Quests & Challenges

You check on your inventory again before embarking on the next stage of your mission. Your intern badge was delivered to you just this morning and it still looks impeccable. You slip the lanyard around your neck, making sure it rests comfortably between two of your spines. It cost some good prehnite to get one that looks this good. Even harder to get was your sight vial, as color-changing solutions are widely illegal and often unstable. You uncork the bottle and carefully drip the burning liquid into each eye. Your vision swims for a moment as bright cyan blooms across it. You blink a few times, though your world is still a bit tinted with it when it settles. According to the instructions that came with it the effect should last for twelve hours and the itching should disappear in the next fifteen minutes. Well at least you aren't blind! There is still one more piece to your ensemble. You grab a scroll from your bag and spread a talon over it, letting your magic absorb it into your scales. The skin you applied turns your spotted hide into something more complicated. Dark green rosettes and stripes draw themselves across your body, matching the picture on your ID perfectly. You are ready.

You circle the location where the new sanctum should be before landing. The building is just as impressive as the boys described; a huge shining dome with multiple chambers visible from the outside, stray lightning arcing across its surface and casting a cold glow. There is a starry Nocturne with blue circuits glowing under her skin waiting for you at, what you assume is, the front entrance. You flash her your badge and tell her you're here for an internship position at the sanctum.

She laughs and shakes her head, "The Sanctus Reactor, hon. Word must not be getting around as we hoped. Don't worry about it, easy mistake to make." You try to quickly control your expression as a flash of confusion takes over you. A reactor? Did the boys know? Did Gertrude? How long had they been hiding its location and where was the actual sanctum now? Your questions will have to wait until you pass your audition. For now you have to keep up the acting. The Nocturne looks down at her clipboard and asks for your name. You tell her Blush Dustthorne. The real Dustthorne was a Lightning exalt from six generations ago, but she wouldn't know that and would be too busy to check. "Blush...Blush..." she chews on her pen as she searches for your name. You know she won't find it. She growls in frustration, "Of course Tevven didn't bother to update the sheets this morning." As you knew; he was notorious among his coworkers for cutting corners.

The Nocturne offers you a tired smile. "Sorry hon, papers are out of date but there is a spot for you in the next orientation group. Head inside to the main hall just in front of antechamber four. You'll see a group already standing there. Please wait for your guide to arrive in exactly twenty-five minutes. I'll see to it a mistake like this doesn't happen again on your schedule." You thank her and proceed inside the massive dome. For better or worse, you're in.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/oPqekrh.png[/img] You stand at the enterance of the sanctorium, it took a bit mre sleuthing to figure out it's location but you found it. You knock on the havy metal door as it creaks open to find a dark green skydancer with light yellow eyes, "State your buissness and reason for coming." the skydancer said with upmost annoyance. [i]Say you're a volenteered intern or an electrician sent here to help? [b]Intern[/b] Electrician[/i] "I'm a volunteering as an intern." you say, your purple eyes trying to get a peek inside. "Name?" The skydancer says. [i]State your name or make up one? Real name [b]Make up name[/b][/i] "Flasi. My name is Flasi." You say as politely as you can. "Wait here. " The skydancer says leaving the door open as he dissapears into the halls. [i]Sneak in while the door is open or wait? Sneak in [b]Wait[/b][/i] You patiently wait for the skydancer to return as you peek into the sanctorium, as far as you can see there's as many halls as a maize as you can catch glimses of dragons walking past, carrying large metal objects. The skydancer returns and nods, "You've just been put on our list, please come this way as we need you in proper attire and to show you your dorm." You follow the skydancer through the windng halls of the sanctorium, the floor seems made of some sort of stone with an interesting attern, hanging pots filled with cacti are sare along the walls. You are now one step closer to your goal.

(((Send help, I can't squish everything into such a tiny wordcount!)))
((((Just joking, I'm working on thinning it down, I should manage before the due time.))))
((((I made the mistake of adding a character who likes giving long-winded lectures, and I'm stuck with five paragraphs instead of four.))))
(((((I'm having a lot of fun with this activity though! Thank you for the opportunity to practice my writing and develop some characters that I'd been neglecting! I might even put this in Laisa's bio when all's done...)))))
(((four and a half paragraphs now, and it's in four logical bits, the problem is that the last one is so very long...)))
((Slowly getting there... oh, this is exciting!))
(((Tried to shorten a subsection, made it longer instead. :/ )))
((Slowly, gradually... 45 more words to go...))
((Shortened it a bit.))
((Tried to shorten more, reworded things, counted the words again - no change.))
((26 stubborn words, how can I shorten it more? I will try...))
((One sentence relocated to paragraph three, 14 more words to go. I can do this!))
((Only 10 more! By the way, I love how inventive everybody's being with this, I hope my posts are just as interesting for others to read (they were certainly enjoyable for me to write!)))
(I fit it into the guidlines without losing the information I wanted to convey! Woo hoo! Go me!)

