Quests & Challenges

[size=5][b]Day 43: Battle![/b][/size] Meat! 40 battles today, with Jiangshi, Lasciel, and Claude. Oh no... Why, Claude, why? [item=Hopping Mouse] 40 stressful battles later, the whole group actually survived. There were two utterly terrifying moments where if I had not used that potion, the dragon would have died, for the monster decided to crit on that dragon and deal just enough damage that would have knocked the dragon out. But thankfully, that didn't happen. What did happen is Lasciel got to level 8 and Jiangshi jumped from beginning level 4 all the way to half-way through level 6. Claude is more than 3/4 through level 9 now, though, and I'm worried. [size=5][b]Day 44: Flame's Heart[/b][/size] And another material! Let's find out what happens next. [item=Foo's Eye] Claude was awakened by a hefty Snapper tail slapping him on his leg. "Claude, Boris, wake up! There is a fire!" Fire, indeed. As Claude inhaled, he could smell the smoke filling his nostrils. "What happened? Where is it?" he groaned as he got up. [i]He[/i] could fly and escape, but obviously, if he wanted Lasciel's help finding his parents, he was going to need to help the flightless Snapper survive. Not that he'd be much help with a forest fire. "Flameheart, I think she did it," was Lasciel reply. Lasciel was already moving towards Flameheart's home, towards the glow in the distance. "And I think she's still doing it. I might be able to talk her down, but I need some help; I need some protection. "Eh, well, um, y'know what they say about it, fightin' fire wit' fire. It don't work too well," Boris gave a nervous laugh. "B-but I suppose the pen is mightier than the sword, too? We... talk to her? We can try that, yes..." The three of them followed the glow to what used to be Flameheart's home - now a raging inferno in the trees. At the center of it all was the Fae, surrounded in a wreath of elemental fire, screaming at the top of her tiny lungs. "GONE! ALL GONE! HE'S GONE FROM ME! WHY! FIRST OUR LITTLE ONES, NOW HIM TOO!" She kept up her long wail, as she screamed of the unfairness of it all. Sweeping her tiny claws, a bolt of fire formed around her, and she launched it into the burning bushes around her. "Flameheart! Stop! I know it hurts, but you need to stop!" Lasciel shouted over the sound of the intense inferno, desperately encasing himself in his icy magic to keep himself from burning as he approached with Boris. Claude only stayed at the outer edge. He could leap in - it'd only be one and a half bounds to the Fae - swat her out of the air, knock her out, (hopefully don't swat her too hard and kill her), and carry her away from the flames - but, perhaps he didn't need to, yet. He didn't [i]really[/i] want to go into the fire. Instead, he did his best to pat out and smother what he could reach as he watched the other two brave the flames of the raging Fae. "Flameheart! Listen to me! Please, stop! This won't make the pain go away! It'll only make it worse!" "NOOO!" She screamed back, her voice shrill and tight. Again, she summoned her magic, and eyeing Lasciel, she unleashed the fireball. Claude knew the Snapper would not be able to dodge it, so he finally made a move to action; One bound landed him between Lasciel and the bolt, and he nearly crumpled from the pain as it struck him, but he was already in motion, and a half-leap and a swipe later, he had the tiny Fae in his cupped and closed claws. "Claude! No!" he heard Lasciel shout, but he launched himself into the sky and out of the flames, and flew to the only nearby body of water he knew of: Kulukan's lake. He could feel the Fae clawing and scraping to get out of his grip, but he refused to release her until he landed with a mighty splash in the water, dousing himself and the Fae. "No more magic, or I'll bite you in half," he growled menacingly. This threat instantly shut Flameheart up, and looking ragged and beaten, she climbed onto a lilypad to pout, doing her best to ignore her massive captor. Four hours later, Lasciel came panting. "Oh, good, Boris told me you flew here. Claude, that was very stupid of you to do!" "But she's not casting any more magic, and I'm not dead, so it worked," Claude countered. Lasciel opened his mouth to rebuke Claude again, but was interrupted by a tiny sob. "Look at it..." Flameheart whimpered. "He's gone..." For a solemn moment, the four dragons took in their surroundings: Kulukan's little lake. Already, the wild jungles were reclaiming the worn path he had maintained for so long. The little hut now sprouted moss and grass atop it, its contents raided and emptied by the local fauna. Indeed, the kindly caretaker of this little lake was gone. And Claude was the one who killed him. Loathing himself greatly in that moment, Claude shifted in the waters to turn away from the others, not able to face them. What was wrong with him? As he ignored them by pretending to sleep, the other three gathered close together, and conversed among each other, remembering Kulukan.

