In the subdued glow of the underground realm, the air was thick with a palpable sense of expectation. Lassim, feeling the weight of his responsibility, stood before one of the ancient shrines dedicated to Khaalseru.
Sanvra, standing beside him, watched intently, her eyes reflecting the flicker of the torchlight off the underground’s light sources. "[Remember, my star, don’t push yourself too hard]," she advised. "[We can take as long as we need to cleanse this realm.]"
Lassim nodded, his expression serious as he focused on the shrine before him.
The shrine itself was a stark structure, adorned with offerings and the skeletal remains of creatures long passed. The main point was that this particular shrine rested on top of a clay pot that once housed a unique fruit-bearing plant in its soil.
"[Don’t worry. It’s just a small test based on your ideas.]," he murmured, extending his hands towards the shrine.
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His palms faced the cold dead dirt, and he took a deep breath to center himself.
Slowly, a faint glow began to emanate from his hands, the air around them crackling with the nascent power of his lightning.
He directed this energy toward the shrine, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Then the electricity that arced from his fingers.
As it struck the surface of the pot, it didn’t damage or scorch; instead, it seemed to seep into the stone surface and into the soil, causing the reddish, corruption-stained surface to lighten and the dirt turned more brown in nature, as if a weight had been lifted from them.
Sanvra stepped forward, her own abilities attuned to the changes happening before them. "[Look!]," she pointed to the base of the shrine, where small, tenacious little gray colored buds struggled to break through to the surface.
As the purified mana began to spread deeper into the soil, the budding plant visibly changed; their initial withered, gray hues began to fade, replaced by a hint of green vitality.
"[Your theory… it’s working!]," Lassim breathed, a mixture of relief and awe in his voice.
He watched as the area around the shrine, starting from life returning to the plant and soil, slowly transformed. The air around felt lighter, cleaner, and even the faint oppressive aura that had always lingered seemed to have receded a bit. It wasn’t rushing back to recorrupt the shrine again.
Sanvra, meanwhile, was meticulously recording the changes.
She waved her hand over a piece of weathered hide, releasing glowing blue runes that burned the hide, her script writing fast. "[This is significant]," she mused aloud. "[The purified mana not only revitalizes the flora but also seems to be sustaining it. We need to understand whether this effect is temporary or if we’re truly reversing the corruption.
I’ll take a record of it and see how long this lasts.]"
Encouraged by their success, Lassim and Sanvra moved to another area where they began to extend the range of his cleansing to their food storage area.
He walked slowly around the storehouse hovel, sending controlled pulses of lightning into the ground and air, attempting to rid the corruption.
With each step, the lifeless earth seemed more healthy and he would also absorb parts of it into his cultivation.
Every bit of this cleansed mana felt like some sort of super drug to his body. The intensity of power in every tiny fraction of the mana was so empowering. He felt like he would soon reach Spirit Growth level 3 by the end of tomorrow if he was able to keep this up.
Sanvra followed him, observing the effects. "[This is the first hopeful sign we’ve had in generations]," she said, her voice tinged with emotion. "[Your lightning is acting as if you’re breathing life back into the land. It’s remarkable.]"
As they worked, a small crowd of Drow gathered, drawn by the unusual activity and the strange, fresh aroma of deep, earthy dirt permeating the air.
They watched in silence, their expressions a mix of curiosity.
After several hours, Lassim paused, sweat beading on his forehead from the exertion and concentration required to manipulate his power so delicately. It was a unique training regime and the longer he did it the better his control felt over lightning.
He looked around at the small sanctuary inside the food storehouse that he had created, the cave walls looked less bleak and more healthy, and the dried meats and seeds and leaves all looked incredibly more appetizing.
"[This… this will really change everything]," he said, turning to Sanvra. "[If we can expand and create more cleansed sanctuaries…]"
Sanvra nodded, her eyes scanning the vibrant hovel he had nurtured. "[Yes, we can first create a network of these purified zones down here and improve everyone’s living spaces. Then, if it’s interconnected with the ground above, this could also potentially gradually restore larger areas. Step-by-step, this can lead to us cleansing the entire realm!]"
Lassim felt a surge of determination. "[Then let’s plan for that. We’ll need to map out strategic locations and conserve resources. Let’s start from the most essential areas to growing foods first.]"
Sanvra agreed, her mind already racing with plans and possibilities. "[I’ll gather the other leaders and explain what we’ve achieved here today.]"
She then called out to one of the nosey Drow that had been watching them all day and asked them to fetch her aides so that they could gather the others for the explanation.
As Lassim observed the changes in the newly purified zone, he felt the weight of responsibility settle more heavily upon his shoulders.
With only his unique ability of lightning control suitable for the task of cleansing the corruption, and the fact that Zaphy and Mari were still fast asleep, the pace of their progress depended solely on him.
Sanvra, sensing his contemplation and the solitude it imposed on the surrounding air, joined him at the edge of the cleansed zone. "[Lassim, I see the burden you carry,]" she said gently. "[We cannot wield your power, but we are not fully helpless. We can support your efforts in other ways. The recovery in ability to grow and sustain some foods will buy us much needed time.]"
Lassim nodded, looking out over the slowly revitalizing area. "[I know, and I appreciate all the help. But I worry about the speed at which we’re making progress. There’s so much area to cover, and I’m only one person. How long will this take before we have a chance to get out of here? Not only for your sake, but I’m sure my family is worried about me.
I promised I’d send letters in a few months from now, checking in with them, but… if I’m stuck here for longer than that…]"
Sanvra placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "[We will find ways to expedite the process. I’m sure of it. Perhaps we can prepare the areas ahead of your cleansing, ensuring that everything is ready for you to work as efficiently as possible. We can remove physical obstacles and gather information about the most heavily corrupted in-land areas to target first.
We’ll treat each area like an infected wound that needs careful treatment. We’ll prepare the ground, and you’ll heal it.]"
Encouraged by her positivity, Lassim gave a grim smirk in acknowledgement, but was still a bit downcast. "[Thanks Sanvra. I’m sure it’ll help.]"
Sanvra, while waiting for the leaders to arrive, took a moment to draw a map on the back of another beast hide she seemed to pull out of nowhere.
Lassim hadn’t noticed it before, but he didn’t even feel a mana fluctuation or anything else when the item just appeared out of thin air. He recognized it must be part of the space manipulation ability she had.
Sanvra then began to sketch the layout of the underground village’s facilities on the map, marking and ranking the spots they planned to cleanse next.
The map slowly filled with annotations, each note a strategy to maximize their efforts. "[We’ll start with our previous water supply next,]" she suggested, her finger tracing a path to a nearby underground spring that had been tainted for centuries.
"[We’ve switched to melted snow in the last few centuries but clean water directly from a larger source will improve everyone’s health and spirits immensely.]"
Lassim nodded, the fatigue evident in his eyes but a spark of resolve burning brighter. "[And after that, we can move probably towards the living quarters. If we can make the environment healthier where everyone sleeps, it might allow everyone to get better nights of sleep. It may even help with Zaphy and Mari wake up sooner,]" he added, his voice tinged with hope.
The leaders of the Drow community finally arrived and Sanvra began her explanation by briefing on the day’s achievements. They now gave Lassim a look filled with a newfound respect and gratitude.
After hearing the plans, they offered their pledges of support, promising to mobilize their resources and people to prepare each site according to the plan. The atmosphere was one of cautious optimism; Lassim’s success had ignited a flame of hope in the hearts of the Drow that they had long since stopped caring for.