Creative Corner

@Petall

Yes. Much Yes.

(see what I did there?)

[center][font=Lora][size=6]Chapter Thirty One[/size] [size=5]Silver[/size][/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hzvonpzcngbad5x/shadowtop2.png[/center][/img] [font=lora][size=4]Silver stared at the Wildclaw male as he bored invisible holes into the grass with his downward-pointing eyes. She turned to her friends again - they stared back at her incredulously. Hephestia’s words echoed at the back of her head: “You have every right to make decisions.” ironically mocking her that it was her that was to make the choice. The Skydancer looked as pitiful as her mate, both their eyes avoiding Silver’s line of sight. “I [i]can[/i] provide the both of you a home…” Silver’s voice trailed off, observing how their eyes lit up. “I’m their leader,” she continued, drawing strength from Hephestia’s words. “I guess I could take you guys in,” The Wildclaw and Skydancer smiled at them gratefully. “Thank you.” The group returned to their iridescent pink cave not only with the clan’s breakfast but with two additional clanmates. Along the way, the Skydancer and Wildclaw explained how they were in such a situation. Silver and her group learnt that they had actually been leaders of an Ice clan. In a shaky voice, the Skydancer explained that just a few days ago the Shade had put an end to their entire clan, that was now reduced to her and her mate, who was called Glacier and she, Snowflake. The two of them had fled to the Starfall Isles up north from their home, the Southern Icefield, in hopes of escaping the Shade’s lethal grasp on their powers. “At least you’re more or less safer now,” the chatty Starfire said after Snowflake and Glacier finished their tragic tale. Their cave was much neater and livable when they returned. Silver’s dragons had tidied up the rocky place and filled it up with soft leaves and logs. There were logs used as dividers for each dragon’s sleeping den, making the cave much more orderly. [i]Perfect for the newcomers.[/i] Silver hoped that they would feel happy in her clan and that she was doing the right thing. As they waltzed into the camp-cave, a cheery Misty, followed by Raven, popped out from behind one of the logs. “Welcome ba-oh! We have visitors!” Misty exclaimed, her emerald green eyes darting between the two new faces. Silver and her hunting group dropped all the food in a little pile, before explaining that the new faces were new clan mates. The other dragons began to appear too, curious to know what was all the commotion about. Snowflake and Glacier greeted Silver’s dragons - that is - all but Raven, who was casting frowns at Silver. “What?” Silver asked, moving to stand next to a rather bothered Raven. “It’s him. It’s that dragon. The one who wanted to push me away from their clan,” he growled back in reply, his eyes sharp, glaring at the newcomers. Silver gasped. “I...I didn’t know. I’m so sorry,” she muttered to Raven, her heart beating quick. [i]What do I do?[/i] Strangely, Snowflake and Glacier seemed unaware that Raven was in their midst, happily saying hello to the other dragons. To Silver’s and Raven’s surprise, the two new dragons began saying hello to Raven, who made no attempt to smile or greet back. He just stood there, glaring at the seemingly oblivious dragons. Then Snowflake turned to her and said, “Your name is Silver, right?” Silver nodded, giving of a smile. “Your icicles are really pretty,” she went on, pointing to Silver’s wings. [i]What icicles?[/i] She sensed Raven stalk away, leaving her and Snowflake to chat alone. [i]I’ll comfort him later.[/i] “Icicles?” she replied, shifting her wings, the familiar chiming sounds of her blades ringing as she did so. That was when Snowflake, an Ice dragon, began to lift Silver’s bladed-feathers up into the air. [i]Isn’t she supposed to only possess ice powers?[/i]Silver shuddered, feeling bare yet again, eyeing her as her shards floated in the early morning rays, carried by her new clanmate, creating dancing hues of pink and yellow that were projected on the gleaming pink walls of their cave. “How do you lift my metal blades if you’re an ice dragon?” she asked the tall Skydancer. “Metal? Wait...what? Are those not icicles?” Snowflake asked, her snout scrunched into a confused frown. “I can’t control metal, so they've got to be icicles.” she laughed. Then Silver realised the weight of what Snowflake was saying. She felt as if all her blades had crushed her, the frigid feeling and pain and jab ten times colder, ten times more painful, pressing into her, suffocating her. If Snowflake could only control ice, then Silver’s blades were not metal, they were ice. Aside from being a Shadow and Lightning dragon, Silver was an Ice dragon too. “WAIT WHAT?” Silver shrieked, causing Snowflake to drop Silver’s blades from the air in shock. Her blades fell gently on the plush green grass, making a tiny clattering sound as they landed. No, not feathers, not blades, but [i]icicles[/i]. “I’m an Ice dragon?” she exclaimed, eyes wide. “Uh… yeah. They’re icicles, so you’re an Ice dragon,” Snowflake replied, strangely calm in contrast to Silver, whose jaw was close to the ground. Yet again, it was a double blow to Silver; finding out about another one of her peculiar elemental abilities. A dragon was only supposed to have one elemental power, not...three. But Silver was the peculiarity, the anomaly. Little did she know that she wasn’t the only one. [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ven9gmk4qi14dr5/shadowbottom2.png[/center][/img]