Agent: Detective Ferma

Frowning, I looked at the frumpy dress, complete with intricately pressed flowers and enough lace to wrap all of Sornieth in one giant cocoon. No, posing as a Grandmiester would not work --- besides, I hardly knew how to act. I peered at the other various assembled outfits in the closet and saw intern and technician costumes as well. They were certainly good choices to blend in, but I was hesitant as I wasn’t sure I wanted to have so much direct contact with others at the new Sanctum, should I accidentally give away my ruse. As I was absentmindedly flicking through the clothes, a new idea struck me. YES! Why hadn’t I thought of it before? Abandoning the closet, I flew outside and back to my own abode. I gathered all the materials necessary: a rusted toolbelt and hit, some cleaning supplies, gloves, and iron toe protectors, and set to work.

“How does this look,” I asked as I stepped out of my room. Flick was waiting for me outside, having followed me after departure from the Spy Wardrobe. He leaned back against the wall and had an expression indicating a mixture of exasperation, bemusement, and confusement. “I --- I don’t quite know what it’s supposed to be,” he confessed, looking slightly embarrassed. Chuckling, I replied, “It’s a cleaning staff uniform. I’m going to sign up for a night shift so that I can observe what goes on while there are relatively few dragons around.” I twisted a wrench on my toolbelt then asked, “But is it rather unconvincing? I made this outfit myself and not really sure if it’s completely accurate.” With Flick’s guidance, I made some minor tweaks to the contents of the belt as well as the collar and shoulder areas of the shirt. Once we were both confident in my disguise, we departed for the new Sanctum.

We were greeted by two burly security guards upon arrival at the entrance. They peered down at us over their bulky tuxedo suits and giant sunglasses that sparkled like crystals and barked, “halt! What business do you have here today?” Flick started squirming around uneasily and so I put out a claw to motion for him to calm down before answering, “I am a cleaning staff member about to report to duty. This here is my cousin who I still need to babysit from time to time and he’s here to apply for a position as a technician.” Even though I couldn’t see them behind those thick shades, I imagined the security guards’ eyes were squinting and judging us to determine if we were trustworthy enough to let into the secret building. Finally, one of them said gruffly, “OK, entry admitted. Go down the main hall, and turn right, then descend the stairs…” I made quick mental notes as the guard described the maze we would need to navigate through before arriving at the core facility. Once he finished giving directions, I gave him a nod of thanks and walked into the building, with Flick trailing a little behind.

The grandeur of the main lobby was breathtaking, with a high ceiling, several chandeliers and stone gargoyles perched on elaborately painted marble stands, and gold-pleated wall accents that ran the course of the entire space. There was soft classical music playing in the background and an occasional peal of laughter that came from the little bar that stood in the corner of the lobby, where several important officials were gathered. Flick and I hurried past the bar and made the first right through a small metal door, giving way to a series of winding and twisting turns and staircases through an ironbound maze. Wheezing and out of breath, we finally stood in front of the actual entrance to the operational unit of the Sanctum. It was a small, unassuming wooden door with chipped paint, but somehow it was more intimidating than all of the regality of the main lobby. Behind me, Flick murmured, “this is it.” I nodded numbly, then whispered back, “Remember to stick to the plan, Flick.” He inclined his head in return before returning to staring straight ahead. Letting out a sigh and with a heart full of trepidation, I reached out and slowly opened the door.

