10 Minute Tales, Part 2

Aug 21 - Glass Plains

The portal's energies shimmered behind him as it closed. He looked around, confused. The land was bright, making him squint, but the ground almost crunched underfoot. He looked, all the more perplexed. Was the ground made of some sort of... crystal? He knelt down and looked at it. It sparkled like crystal and this patch was a curious, pinkish colour.

"What do you think?" the mage asked. She had travelled through that portal before, she had known what to expect - her usual eyepieces were darker than normal and he couldn't see through them. "Beautiful place, isn't it?"

"Why don't you tell me what the hell kinda place this is?" he asked, closing his eyes. The glare was starting to dazzle him. "Maybe when you've done that, I can think about this place."

"Fine, boring guts. This is the Glass Plains. Guess why they're called that!"

"Because everything looks like it's made of glass?"

"Pretty much! Though it's actually all crystals."

"Wait, really?" he looked over the hills, all the more confused. He could see they were emerald-green, rolling plains of grass and beauty. "All of it?"

"Yup! Oh, careful you don't sink your bare feet into that "grass" over there." She winced, glancing at her own foot briefly. "Worth a warning."

"Right..." he lifted his sword again, readapting to the unusual weight. He wasn't ready for this weight, but he was slowly adapting to the sword's size. It almost felt... right to have it now. "Well, where are we going? I hear this is a pretty dangerous Circle to be in."

"Well, you're not wrong, but we're not going far. There's one advantage about this weird terrain, it's easy to see through even when you're underground." she marched on ahead. He scurried after her, surprised by her enthusiasm. 

-----

The gentle weather betrayed a powerful heat that seemed to sap every drop of water from his body. The mage seemed unaffected, one hand idly petting her familiar. Most familiars were satisfied lounging around and answer the occasional question. For the most part, they were limited to simple cantrips and basic spells. This familiar, however, was surprisingly capable with fire magic, and was prone to using it in his mistress' name. This familiar was now sniffing at the entrance to a cave. His large, fox-like ears bounced around gently s the mage and warrior talked.

"So... what are we looking for down there?" he asked. His eyes had all but adjusted to the intense light that now surrounded him. "You haven't actually told me yet."

"There's a rumour going around that one of the better soldiers Fell in this area."

"Wait, fell? What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, has nobody told you about the Bloodthirsty?" she rolled her eyes and looked at him, but got the surprise of her life when he looked back with genuine confusion. "Wait, you actually don't know?"

"Nope."

"Okay, well, uh..." she cleared her throat gently. "Okay, if you fall in battle in a Circle that's not the one your body was born in, your soul can only partially escape. Your body can't operate without a full soul, but it can absorb energy from the surrounding area to attempt to remake one.

"Sounds like there's a catch."

"Yup! If you become Bloodthirsty, your body will forever become the will of the Circle you were in at the time of your death." He winced. He hadn't heard this story, and given a choice he didn't seem like he wanted to.

"Sounds... fun."

"Trust me." she looked him dead in the eyes, all mirth gone. "It's really not."