[center][font=garamond][b][size=6]Chapter Thirty Two[/size][/b] [size=5]Crystal[/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qnsvl4q1hbyggi5/arcanetop.png[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4]Crystal woke before the crack of dawn feeling utterly contented. Curled up against her was Cameron, and the steady, slow rhythm of his breathing soothed her even more. She really felt like dropping right back into sleep. So sleep she did. A sleepy haze settled back on her, and she fell into a deep slumber. The next thing she knew was a wet nose against her cheek and furry paws scrabbling at her scales. “Mmfh.” she mumbled, still not fully awake. Grudgingly, she opened her eyes and immediately winced at the loud yelp right beside her. “Blizzard… ugh… my ears…” The Vulstal didn’t seem to care, however, now that his job was accomplished, and ran off to Arcanist knew where. Perhaps to play with the equally hyperactive Galahad. Now with the furry nuisance gone, she shifted in her spot and was about to continue her nap when a soft voice roused her. “Wake up, sleepyhead. The sun’s been up for quite some time.” Crystal voiced a muffled sound of protest, flicking her mate with her tail. [i]No. I’m not getting up.[/i] “It’s either you wake up on your own now, or I wake you up - don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Cameron warned teasingly, and Crystal could hear the smile in his words. [i]How bad could being woken up by Cameron be?[/i] Very bad, unfortunately. An ear-piercing, bloodcurdling screech echoed throughout the clan’s temporary camp as Crystal was doused with ice cold water. “CAMERON!!” she shrieked, shivering from the cold. Cameron merely smiled fondly at her. Try as she might, she was unable to resist that smile and huffed in annoyance, shaking her feathers out. “I did warn you. Now come on, the clan needs its leader.” Still bristling slightly, she stalked out of the den, squinting against the sunlight. Huh. She had slept for quite long. The clan chorused greetings as she approached, and she noted with satisfaction that they all seemed well-rested. “Where should we go today?” she called out, excited to begin a new day with her clan. Galahad piped up. “We were thinking about visiting the Observatory a while back, right?” Crystal considered for a moment, then nodded vigorously, eyes sparking with excitement. “Yeah, alright. Let’s go!” One after another, the clan launched into the skies, gleefully spinning and pirouetting in the air. It was a short journey to the Observatory, one filled with jokes and joy as they chased one another through the mana-infused clouds, wispy vapours trailing off the edges of their wings. Soon, the tall spire of the Observatory came into view, and they landed softly on the paved ground outside. The Observatory was in chaos, exalts dashing everywhere with stacks of parchment haphazardly swaying in their hands. Equipment lay strewn all around the premises, broken clocks and shattered telescope lenses littering the grass. “Um.” Crystal whispered. “This place doesn’t look like it’s in a good state.” An exalt took notice of the clan standing awkwardly at the edge of the action, and tottered over with a stack of papers higher than her tiny Fae body, questioning gaze on them. “Uh, what happened?” Crystal blurted out, before realising it was not as tactful as she had planned. “I mean, is there anything we could do to help?” The Fae flicked its crests in an expression of what Crystal guessed to be irritation. “Shade attack. We were planning to study the stars tonight and had set up everything, but now our efforts have been wasted. Now shoo, I don’t want more things to do. The Observatory is very obviously not open for visits today.” The Fae spoke in a monotone, just like all Faes did, and flicked her tail at them, shepherding them away from the site of commotion. They spent a while wandering the Isles before landing somewhere around the Focal Point, not sure what to do. Then Rin piped up, “Shouldn’t we warn Silver’s clan? After all, they are new here, and we don’t know how well they can fight without preparation.” Crystal made a sound of assent. “To Silver’s clan we go, then. Does anyone know the way?” Blizzard wriggled around from his perch on her back. “Oh, you know the way?” The Vulstal barked happily, and she winced at the loud sound. “Alright, lead the way.”[/size] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nm0z9g1pkrloiln/arcanebottom.png[/img] [size=2]@Petall[/center]

OOOOOOOO MORE EXCITING DISCOVERIES!!!!

@Petall

Yes! (I headcanon the Observatory is also an Academy of sorts. May or may not have been influenced by the 2020 Arcane House Cup.)

[center][font=Lora][size=6]Chapter Thirty Three[/size] [size=5]Silver[/size][/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/hzvonpzcngbad5x/shadowtop2.png[/center][/img] [font=lora][size=4]The whole group suddenly dissolved into silence upon hearing Silver say she was an Ice dragon, staring at the pair. Snowflake broke the sudden silence, saying, “I can train you,” Silver just blinked slowly, trying to process how she, an abandoned, dull Coatl, was so… overpowered. She barely nodded, turning her head to see Hephestia approach. “I’ll also need to teach you how to use lightning too. Otherwise you’ll fry dragons and trees again,” Hephestia added, nodding to Snowflake as they made a silent agreement on helping Silver. Silver forced out a smile to Hephestia. [i]Am I asking for too much?[/i] “Thank you,” Silver said, touched over how two dragons were offering to guide her how to use elemental magic. “Don’t forget about me too,” a low voice sounded from Silver left. She swivelled around. It was Raven, who was sulking over how she’d forgotten that he was the one who had taught her the basics of Shadow magic. Silver broke into a laugh, walking to him. “Smile, fluff ball,” she whispered to Raven, before turning around to face the rest. “I think training seems like a pretty good idea,” Monarch chimed in from her corner of the cave. The other dragons nodded in agreement. “We could actually train each other. You never know when the Shade may strike again.” said Crystalline, who rarely spoke. “Let’s start training, then.” Silver finalized. [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/zm9cim6xw0oxgcb/shadowmidsmall2.png[/img][/center] [font=lora][size=4]The clan had split into little groups, pairs mainly. Silver decided to go with learning Lightning magic first, since she’d already had some experience with her blades. [i]Wait. Icicles.[/i] So Hephestia and Silver ambled off to another part of their camp (outdoors, of course; they couldn’t risk Silver burning down the whole lair), a clearing with little trees and the afternoon sky splayed out to its full glory ahead of them. Silver enjoyed the afternoon sun, the warmness was so much different than the constant damp and humid veil in the Tangled Wood. “Breathe, then release. Aim first,” Hephestia sighed for the twelfth time, forcing out a smile to keep Silver motivated. Nodding, Silver closed her eyes, stretching out her paws to the target - a pile of rocks about twenty paws away. Now she felt the buzzing electricity in her, and she easily managed to reach it. And then she let go, her same purple sparks shooting out of her ready paws toward the pile of rocks...or so she thought. The bolt nearly missed Hephestia, as she skidded away, using her own golden bolts to push Silver’s magic away from her. The poor rocks were unscathed, lying there. “Deadly aim,” Hephestia blinked slowly as she said the sarcastic remark. “You can’t aim if you have your eyes closed!” she scowled, opening and closing her wings quickly in exasperation. Silver shrugged slowly, feeling a little bad. [i]What was so hard?[/i] “I’ll try again. [i]With my eyes open[/i],” she said, offering a small apologetic smile. Hephestia nodded, clearing the path for her. “Aim for the rocks,” she advised, pointing to the target with her tail. With a steady breath, Silver inhaled, then summoned the electricity. She glanced at the violet sparks twinkling in her paws, before throwing them toward the rocks. Both Hephestia and Silver watched as her magic arced upward and rushed toward the rocks. To her delight, Silver’s electricity hit the rocks, causing them to break apart satisfyingly, sending little pebbles shooting everywhere. Beaming, Hephestia praised her. “That was really good,” Silver grinned, feeling her heart do little somersaults of happiness in her. [i]Now the next stage - a moving target.[/i] “Try aiming at me now,” Hephestia told a jittery Silver, who was not in the mood to hit her friend with her untrained magic. “Aim at where I’m moving to,” Steeling herself, she pressed her legs into the ground, closing one eye and aiming for a seemingly amused Hephestia. She flew around in circles, waiting for Silver to hit her. Once again, Silver summoned her bolts, then launched them at a wide-eyed- “Crystal?!” Silver screeched, startled by an unexpected visit from the strange, white Coatl. She dashed into Silver and Hephestia’s training grounds, visibly out of breath. Unfortunately, Silver’s bolts were released way before Silver saw Crystal run in. Her purple bolts hit Crystal right smack in her chest. “Crystal!” Silver panicked, unsure if she had hurt her friend. She glanced at Hephestia, who calmly moved to the wide-eyed Coatl, preparing her golden healing powers in case they were required. “It’s alright. It didn’t hurt me,” Crystal laughed, mirth dancing in her pink eyes. As if to prove her point, the white Coatl fluttered her wings playfully, shooting a grin at the frazzled Silver. The last sparks of purple electricity arced right off the crystalline feathers and scales, dissipating harmlessly into the ground. Silver ogled at how Silver’s own magic so easily disappeared, to the point that she almost felt offended. Now it was Silver’s turn to be wide-eyed. “Anyway, we came to warn you.” There was a somber tone in Crystal’s lilting voice. “There have been reports of the Shade resurfacing, and goodness knows when it’ll strike. So…watch your back,” Silver frowned, turning behind to see some of her clan mates walking out to gather around her, Hephestia and Crystal. [i]The Shade is back again.[/i] “There’s no guarantee that it won’t take the guise of a helpless dragon and turn on you when it gets the opportunity. Well, I’m not saying you shouldn’t help others, please do continue that, but just…be careful.” Then Crystal suddenly brightened up. “However, it seems you’re pretty strong - I’m sure you’ll be able to cope. Especially with more than one element at hand.” Silver gaped at her. [i]How did she know?[/i] “You’re a Shadow dragon. And you have lightning. That makes you a dual-element dragon, at the very least. And I assume this Ice Skydancer isn’t here to teach you about Shadow magic…?” She trailed off. “Uh...she teaches me Ice magic,” Silver replied, looking into the eyes of a curious Crystal. Crystal paused, frowning. “Wait. You have three elements - Shadow, Lightning and Ice, right?” Silver nodded, now interested in where the conversation was going. “Wow. That makes two of us. I have more than one element too! Between the two of us, I’m sure the Shade will flop down to the ground like a useless salmon.” she joked, lightening the atmosphere. Silver smiled back at the shiny Coatl, starting to gain a bit more confidence in her abilities, now that she knew she wasn’t the only one with so many elements. [i]Yeah, the Shade doesn’t stand a chance.[/i] But just as Silver was about to continue the conversation, a deep, dark flash of jet black flowed across the grass, coalescing around their feet. She never got to ask what Crystal’s abilities were. The Shade was back. [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ven9gmk4qi14dr5/shadowbottom2.png[/center][/img]

[center][font=garamond][b][size=6]Chapter Thirty Four[/size][/b] [size=5]Crystal[/center] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qnsvl4q1hbyggi5/arcanetop.png[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4]Maybe she shouldn’t have said what she said earlier. The Shade was definitely not going to flop to the ground like a useless salmon, no matter how much she wanted it to. Mentally cursing the Shade, she began shooting bolts of arcane at the inky mass. The Shade recoiled, but her magic seeped harmlessly into the dark shadow, where its glow quickly faded. [i]The Shade’s getting stronger. My normal attacks aren’t hurting it as much as they did last time,[/i] she noted with some dissatisfaction, wreathing Callan’s extended claws with mana as he leapt for the Shade. Silver reared, readying a sphere of shadow magic. Her icicles raced towards the Shade, chilling melody tinkling in the air. Rin was positively glowing with cyan lightning, her eyes turning electric as aquamarine lit up the sky, streaking for the Shade in a terrifying blaze of light and power. The ground shook from Raven’s pounds and thumps, and she noted with a satisfied grin how Galahad and Hephestia looped endless circles around the Shade, binding it with chains of golden electricity and overgrown greenery. Karina and Glacier sent two powerful kicks at the Shade and the point of impact sizzled with elemental energy. But it didn’t seem to be enough. Bit by bit, the attacks wavered and the Shade roared with infuriating triumph. She saw Bridget struggle to stay balanced in the air, Fracture stagger as he tried to split spacetime, even Candy faltering in his energetic attacks. Somehow, the attacks of twenty-four dragons and six familiars weren’t enough to put a dent in the greedy, devouring entity anymore. Hissing in frustration, she slammed back down on a creeping tendril that had tried to take her surprise, savagely curling her claws in on the wispy shadow and sending jolts of searing mana through the tendril. The Shade recoiled for one second, before resurging with even greater force than before - the dragons and familiars were exhausted, attacks fading out into weak sizzles. Crystal looked around at her faltering clanmates and friends, panic growing in her heart. There was only one way left. She reached deep inside her for that twisted, warped magic that she knew was always there, and willed it to bloom and expand and suddenly- [b][i]She is leaping towards the Shade, that ugly mass of darkness so inky black it shouldn’t exist, it can’t exist, and suddenly she is whirling around in all directions, frantically defending herself against a maelstrom of hungry, hungry tentacles, and one snags her tail and she is falling down, down, down, until she hits the ground with a sickening crack. [/i]Join me. Please.[i] It is out of desperation that she searches for the eyes of her partner, she would never have dared bring him into this dangerous trancelike state for the second time, but she feels a familiar sapphire blaze next to her and he is here, beside her, and he gives her the strength to fight on and on until she feels like she’s cresting a wave- are those stars, far above? Her vision goes dark, and for one terrifying moment she feels like she’s been swallowed whole by the Shade, is Cameron safe? Then with one last struggle, she worries no more.[/b][/i] A powerful burst of arcane erupted from the fallen Coatl on the ground, like a vengeful parting shot. The Shade let out a shrill scream, convulsing as pink cracks spiderwebbed over it, and the other dragons took the chance to send one final, great attack at the Shade. Bursting into shreds, the Shade vanished. The battle had been won, but at what price?[/size] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nm0z9g1pkrloiln/arcanebottom.png[/img] [size=2]@Petall[/center]

OOOOO EPIC SHADE TIME!!!

@Petall

YES!!!!

@Petall

NOT-EPIC-SHADE TIME YOU MEAN HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
(edit: whoops, double post)