electriclantern
Terrarian
two people on opposite sides of the world meet. first terraria fic, critique is welcome!
Three years had passed ever since Jude built a tower up to the end of the sky. He hadn't expected to meet a roof so quickly, and he realized the world was so much smaller than it felt like before. With a strong enough pickaxe, he wondered, could he break through the sky and venture off into whatever was beyond?
But now he'd scoured every bit of the surface world, killed a variety of exotic monsters and drilled down deep enough to find some unbreakable stone. The only thing left for him would've been sky if that wasn't a dead end as well.
His pygmy took care of the five harpies at his doorstep. Jude settled back and tried to focus on his books and ink. A couple weeks ago he'd come up with the idea of recording his ideas with symbols somehow, which was easier than drawing. He could use black ink and a harpy's feather, which had a quill strong enough to make drawing symbols easier.
He stood up from his chair and fiddled with the lamplight.
But now he'd scoured every bit of the surface world, killed a variety of exotic monsters and drilled down deep enough to find some unbreakable stone. The only thing left for him would've been sky if that wasn't a dead end as well.
His pygmy took care of the five harpies at his doorstep. Jude settled back and tried to focus on his books and ink. A couple weeks ago he'd come up with the idea of recording his ideas with symbols somehow, which was easier than drawing. He could use black ink and a harpy's feather, which had a quill strong enough to make drawing symbols easier.
He stood up from his chair and fiddled with the lamplight.
May had been busy tying her pieces of rope together when something heavy smacked her on the head. She blacked out immediately.
She woke up in her pumpkin bed and groaned into the silk. After digging through her pockets, she realized she hadn't lost any money. Which was weird, but it was a nice silver lining. She'd been saving up for a Pulse Bow, that cool-looking bow Llewellyn didn't sell her. ("C'mon, just one shot! It'll be like a 'Try Before You Buy' thing." "You don't even have one platinum, dear.")
Anyway, she didn't like spelunking right after death.
May went downstairs to organize her findings and tried to think of what killed her. She'd been making her way through some uncharted eastern caverns. She stumbled across a chest, then some luminite, and then she found herself taking an unplanned trip through the underworld. Maybe a demon or red devil, though she distinctly remembered not being low on health.
She decided to check on her gardens. Maybe she'd go fishing later.
She woke up in her pumpkin bed and groaned into the silk. After digging through her pockets, she realized she hadn't lost any money. Which was weird, but it was a nice silver lining. She'd been saving up for a Pulse Bow, that cool-looking bow Llewellyn didn't sell her. ("C'mon, just one shot! It'll be like a 'Try Before You Buy' thing." "You don't even have one platinum, dear.")
Anyway, she didn't like spelunking right after death.
May went downstairs to organize her findings and tried to think of what killed her. She'd been making her way through some uncharted eastern caverns. She stumbled across a chest, then some luminite, and then she found herself taking an unplanned trip through the underworld. Maybe a demon or red devil, though she distinctly remembered not being low on health.
She decided to check on her gardens. Maybe she'd go fishing later.
Jude jerked awake, nearly falling off... whatever he was laying on. The underworld greeted him with demon scythes and burning spheres. He was quick to take out his staff and brushed the ash off his robe. Though disoriented, the monsters were easy to take care of.
He looked down at his feet. Obsidian tower. There had to be a reason he didn't spawn in his bedroom like he always did.
Jude glanced around at the unfamiliar place. The underworld was pretty huge, but he knew the entire world like the back of his hand. He grappled up to the ceiling and pulled the magic mirror out of his inventory. He found himself in a large diamond gemspark mansion, something he was sure he didn't build. He made his way out the door on the left and saw a small town of gemspark blocks.
Might as well harvest the gemspark blocks. He didn't make a lot, but they were useful, and the mansion looked pretty nice and clean if not a little too bright for nighttime.
Before he could turn on his Drax, something shot him in the back. He staggered forward.
