| The merging of races. It has once been the case that there were clearer distinctions between the members of the common races than there are now. Yes, there are specific attributes and affinities that each race has a natural tendency to, however in days of old, there were also more fundamental differences. The core of these was age. It is said that, while human lifespans have always remained mostly the same, the lifespans of other races, the elves in particular, were once much, much longer than they are now. As a rule of thumb, a human will live to around eighty years in optimal conditions. An elf with forest blood will live to one-hundred and twenty. A dark-elf will manage ten years more, one-hundred and thirty. In contrast, the dwarves and the orcs will only manage fifty and sixty years, respectively. The poorest off are the fairies, who are now limited to existing only within the confines of the western mountain region, as most of the world’s high magic zones have been lost. A fairy will live for ten years. It is said, though, that the elves once lived for close to a thousand years, if not more. So what changed this? We can only speculate, but the assumption is that all elves remaining alive today share a common ancestral human in the distant past, whose bloodline had in essence overtaken all other elf bloodlines, leaving only this particular offshoot of shorter living elf within our world. In inverse, the dwarves and the orcs can be happy, as they seem to be gaining lifespan as their generations go on. Although this is a point that falls on deaf ears, the races are being outbred by humanity and are slowly vanishing from our world. The fairies are all but gone, and the dwarves are next. We expect the orcs to go next, and then, finally, the elves of both species. In the end, only humanity will remain. |
~ Of the ages of races
| ~ [Red] ~ |
| Uthra, Female, Worker {7} |
| Location: The Spirit World |
Red looks back behind herself, staring at the ghosts that fly after her. Emerald, the dungeon core, and all of the other uthra they’ve lost along the way, plus Maroon, who persists as a screaming, howling mess, his face melted and his body decayed.
“Come on, Ruby!” says Emerald. “I was just talking to Topaz, and we were thinking about how we can make a new dungeon here in the spirit-world!” explains the dungeon-core. “I’d really like it if you joined us,” she explains. “It can be just like old times! I’ll get a bunch of rocks and gems, and you can carry them around for me, and we’ll laugh and have a great time!”
“Fuck off,” replies Red, looking ahead of herself. “I’m not dead, and I’m not planning to be.”
“Please, Ruby,” says a voice. “As if you have anything to live for.” Red stops, looking back again as the words ring through her. “We both know who you are,” says the destroyed ghost of Maroon. “You’re a sad, angry little creature that nobody could stand,” says Maroon. “I was the only one who could deal with the way you are.” He points at her with a broken, ruined arm. “What are you going to do out there by yourself, huh?” he asks. “You’re just as miserable and alone as you were when I found you, and I decided that I felt bad for you.”
“You’re not Maroon,” says Red. “Fuck you. He’d never say that.”
“I’m saying it now because you need to hear it in clear words,” says the ghost as the others draw closer. “You’re a worthless person. You have no friends, no life, and no value. You have no reason to be alive.”
“I mean, it’s kind of true, Ruby,” says Emerald. “Your personality is horrible. I mean, Crystal always kind of liked you, but you ruined that too by being such a jerk, so…” The gemstones fly around. “I guess you should just die and stay here with us. At least we can put up with you and how broken you are.” The stones hum. “It’s for the best. We care about you, Ruby.”
“You’re lucky you found us,” says Maroon. “Nobody else out there can stand being around you.”
Red points at them. “I SAID - FUUUUUCK YOU!” she yells, more magic glowing around her hands as she gets ready to cast another spell as the silhouettes move in towards her.
“See? Typical Ruby, right?” says Emerald, laughing. “She’s such a wreck, and when anyone is nice and tries to point it out, she gets angry at them.”
“As if she wasn’t the problem, right?” says Maroon.
“I don’t know how you managed to stand it,” replies Emerald.
Maroon shrugs his mangled head. “Honestly, I didn’t,” he explains. “Why do you think I let myself get killed by those humans?” he asks, tapping his head.
“Ooooh~” says Emerald, knowingly.
Red clenches her fists, gritting her teeth together.
