Too Late

The sun shone and the Kintharians dug. The pit became deeper and deeper and the temperature continued to rise as the days passed.

At sunset, the 100 nomads stopped digging by mutual agreement and used the excavated soil and rock to bury themselves in the same pit they had been digging all day long. This earth and rock, still warm from absorbing the concentrated sunlight, became the perfect vessel to invigorate and nourish their exhausted bodies.

Without realizing it, day after day these Kintharians began to dig faster and faster. They took fewer breaks, slept less, ate and drank less. At the same time, they were not aware of it, but the temperature had already exceeded what their former bodies could bear.

After about a month in the simulation, the lush jungle had withered around the pit, dehydration and an unexpected fire having taken its toll on its unquenchable vitality. About 30% of the Kintharians finally showed their limit, failing to keep up with their peers.