Creative Corner

[columns][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/scUKSpd.png[/img] (Author: Sludgy)[/center][/columns] [columns][i]In the ancient times, several ages ago…[/i] A large grey chamber bustled with activity. The walls, floors and ceiling were solid stone slabs, neatly cut and placed just weeks ago. A wide passageway connected the chamber to the outside, hinting at the existence of a larger underground complex. Along the passage and inside the chamber roamed a large detachment of beasts. No, they were unmistakably dragons. On their backs were small wings, almost hidden in their dense covering of fur. Their furred appearance clearly stated the cold temperatures that they were subjected to, but understated the rippling muscles that lay beneath. The furred dragons hauled heavy carts with iron supports, their contents covered in rough-spun canvas. A stream of carts and dragons headed towards the stone chamber from the passageway, and then continued further. The stone chamber was not the end. Affixed to the back wall was a giant set of ornate iron doors; opened to admit entry to the dragons and their cargo. [/columns] [columns]One particularly large dragon seemed to oversee the activities. He surveyed the entering dragons as he kept an eye out for any abnormalities. He watched as the laden carts tumbled through the doors and then came out empty a short while later. The smooth progression of their task made him nod. [nextcol] [img]https://i.imgur.com/l0PQog7.png[/img][/columns] [columns]Finally, the last empty cart returned to the stone chamber. Another large dragon accompanied it, and said, “reporting to Seeker Warden Solveig, all of the items have been locked down in the vault. We’re ready to close the doors.” “Thank you Keeper Sub-warden. I appreciate you letting me oversee this operation outside of my jurisdiction. After the Icewarden sent me to gather and contain these [i]hideous things[/i] from the mainland, I needed to see them locked up for myself. These abominations shall never again see the light of Sornieth.” Warden Solveig said before turning his attention to the two dragons nearest to the doors. He nodded at the two stationed dragons, and they began the arduous task of pulling the giant iron doors shut. This was their duty now, and none of the other dragons helped them, only looking on with silent respect in their eyes. Soon, the vault’s doors closed shut like a huge mouth swallowing a forbidden feast. Warden Solveig stepped forward and inserted two perfect spheres into a high recess in each door. The spheres and their connecting areas briefly lit up with a soft blue glow before fading; replaced by the sound of mechanical movement. A final, deep thud resounded in the stone chamber, which earned quite a few sighs of relief from the gathered dragons. The Warden reached up removed the spheres, and said to the gathered dragons, “now that the doors are locked, I will have my Seekers take these keys hide them. It’s too dangerous to keep them together, it’s too dangerous to stow them inside the Fortress of Ends where our borders are contested by vile creatures. The Shade knows about these abominations, and we must give them no chance to lay their hands on them. I will send the keys to places that are almost inaccessible even to dragons. As for what resides in this vault, each of you must carry this secret and never reveal it to anyone outside of our Orders.” “Of course Seeker Warden,” the Keeper Sub-warden said. “Each of us has already sworn an oath of secrecy, and we will never betray this oath. Our duty is once, and always, to the Icewarden’s commands. For the Icewarden, for the Fortress!” “For the Icewarden, for the Fortress!” shouted the dozen assembled dragons.[/columns] [columns][br]Warden Solveig nodded with a pleased smile. The Keeper Order were fine dragons in his eyes. Their zeal and attention to duty matched his own Seeker Order; as it should in their eternal service to the Icewarden. The Sub-warden turned to his two subordinates that pulled the doors shut. “Keeper Cadence. Keeper Qtal. Your duty continues to be one of the most important in our Orders. I realise that these [i]things[/i] aren’t the Shade-touched prisoners that you usually guard, but I think you understand why this exception was made.” Keeper Cadence, a steel coloured dragon with pointed shardflanks, stepped forward. “Yes sir. We will guard these objects now and until the end of our lives. This is our one and only duty.” “Good.” Warden Solveig