“STOP BEING MEAN TO MY FRIEND!” yells an annoyed, shrieking voice. Something yanks her leg, grabbing hold of her. Red looks down, staring at Orange, who has popped out of some sort of glowing rip in the spirit-world.
“…Orange?” asks Red.
The uthra below sticks out her tongue and winks, then pulls her down into the glowing portal.
The ghosts scream, lunging at them. A swarm of fae shoots out the hole, tearing them apart as Red and Orange fall down, leaving this domain of the spirit-world and falling down, plummeting together through wherever they are now.
Orange grabs her as they fall, stroking her back, and Red, giving in, does the same in turn as the hole behind them closes. “Red…” says Orange.
Red presses her head down onto Orange’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I was always so mean to you,” says the uthra.
“Aww,” replies Orange, rubbing her back and squeezing her. “Thank you, Red, uh…” The uthra looks around herself as they continue to fall. “Red, says Orange, turning to look at the uthra, who has buried her head in her shoulder. “My wing is broken. You have to fly or we’re about to die, Red,” says Orange, rather plainly and unbothered.
Red yelps, pulling back and holding onto Orange as they sharply pull upward, just barely grazing the strange, ethereal ground of wherever they are. Groups of hundreds of fae line up in coordinated swarms, making arrows to guide their directions out towards another exit of the fae-realm.
Red hurtles through another portal, and the two of them blast out unceremoniously, flying through the fae-gate on floor one-hundred and thirty of the tower. Red takes the brunt of the fall, holding it as they slide to spare Orange’s wings.
The two of them come to a stop, and the hole closes behind them.
The room is quiet.
Orange lifts her head, looking down at Red, who she is sitting on top of. “Hey, Red?” asks Orange.
“W- What?” asks Red, lifting an arm and rubbing her eyes.
“Do you think we have mice in the tower?” asks the uthra. Red blinks. “I mean, mice live in all sorts of houses and things, right?” she asks, lifting her gaze to stare at the ceiling above their heads. “So… like… what if there are mice in the tower? Should we do something about it?”
The uthra looks back down. “Red?” she blinks, letting out a scared yelp at what she sees. “Don’t cry, Red!” yells Orange, grabbing Red’s shoulders. “It’s going to be alright! I’m sure Isaiah won’t get mad at you because of a few mice!”
Somehow, this doesn’t help.
| ~ [Isaiah] ~ |
Isaiah pulls Rorate back out with itself.
“I have to go back!” says Rorate. “Scion’s still out there!” explains the priestess. Isaiah looks at her as they return to the tower through one of the fae shortcuts. It sets her down. “She’s not high-leveled; she won’t survive on her own!”
“Heal yourself, Rorate,” says Isaiah. It turns to look at two uthra who have also returned. “Take everyone up to the waters of the hot-spring.” It looks back at her. “I will find her.”
“Find who?” asks a voice. They turn to look as Scion comes out of the fae-gate, together with Black.
Rorate runs over, grabbing her.
“Black, are you well?” asks Isaiah.
“Never better,” remarks the uthra, perhaps sarcastically, as he gracelessly tumbles down. His body is covered in marks and burns.
Isaiah nods, holding a hand to it. “Almost everyone is home. I am greatly relieved,” it confesses.
| (Isaiah) has used: [Greater Healing] |
Black looks around. “Hey, did White leave already?” he asks.
“White?” replies Isaiah, as the healing spells fade. Black spins his arm. “Sure. He was with the monk; they were ahead of me,” says Black. “I thought they’d be here.” He points at Scion. “I stopped on the way to grab her.”
“Wait, she’s not here?” asks Orange, lifting her head up to look their way.
Isaiah looks at him for a moment and then back towards the fae-gate, quickly rising into the air and shooting back through it a second time.
| ~ [???] ~ |
| Human, Female, Monk |
| Location: The Spirit-Realm |
“This is deeply unwise,” says the white uthra. “Isaiah would not encourage this behavior,” it remarks.
The monk looks at him, standing there with a broken arm and useless leg.
“I never claimed to be wise,” says the woman, looking back out at the city of ghosts, swarmed with fae. “Actually, I’m pretty stupid.”
“Nevertheless,” replies White. It grabs her arm. “Please. Let us take the sensible road and return home, where we are missed.”