[b][size=5]Day 45: Laine[/size][/b] I was not really expecting to get so many dragons for this Pinkerlocke, dang. But here we are, another familiar. [item=Blackwing Croaker] After a number of dice rolls, I have picked up Laine from the realm-wide Auction House! [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39536039] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/395361/39536039_350.png[/img] [/url]

[size=5][b]Day 46: Troll's Bio[/b][/size] And some more writing! This is getting a little bit tricky, because I don't know where to take it.Though I have a good number of dragons that haven't even been introduced into the story yet, I am not completely sure how to incorporate them, so today, I will write [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2353346#post_31163133]Troll's final piece[/url]. [item=Volt Wiring] More information about Troll may still be revealed in the future! [size=5][b]Day 47: Battle![/b][/size] With fish, we are doing 35 battles with... Amaram, Jiangshi, and Lasciel. Because Lasciel is level 8 now, we're off to the Woodland Path! [item=Yellow-Frilled Eel] It sure is easy to not lose someone when you have two tanks in the roll. Amaram gained 2 levels, now level 5, and Jiangshi gained one, now level 7. Lasciel is halfway through level 8, which is... concerning. [size=5][b]Day 48: Battle![/b][/size] And some more battling! 16 battles with... Boris, Magiere, and Dantris! Well, we're not going to gain much experience due to Boris being level 6, but at least we're in the Training Fields when we have a level 1! [item=Blood Acorn] Well, Dantris is level 2 now, yay. Slightly more exciting: I got a vista. [size=5][b]Day 49: Battle![/b][/size] There's a lot of food on this site. Time for more battling. We're doing a mere 11 battles with Amaram, Lasciel, and... Laine... oh boy. Woodland Path with a level 1 is going to be... interesting... At least it's only 11 battles... [item=Chilled Edamame] Well, level 1 was a little nerve-wracking, but thankfully it only lasted 3 battles. Laine is now level 3! [size=5][b]Day 50: Claude's Bio[/b][/size] Wow, Day 50! Unfortunately, today was nothing overly special, just a material pull. That said, let's write [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9771657]Claude's bio[/url]! I have decided what to do with it: I can, in fact, keep most of it as is, but still update it to match the bio style I wanted to use. [item=Fir Branch] [size=5][b]Day 51: Apparel[/b][/size] Hmm, another breeding to do. The only female who is RTB is Flameheart, and given her current place in the story, it makes no sense to have her breed with anyone. Darter is RTB tomorrow, so I will probably breed her then. [item=Brass Steampunk Spats] [size=5][b]Day 52: Battle![/b][/size] Another plant item, more battling. We're doing 17 battles with Yorikiro, Boris, and Laine. Well, thankfully, Boris is still only level 6, so we're in the Training Fields. Unfortunately because Boris is level 6, we're also not getting much XP. [item=Maple Seed] Well, that only took 12 battles to get Yorikiro to level 2. Predictably, that was the only level gained. Additionally, Darter and Magiere are on a nest, with a whopping 5 eggs. Unfortunately, I was not clever and did not move them to a different lair for different eyes. Oops. Lastly, that new Shadow apparel is really cool, and [i]really[/i] fits Darter's theme actually. So, Darter and her kids may be getting apparel redos. [size=5][b]Day 53: Battle![/b][/size] There are a lot of food items in existence. Today, it is Banded Snail, 27 battles, with Amaram, Dantris, and Laine. Because Amaram, the highest leveled, is only level 5, we're in the Training Fields! [item=Banded Snail] As predicted, the Training Fields gave no issues.