[center][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/scry?sdid=29763&skin=0&apparel=363,15138,16234,28819,23111,12192,352,337,23093,12930,7299&xt=dressing.png[/img][/center] Nix shuffles in his lab coat, re-adjusting the dangling strip of alchemist’s tools. It wasn’t hard to pose as one of the scientists here- the dragons of the Expanse seemed to dress like them regardless of their civilian status, and emulating their superiors in the workplace was the latest fashion trend. A simple trip to a local department store had secured him most of the items he needed to concoct his disguise. More specifically, Nix was posing as a compound engineer, one of the alchemists assigned to work on testing the chemical components used in the inventions of the Sanctum. From Dib’s ramblings, Nix had picked up that they tended to be rather asocial folks, and were rarely interrupted in their work unless they had a new assignment to fulfill. A perfect role for Nix- nobody would question his presence, but they also wouldn’t talk to him much at all. As the Sanctum loomed before him, Nix gathered his composure and flittered towards the gates. A rather imposing Guardian was, well, guarding the entrance, their face staunch and emotionally vacant. Clearly, they were focused on their job- and Nix realised with a stab of panic that he’d forgotten to procure a fake ID in the rush. Nix tried to steel his nerves the best he could, and flew up to the front gate. To the Guardian, he would have appeared as emotionless and ever- but Nix knew that if another Fae was present, they’d see his signs of anxiety in an instant. “Fresh meat, huh?” the Guardian commented, staring close at Nix’s diminutive form. Of course, they didn’t recognise him- while his appearance was fairly common here, it was likely that these Guardians knew the employee list of the Sanctum by heart. Nix simply stared at them, before remembering his classes in common dragon etiquette, and mechanically nodding his head. The Guardian snorted in amusement. “Damn Faes… alright, I’m going to need to see some identification. I know the Boss is always tryna snatch up interns for whatever whacked-out project he has going on, but I ain’t gonna let just anyone through here.” Nix’s headfins flattened straight against the back of his skull. Damn it- [i]damn it![/i] What was he meant to do now?! He made a show of patting his pockets, trying to think of an excuse, when a voice cut through the tension: “Hey, little man! I didn’t know you worked here too! Shoulda told me some of your own stories.” Dib’s snaking form flew up to Nix’s side, giving him a friendly (yet rather crude) thump to the side with one of his elbows. The Guardian’s eyes flickered between them, before growing soft. Nix’s heart leapt with hope, and flew up closer to Dib, as he began to chatter on about his latest exploits to the now-distracted guard. Not willing to let the chance slide, Nix raced past the two of them, nothing more than a copper-coloured blur in the morning light.

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45626786][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/456268/45626786.png[/img][/url] [i]Interviews conducted, Laisa had come to the conclusion that some big power source was being constructed, but it seemed as though even the three dragons who had worked on it didn't know the whole story. Time to go in, Laisa decided. She'd found out all she could from second-hand accounts, now she needed to have a look at the project herself. First idea, of course, was to say she'd come in response to the poster offering intern jobs. However, the fact that none of those who'd answered it were seen outside again hinted that she'd be likely stuck inside for the whole six months if she followed this line of investigation. Her second idea was to attach a camera to one of the guards or prospective interns, but that too had to be dismissed - the lightning dragons knew their gadgets like she knew the air currents, and would no doubt have some method in place for detecting unauthorised recording devices. The might even trace it back to her, and that'd be disastrously conspicuous. Then she thought of plan C... "Pleeeeeease, I know you could help me!" she pleaded, but the fins of the Arcane fae in front of her remained rigid and disapproving. She'd given him a very brief rundown of her investigation, and asked for his help with getting her inside and then back out again. Arkan was a loyal and devoted Arcanite, and a highly skilled mage. He also didn't approve of entering one of the Oculus' sanctums without permission. "Quite possibly I could, but that doesn't mean I will." he told her. "A sanctum of the Oculus of Eleven is to be treated with respect, and I won't have any part in your scheme to barge in when it is clear that you are not welcome there. If a Magister of the Oculus does not wish to let you in, then that is-" "But she didn't not let me in! Magister Gertrude was evicted from the construction site, and they're going to destroy the stone sanctum inside!" "They're WHAT?" Arkan's head fins stretched out so far either side of his face that he looked as though he wanted to use them as a second pair of wings - that's how amazed he was at the news. "How do you know?" he asked, once some of the shock wore off. "Magister Gertrude said so herself. Well actually, she muttered it under her breath after we'd finished talking, but I was still close enough to hear. She sounded most upset." "Hmm." Now Arkan's fins flicked back and forth as he pondered. "That is worrying news indeed. Tell me everything you've found out so far." Laisa gave him a full account of all she had learned over the past few days - as a reporter she knew how to be concise but thorough when necessary. "We need to know the details, and then I must report to the Oculus of Eleven personally, if letters aren't getting through. Somebody must be intercepting them, and this is information if the highest importance." "So you'll help me?" "Of course. It is vital that the Oculus know the truth of what is happening in the Lightning sanctum, and it is a lot easier for me to cast a projection of you into that building site than to cast a projection of myself. Lightning dragons are incredibly ingenious, and they take security seriously, you know. Come to my working room, we mustn't lose time." "Projection...?" Laisa asked, eyeing the geometrical signs and magical runes that Arkan was chalking on the stone floor. "Well, think. If I teleport you there, your body heat for instance will give you away regardless of invisibility spells. Without knowing what their detectors are monitoring, I can't mask your presence completely for certain. So rather than teleport you, I'll send your projection. Now lie down within that outline." Arkan gestured towards a large chalk circle. Laisa tentatively landed inside the circle. "Your body will remain here, but your consciousness will leave it. Your projection will enter the sanctum. It won't interact with the physical plane, so walls aren't a problem. Being invisible, with no breath, heat, nor movement to detect you shouldn't trigger any alarms, provided you don't use magic. You'll be just like a ghost." "Is this safe?" she asked, casting an apprehensive glance at Arkan. The way his deep magenta eyes shone made her nervous. Laisa shivered; she didn't want to be 'like a ghost'! "Fairly safe." he replied, perching on his tail in a second circle, towering over her prone form. "Close your eyes." Bravery in a reporter is essential, Laisa reminded herself, clenching her eyes shut...[/i][/center]