“What do you believe in?” she asks, somewhat out of the blue, pulling her arm free.
White looks at her. “Pardon?”
“What do you believe in?” she repeats.
White studies her for a moment and then shrugs. “Isaiah.”
“That’s why you’re not going to make it,” she says, looking at him and shambling forward. She lifts her good arm, pointing at his chest. “You’re blank. Find life, and fill yourself with it. Believe in yourself first, so that you can be of use to Isaiah and the world.”
“And then die senselessly afterwards?” asks White, watching her. “You realize the selfishness of this idea, no?” he says. The uthra points over his shoulder. “This entire operation was made solely on your behalf. Everyone came here to pull you back out.” He shakes his head. “I cannot say if they have come out unharmed for their efforts.” White looks at her. “Your sin is pride,” he says. “Don’t fill the hearts of others if you then simply intend to leave them empty.”
“I’m not planning to die,” she says, walking onward and back out of the spirit-world.
“I feel like most people say that before they die,” remarks White.
“I can stop the witch,” says the monk. “This can end here, right now.”
“You are in no state to stop your own shadow, let alone a witch,” replies White.
She shakes her head.
He doesn’t get it.
This is bigger than just her and her stupid human life. So much depends on this, the lives of so many others. She spent her entire life training for moments like this, and up until now, she had wasted all of them.
Now that there is finally a real crisis, a real problem that she can stand strong against, she won’t let anyone else suffer for it ever again.
The uthra flies in front of her, blocking her path.
“Please get out of my way,” she warns. “I will move you if I have to.”
He looks around uncertainly and then lifts his hands toward her. “I will start believing in my own judgment now,” says the entity. His fingers are glowing. “Thank you for your advice.”
She lifts her good hand, getting ready to move the entity out of the way if he won’t go.
| (White) has used: [Isaiah - Seasonality: {Chronal Stasis}] |
Razmatazz
Look at good old White, finally getting some screen time and character growth =)
Note to any patreon readers here, I'm massively behind on the backlog, I know. We'll be up to speed again soon, promise! x-x
| The merging of races. It has once been the case that there were clearer distinctions between the members of the common races than there are now. Yes, there are specific attributes and affinities that each race has a natural tendency to, however in days of old, there were also more fundamental differences. The core of these was age. It is said that, while human lifespans have always remained mostly the same, the lifespans of other races, the elves in particular, were once much, much longer than they are now. As a rule of thumb, a human will live to around eighty years in optimal conditions. An elf with forest blood will live to one-hundred and twenty. A dark-elf will manage ten years more, one-hundred and thirty. In contrast, the dwarves and the orcs will only manage fifty and sixty years, respectively. The poorest off are the fairies, who are now limited to existing only within the confines of the western mountain region, as most of the world’s high magic zones have been lost. A fairy will live for ten years. It is said, though, that the elves once lived for close to a thousand years, if not more. So what changed this? We can only speculate, but the assumption is that all elves remaining alive today share a common ancestral human in the distant past, whose bloodline had in essence overtaken all other elf bloodlines, leaving only this particular offshoot of shorter living elf within our world. In inverse, the dwarves and the orcs can be happy, as they seem to be gaining lifespan as their generations go on. Although this is a point that falls on deaf ears, the races are being outbred by humanity and are slowly vanishing from our world. The fairies are all but gone, and the dwarves are next. We expect the orcs to go next, and then, finally, the elves of both species. In the end, only humanity will remain. |
~ Of the ages of races
| ~ [Red] ~ |
| Uthra, Female, Worker {7} |
| Location: The Spirit World |
Red looks back behind herself, staring at the ghosts that fly after her. Emerald, the dungeon core, and all of the other uthra they’ve lost along the way, plus Maroon, who persists as a screaming, howling mess, his face melted and his body decayed.
“Come on, Ruby!” says Emerald. “I was just talking to Topaz, and we were thinking about how we can make a new dungeon here in the spirit-world!” explains the dungeon-core. “I’d really like it if you joined us,” she explains. “It can be just like old times! I’ll get a bunch of rocks and gems, and you can carry them around for me, and we’ll laugh and have a great time!”