[size=5][b]Day 54: A Fresh Start[/b][/size] Return of the Materials! The story has somewhat concocted it next direction in my head, so I shall attempt to continue writing. [item=Small Legbones] At some point in the night, Claude's pretense turned to actual sleep, and it was well into the morning before he opened his eyes again. Stirring, Claude shivered slightly as the cold water of the little lake swirled around him. On the bank, by the abandoned hut, he spotted the others, so he strode up to them. "Good morning, Claude," Lasciel greeted him. "We'll need to head back to Flameheart's home, to see if there is anything salvageable. Get yourself a breakfast, and we'll be on our way." Flameheart was sitting on Lasciel's back, still sniffling and teary-eyed. "I'm not hungry, let's go." Claude grumbled. He was still in a self-loathing mood, and had no appetite to eat. The sooner they were away from this depressing place, the better. "Very well. Flameheart, will you show the way? I was crashing and stumbling around in the dark last night, and whatever path I took, I am pretty sure it was not a path at all." In response, Flameheart only pointed. Half a day later, they came upon the charred ruins of what was once a lush, growing forest. Flameheart began to cry once again, her monotone voice cracking and shaking as her crests twitched and flipped dramatically. "Oooh... what have I done? Oh, why did I do this?" Fluttering into the air, she flew around, inspecting the remains. "It's... it's all gone... Everything... Everything is gone... Why...? Why me?" Claude could see her chest rising and falling faster and faster, and knowing what was about to happen next, he nearly lurched forward to stop her, but felt a firm nudge from the Snapper below him. Raising his voice, Lasciel called out to Flameheart. "Flameheart! Calm down, please! It's okay, objects can be replaced! Lashing out at your surroundings will only make things worse." Miraculously, the Fae seemed to listen, and sobbing and gasping for breath, she drifted down to the ground again, her crests pinned firmly downwards. "Y-y-you're r-right. O-of course you are. But... my home... it's gone... what will I do..." Walking forward, Lasciel calmly responded. "We can find you a new home, don't you worry. Why don't you travel with us for a while, leave this place, give yourself a fresh start? You'll only be depressed here, suffocated by all the old memories of a time gone by." Flameheart nodded at these words, and listlessly climbed onto his shoulder. Claude was worried. This Fae had well-proven she was capable of great destruction, and had a rather volatile nature. And now she was traveling with them? Claude secretly wished that, when the fire first broke out, they, like most people would, had fled from it. [size=5][b]Day 55: Flameheart's Bio[/b][/size] Unfortunately, I don't have much more of the story cemented out yet, so another bio shall be written! This time, for [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=38975025]Flameheart[/url]. Enough is known about her that I think I can make her a decent bio. [item=Zalis Weaving]

@Hoopsies, I was also pretty sad about losing Kulukan. I've got characters that would be okay to lose, but he wasn't one of them. He definitely morphed into one of my favourites. Claude is very much a rather terrible dragon. I don't know why, but the main characters of my stories also tend to be the villains, in a way. Well, given my name, maybe I do know why, heh. ----- [size=5][b]Day 56: Another Delay?[/b][/size] Oof, moving homes has put a dent on my ability to keep up. I've been recording my drops, but now I need to sort through the backlog of them. First one up: a material! [item=Ice Crystal] Not more than an hour later, after the group traveled mostly in silence, Lasciel perked up. "Hmm, if we're off to see the circus, I think we may need to make a quick visit along the way. I, ah, know of the perfect rascal we should bring along. She's been dying to run off to join the circus, so to speak. Heh, just like her father." He didn't elaborate any further, and Claude became annoyed at the prospect of yet another delay. Would he ever find his parents at this rate? Claude considered just flying off to the center of the Viridian Labyrinth. That was where the Behemoth was, where the Exalted Ones mostly resided, where this circus that may or may not know where his parents are, right? But, if the stories were at all true, then he could spend a century looking for this circus and never find it, for the tree, rumor had it, was utterly massive, and contained the homes of hundreds of thousands of dragons. So Claude only gave a small huff and continued following Lasciel.