@SkyDagger xD I can totally relate! Thanks for letting me know. Here is the post for today ;3 ------ Day 3 [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190731/ab02da9c80750e2976e450ac0dfaf8e1.png[/img] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=53024726][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/battlesprites/530248/53024726.png[/img][/url] [/center] After a fun night out with Dip and Flick – who both got home with a certain swaging in their tread – the agent had gathered some more interesting information about what was currently going in the Shifting Expanse, as well as a new lead for further investigations. Eridani would have to get closer to this Chief Engineer Craklinne to get to the bottom of things. But, what kind of action should he take… there was only so much one could do behind the scenes and it seems like, Eri had reached the dead end for this case. Sighing deeply the dragon continued his stroll through the busy city, deeply lost in his thoughts. The festivities had already begun a while ago and the streets were filled with dragons from all over Sornieth and Eridani had to wave his way through them all without getting knocked down. Being a Spiral really came in handy in these situations. Curled up in his temporary location, Eridani gave the ‘[i]infiltration[/i]’ plan another careful consideration. He still wasn’t overly thrilled by the idea of some direct field action, but this time was bound to happen. Somehow he had to contact that Chief Engineer or someone close to him to get into the facility without getting found out immediately. Getting there as some sort of inspector was out of question – that was just too obviously confrontational for Eri’s taste. Presenting himself to them as a technical or electrical technician might do the job: he would be able to operate inside his field of expertise right in the middle of the Sanctum’s epicenter and the whole action. At the other hand they would surely keep a close eye on a newcomer this late in the game. It would be troublesome to get around under prying eyes and quite easy to rise suspicion while sneaking around. Also, the agent wasn’t sure he could keep his concentrated passion about engineering in check 24/7 while working this close with other amazing minds, thereby outing himself as somewhat more than a normal technician. Thinking back to the initial advertisement from that news parchment the best course of action for Eridani might be enlisting as a simple intern with working knowledge that still needed some polish up. And so, the agent came up with a new background story for himself: A young lightning dragon with a keen interest in this kind of work field, but with limited knowledge about the trade. One eager to learn and finally leave home for some adventure! That way Eridani would be able to move around more freely and even when they catch him in the act of snooping around, his taken on ‘[i]curious[/i]’ and ‘[i]a bit naïve[/i]’ characteristics could mask it to some degree. As intern he would have limited access to the real interesting stuff, but again, a bit of technical ‘[i]playing around to train oneself[/i]’ could to the trick if played right. Also, they might be more interested to hire that kind of gullible dragon easy to get rid of, over a more sophisticated one. The decision made and all the agent had to do now was presenting himself as an intern candidate to the ones responsible for recruiting. The meeting place for the interview was quite off the beaten track and the dragon sitting across Eridani didn’t seem that motivated in the conversation. Usually, an internship was supposed to be an opportunity to get to take on a career without making any serious commitments, providing one with experiences, lessons, and the tools one would need to get a full-time gig in the future. They should be a great way to enhance both the company and the intern's capability on a business perspective. In short, the company gets a pair of fresh eyes and mind to think out of the box to come with innovative solutions. But not in this case it seems: the interviewer went over just a few halfhearted questions about Eridanis family background and skills before giving him the intern spot right away. Even if the agent would not be suspicious about the New Sanctuary, that interview would have raised red flags by no later than that moment. What did they so desperately needed dragon power for that they didn’t even care about the ones hired even in the slightest?! Time to find out!

