I want is something I can sell back in Fairyland. Color-changing berrybush that can make glowing paint would be that. A heat-moving plant would also work, for people who want refrigerators without having to bother to install electricity. Even kinds of fruit or vegetables I've never heard of."

"Lets start with color-changing berrybush. How long are you willing to wait for it?"

"A few days would be... Acceptable. A few weeks would be annoying. I was planning to work on the dead city while you worked on the plant. Should I bring you along for a few minutes to see if I'm removing it correctly?"

"Color-changing berrybush will take less than week, two days if you only take a single plant, but that can go up to a dozen potted bushes if you wait for another day. I have a guest room if you are concerned with where you are staying. And bringing me along for a test run would be a good idea."

"I don't need to sleep, if I can get coffee. I'll take a dozen potted bushes over the single plant. How hard will it be to raise new ones?"

"I'm getting jealous of your fairiness. And the plant I'm going to use as a base is pretty adaptable, low maintenance, and is a great apartment plant if you like the overly sweet smell, which can be get rid off if you want."

"Might as well leave the smell. I can fly us over to the dead city now, let's test whether I can actually scrap it."