said. “These horrible things; they should never have been made. What was the Lightning doing? What was Stormcatcher doing? This is too much to overlook, I don’t care about their so-called freedom of tinkering. “Our main aim is to keep these abominations out of The Shade’s hands. I don’t expect that it will take too long to beat back The Shade; perhaps a few years, a decade at most. Our frontlines have been pushing hard with the help of the other deities children. Even so, the entrance has been linked to our central hub at the Fortress of Ends. If it’s opened by The Shade from the outside, we will be alerted.” [nextcol] [img]https://i.imgur.com/CTm4qmN.png[/img][/columns] [columns][br]The Keeper Sub-warden nodded at the Seeker Warden’s words, and said to the two guards, “I know you were briefed on this assignment before arriving, but I will say it again. You will guard this vault until our war with The Shade draws to a close. You have enough food and supplies to last twenty years, though I doubt it will take that long. If it does, I will personally send new guards to relieve you ten years, at which time we will reassess the situation. Stay strong, stay vigilant. ” ““Yes sir!”” The two guards, Cadence and Qtal, said in unison. “Everyone, move out.” Warden Solveig said as he turned to make his way through the passageway leading to the outside. “This is now a ‘BURIED’ site. Let it be covered in the snow of our father so that our enemies will never find it.” Hurried footsteps from the passageway alerted the detachment of dragons to a newcomer. It was a dragon from the Keeper Order that had been stationed outside. “Sirs, we have incoming! An incursion of Shade-touched beastkin have been sighted close-by and are moving towards us.” The new dragon said. “By the deities! So much for keeping this place a secret.” The Sub-warden cursed. “They must have seen our carts and order members.” No, I’d say the energy given off by the open vault was what caught their interest. It’s not too late, but we must act quickly! To battle! We shall eliminate all the hostiles without letting a single one escape to report on what they’ve seen. Let us hurry!” With that declaration, the detachment of furred dragons quickly left the stone chamber and underground complex. The two guards that were left behind heard the entry door shut, followed by the now familiar metallic sounds of the lock engaging. Cadence and Qtal were tense for a few minutes as they wondered if the door would soon open again to a swarm of vile creatures. The minutes stretched into an hour, and Qtal couldn’t hold back his question. “Shouldn’t help them? See if they’re in trouble?” Qtal asked, looking anxious. His phthalo coloured coat and white ghost markings made him look fierce, but he was always more of a curious soul. “Are you still a nameless welp?!” Cadence admonished. “Of course not! We must keep to our post and trust in our comrades to do their job. We only move when the enemy is in sight. Remember your training.” “Yes, I understand.” Qtal said as he raised his vigilance again. No one came into their chamber, even after a few days. The out-of-sight entrance door never opened and no swarms of enemies arrived to force their way to the guarded vault. Cadence and Qtal were satisfied that their superiors had done their duty to keep the Shade-touched minions away from their chamber. Time continued to stretch on as the two guards stood by the vault doors. Without seeing the sky and sun, it was hard for them to tell how long they’d been there. One year passed slowly and no one came. Five years passed, then ten, and then twenty, and still no one came. The two dragons had run out of food and their energy levels were waning. “What... should we do, Cadence? I don’t think… I can… stay awake...” Qtal said wearily. At this time, thirty years had passed since they started their guard duty here. “You must, Qtal!” He said, though his voice lacked the energy it once did. “Someone will be here soon. We must trust in our Order. They will come for us. They will come for us.” Cadence repeated like a mantra. He was deeply startled when he heard a thump from right beside him. Qtal lay prone on the cold stones, eyes closed. Cadence could feel that his fellow guard had depleted his final reserves of energy. Cadence tried to move to him but his legs shook and wouldn’t budge. His own energy was at its end too, and seeing that Qtal was asleep, Cadence could no longer stop himself from falling to the ground; exhausted. Just like