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Quests & Challenges

Quests, Challenges, and Festival games.
TOPIC | [ShaDom] CYOA: Deep Beyond (Reimaged)
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i'm not sure if the ending i got was called rest or just the room, but it was very cute :D
i'm not sure if the ending i got was called rest or just the room, but it was very cute :D
Thunderback Slink holding a banner saying any pronouns, autism and adhd, and flight rising time + 3. Artist is dusthide #677935
"the calm after the storm" ending was so sweet ;; loved reading it!!
"the calm after the storm" ending was so sweet ;; loved reading it!!
Thunderback Slink holding a banner saying any pronouns, autism and adhd, and flight rising time + 3. Artist is dusthide #677935
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3313857/2#post_56279076][b]Round 1[/b] [/url][camouflage ending] | [b]Round 2[/b] [ongoing] ((This got quite long, and this playthrough isn't even over. I took a pause midway to write this after being stuck in the cavern system for a little while. I also have a [url=https://i.imgur.com/ierUglb.png]drawing of Xolotl[/url] to share-- I used him as a model to try out a sketchier, faster, drawing style than my usual.)) [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/2414739][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/24148/2414739_350.png[/img][/url] Xolotl sat staring at the Sunportal. He wasn’t sure how long he had been gone. The glimmering portal looked the same as it had what—hours? days?— ago when he first entered it. Had any time passed at all? No matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t satisfied with this ending. There was so much he did not understand. If he left now, he never would. Worse, if entities from there were able to cross to this side, then what could come to the Tangled Wood in the future? The Serpent he saw didn’t seem keen on leaving its territory, but it went somewhere after he hid himself. Fine. He would explore. He would be the stupid adventurer his cousin always wanted him to be. He might learn something by investigating every corner of that strange place, or he might get himself killed. Hopefully the former. As he approached the Sunportal, another thought came to his mind. Would he even end up in the same place? Some portals, like the not-so-Forbidden one dragons liked to adventure in, were stable, but there was no rule that a rift in the world had to have rules. Sornieth magic didn’t touch them. He was spared from further thinking when the portal once again started sucking him in—no coherent thought could be maintained in the overwhelming rush of sensations. When his vision cleared, he was back in the strange void with three glowing shards, and his head was once again hazy, filled with stimuli that didn’t belong in his spacetime. It was hard to touch the blue shard knowing what would happen afterwards. Xolotl really didn’t like losing control. The strange liquid engulfing him felt no less violating the second time. Breathing in this liquid world was a little easier this time, at least. Xolotl dove and headed straight for a Kelp Forest he had ignored the first time. There was no point in avoiding traps if his goal was to learn more. The plant matter cut through as easily as rotting kelp on Sornieth, which was good because skydancers weren’t exactly known for their physical strength. As he got farther in there were more and more knots that he couldn’t pull apart. He started squeezing through gaps when he could and allowing himself small bursts of magic when he couldn’t. His magic added little phantom claws to his strikes, tearing tangles of kelp inside and out as his hands cut through them. A dense thicket grew around what he assumed was the heart of the forest. There seemed to be no point in leaving without finding out what was there, but Xolotl hesitated as he swam around it. Shadow magic had its many uses, but it was a slippery element, one unsuited to raw force. He had encountered few shadow mages that could deal serious damage with bolts of shadow alone, and they usually had forceful personalities to match. Xolotl would much rather be left alone, thank you. Breaking apart a knot this size was not going to be easy for him. It took multiple well placed bolts and a lot of pulling for the knot to give way to him. Inside was a burning torch, insubstantial to his claws, and dimly glowing orb that felt steady in his hand. Odd, but hopefully worth his investment. He