"What do you think you're doing?" an unfamiliar voice said.
He spun around. Monsters didn't chat. Nobody ever initiated conversation unless he walked up to them first. "Nothing?"
There was a girl a little younger than him, with a high ponytail and ugly christmas sweater. She narrowed her eyes and swung her massive sword at him. Jude jumped back instinctively and got struck anyway. "Okay, put down the... Flying Dragon. And we can talk this out." The closest thing he kept to a melee weapon was a Shadowflame Knife, but he kept to his staff and sentries anyway.
Her expression smoothed out. "Alright," she said. "I'm May. You are?"
"Jude. This is your place?"
"Yeah, what do you do?"
Jude shifted and leaned against the gemspark walls. "I guess I just study the world," he said. "I used to try to explore and become powerful, but..." He looked around. This was an entirely different world that he'd never seen before.
"Can I try something?" May said abruptly.
"Try what?"
She showed him his reflection in a magic mirror.
He looked down at his feet. Obsidian tower. There had to be a reason he didn't spawn in his bedroom like he always did.
Jude glanced around at the unfamiliar place. The underworld was pretty huge, but he knew the entire world like the back of his hand. He grappled up to the ceiling and pulled the magic mirror out of his inventory. He found himself in a large diamond gemspark mansion, something he was sure he didn't build. He made his way out the door on the left and saw a small town of gemspark blocks.
Might as well harvest the gemspark blocks. He didn't make a lot, but they were useful, and the mansion looked pretty nice and clean if not a little too bright for nighttime.
Before he could turn on his Drax, something shot him in the back. He staggered forward.
"What do you think you're doing?" an unfamiliar voice said.
He spun around. Monsters didn't chat. Nobody ever initiated conversation unless he walked up to them first. "Nothing?"
There was a girl a little younger than him, with a high ponytail and ugly christmas sweater. She narrowed her eyes and swung her massive sword at him. Jude jumped back instinctively and got struck anyway. "Okay, put down the... Flying Dragon. And we can talk this out." The closest thing he kept to a melee weapon was a Shadowflame Knife, but he kept to his staff and sentries anyway.
Her expression smoothed out. "Alright," she said. "I'm May. You are?"
"Jude. This is your place?"
"Yeah, what do you do?"
Jude shifted and leaned against the gemspark walls. "I guess I just study the world," he said. "I used to try to explore and become powerful, but..." He looked around. This was an entirely different world that he'd never seen before.
"Can I try something?" May said abruptly.
"Try what?"
She showed him his reflection in a magic mirror.
"Um... Charlie, are you sure we should be here?" Alissa whispered nervously, tying up her bushy blonde hair. Her brother glanced back at her from behind the wire gate and rolled his eyes.
"We were specifically told not to enter this place. That's exactly why we decided to go in the first place."
She rubbed a wire between her guitar-callused fingers. "I don't know... this entire place seems thick with magic."
Charlie shrugged. "So let's check it out." He dashed off to the entrance.
Alissa stuck her sneakers between the wires. "Charlie!" she yelled, voice hushed. "Wait for me!"
When she caught up to the building, she nervously brushed through her hair and the lights flickered on. It'd been a while since she used her magic, since it was hard to get into any hotspots on summer vacation.
Charlie lit up the rest of the way, and as Alissa walked through the hall open ahead of the door, she spotted a half-burnt curtain.
"Charlie?" she called, drawing magic into her voice. The mansion seemed bigger than she originally thought, and a fear of isolation started to creep up on her. "Come on. Let's stick together."
"Liss!" Charlie yelled from somewhere in front of her. Alissa started to sprint, her shoes sounding sharp on the dusty linoleum floors. "Look! It's great!"
She spotted the back of his head from a doorway and rushed in. "Charlie," she said, resting a hand on the doorframe, "Charlie, what did mom say about leaving me behind..."
Alissa swallowed and caught her breath.