that, the two guards and their vault became silent as they slipped into hibernation. Untold ages passed, and the stone complex was lost and fell into ruin… [img]https://i.imgur.com/R2TkO5G.png[/img] [i]In modern times…[/i] The expedition team gathered around the coal fire and enjoyed a meal together. With warm food and a warm place to sleep, all of them were relieved to finally be back together. Even more so, they were relieved that LittleWing hadn’t tried to wage war against an entire clan of boss monsters by herself. Outside, the winds howled particularly loudly as the blizzard really set in for the night. Okullos had moved a few loose rocks over to the entrance to block out the snow, though small flurries still found their way inside. When the meal was over and cleaned up, Madrugada cleared her throat to stop the idle chatter. “Today was not a good day.” She said, seeing all eyes on her. “We were torn apart like paper. The fact that we could gather back together makes me happier than I can put into words, but this should never have happened. We were careless. Disorganised.” September spoke up, “Madrugada, it’s not that simple. Those were Coarsefur Yetis, a dozen of them! Even a fully trained mercenary squad would have reservations about dealing with that.” “No September, what Madrugada said is fair” LittleWing admitted. “I’ve been through our encounter with the yetis a dozen times in my head. If we had made a stand and work together, then we might have been able to repel them or retreat as a whole group. We could have used diversionary tactics and magic. We could have… haaa… I’m sorry everyone, I made the wrong call.” “You weren’t to know that for sure, and I also agreed with your plan at the time.” Madrugda said. “Now is the time for us to come together as a real team, and not just as the random assortment of dragons we were. Divided we fall, but together we can become strong. We each have our strengths and weaknesses, and we need to be there for each other to fill in the gaps. Working together may be the only way for us to survive in this frozen world.” “Here, here!” Resonate called, then became embarrassed at her outburst. A few dragons chuckled and echoed her sentiments, lightening the mood. Unnoticed by the shared resolve of the group, Gear didn’t voice his affirmation. He started into the smoldering coals with a melancholy expression. His time was running out, and he knew it. The expedition group settled in for the night and fell asleep after completely closing off the cave entrance with a layer of rocks. In the morning, they discovered a small hole in the rocks, and a missing teammate. “Where’s Gear?” Niiloi asked. Before waiting for any answers, he zipped outside and noted that the intense blizzard had mostly subsided into heavy snowfall. He called and searched, but found no sign of his friend. When he returned to the cave, he was greeted by unhappy looks on everyone’s faces. “What happened?” he quietly asked Iced who was distancing himself from their leader’s growing anger. “The artifacts are gone. The [i]orb[/i] is gone.” Iced said with a pained expression. Niiloi was aghast. [i]Who could have robbed us in the middle of a blizzard? How could they have known where we were?[/i] He thought. Before he could say anything, Iced leaned over to speak again. “We found a note that Gear left it on his cat. It looks like he’s abandoned us and taken the artifacts for himself. I, yeah, I misjudged him. We all did.” Iced said, unable to keep the gloom out of his voice. In Madrugada’s hands was a small piece of paper, the words written in Gear’s handwriting that read: [i]I’m sorry, but I had to do this...[/i][/columns] [img]http://68.media.tumblr.com/812918507bdb5793181e02e58a625ffd/tumblr_nj9kyb0AiI1r28672o5_1280.png[/img] [br] [columns][indent][emoji=snowflake size=1][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2746853/3#post_41341265][<-- Chapter Ten][/url][/indent] [nextcol][indent][emoji=snowflake size=1][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2746853#post_40505213][Index][/url][/indent] [nextcol][indent][emoji=snowflake size=1][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2746853/4#post_41476241][Chapter Twelve -->][/url][/indent] [/columns]

Chapter Eleven is available for reading! Click here to see it, or just scroll up :)

@kitsune56 @happyasaclam @Porkpie747 @Emberglo @Stonecutter @Origamighostt

Please note: chapter releases will be on Fridays instead of Thursdays from today onward because of work commitments.

[columns][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/9P0Xfbg.png[/img] (Author: Sludgy)[/center][/columns] [columns]The shock and outrage within the expedition group was palpable. [i]One of their own had betrayed them.[/i] LittleWing took the note from Madrugada and saw that September was eyeing it in quiet fury. She knew, more than anyone, how hard it must have been for September to invite the Aerewyn group into his home and trust them with the orb he’d found. Gear left his beloved cat behind, LittleWing thought to herself. This was a clue… he could have just left this note on the ground. [i]What does this mean? Is this a promise to return, or does he think he’ll won’t be able to come back?[/i] LittleWing shuddered at the implications.[/columns] [columns][br]“He wouldn’t! I mean, yes, it looks that way, but Gear isn’t like that! No, there must be a reason! He isn’t a bad friend… right?” Niiloi said in mild confusion. “I’m sorry Niiloi, I just don’t know. I... I wasn’t expecting this from the team that my clan matriarch put together herself. All is not lost, though. Even without the orb, we may still be able to find something of archaeological significance at the ruins.” [nextcol][br] [img]https://i.imgur.com/QawM3n0.png[/img] [/columns] [columns][br]“How can you say that, Madrugada! The orb is obviously a key to something greater.” September said with venomous frustration. “Even with a copy of the orb’s map, this will almost definitely be a wasted trip if we can’t use the key. You know as well as I that any old ruin sure to have safeguards against travelling deeper within. We need the key in that orb, and fast. The more time we waste here, the harder it will be to find Gear’s trail.” “You’re right, September,” LittleWing spoke for the first time since taking the note. “The trail is going cold and something needs to be done. I will find Gear, alone; we can’t risk becoming separated again. Like this, I will also be able to move more quickly.” “That’s absurd LittleWing,” Madrugada said. “Even [i]I[/i] know that the Southern Icefields make it damn-near impossible to pick up a trail after a blizzard like that. Gear could be anywhere by now.” “I can’t not try. Dairdra; our matriarch, sent me on this expedition for more than just guard duty.” LittleWing confided. She had been told not to reveal her true purpose unless it became absolutely necessary. [i]Now is not the time to keep secrets anymore.[/i] “Daidra suspected that something like this might happen,” LittleWing continued. “I can’t talk about it too much, but Gear has a very troubled past. Our clan matriarch has known this for a while and she thinks it’s finally caught up with him. Gear’s in danger right now, and it’s my duty is to protect him. Give me some time to fix this, please.” “Wait, Gear’s in trouble? He, he didn’t tell me…” Niiloi said sadly, before his thoughts took a different turn, “I didn’t notice. I never notice. LittleWing, I want to help you. I want to find Gear to make this right. An extra pair of eyes can only help, too LittleWing looked at the small silver Spiral and saw determination in his eyes. She nodded to him in approval. “I don’t know if this is a task that the two of you can handle. I don’t mean to be rude but the Icefield is massive, and Gear could be anywhere. Do you really think you have a chance of finding him?” Madrugada asked. “I trust Niiloi,” September said with hope rekindling in his eyes. “There isn’t anyone with a better understanding of the Icefield’s dangerous paths in this Spiral right in front of me. If anyone can do it, he can. Niiloi, you must find Gear; if not for me, then for him. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, let's not get ahead of ourselves. What are we supposed to do while you’re running around looking for our missing member?” Iced said. “How about we have breakfast?” Resonate said in her usual attempt to lighten the mood. It didn’t work and she received glares from multiple dragons. “Yes, I mean, the sled wagon took some damage in that fall,” Resonate said, quickly changing the subject “. It does need some repairs, so perhaps we could pass the time that way?” Her voice heightened nervously as she finished her question to deflect the foul mood. “Fine,” Madrugada said. “We’ll take a short break for necessary repairs. LittleWing, if you’re not back before then, then we’ll continue on our journey. I’m sorry September, but we’ve come too far to just stop now; orb or no orb.” “I’ll try to be back as soon as I can. Ah, and Madrugada, I’m sorry. I was tasked with keeping Gear safe, and I thought I did, but I was wrong. This isn’t just his fault, it’s my fault too. LittleWing said a very rare apology. Niiloi quietly watched the conversation until Resonate handed him a small bundle. It was waxed paper wrapped in rough-spun cloth with a meaty smell. The chef was looking after her team. Niiloi put the food away into a satchel and thanked the Ridgeback. “Let’s go Niiloi, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” LittleWing said as she set off into the snowy landscape. [img]https://i.imgur.com/R2TkO5G.png[/img] The blizzard from last night had eased into a gentle snowfall… as gentle as it could be during the bad season of the Southern Icefield. Niiloi barely needed to consult his map as he discussed the options with LittleWing. “We’ve got a few choices, LittleWing. We can back-track along the coastline to return to the Southern Skyway, or we can make a detour around the crags to the west. There’s just water to the east, and south is our original course to the ruins; it’s just a frozen wasteland in that direction. Which way should we go? “Our best bet will be the Skyway,” LittleWing said with confidence. Niiloi was taken aback by the confidence she showed in her decision. He immediately questioned her, “why would Gear go back there? He could be heading towards the eastern coast to fly back to the mainland.” “Because I saw those dietyless sons of manticores back at the Station,” LittleWing said. “I saw them there and I didn’t do enough. Niiloi, tell me, did Gear ever seem skittish while you two were together? Maybe he left suddenly or said he wanted to spend some time alone?” “No, well, I mean there was this one time, bu-but it was only an hour he was just buying some cat food. That couldn’t have been it, right?” Niiloi asked uncertainty. LittleWing gave the silver Spiral and almost pitying look before she rolled up the map and set off towards the coast line to the north. [i]Yes, of course that had been was it; that was the time when Gear walked into trouble alone. It isn’t anyone’s fault but my own.[/i] Two hours passed and the sun’s distant glow slowly illuminated the white fields of snow. The pair had been hurrying while conducting a thorough canvas of the area. Niiloi was zipping through the landscape in a wide search pattern as LittleWing surveyed the distant horizon for movement. The fourth hour came as they scoured their chosen route; one of the very few passages that could still be travelled on during this time of year. Through this process of elimination, or just by some miracle, they sighted the slow-moving form of Gear. Before LittleWing could do anything, Niiloi had already adjusted his path to move directly towards Gear. She caught up to see one silver Spiral unloading a barrage of questions on to another silver Spiral. “Why did you leave? Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you trust me? I’m tell your friend, I mean, wait, [i]yes[/i]. We [i]are[/i] friends. Why didn’t you say something? I could’ve helped you?” Niiloi barely paused for breath. “Niiloi, that’s enough.” LittleWing said in a soft voice that coaxed the Spiral to quieten down. She turned towards Gear, “I think you owe us some answers.” “Yes, I think you’re right…” [img]https://i.imgur.com/R2TkO5G.png[/img] The trio had made their way to a group of rocky outcropping where Gear finally explained his problems. “…and so, they said I had one week to get these artifices or else they’d kill our team and my family in the Viridian Labyrinth. Not hurt, not maim, but kill. They’d do it, too. You know… you know, I’ve seen them do it before. I don’t have much in this world, but I still have people that I care about. I didn’t know what else to do... their lives, [i]your lives[/i], are worth more than whatever’s in that ruin.” Gear finished, almost in tears by the end of his explanation. Niiloi choked up and gave his friend a hug, admonishing him, “you still could have said something -- that’s what friends are for. I think that’s what they’re for... I don’t have a lot of friends, but I’m pretty sure you should’ve said something to me.” “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m sorry to you too, LittleWing. I keep bringing trouble to our clan and to our matriarch.” Gear said while looking over to the mercenary. He flinched back when he saw the expression on her face. LittleWing was furious. [i]How dare they threaten her? How do you threaten her people? Who do they think they are?