wrapped the orb in a spare cloth and made his way back out of the forest. Exploring the spearlike spires from this level turned up a crumbling wooden construction of some sort. Something had built this, and the precision of its make was a little too perfect for any craftsdragon or craftsbeastfolk he knew. A flurry of movement caught his eyes, and he noticed a school of small fish darting in and out of the construction. Fish, here? Why not really, if kelp and seaweed were allowed? At least they didn’t seem hostile. They didn’t seem to mind him at all unless he made a sudden move toward them. Xolotl followed the fish in and around the structure. He was starting to get the hang of swimming here, and there was something delightful about encountering animals after all the grim stillness of this place. He slithered into an alcove deep in the structure. There something shiny broke up the rust and rot of this place. A sword, so fresh and gleaming that it looked out of place on the bloated chest it sat on. He would normally leave such a thing well enough alone. He didn’t know swordsdragonship, and [i]someone[/i] had owned this, at some point. But he had come here specifically to discover things. That didn’t mean leaving stuff alone. He sighed and hefted the blade. The chest splintered and the building rumbled. Ah, that was a mistake, wasn’t it? A wall burst behind him, cut apart by a vaguely defined blade that seemed to be made of the water itself. Then something resembling a jellyfish floated through the wall itself, four of the blades following it. “Oh, is this yours?” Xolotl said, the words feeling weird in his water-filled throat. One of the blades sliced into him. He hissed—the damage wasn’t severe, but a bunch of such cuts would wear him down. He pulled on his breath reserves, but disentangling the knot in the kelp forest hadn’t left him with enough energy to attack. He launched himself at his assailant to scratch it instead. Water twisted around them, claws against blades of water. His claws tore deep into the jellyfish’s body, but he could tell he was the one taking more damage. This couldn’t continue. He may not know how to use a sword, but it was something he hadn’t tried yet. He retreated far enough to pull the sword out of its glimmering sheath and swipe it at his attacker. He didn’t need to have skill with it for it to do more damage than his tiny claws. Within a few slashes, the jellyfish stopped moving. He allowed himself a moment of regret. He had no way of knowing whether the creature had been sentient or not, but it was easy to picture a scenario in which he had been the invader. He didn’t have long to think about it though, because what remained of the structure was falling apart. He had to race through the building until he found an open wall he could slip through, leaving him with a fallen ruin, a strange sword, and wounds to treat. Xolotl expected the next step of his journey to go smoothly, as he had already looked at the debris and spires his first time through. He found himself directly following his steps, his hazy mind going through familiar motions. Finding the waterlogged violin exactly where he had previously shook him out of his reverie. How would it be here? He plunged his hands into his bag and found no violin there. His head hurt. Did his second journey here reset things somehow? What was time to an alternate world, anyway? The chitinous rock was missing too, and he had a good idea of where to find it. He dove further, paying long enough to break off part of the spires where he had licked on previously. Explore everything and all that. The rock was exactly where it was supposed to be in the little cave. He looked down at the drifting light, close now, and the Serpent he knew he’d find there. Maybe one of the new objects he’d found would help him find a different outcome, but he wasn’t sure. He didn’t think he was ready to deal with that again. Not yet. He swam up instead, all the way into the dark. Sure enough, something brushed against him once he was far enough for his eyes to start failing him. He grabbed something and stared into five little eyes. Whatever this was, it didn’t appear to be aggressive. He let go and moved on. He came upon the entrance to some manner of cave system, with a dim little glow peeking out. Digging around revealed a lantern, its pale glow much more tolerable than the glow down below. Xolotl held it up and proceeded cautiously into the caverns beyond.
Round 1 [camouflage ending] | Round 2 [ongoing]