[size=5][b]Day 57: I Ran Away to Join the Circus[/b][/size] Another Material in the backlog! Let's finally introduce two more of the [i]plethora[/i] of dragons I have now. And by plethora, I mean, that 5 egg nest hatched on the 57th day, and [i]all 5 of the stinkers survived[/i]. What's more, 3/5 of them were Skydancers instead of Mirrors. Weird. Say hello to Furyfang, Mantiswing, Steelwind, Bloodburner, and Forestfalcon. Oh boy, I wonder what they have in store for us. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39861188][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/398612/39861188.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39861189][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/398612/39861189.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39861190][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/398612/39861190.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39861191][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/398612/39861191.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39861192][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/398612/39861192.png[/img][/url] Alright, on to writing! [item=Winter Wolf Pelt] It was another month and a half of, thankfully, mostly uneventful traveling for the four dragons before they arrived at what Lasciel promised would be a quick stop. "After all, these Snapper legs always want to keep moving!" Claude nearly tripped over Lasciel when he came to a stop, despite them being in the middle of no-where still, with utterly nothing remarkable around. Perhaps it was the large, dead tree that was in Lasciel's path? Could the Snapper not climb it? "Amaram?" Lasciel called out. "You still in that old rotten log?" Silence. Lasciel walked up to the decaying tree and gave it a solid whack with his tail. "Anybody home?" he called again. This time, Claude heard a surprised yelp, and then a Spiral poked her head out from under the tree. "Lasciel!" The green Spiral pulled herself cat-like out from the dark, stretching as she moved. "It's been far too long!" Gracefully flitting into the air, moving very much unlike an erratic Spiral, she landed on Lasciel's head, wrapping herself around him and positioning herself to examine his face. "Hello, again, beautiful. To what pleasure do I owe this expected-yet-unexpected visit?" "Well, you know my path leads me straight to you, of course I'd be returning again some day! How's the little one?" "Not so little anymore. Twice as hyper, though. She's off berry picking right now. Maybe. She probably forgot and is chasing butterflies. Who knows?" "You know, of course. Your cards could probably tell you." "Pfft, I don't need them anymore, I only need my ears. Listen, here she comes." Sure enough, the frantic, furious flapping of wings could be heard now hurtling towards them, along with a high-pitched squealing. "EEEEEEE-IMPIE!" Claude jumped as he felt a tiny something hit his rear end, and then squirm with great energy into his mane. Thoroughly tangled now, a second Spiral popped her head out of his hair and proudly exclaimed, "Look, ma, it's an Imperial! We almost never see them here! IT'S SO BIG! AND FLUFFY!" "WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS, YORIKIRO?" Only the suddenly sharp and shrill shriek from the first Spiral kept Claude from losing [i]his[/i] temper on the little miscreant. With difficulty, she pulled herself out of his mane, stammering an apology before zipping to her mother - and then once again screaming in glee. "DADDY!" Before Claude could move his head back from where she was on his back to look at Lasciel, she had already joined her mother atop Lasciel's head, dancing and shaking, speaking so fast she was incomprehensible, utterly unable to contain her excitement. "Yes, Yori, I know you're excited to see me. Well, let's not be rude and ignore your other guests, too. The Imperial's name is Claude; he doesn't like little dragons playing on his back, so don't do that again. The Fae is Flameheart, and the other Spiral is Boris." Yorikiro made very hasty attempts at following introductory etiquette, but all her attention was on the Snapper, a million questions spilling forth from her mouth. Lasciel waited patiently for her to run out of breath. "Yori, I have something exciting to tell you." More waiting as the exuberant Spiral leapt into the air, squealing in delight. "What is it? What is it? Oh, hurry, before I die from not knowing!" She gave a dramatic flourish of despair, flopping onto his back. "Yori, I am on the way to visit some old friends of mine. You've heard of them. The Colourb-" "THE COLOURBURST CIRCUS! EEEEE!" Yorikiro screamed, "Oh, please, will you take me with you? Please please please please [size=2]say yes[/size] please please pleeeeeease? Mommy, can I go with daddy? PLEEEEEASE?!" Amaram's lips twitched upward at the corners momentarily. "I had known this day would come. And I am coming with you. Why do you think I had you working on packing and drying food? Well, come on and help me pick it all up for our departure, Yori." A bored Boris perked up at the mention of activity. "Ah, oh, I kin help wi' that, too." Between the three Spirals, a small collection, mostly of food, came forth from within the tree. Claude watched as they began to get the small pile of bags and other things onto Lasciel's back. Well, it was a small pile compared to his - wait. "Ahem," Claude spoke up. Maybe now was a good time to start trying to be friends. The weeks had given him a lot of time to think about his previous actions. He had to change. This was a good start, he hoped. "That small pile could fit thrice over in one of my bags," he stated. "Perhaps would you like to store it in one of them, instead of Lasciel carrying them all?" The others looked up at him and then back at the pile. "Hmm, yeah, I'd reckon that'd be a good idea," Lasciel chuckled. Claude sat down to give them a shorter distance to fly, and helped them load up the bag as gently as he could. When he got up, the extra weight was not even noticed. [i]Yeah, I can do this...[/i] "Alright, and we're off!" Lasciel announced. Yorikiro shot off like a rocket into the bushes ahead, and thirty seconds later, rejoined the now-moving party. "I thought you said we were off! You've hardly budged! C'mon, it'll be eons before we get there! I'll be old, and grow whiskers longer than that Impie!" The group all laughed. "Yori," Amaram explained, "Snappers do not hurry."

[size=5][b]Day 58: Clothing[/b][/size] Another apparel drop, because I don't have enough dragons yet, apparently. So, I have sent Amaram and Lasciel off to a Water nest. Fear not, they shall return eventually and get their clothes back. [item=Bronze Steampunk Goggles] [size=5][b]Day 59: Battle![/b][/size] It feels like it's been forever since I got a food item. I am torn between rejoicing in hopes I wind up with a few less dragons, or dreading that I wind up with a few less dragons. We're doing 13 battles with... Dantris, Boris, and Darter. Aww, mommy and daddy taking the tyke to the training fields, how cute. [item=Maidens Blush] Wow, I got 2 familiars in those 13 battles. Also, Dantris got to level 4. [size=5][b]Day 60: Battle![/b][/size] My backlog has a string of food in it. Today, we battle 29 battles with Yorikiro, Magiere, and Flameheart. Wow, we got some really low-level dragons in this group, 2, 3, and 3. They might actually gain a few levels together! Or somehow wipe out in the Training Fields. One of the two. [item=Softshell Scorpion] Woot, all 3 got to level 4! And no one died! [size=5][b]Day 61: Battle![/b][/size] More fighting. This time, 26 battles with... Flameheart, Claude, and Darter. [i]OH NO.[/i] I swear, Claude will be the death of each and ever single other dragon in this Pinkerlocke. [item=Leopard Caterpillar] Well, I had to carefully pick my battles, but everyone survived the Scorched Forest, and even gained a level. Yes, including Claude. He is now at level 10. I am not excited for his reaching level 11. The Scorched Forest is bad enough, I don't want to deal with the Sandswept Delta too. How do people get Pinkerlocke dragons to 25? [size=5][b]Day 62: Apparel[/b][/size] Another piece of apparel. I shall have to add it to the stockpile of "breedings I can do" because there is nothing RTB right now that would make sense. Unless... I will roll a D6. A 1 = they breed. [i]Ganon proceeds to roll a 1.[/i] Thanks, RNG... [item=Refined Highnoon Vest]

@Hoopsies, heh, as long as RNG behaves and lets me keep the whole group at around the same levels, I think I'll be okay. But RNG is... not nice at times. [size=5][b]Day 63: Peata[/b][/size] Another familiar, another dragon... Oh my goodness, Pinkerton. [item=Psywurm] Some dice rolls later, I have picked up this boy from the Realm-wide Auction House. Interestingly enough, this is the first large breed dragon to enter the story other than Claude. Should make for an interesting story, as Claude has mostly benefited from being the largest. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39975118] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/399752/39975118_350.png[/img] [/url] (...Gosh he's ugly. Ha ha.)