[/i] She was ready to go to war with a tribe of boss monsters, so a few loan sharks were practically no big deal. She quickly schooled her expression into neutrality as she started brainstorming a plan. Niiloi spoke up, “we need to cancel the expedition; everyone will be in danger now that they’re being targeted. Even if the loan sharks are at the station, we can still protect them in the residential area-” “-No,” LittleWing said, cutting him off. “The best place for the expedition team is out here. The chance of anyone finding them without a map is almost impossible. The isolation will keep them safe, at least from the loan sharks, and I trust that big Imperial to do his job. LittleWing thought about that big Imperial with the skeletal tattoos, Okullos, that was in their expedition group. [i]Yikes, he even gives me the chills. Where did they find that guy?[/i] Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she continued, “I will go with Gear to deal with these loan sharks. This is my duty and I owe it to Daidra to see it through. Niiloi I want you to hang back with the expedition; give Madrugada and September the artefacts.” “No, I want to help Gear too! I won’t be useless, I’m sure I can do something to make this better.” Niiloi argued. LittleWing shook her head. “I need you to stay with them, they’ll need you now more than ever. I promise you that I can handle this. I don’t know how long it will take, but we will meet up with you at the ruins. We have our map, and we have our determination. Tell the others not to count us out just yet! Not wanting to take ‘no’ for an answer, Niiloi questioned LittleWing, “how are you going to “handle” it? LittleWing, I know you’re accustomed to danger, but isn’t this going a bit overboard? Gear has already said that these loan sharks are bad news, and you don’t even know the full capabilities. What if there are more of them at the Station than just these two?” “I’ve already thought of this, which is why I sent word Daidra. She’ll send all the backup I need; like I said, she thought something like this might happen.” LittleWing said a little impatiently. “She, she did? Wha.. how?” Gear asked, taken aback by this unexpected news. [i]How could she have known, I never told anyone about my past.[/i] “Do you think Daidra would just welcome such a suspicious dragon like you into our clan without doing a background check?” LittleWing said with some irritation. “She is the matriarch, she is our [i]leader[/i]; she always does what’s best for the clan. Even more than that, she is kind. Anyone else would’ve turned you away, Gear, even I would have, but she’s been trying to unravel your problems since day one.” “I had no idea,” Gear admitted. “I owe her so much… please, Niiloi, do as LittleWing said. I need to see this through to the end, for everyone's sake. Also, I would feel happier if you weren’t there -- if you were [i]safe[/i].” Niiloi looked like he wanted to protest again, but instead he accepted Gear’s choice with a sad smile. “Okay Gear, I’ll do it because you asked.” “Thanks Niiloi,” Gear said with a genuine smile on his face. “Take care of my cat, would you?” Niiloi scoffed lightly and nodded before giving his final goodbyes. He looked at LittleWing who beckoned for him to leave. With one final glance, Niiloi left the two and returned towards the team at Apicem Nix. LittleWing turned towards Gear and said, “okay here’s the plan…”[/columns] [img]http://68.media.tumblr.com/812918507bdb5793181e02e58a625ffd/tumblr_nj9kyb0AiI1r28672o5_1280.png[/img] [br] [columns][indent][emoji=snowflake size=1][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2746853/4#post_41413123][<-- Chapter Eleven][/url][/indent] [nextcol][indent][emoji=snowflake size=1][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2746853#post_40505213][Index][/url][/indent] [nextcol][indent][emoji=snowflake size=1][Chapter Thirteen -->][/indent] [/columns]

Chapter Twelve is available for reading! Click here to see it, or just scroll up :)

@kitsune56 @happyasaclam @Porkpie747 @Emberglo @Stonecutter @Origamighostt

Admittedly, this chapter is a bit slow- BUT FEAR NOT!! You can look forward to an exciting new chapter new week, named: "There’s a Lot of White, Rocks, and Ruins Here." I wonder what it will be about..?

Late to the party (as per usual). May I be added to your pinglist? I have a lot of back-reading to do to catch up! Looks lovely!