((This got quite long, and this playthrough isn't even over. I took a pause midway to write this after being stuck in the cavern system for a little while. I also have a drawing of Xolotl to share-- I used him as a model to try out a sketchier, faster, drawing style than my usual.))
2414739_350.png

Xolotl sat staring at the Sunportal. He wasn’t sure how long he had been gone. The glimmering portal looked the same as it had what—hours? days?— ago when he first entered it. Had any time passed at all? No matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t satisfied with this ending. There was so much he did not understand. If he left now, he never would. Worse, if entities from there were able to cross to this side, then what could come to the Tangled Wood in the future? The Serpent he saw didn’t seem keen on leaving its territory, but it went somewhere after he hid himself.

Fine. He would explore. He would be the stupid adventurer his cousin always wanted him to be. He might learn something by investigating every corner of that strange place, or he might get himself killed. Hopefully the former.

As he approached the Sunportal, another thought came to his mind. Would he even end up in the same place? Some portals, like the not-so-Forbidden one dragons liked to adventure in, were stable, but there was no rule that a rift in the world had to have rules. Sornieth magic didn’t touch them. He was spared from further thinking when the portal once again started sucking him in—no coherent thought could be maintained in the overwhelming rush of sensations. When his vision cleared, he was back in the strange void with three glowing shards, and his head was once again hazy, filled with stimuli that didn’t belong in his spacetime.

It was hard to touch the blue shard knowing what would happen afterwards. Xolotl really didn’t like losing control. The strange liquid engulfing him felt no less violating the second time. Breathing in this liquid world was a little easier this time, at least.

Xolotl dove and headed straight for a Kelp Forest he had ignored the first time. There was no point in avoiding traps if his goal was to learn more. The plant matter cut through as easily as rotting kelp on Sornieth, which was good because skydancers weren’t exactly known for their physical strength. As he got farther in there were more and more knots that he couldn’t pull apart. He started squeezing through gaps when he could and allowing himself small bursts of magic when he couldn’t. His magic added little phantom claws to his strikes, tearing tangles of kelp inside and out as his hands cut through them.

A dense thicket grew around what he assumed was the heart of the forest. There seemed to be no point in leaving without finding out what was there, but Xolotl hesitated as he swam around it. Shadow magic had its many uses, but it was a slippery element, one unsuited to raw force. He had encountered few shadow mages that could deal serious damage with bolts of shadow alone, and they usually had forceful personalities to match. Xolotl would much rather be left alone, thank you. Breaking apart a knot this size was not going to be easy for him.

It took multiple well placed bolts and a lot of pulling for the knot to give way to him. Inside was a burning torch, insubstantial to his claws, and dimly glowing orb that felt steady in his hand. Odd, but hopefully worth his investment. He wrapped the orb in a spare cloth and made his way back out of the forest.

Exploring the spearlike spires from this level turned up a crumbling wooden construction of some sort. Something had built this, and the precision of its make was a little too perfect for any craftsdragon or craftsbeastfolk he knew. A flurry of movement caught his eyes, and he noticed a school of small fish darting in and out of the construction. Fish, here? Why not really, if kelp and seaweed were allowed? At least they didn’t seem hostile. They didn’t seem to mind him at all unless he made a sudden move toward them.

Xolotl followed the fish in and around the structure. He was starting to get the hang of swimming here, and there was something delightful about encountering animals after all the grim stillness of this place. He slithered into an alcove deep in the structure. There something shiny broke up the rust and rot of this place. A sword, so fresh and gleaming that it looked out of place on the bloated chest it sat on.

He would normally leave such a thing well enough alone. He didn’t know swordsdragonship, and someone had owned this, at some point. But he had come here specifically to discover things. That didn’t mean leaving stuff alone. He sighed and hefted the blade. The chest splintered and the building rumbled. Ah, that was a mistake, wasn’t it?

A wall burst behind him, cut apart by a vaguely defined blade that seemed to be made of the water itself. Then something resembling a jellyfish floated through the wall itself, four of the blades following it.

“Oh, is this yours?” Xolotl said, the words feeling weird in his water-filled throat. One of the blades sliced into him. He hissed—the damage wasn’t severe, but a bunch of such cuts would wear him down. He pulled on his breath reserves, but disentangling the knot in the kelp forest hadn’t left him with enough energy to attack. He launched himself at his assailant to scratch it instead. Water twisted around them, claws against blades of water. His claws tore deep into the jellyfish’s body, but he could tell he was the one taking more damage.