There was a forest in the room, wavering like a mirage - or like an unstable barrier slash wormhole. She had no idea how magic like this could be sustained, or if Charlie just brought up an illusion to prank her (somehow, but this didn't look like the lead to a punchline). She furrowed her brows. "Charlie, what's that?"
"A wormhole, I think," he said. "I've read about it once. Or twice. Why would there be one in this house?"
"And who would keep it going?" Alissa followed, then shook her head, still staring at the forest. "That's probably a projection of some sort. Or nice scenery or something."
Charlie raised a brow and stuck his hand in. Alissa circled the forest portal thing and stared at her brother.
They had a brief impromptu staring contest.
"Okay, I got my hand stuck," he said.
"Ha! You blinked first wait um..." Alissa grabbed his arm. Her heart started pounding. "Seriously?"
"You think I'm joking?" Charlie exclaimed, tugging violently. "I can't get it out!"
"Okay, calm down!" she shrieked.
"You calm down!" he said. "Call... call Dr. Foray or something!"
Alissa sent up a beacon that anyone with decent magical practice should be able to find. She stared at Charlie's forearm. "I'm not gonna chop your hand off," she promised, eyes wide.
"Of course you're not," he said, still struggling.
"Yeah." Alissa slumped to the ground.
"We're gonna be here all night, aren't we?"
"I'll try to make us as comfortable as possible."
"We were specifically told not to enter this place. That's exactly why we decided to go in the first place."
She rubbed a wire between her guitar-callused fingers. "I don't know... this entire place seems thick with magic."
Charlie shrugged. "So let's check it out." He dashed off to the entrance.
Alissa stuck her sneakers between the wires. "Charlie!" she yelled, voice hushed. "Wait for me!"
When she caught up to the building, she nervously brushed through her hair and the lights flickered on. It'd been a while since she used her magic, since it was hard to get into any hotspots on summer vacation.
Charlie lit up the rest of the way, and as Alissa walked through the hall open ahead of the door, she spotted a half-burnt curtain.
"Charlie?" she called, drawing magic into her voice. The mansion seemed bigger than she originally thought, and a fear of isolation started to creep up on her. "Come on. Let's stick together."
"Liss!" Charlie yelled from somewhere in front of her. Alissa started to sprint, her shoes sounding sharp on the dusty linoleum floors. "Look! It's great!"
She spotted the back of his head from a doorway and rushed in. "Charlie," she said, resting a hand on the doorframe, "Charlie, what did mom say about leaving me behind..."
Alissa swallowed and caught her breath.
There was a forest in the room, wavering like a mirage - or like an unstable barrier slash wormhole. She had no idea how magic like this could be sustained, or if Charlie just brought up an illusion to prank her (somehow, but this didn't look like the lead to a punchline). She furrowed her brows. "Charlie, what's that?"
"A wormhole, I think," he said. "I've read about it once. Or twice. Why would there be one in this house?"
"And who would keep it going?" Alissa followed, then shook her head, still staring at the forest. "That's probably a projection of some sort. Or nice scenery or something."
Charlie raised a brow and stuck his hand in. Alissa circled the forest portal thing and stared at her brother.
They had a brief impromptu staring contest.
"Okay, I got my hand stuck," he said.
"Ha! You blinked first wait um..." Alissa grabbed his arm. Her heart started pounding. "Seriously?"
"You think I'm joking?" Charlie exclaimed, tugging violently. "I can't get it out!"
"Okay, calm down!" she shrieked.
"You calm down!" he said. "Call... call Dr. Foray or something!"
Alissa sent up a beacon that anyone with decent magical practice should be able to find. She stared at Charlie's forearm. "I'm not gonna chop your hand off," she promised, eyes wide.
"Of course you're not," he said, still struggling.
"Yeah." Alissa slumped to the ground.
"We're gonna be here all night, aren't we?"
"I'll try to make us as comfortable as possible."
Last edited: