Quests & Challenges

[b][i]Day One Hundred Eighty Three:[/i][/b] [center][item=dune vampire] Rolled Einar, Tremayne, and Adrasteia. Coli Loot: [item=tengu] Tengu wasn't kept by anyone. [item=fresh trunk] Rolled Blithe, Capricious, and Einar. Coli Loot: [item=goldenplains poodle mith] Mith is kept; given to Adrasteia. [item=pineapple shiners] Rolled Adrasteia, Ylva, and Reverie. Coli Loot: [item=vial of hypnotic sight] [item=brown river recluse] Rolled Alkaios, Einar, and Adrasteia. Ylva is now level 10. Adrasteia reached level 11. Alkaios is level 12. Einar is level 13. Capricious is level 17.

[b][i]Day One Hundred Eighty Four:[/i][/b] Ylva watched with moderate fascination as Sonance savaged the training dummy that they had scavenged from the broken furniture left among the old dens of the Haven. To say the Spiral seemed upset was clearly an understatement; Spiral energy was one thing, but the way she tore apart the dummy was purely vicious. Finally, she threw aside the remains of the dummy and roared out at the canopy ceiling of the wood. As the sound faded eerily back into perfect silence (save for Sonance’s heavy breaths), Ylva let out a cough and asked, “So… You want to talk about it?” Ylva might have flinched if she were any lesser of a dragon given the way Sonance rounded on her, her lip pulled up to reveal her needle-sharp teeth and her large aquamarine eyes glaring angrily at her. The Gaoler held her ground and stared steadily back in the expression turned sullen, the lips closing and drooping in a frown and the eyes turning away as the Spiral shrugged. “No,” she answered back stiffly, busying herself with cleaning up the mess she had created. It was Ylva’s turn to frown. Oh no. She wasn’t letting her get away that easily. “Are you still mad about Meirwen?” she asked bluntly. Sonance whirled to face her again, her agitation returning full force. “I don’t care about Meirwen!” she spat, whipping a piece of debris with her tail so it went soaring far past the trash pile she had created. “She’s gone, what does she matter?!” “She was your best friend,” Ylva pointed out, causing Sonance to hiss. “Obviously [i]not[/i],” she snarled back, glaring at her. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore. You’re supposed to help me convince Einar to make me a Sentry.” With a surprising amount of discipline, Sonance settled herself in front of Ylva, taking a breath to smooth out her expression into something much more serene. Ylva considered her for a long moment. “Not until you tell me the truth about how you feel about Meirwen leaving,” she said boldly. Immediately, Sonance’s face twisted once again in fury and her entire body lashed about as she fought to both control herself and express her rage. “I TOLD YOU I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT MEIRWEN!” she roared at Ylva, who didn’t budge. Before she could respond, another familiar smell entered the clearing and Einar spoke from somewhere behind her. “What is all this shouting about?” he demanded, frowning at the two of them. “Nothing!” Sonance snapped and Einar gave her a look and she quickly composed herself. “Ylva and I wanted to ask you if I could become a Sentry.” “That didn’t appear to be your topic of conversation a moment ago,” he observed. “That’s not important,” Sonance said, attempting to wave the subject away with her claw. “Clearly it is, or you would not be so emotionally invested,” he commented dryly. She scoffed vehemently. “Oh, not you too!” she groused, turning away. He watched her a few moments, then look at Ylva who had been quietly observing their exchange. “Were you going to come to me to ask me to make her a Shadowbound Sentry?” he asked her. She nodded, replying, “Yes. Well, after-“ “After the state of her emotions toward Meirwen’s departure had been discussed?” he guessed. Ylva nodded, relieved that he understood without her trying to explain. Even then, the idea seemed a little silly. It’s not like she wanted it to [i]prevent [/i]Sonance from becoming a Sentry. Einar was now looking over the destruction of their makeshift training equipment with an odd sort of expression on his face and she became discomfited. After a moment, he cleared his throat to get the Spiral’s attention and said, “No.” There was a beat of silence as Sonance stared back at him, dumbfounded. “What?!” she spluttered. “Why?!” “Because it is evident you refuse to stabilize your emotional state,” he said. “If you intend to become a protector of those who you have a strong attachment to, it is a requirement that you not only be aware of your emotions, but also know precisely how they effect your judgment. This is not so that they may run rampant, but so that you know when emotion must be set aside for the sake of morality and justice. Your actions at this moment show that you are not yet capable of this; you needn’t speak to me or Ylva, but I would suggest you find someone who can help you confront your inner