“Fuck off,” replies Red, looking ahead of herself. “I’m not dead, and I’m not planning to be.”
“Please, Ruby,” says a voice. “As if you have anything to live for.” Red stops, looking back again as the words ring through her. “We both know who you are,” says the destroyed ghost of Maroon. “You’re a sad, angry little creature that nobody could stand,” says Maroon. “I was the only one who could deal with the way you are.” He points at her with a broken, ruined arm. “What are you going to do out there by yourself, huh?” he asks. “You’re just as miserable and alone as you were when I found you, and I decided that I felt bad for you.”
“You’re not Maroon,” says Red. “Fuck you. He’d never say that.”
“I’m saying it now because you need to hear it in clear words,” says the ghost as the others draw closer. “You’re a worthless person. You have no friends, no life, and no value. You have no reason to be alive.”
“I mean, it’s kind of true, Ruby,” says Emerald. “Your personality is horrible. I mean, Crystal always kind of liked you, but you ruined that too by being such a jerk, so…” The gemstones fly around. “I guess you should just die and stay here with us. At least we can put up with you and how broken you are.” The stones hum. “It’s for the best. We care about you, Ruby.”
“You’re lucky you found us,” says Maroon. “Nobody else out there can stand being around you.”
Red points at them. “I SAID - FUUUUUCK YOU!” she yells, more magic glowing around her hands as she gets ready to cast another spell as the silhouettes move in towards her.
“See? Typical Ruby, right?” says Emerald, laughing. “She’s such a wreck, and when anyone is nice and tries to point it out, she gets angry at them.”
“As if she wasn’t the problem, right?” says Maroon.
“I don’t know how you managed to stand it,” replies Emerald.
Maroon shrugs his mangled head. “Honestly, I didn’t,” he explains. “Why do you think I let myself get killed by those humans?” he asks, tapping his head.
“Ooooh~” says Emerald, knowingly.
Red clenches her fists, gritting her teeth together.
“STOP BEING MEAN TO MY FRIEND!” yells an annoyed, shrieking voice. Something yanks her leg, grabbing hold of her. Red looks down, staring at Orange, who has popped out of some sort of glowing rip in the spirit-world.
“…Orange?” asks Red.
The uthra below sticks out her tongue and winks, then pulls her down into the glowing portal.
The ghosts scream, lunging at them. A swarm of fae shoots out the hole, tearing them apart as Red and Orange fall down, leaving this domain of the spirit-world and falling down, plummeting together through wherever they are now.
Orange grabs her as they fall, stroking her back, and Red, giving in, does the same in turn as the hole behind them closes. “Red…” says Orange.
Red presses her head down onto Orange’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I was always so mean to you,” says the uthra.
“Aww,” replies Orange, rubbing her back and squeezing her. “Thank you, Red, uh…” The uthra looks around herself as they continue to fall. “Red, says Orange, turning to look at the uthra, who has buried her head in her shoulder. “My wing is broken. You have to fly or we’re about to die, Red,” says Orange, rather plainly and unbothered.
Red yelps, pulling back and holding onto Orange as they sharply pull upward, just barely grazing the strange, ethereal ground of wherever they are. Groups of hundreds of fae line up in coordinated swarms, making arrows to guide their directions out towards another exit of the fae-realm.
Red hurtles through another portal, and the two of them blast out unceremoniously, flying through the fae-gate on floor one-hundred and thirty of the tower. Red takes the brunt of the fall, holding it as they slide to spare Orange’s wings.
The two of them come to a stop, and the hole closes behind them.
The room is quiet.
Orange lifts her head, looking down at Red, who she is sitting on top of. “Hey, Red?” asks Orange.
“W- What?” asks Red, lifting an arm and rubbing her eyes.
“Do you think we have mice in the tower?” asks the uthra. Red blinks. “I mean, mice live in all sorts of houses and things, right?” she asks, lifting her gaze to stare at the ceiling above their heads. “So… like… what if there are mice in the tower? Should we do something about it?”
The uthra looks back down. “Red?” she blinks, letting out a scared yelp at what she sees. “Don’t cry, Red!” yells Orange, grabbing Red’s shoulders. “It’s going to be alright! I’m sure Isaiah won’t get mad at you because of a few mice!”
