Writing Championships #5

Sapphire Simps

Hermitcraft was a land filled with magic, its essence easily seen and felt across the land. It glowed with the softest of hues at the hands of each hermit, used well and masterfully by its welders. Over centuries of practice and research, it had become what it was today; an asset to its users, and a tool used for the greatest of goods. After its initial discovery in ores buried deep underneath the ground, the abilities of this magic were vastly expanded upon, and had turned into something potent. Every member was silently aware of the power they possessed, and the consequences of misusing their abilities.

In the past, the entire wizard populace had suffered for the consequences of their own greed. They learnt the hard way that magic derived from themselves, and to use it carelessly was to negate the value of lives and souls, taking away energy until there was nothing left. When the wizards finally stepped back to observe their own hard work, they finally took notice of the greenery that surrounded their development; lifespan of the common people had reduced dramatically. People revolted, and eventually broke off in their own little factions, living their own new life, with their own new rules. Hermitcraft was one such faction, and it was imperative that magic was used for nothing but good.

"Magic is a destructive force, but it can be used for good. You may only use magic for good."

That was the first rule enstated by the chief wizard Xisuma, the leader of this brave new world.

Of course, there were always moments when they exempted themselves from that unspoken rule in the name of fun, bickering and fighting one another in wars that ravaged the entire server. Not too long ago, they had indulged in a Turf War, well and fully abusing their powers to play tricks on their fellow hermits and enhance the growth of both grass and fungi. By the end of it all, both teams would come together and repair the damage that had been done. At the end of the day, they remained friends.

"Magic is also derived from oneself. Do not abuse this ability, nor your body."

This one was harder for hermits to follow, forever carried away by the prospect of progress, and nothing else. Still, no incident had occurred till date.

So, it was just another day for the server. The hermits flew about almost mindlessly, restocking shops and building bigger and better structures, wherever they chose to.

Scar stood before Aquatown, his newest project on Hermitcraft. The space he occupied was huge, but he was absolutely loving the work and the sense of accomplishment that came with it. Ever since he rose into power as mayor, the shopping district felt alive, abuzz with the effects of his own magic. Now, he was looking ahead, ready to leave a second mark upon the server, this time in the form of one of the largest shops on the server.

Scar looked around him as he imagined what the place would look like once he terraformed it. Maybe he'll add a few rocks somewhere and definitely add some more green bushes on top of some hills that the wizard would possibly pull around a building. After a few more seconds of observing his surroundings, Scar had come to a conclusion on what he wanted Aqua Town to look like. The brunette rolled his sleeves up to start on making the image in his head a reality.

Scar used the magic in his fingertips to start terraforming the landscape. He raised the ground around a massive building, forming a small green slope around it. Next, he decided the hill could use some flowers to add some other colours and with a snap of Scar's fingers, a variety of flowers sprouted from the ground. However, there was something not quite right about the terraforming he had done, Scar could feel it in his guts. Maybe it needed less flowers?

Scar played around with the terraforming for a few minutes. He couldn't quite figure out what he needed to do to make it feel right. Scar racked his brain for ideas until he remembered about his idea of adding bushes. The brunette chuckled to himself at being so forgetful as he grew some bushes with lush green leaves from his fingertips.

A while after Scar started to grow bushes, the wizard stood back to look at his handiwork from a further distance. There were now some bushes among the flowers and the greenery complimented the building he terraformed around. All in all, it wasn't bad, but Scar knew he could do better than that. The wizard glanced at the other buildings that he needed to terraform. It was going to be exhausting but Scar didn't care. Scar didn't care at all. He was going to finish terraforming this landscape even if Scar was going to regret his decision.

The magic coming from his fingers began to fade. He ignored it and continued to push and pull the hills around his new building. It was mesmerizing to watch him work, the landscape seemed to mold under his touch.

Scar's breathing became laboured as the magic faded even more. Irritated with his weakness he pushed himself even further. He focused on keeping the light spewing from his hands bright but he quickly became light-headed. He fell to his knees and cursed himself. It was more than just getting this done on time, he wished he had more strength. He wanted to be able to push mountains with his powers. He wanted to bend the landscape so much that it would be unrecognizable. He wanted... well he wanted everything.

He stood up weakly and poured all his energy into the magic between his fingers. It coursed through his head and veins until it poured out of his hands. He liked the way it felt, consuming his whole body.

His legs no longer supported him and he collapsed to the ground again, but this time when he tried to move the hills, no magic came. He tried again but the light no longer coursed through his body. Scar could hardly breathe but he tried again and again until a dim stream of light came through his fingers.

The hills in front of him were barely moving and he screamed in frustration, finally letting himself close his eyes. 'If I can't have everything, why am I even trying?'

"Scar!" The Wizard heard his name being called, something lifting Scar off the ground and holding the mayor in a warm embrace. His vision was blurry and his eyelids heavy, Scar's chest felt heavier with every breath he took. He was tired, so very tired. Scar could barely keep himself awake, curling up in a small ball in the warm embrace of a friend's tight hold on him. "Has the world always been this cold?" Scar asked under his breath with a weak laugh, looking to the figure that held him. Bdubs looked down at the mayor with color draining from his face rapidly, he was horrified at the sight of the sickly male. Scar's magic was completely drained, his body weak and frail, and Bdubs could feel the terraformer's magic fleeting."Scar, what did you do you idiot?!" Bdubs yelled harshly, which he instantly regretted. He didn't know how to handle something like this. He was more nervous than he had ever been in his life, but if showed that emotion to Scar, then the mayor himself would worry. Bdubs put on a brave face, standing up with the mayor in his arms. He could feel his heart in his throat and his legs shaking, but there wasn't any time to waste. "I-I'll get Stress, she can help-"

The mayor looked down at the palm of his hands, the normal faint glow of magic no longer present on the tips of his fingers. He looked up at Bdubs who was running through the shopping district in search of Stress. Scar curled up tighter in the male's arms, he felt like every ounce of energy was now gone.

"B-bdubs...."

"Don't say it, Scar!" He snapped as if he had read the mayor's thoughts, Scar looking away from Bdubs and back at his hand, slowly closing it into a fist. Even that took a tremendous amount of effort.

"Bdubs..." Scar repeated in a soft voice, barely a whisper as it slipped out from between his lips, but the mayor's assistant didn't look down at the sickly wizard, he was too determined to get Scar help before things could get worse. The mayor choked and coughed as Bdubs continued to search for someone, anyone that could help. He didn't have his communicator and he wasn't sure if he could fly while holding Scar. He was so distressed, Bdubs didn't know what to do or what choice to make to try and save Scar's life. He was torn, barely able to think straight. His mind snapped back when the terraformer choked out another weak cough, Bdubs looking down at Scar. His eyes were pale, and they were losing their familiar bright-green color.

"B-bdubs please...I think my magic is gone.."

"No! You're going to be okay! I swear!"

"Bdubs..." Scar said quietly one last time, Bdubs' legs jerking to a stop as he looked down at the pale mayor that rested in his arms. He smiled at Bdubs before slowly shutting his eyes, the wizard's body beginning to glow a light shade of green. A light breeze shook the grass below Bdubs' feet, as Scar's body slowly faded away into small glowing particles of magic, the body of the mayor disappearing from his assistance's arms.

Score: 10