thoughts. Once you have mastered this, you may approach me again. Is that clear?” Sonance gazed at him for long moment, hanging oddly still like she had been frozen in midair. Then her expression suddenly contorted and Ylva was surprised to see tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes. She fought with herself for a breath and managed to say, “Alright. Fine.” The Spiral zipped out of the clearing, disappearing quickly among the surrounding trees and dwellings. Ylva drooped, shifting her weight and staring down at her claws. Einar seemed to notice, as he asked, “Is something wrong, Ylva?” “I didn’t want to get her in trouble,” she mumbled. “She’s not in trouble,” Einar said plainly. Ylva gave a shake of her head and looked up at him. “You refused to make her a Sentry because she got in an argument with me!” she protested, a knot of guilt in her stomach. “That just doesn’t seem fair.” “It’s not that she got in an argument with you,” he replied. “I simply agreed with your instinct to delay her induction. Now Ylva, you need to listen to me: whether or not you realized it, you were able to discern that her mental state was not yet fit to handle what this particular job entails. That shows a level of maturation on your part and a true understand of what your duties demand of you, two things of which Sonance has yet to fully realize.” “But I didn’t want to stop her from being a Sentry,” Ylva interrupted rather morosely. Einar held up a claw to stem further protests. “I didn’t say she couldn’t become a Sentry. I said I would not make her one right [i]now[/i]. In time, she will grow and understand these things, and then she will return at the proper time,” he said. She nodded slowly, taking in this information. A minute or two passed, and he added, “For now, we have our own work to do. The Longneck, Rasmus, managed to almost get inside the outer wall without being detected. This tells me that the holes in this place’s defenses are possibly more sever than I realized; we will have to rotate on scouting patrols around the perimeter, which I daresay your stealth abilities will prove much more successful given your new coat.” She grinned almost sheepishly, instinctively glancing at her tail which lay half-curled to her side. Indeed, since entering the Tangled Wood, her juvenile coat had finally shed to reveal dark, bold stripes underneath the previously bright orange pelt that she used to have. [center][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=84&bodygene=32&breed=17&element=1&eyetype=0&gender=1&tert=23&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=61&auth=a9b1eeafb0e43c9f505bd0d7569a2cef7b96b19b&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] She tried not to show off too much, but she was quietly proud of the thick blue lines that decorated her body. Einar cleared his throat again and her head shot back up and she jumped to her feet. “Right. I’m ready,” she said, nodding to him. He nodded back in a respectful manner that made her swell with pride as he led the way toward the gate. ----- [item=bone fragments] Sonance is very much an anger. Yup. But guess who hit level 10 and got their primary gene~! Super excited, I love the gene plan I have for Ylva~. Also I totally started this yesterday, but some crazy frickin' stuff went down and I was so riled up I couldn't write anything, rip. Anyway, I have another writing day to catch up on, so I should have something for you tomorrow! ----- Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x6 ----- @Weredogalism @Riff @Skulljester @AstralDragons @Petall @MisterMylez @BarbaraFett @PinkyDaPinkSlime @loser @OneRingOfPower @MagmaticMachine @Rosesinger @Eversnow @chewynoodles @FallenEclipse @Dachshund59 @Midwinter @RadioReprise @Yetti @Samiky @Snapshadow @Rhombulus @Kaivyrin @KrazKitCat @BoulderEnder @FyriBowbreaker @VeniVidiVici

More gene changes ties to lore! :D I love the way you did Erebos' way back when, too

Such a great update! I love the way Einar handled things. And Ylva looks great with her new gene.

Oh wow, I was wondering when Sonance would quite possibly start working on closure. She's not been having a good go lately, she's lost a lot and that's going to hurt.

I appreciate the angle Einar came at the situation though. It kind of reminds me of how in my classes as I'm working towards my Child and Youth Care degree, my professors are constantly telling us how important self-care is and being aware of our own reactions and biases and needs, so that we can be in the best shape to do our jobs and look out for the children and youth we'll be working with and give them the support they need without our own stuff getting in the way. It was cool to see that reflected here, in this story. And can I say, I am loving the direction Ylva is going (though I must say, it might be because she reminded me of myself in this chapter). I'm glad that she is with the Shadowbound, and that she is growing well into her sentry role.

On the other hand, I sincerely hope Sonance can effectively work through her emotions in a healthy way.

Ylva looks absolutely fantastic and is also a sweetie.

It's really exciting to gene pinkerton dragons.

[b][i]Day One Hundred Eighty Five:[/i][/b] Blithe flitted through the streets, carrying more rubbish to be recycled into things they needed to restore their chosen homes. He tried not to be too overwhelmed by what a daunting task it would be revitalizing this old clan to some form of functionality; it was like every day someone was coming up to him with a new problem. Who had made him clan leader anyway? He almost preferred it when Einar took over and doled out tasks to everyone, but unfortunately the Gaoler had been too involved with repairing the clan’s defenses. It stunk, too, as he had a continuing sense that he had forgotten something. Something that was somehow important… He shook the thoughts away. He still had these materials to deliver to Tremayne and his children to find, though he figured he should check on the Snapper’s and Vayne’s progress on cleaning out the clan vault before he went to find Reverie and Hope. They seemed to be enjoying exploring every inch of the abandoned Haven, always coming back with treasures of varying degrees of intrigue, but they had yet to claim any place for their own. Oh well, he thought. That would come in time. He arrived at the vault, which had been dug down into the earth likely by other Ridgebacks and reinforced with stone, wood, and metal so it looked remarkably like a hidden dungeon. Even then, it was a well-organized dungeon with separate rooms for different kinds of things for safekeeping, both for individual and public use. Some of these rooms and one of the hallways had collapsed in the intervening years, but Tremayne had assured them that the rest of the structure remained predominately sound, and the unstable areas were already fitted with temporary supports while the real ones were under repairs. Tremayne and Vayne were down one of the corridors when Blithe arrived, and the heat and shower of sparks told him they were hard at work. He shielded his sensitive eyes against the blinding light of Vayne’s focused fire magic, only daring to look at the two when the comfortable dimness returned. He got to watch as Tremayne formed a thick piece of iron with their earth magic, cooling it in a large basin of water and setting it aside. Behind them, he could see a piece of freshly installed timber set into the wall, awaiting its iron reinforcements to properly finish securing it. Not currently occupied with her work, Vayne noticed Blithe waiting there and looked up, blinking at him. “Hello, Blithe,” she greeted him, gaining Tremayne’s attention. “Did you need something?” “I brought some more materials for you,” he replied, indicating the bag. “I can leave these by the entrance if you like.” “I’ll go ahead and go through them,” Vayne said, reaching for the bag. Blithe had felt rather accomplished with everything he’d gathered, but it felt like so little when he placed it in the palm of her massive claw. Perhaps that’s just how life with an Imperial was. She turned back to Tremayne and added, “Call me back if you need any more help.” “I will,” they agreed and Vayne slid off down the corridor. Blithe stared after her with curiosity. He still hadn’t quite figured her out yet and she seemed to have been even more evasive than usual since Rasmus had shown up. He looked back at Tremayne, but they seemed to already know what he was going to ask because they shook their head, saying quietly, “She has a lot to figure out on her own, so she may seem distant, but she has a lot on her mind.” “About that whole… library guardian thing?” he inquired, coiling on the floor for the moment. Tremayne nodded. Blithe nodded absently, then added, “Asnofre said she was pretty upset when Rasmus showed up. Then again, it did sound really important… it’s a shame, though. Reverie and Hope seemed to get along with her pretty well. It would be unfortunate for them to lose… any more friends.” Tremayne sighed at this, taking a moment to pick up one of the finished reinforcements and used a few hard stones and their earth magic and to pound the reinforcements into place with a number of thick nails. Once this work was done, they turned back to Blithe. “It is regrettable that we’ve all had to say goodbye to so many,” they murmured. “But even when we arrived, I knew that not everyone’s path ended here. Converge, yes, but there are still those that carry on beyond here, and we have to be willing to let them go.” Blithe stared at them for a long moment, considering this. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something bothered him about the way Tremayne had said this, plus the empathetic look that they were regarding him with. Before he had properly formed his inquiry, however, Vayne suddenly appeared back around the corner, a pack dangling from her claw. “It don’t know what it is, but I bumped it and it started making a noise-“ she said nervously, holding out the bag to them. Indeed, Blithe could perceive a quiet sort of pinging noise emanating from the pack she held, which he was startled to realize was his own. Their things had been placed in the entrance of the vault for the time being to be out of the way while they got their personal dwellings in order. He couldn’t think of anything that would make such a noise, except- The lightbulb clicked and he lunged forward in an instant and grabbed the pack, throwing it open and furiously digging through the contents. Finally, he found it- a small metal disk that fit in his palm, bearing the crest of Duskhollow Haven, back in Lightning. There was a soft glow in it that he distinctly did not remember, pulsing slowly from inside the core. Even as he gazed at it, a sudden thrill surged up his spine – magic, perhaps? But not like any magic he’d ever felt. “What is that?...” Tremayne asked, jolting him out of his trance. “A transmitter,” Blithe replied automatically, recalling the distant memory. “Yeah. Rabble gave it to me; or, his friend made it or something.” “What is it doing?” Vayne asked, peering down at it, or at least attempting to. The device was hardly the size of her claw-tip, after all. “Well… transmitting, I guess,” Blithe answered lamely. He was overcome by another shiver of magic, but this time Tremayne and Vayne seemed to feel it too as they both jumped. “What was that?!” Vayne exclaimed. “I don’t-“ Blithe began, but he was interrupted by the quick approach of claws on stone. Asnofre came skidding around the corner, her eyes wide and wild. “All of you! Come quickly!” she snapped, motioning to them. “Something’s happening in the center of town!” The three of them flew after her, back out into the open air. Most the other dragons were already gathered there, save Capricious and Sonance, but Blithe couldn’t spare a moment to go looking for them. Instead, he floated dumbfounded, staring at a rip in the very air above the stage by the massive hollow tree. As they all watched, it spluttered and waved, crackled and flashed. The earth rumbled and earthen walls rose up, shielding them from whatever phenomenon was happening in the middle of the Haven. “Everyone stay back,” Einar rumbled, his eyes narrowed at the crack in the rock which the tear could be seen through. “And be ready. Whatever this is, we need to be prepared for anything.” Blithe didn’t think this was something anyone could prepare for, and even if he [i]had [/i]felt prepared, he doubted if that would have dissuaded any of his astonishment at what happened next. ----- [item=ash twigs] I'm really sorry for not updating a whole lot lately. Got a lot on my mind right now (including working hard on getting this new job). Been really hard focusing on writing for this, though I am trying my hardest for you guys. We may be close to the end, but I want it to end well, gosh dangit. ----- Inventory: Scatter Scroll x1, Breed Change x6 ----- @Weredogalism @Riff @Skulljester @AstralDragons @Petall @MisterMylez @BarbaraFett @PinkyDaPinkSlime @loser @OneRingOfPower @MagmaticMachine @Rosesinger @Eversnow @chewynoodles @FallenEclipse @Dachshund59 @Midwinter @RadioReprise @Yetti @Samiky @Snapshadow @Rhombulus @Kaivyrin @KrazKitCat @BoulderEnder @FyriBowbreaker @VeniVidiVici

This was a great update read! And hey no rush! Life always comes first and Goodluck getting the new job. I’m sure whatever ending you come up with will be wonderful, the story so far has been!

HHH--

HOW DARE YOU CLIFFHANGER DARNIT

@Eversnow Thinking up different ways that dragons gain their genes is just really fun imo (maybe that's why I've sunk into the G1 hoarding pit lol).

@Dachshund59 I looove Saffron Pinstripe, just aaaaahhhh so good.
Also- -cackles mischievously- To be continuuuuued...

@Petall Phew, I was actually a little worried I hadn't quite got that across with Einar. And actually, I meant to make Sonance a Sentry that update, but the more I thought about her mental state, that more I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. I think it turned out well for the story though. And yes, I'm hoping to finally have someone go through some good mental therapy, goodness.

@Rosesinger It is really exciting to gene Pinkerlocke dragons, because it's so unfortunately rare ;w;. At least with my 'locke -laughs nervously-.

@VeniVidiVici Thanks! I have Plans™ -cackles-.