This couldn’t continue. He may not know how to use a sword, but it was something he hadn’t tried yet. He retreated far enough to pull the sword out of its glimmering sheath and swipe it at his attacker. He didn’t need to have skill with it for it to do more damage than his tiny claws. Within a few slashes, the jellyfish stopped moving. He allowed himself a moment of regret. He had no way of knowing whether the creature had been sentient or not, but it was easy to picture a scenario in which he had been the invader. He didn’t have long to think about it though, because what remained of the structure was falling apart. He had to race through the building until he found an open wall he could slip through, leaving him with a fallen ruin, a strange sword, and wounds to treat.

Xolotl expected the next step of his journey to go smoothly, as he had already looked at the debris and spires his first time through. He found himself directly following his steps, his hazy mind going through familiar motions. Finding the waterlogged violin exactly where he had previously shook him out of his reverie. How would it be here? He plunged his hands into his bag and found no violin there. His head hurt. Did his second journey here reset things somehow? What was time to an alternate world, anyway? The chitinous rock was missing too, and he had a good idea of where to find it.

He dove further, paying long enough to break off part of the spires where he had licked on previously. Explore everything and all that. The rock was exactly where it was supposed to be in the little cave.

He looked down at the drifting light, close now, and the Serpent he knew he’d find there. Maybe one of the new objects he’d found would help him find a different outcome, but he wasn’t sure. He didn’t think he was ready to deal with that again. Not yet. He swam up instead, all the way into the dark. Sure enough, something brushed against him once he was far enough for his eyes to start failing him. He grabbed something and stared into five little eyes. Whatever this was, it didn’t appear to be aggressive. He let go and moved on.

He came upon the entrance to some manner of cave system, with a dim little glow peeking out. Digging around revealed a lantern, its pale glow much more tolerable than the glow down below. Xolotl held it up and proceeded cautiously into the caverns beyond.
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Last Call

I hope you all have had a blast participating in our adventure!
This is your reminder the event will close Wednesday at 9 a.m. Flight Rising time. Make sure to comment on the endings you got to see who needs to be sent ending badges. The raffle will begin on Thursday. Message me if you have any questions or concerns!

Last Call

I hope you all have had a blast participating in our adventure!
This is your reminder the event will close Wednesday at 9 a.m. Flight Rising time. Make sure to comment on the endings you got to see who needs to be sent ending badges. The raffle will begin on Thursday. Message me if you have any questions or concerns!