Day Three

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“Okay Kaja you know what to do right?” Leonis gave Kaja a weary look. She needed to stay hidden in his mane so that when they entered the sanctum she could climb out and move around unnoticed. “Yes Leonis I know the drill. I am to stay hidden until you give the signal and than I am to look around and find information that can help the case.” Kaja said with a huff. Following directions was not one of Kaja’s strong suits, to say the least. “Just understand Kaja that this is very important for our mission.” Kaja shook her head in understanding and went inside Leonis’ mane to hide.

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Leonis walked up to the gate that was before the long path that lead up to the sanctum. Leonis was dressed from head to toe in a business suit. His suit was a black jacket with electric blue trim that would light up as his feet hit the ground. He was dressed as a high manager sent from the Tempest Spire itself. His role was simple in all of this, get Kaja in so she could do what she needed to do. That meant saying whatever he needed to say to sound believable.
Leonis finally reached the door to the sanctum. This building was massive and glowing with a bright cyan light as if something was creating energy from inside it. “Remember Kaja, stay quiet.” Leonis felt a ruffle in his mane as if she was saying I know. Leonis took that as a sign to continue to move forward. He was stopped by a ridgeback, this ridgeback was a bright copper color. He had sectored skin as if he was an insect and a deep green capsule of liquid sitting on his midside. The ridgeback called out to him. “Sir state your name and rank.” Leonis called back with. “My name is high manager Zap.” Leonis was proud of himself, he has done his research and knew that one of the main four followers of Stormcatcher himself was named Zap. The ridgeback looked taken aback but quickly got down on one knee. “ High manager Zap why did you not let us know you were on your way? I would have made sure this place was a lot cleaner.” The ridgeback had a scared look on his face as he thought Leonis was going to scold him. “I didn’t announce my coming because I left in a hurry for the Tempest Spire.” Leonis said with an air of dignity, trying to play his part to the fullest. “Well Mr.Zap I won’t keep you waiting anymore come inside please.” The ridgeback opened the door and Leonis made his way inside.

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“Mind if I get a bite to eat?” Leonis said to the ridgeback as he was showing him around the basics. “Yes Mr.Zap we can totally get you something to eat, follow me.” The ridgeback turned down a hallway and lead to a small kitchen. “You can have whatever you like from our kitchen Sir. I will leave you here to eat and be right back, I need to check on a group if you don’t mind.” Leonis knew that this was his chance to be alone so Kaja could be released. “Yes I do believe that would be alright, take your time so I can have a minute to eat.” Leonis waved his hand to dismiss the small ridgeback from the room. The ridgeback took his queue to leave and left in a hurry. Leonis let out a massive sigh of relief and whistled a small tune to queue Kaja to come out. “Finally. I can come out now it was starting to get hot in all that fluff.” Said Kaja as she pushed herself out of Leonis’ mane. “Get going Kaja, the ridgeback could be back at any moment.” Kaja didn’t even fight back, just leapt to her feet and jumped to a nearby ceiling vent. “Be careful my friend.” Said Leonis as Kaja moved into the vent. “I will.” Said Kaja as she disappeared…..

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@Alfamangle @MessengerDragon @Juri01 @Hikaye @Lhumyaki @Okapi @moissi @gaymiens @Espoir @mintea00 @LordMaroo @Runi @dividedAnimus @SilverQuark @RockyLemons [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=51886422] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/518865/51886422_350.png[/img] [/url] Day 4. (Don't panic you still have a bit of time to submit yesterday's entry) The security is tight but your forged identification scans authentic. The security detail leads you toward the huge copper dome of the new Stormcatch Sanctum and you can't help but be impressed by the massive structure. As you pass through the entrance, you settle into your character and stay alert for information gathering opportunities. [b]You have until Thursday, August 1st 10:38:28 FR time to submit your entry.[/b] [b]You still have until Wednesday (today), July 31st 11:18:13 FR time to submit your entry for yesterday.[/b] Note: I need to visit the dentist and am unsure as to when I'll be together enough to answer any questions. So apologies in advance if I'm slow to respond.