OC: Miriam
Fandom: N/A but also sort of Korbois
Species: Elf

Note: Korbois are a made-up species created by my friend PhantasmagoricalVoid . Baaierd are a made-up species created by me.

I am a Disney Princess.

Well, I'm not, but I feel like it sometimes, when I'm working on the sanctuary. Sometimes the Korbois let me brush their manes. Sometimes the pegasi let me ride them. Sometimes the jackalopes let me pet them. Sometimes the Baaierd give me hugs with their tails.

Well, on that last one, I don't know whether it's a hug or a murder attempt, but they're too cute for me to care.

Unfortunately, today I won't be a Disney Princess. I have to do the dirty part of my job. No, it's not cleaning the manticore's cave. It's not scooping dragon poop.

It's the most dangerous part, but it's also my favorite.

I pull out my transport prism and hold it up to the sky. The light shines through, forming a rainbow on the ground that quickly becomes a portal.

"Alright," I mumble. "What's in this world again? Right. Giants."

I grimace. Giants don't tend to come to the sanctuary easily. They vary from world to world - some are more agreeable than others - but from my general experience, they are quite stubborn.

Lilith, the Baaierd who has apparently decided that I am her human, scampers up onto my shoulder and makes a demonic little adorable chittering noise.

"Calm down," I reply, the translator in my ear ringing with Lilith's angry scoldings. "I won't be gone for long."

I push Lilith off my shoulder and step into the portal.

On the other side, I find a world that is already deteriorating. Whole chunks of it seem to be missing, like a video game that hasn't loaded properly. The sky was originally pink, but now it's just a faded grey and still dimming fast.

I don't recognize any of the rocks and crystals that grow all over in this part of the world, but I don't really care about rocks anyway. I search the ground for plants that could be salvaged, or tracks of the creatures I'm trying to save before their world completely falls apart.

Using magic, I test the air for toxic gases, pollen, or anything else that could be either dangerous or useful. I find a little bit of pollen and, concentrating the light dancing on my fingertips, contract it into a vial. If I can't find the parent plant, the species will still live on through cross-breeding.

I'm in a shallow depression in the ground, about ten feet wide and four feet deep. I climb out, look back, and gulp with dread.

The depression was a footprint.

A giant's footprint.

Not only will the size make communication hard, it's also an indication that giants in this world are much larger than anything I've dealt with. As of right now, the biggest creature in the sanctuary is a dragon named Greg who basically only eats, sleeps, and wakes up to sneeze fire before returning to his slumber on his hoard of fool's gold that I convinced him was real.

I focus my magic around the area, looking for fallen skin cells or another form of DNA. I find nothing, which doesn't particularly surprise me. This giant could be made of rock or something. Some creatures can't be replicated through biology.

I see another footprint up ahead, about a hundred feet away from the first one. I follow the trail.

I find the plant that was probably the source of the pollen - tiny flowers that grow in a sort of moss-like plant. I gather the plant and some of the soil and continue.

The crystals in the ground get taller until they're like a forest of tall, translucent spires of all colors.

I come across two mounds of crystal and freeze.

This formation does not seem natural, neither for crystals themselves nor this particular ecosystem. I carefully approach the mounds.

As I do, they start to shift and move. I suck in my breath and take a step back as the two giants rise up, towering several hundred feet above me. They look like they're made of chunks of crystal. Their eyes are small and glow slightly.

I get down on my knees. It doesn't work for all creatures, but it works for most - a sign of submission. "I mean you no harm," I say slowly.

The giants stare.

I shift uncomfortably, not making eye contact. I slowly get up from the ground. "Can you understand me?" I ask.

The giants say something to each other in a language my translator can't interpret. It's like the sound that plays in movies whenever there's crystals involved - bells, sort of. One of them crouches down and picks me up between its index finger and thumb. It could very easily crush me, but I force myself to remain calm as the giant brings me to eye level.

My translator is buzzing, trying to interpret the language of these crystal giants. Finally, a translation comes through.

"What is it?"

"I dunno."

"Helpful."

I press a finger to my translator. With any luck, it should mimic the language and project it back to the giants as I speak. "You are in danger," I say slowly, so the device can effectively translate it. "Your world is falling apart. I know a safe place."

"Home," the giant holding me replies.

"Yes, I know this is your home," I say. "But you are not safe if you stay here."

The giant narrows his tiny eyes. "Plenty safe."

I grunt. "See these missing pieces, in the crystal? More will keep disappearing until there's nothing left."

"Missing..."

"Yes," I say, then repeat, "I know a safe place."

"Safe."

I take out my prism and show it to the giant. "See? Crystal. Crystals are safe, right?"

I create a portal, then feed it with my magic until the rainbow light is big enough for the giants. It takes several minutes. By the end of it, I'm exhausted. "Safe," I pant. "Please, come."

"Safe," the giants echo, and step through the portal.

I breathe a sigh of relief and follow them.

If the data on this world is accurate, these giants are the only life forms in that world besides plants. And most of the plants are variants of the mossy stuff I found before, so I should be fine on that front as well.

We arrive back at the sanctuary. The magical creatures are already used to strange new friends coming in, so they are unfazed by the fact that the trees are being snapped like toothpicks. They move a safe distance away and continue whatever they were doing.

"Here," I say. "Home."

Despite my exhaustion, I raise my hands. One of the advantages of learning to create my own worlds is that I can do whatever I like with them. Light flows in from around me and I weave it, in a way. And then I release it.

The trees in the area become crystal spires. I scatter the soil I found earlier, and it replicates, covering the ground. The mossy plants sprout and spread.

"Home," one of the giants agrees.

"For you and many others," I say. "Respect them. Do not crush their homes. What do you eat?"

"Eat?" The giants ask. "We do not... eat."

"No hunger?"

"No hunger," one of the giants agrees, sounding confused.

I nod. "Make yourself at home. Be considerate of the other residents. Be careful not to squish them."

"No squish," a giant repeats, nodding. "We will not squish."

"Thank you," I say, smiling.

That went surprisingly well. I managed to get to that world before it had degraded very far. There were no panicked pleas or desperate attempts at persuasion or even force, which I've had to use sometimes to save creatures who don't understand what's happening.

"Crystal giants," I muse to myself as I head back to my own home. "Much nicer than their stone counterparts."

I chuckle to myself as I open the door. Lilith jumps on my shoulder and wraps her tail around my arm.

I still have a lot of work to do, but that was two more species saved. I sit down on the couch and let out a sigh.

Some worlds are still being threatened, but the danger is not immediate.

I can relax first.