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She/They | FR+ 3 | English | ID: 208844
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just got the flight ending :D its been a blast reading through all of this and it's a wonderful world you guys made!! would i also be able to be on the leaderboard? :)
just got the flight ending :D its been a blast reading through all of this and it's a wonderful world you guys made!! would i also be able to be on the leaderboard? :)
Thunderback Slink holding a banner saying any pronouns, autism and adhd, and flight rising time + 3. Artist is dusthide #677935
I genuinely had such a good time. I'm a little sad it's over, ehe. I'd love a shout if/when the other routes become available. c:
I genuinely had such a good time. I'm a little sad it's over, ehe. I'd love a shout if/when the other routes become available. c:
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hello i have gotten the endings: rest,still waters, silence, flight, and two? others that im too eepy to remember
heres some things about them:
Rest:my first ending. i found this one rather relaxing on the reread for this, no violence no cowardice no fight. just warmth. just comfort.. on my first playthrough it was exciting! thrilling even! to sing with a god-esqe being! to control the tide as much as it!and its beautiful how even as my perception changes with time its still wonderful
Still Waters:i enjoyed the desperate feeling feeling from our angle though i feel kinda bad about killing that thing since it was apparently just playing
silence:i am become death, destroyer of worlds. i killed it out of curiosity. i killed it just for fun. it was vital to ecosystem and now its gone a mere corpse. i see now why the ocean cried even if it had to use the blood of the person it was crying about to do it.
flight:my six is this ending good! the defiant? vibe is wonderful just angrily lashing out against the tidecaller and against destiny itself despite how wrong it is. this ending made me believe that we are not the hero simply the protagonist, and i think thats quite funky!
if you guys do some thing like this again ill be there youre great writers
hello i have gotten the endings: rest,still waters, silence, flight, and two? others that im too eepy to remember
heres some things about them:
Rest:my first ending. i found this one rather relaxing on the reread for this, no violence no cowardice no fight. just warmth. just comfort.. on my first playthrough it was exciting! thrilling even! to sing with a god-esqe being! to control the tide as much as it!and its beautiful how even as my perception changes with time its still wonderful
Still Waters:i enjoyed the desperate feeling feeling from our angle though i feel kinda bad about killing that thing since it was apparently just playing
silence:i am become death, destroyer of worlds. i killed it out of curiosity. i killed it just for fun. it was vital to ecosystem and now its gone a mere corpse. i see now why the ocean cried even if it had to use the blood of the person it was crying about to do it.
flight:my six is this ending good! the defiant? vibe is wonderful just angrily lashing out against the tidecaller and against destiny itself despite how wrong it is. this ending made me believe that we are not the hero simply the protagonist, and i think thats quite funky!
if you guys do some thing like this again ill be there youre great writers
XJepHlH.png DOAI BRAINROT [ID LOVE TO TELL YOU MORE!] Orange_Button_2.png rix3ppo.png
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I've just gotten the ending "Rest" to my second playthrough, and my first one seemed to be called "Camouflage".

I echo what others have said that I would love to see the other routes if they are ever available, as well as the numerous endings I didn't have time to encounter. It's clear that a lot of time and love went into this project and its a shame that there is clearly a lot of prose that I didn't see. <3
I've just gotten the ending "Rest" to my second playthrough, and my first one seemed to be called "Camouflage".

I echo what others have said that I would love to see the other routes if they are ever available, as well as the numerous endings I didn't have time to encounter. It's clear that a lot of time and love went into this project and its a shame that there is clearly a lot of prose that I didn't see. <3
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Thank you both for listing the endings here! I'm going through my notes right now to hand out the little prizes that come with some endings and having it all gathered up rather than looking through chains of replies is a big help.

And thank you for the compliments, too! We worked very hard indeed, and though I'm saddened so little of what was created has come to light for now, it filled and still fills me with great joy to hear your thoughts (Your stories. I will remember them, hold them close and dear to my heart, because they are something beautiful and amazing and precious, make every bit of work and hours poured into code and writing and drawing worth it.)
Thank you both for listing the endings here! I'm going through my notes right now to hand out the little prizes that come with some endings and having it all gathered up rather than looking through chains of replies is a big help.

And thank you for the compliments, too! We worked very hard indeed, and though I'm saddened so little of what was created has come to light for now, it filled and still fills me with great joy to hear your thoughts (Your stories. I will remember them, hold them close and dear to my heart, because they are something beautiful and amazing and precious, make every bit of work and hours poured into code and writing and drawing worth it.)
@Venusian

Looks to me like you kept the lead on reports in the end, congratulations! And thank you to everyone who reported issues and the like, it is very much appreciated and helped fix things as quickly as possible.

Could you let me know what your price of choice is (Prismatic Token or a short-story or an Unhatched Nocturne Egg)? Either here or in dms, both are fine, I mostly put this here to give myself an idea of what still needs to be done for wrap-up, ending-rewards and figuring out who has how many raffle tickets for the most part
@Venusian

Looks to me like you kept the lead on reports in the end, congratulations! And thank you to everyone who reported issues and the like, it is very much appreciated and helped fix things as quickly as possible.

Could you let me know what your price of choice is (Prismatic Token or a short-story or an Unhatched Nocturne Egg)? Either here or in dms, both are fine, I mostly put this here to give myself an idea of what still needs to be done for wrap-up, ending-rewards and figuring out who has how many raffle tickets for the most part
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