Somehow, this doesn’t help.
| ~ [Isaiah] ~ |
Isaiah pulls Rorate back out with itself.
“I have to go back!” says Rorate. “Scion’s still out there!” explains the priestess. Isaiah looks at her as they return to the tower through one of the fae shortcuts. It sets her down. “She’s not high-leveled; she won’t survive on her own!”
“Heal yourself, Rorate,” says Isaiah. It turns to look at two uthra who have also returned. “Take everyone up to the waters of the hot-spring.” It looks back at her. “I will find her.”
“Find who?” asks a voice. They turn to look as Scion comes out of the fae-gate, together with Black.
Rorate runs over, grabbing her.
“Black, are you well?” asks Isaiah.
“Never better,” remarks the uthra, perhaps sarcastically, as he gracelessly tumbles down. His body is covered in marks and burns.
Isaiah nods, holding a hand to it. “Almost everyone is home. I am greatly relieved,” it confesses.
| (Isaiah) has used: [Greater Healing] |
Black looks around. “Hey, did White leave already?” he asks.
“White?” replies Isaiah, as the healing spells fade. Black spins his arm. “Sure. He was with the monk; they were ahead of me,” says Black. “I thought they’d be here.” He points at Scion. “I stopped on the way to grab her.”
“Wait, she’s not here?” asks Orange, lifting her head up to look their way.
Isaiah looks at him for a moment and then back towards the fae-gate, quickly rising into the air and shooting back through it a second time.
| ~ [???] ~ |
| Human, Female, Monk |
| Location: The Spirit-Realm |
“This is deeply unwise,” says the white uthra. “Isaiah would not encourage this behavior,” it remarks.
The monk looks at him, standing there with a broken arm and useless leg.
“I never claimed to be wise,” says the woman, looking back out at the city of ghosts, swarmed with fae. “Actually, I’m pretty stupid.”
“Nevertheless,” replies White. It grabs her arm. “Please. Let us take the sensible road and return home, where we are missed.”
“What do you believe in?” she asks, somewhat out of the blue, pulling her arm free.
White looks at her. “Pardon?”
“What do you believe in?” she repeats.
White studies her for a moment and then shrugs. “Isaiah.”
“That’s why you’re not going to make it,” she says, looking at him and shambling forward. She lifts her good arm, pointing at his chest. “You’re blank. Find life, and fill yourself with it. Believe in yourself first, so that you can be of use to Isaiah and the world.”
“And then die senselessly afterwards?” asks White, watching her. “You realize the selfishness of this idea, no?” he says. The uthra points over his shoulder. “This entire operation was made solely on your behalf. Everyone came here to pull you back out.” He shakes his head. “I cannot say if they have come out unharmed for their efforts.” White looks at her. “Your sin is pride,” he says. “Don’t fill the hearts of others if you then simply intend to leave them empty.”
“I’m not planning to die,” she says, walking onward and back out of the spirit-world.
“I feel like most people say that before they die,” remarks White.
“I can stop the witch,” says the monk. “This can end here, right now.”
“You are in no state to stop your own shadow, let alone a witch,” replies White.
She shakes her head.
He doesn’t get it.
This is bigger than just her and her stupid human life. So much depends on this, the lives of so many others. She spent her entire life training for moments like this, and up until now, she had wasted all of them.
Now that there is finally a real crisis, a real problem that she can stand strong against, she won’t let anyone else suffer for it ever again.
The uthra flies in front of her, blocking her path.
“Please get out of my way,” she warns. “I will move you if I have to.”
He looks around uncertainly and then lifts his hands toward her. “I will start believing in my own judgment now,” says the entity. His fingers are glowing. “Thank you for your advice.”
She lifts her good hand, getting ready to move the entity out of the way if he won’t go.
| (White) has used: [Isaiah - Seasonality: {Chronal Stasis}] |
Razmatazz
Look at good old White, finally getting some screen time and character growth =)
Note to any patreon readers here, I'm massively behind on the backlog, I know. We'll be up to speed again soon, promise! x-x
