Quests & Challenges

When Olivine returned to her camp after a few hours of foraging, she found the remains of her foodthrower scattered across the ground. The cheese wheel was gone, along with the more useful items she'd used to build it.

"At least I still have the peanuts," she muttered, scooping the now-useless ammo into her sack. The cheese was a hard loss, but from her memories of the first round, food wasn't exactly rare around here. As long as she didn't have any more trouble with other competitors, it would be easy enough to fill her sack.

This camp was no longer safe though. One dragon had found it already, and now that her only weapon was gone, it would be dangerous to stay here any longer. She would have to find a more secluded spot to make her base. With a sign, Olivine began walking,

While Fazluna breaks camp the next morning, she comes to a realisation. At the end of the day, it's not enough to simply make her way to the Pillar, gathering lots of food on the way. To be the dragon honoured with making the offering to Earthshaker, she must me better (well, and luckier) than the other dragons, and getting rid of them now would be easier than a contest on the Pillar. So maybe it was time to be pro active about knocking some dragons out.

Still unsure about how she felt about being ruthless - but knowing this was a good test of her character, which would help determine which Order she belonged in - she headed out, keeping a watch for dragons and opportunities.

Soon enough she found Bilbo's camp and starts spying on him as he kneads some dough. A plan starts to form as she remembers the value of a sneak attack. Sure enough, he leaves the food unattended for a few moments as he goes to stoke the cooking fire and Fazluna seizes the opportunity - she wasn't just going to steal food, she was going to remove Bilbo from the competition too! She deftly greases all the rocks she can get to quickly with some of the spare lard, covers all traces of her actions with some dirt and darts off to her hiding spot again just in time to prevent detection. It's not long before Bilbo slips and falls on one of the rocks and Fazluna congratulates herself on a perfectly executed plan.

She crosses over, checks that Bilbo is actually knocked, but not seriously hurt, then proceeds to plunder what she can. Unfortunately, the only thing she finds in his pockets is a measly old onion ring. Well, a perfectly golden battered onion ring. That smells glorious. She could just stand and smell that onion ring all day... shaking herself she looks at the onion ring she wonders what came over her and knows she must keep moving. Then she gets another whiff and decides to compromise, tying the onion ring around her neck so she could keep smelling it and move at the same time. She gathers up what's left of the dough and lard (that was useful stuff!), takes a deep breath and sets off again.

As it turned out, not one, but three dragons ended up converging on her location that day. Saharath was unhappy at first, but the two were so full of cheer, they quickly put her at ease. That Snapper, though, he looked kind of grouchy, near as she could tell, but he didn’t actually say much. Turns out, Jordan was leading the group to caverns he knew of, chock full of exotic fungi. They didn’t seem to mind her joining them. The Gaoler, in fact, was positively bubbling over in his enthusiasm, but it was Fall, the Skydancer, she had trouble ignoring. So handsome ….

They found the passages Jordan remembered, and Saharath gathered some of the growths she passed, though the best was still ahead. Until there was no more ahead to go: a massive cave in had closed the way completely. Jordan was sure he could get through, given time, but time was limited, so they retraced their path back out to daylight. This time the others were also plucking edibles along the way, so as not to be totally empty handed. The sun was sinking as they emerged, and the temperature had dropped considerably! Fortunately, Saharath was prepared. She didn’t set up her tent, since the cave entrance made a fine shelter, and it would have been rude, when the others would not have a similar accommodation. Though she probably could have found room for Fall … She shook her head, no time for daydreams, and pulled wood from her magical tote bag, picked up the first evening. Soon they had a wamm fire going. They skewered some of their more easily damaged mushrooms and roasted them for a light supper, sharing stories around the campfire. Some of those stories were chilling! And that called for marshmallows! Her new friends were delighted. They fell asleep gradually - or perhaps it was a sugar induced stupor - as the ashes continued to glow with heat.

@Cattington @Aradan @ShadowWolfDeath

[Aw, rats, eliminated already!]

@Snek [quote]When [i]Bilbo[/i] inevitably slips and knocks himself out in the fall, she rummages through his pockets, looking for snacks. To Fazluna's surprise, the only other thing he owns is... an onion [i]ring[/i]? Oh, but look at that batter--so crispy and golden! It's beautiful. A [i]precious[/i] find, even. She can't give Earthshaker something like that! It's hers, all hers...[/quote] LOL, this is [i]gold[/i]!

[quote name="@Deladria" date="2019-11-30 06:54:37" ]LOL, this is [i]gold[/i]! [/quote] I see someone finally noticed the inclusion of The One-ion Ring! There are plenty of other LotR nods peppered in so far--how could I resist?--and I can promise at least a few more before the game is up. :3

[center][size=6][b][u]NIGHT 2[/u][/b][/center][/size] [quote=KDRT Earth News Radio]...entire Shadow flight in an uproar today after a band of Nature flight tourists were found attempting to clean up the pool in the Forum of the Obscured Crescent. The tourists insist they were merely trying to return the pool to an unpolluted state, but observers have noted that Light flight is leading the boards this week. Unhelpful coincidence? Or foul play? More details as they emerge. [b]Deera[/b] isn't looking where he's going as he trots through a stretch of farmland covered in fresh bones, unaware that he can take them and turn them into a nice broth. He's going at a pretty good clip when he slips on an unstable clot of femurs and stumbles all over himself trying to get his footing again. Instead, he ends up tumbling head over tail and right into a giant skull, which [color=red]knocks him out.[/color] At least the impact popped one of its teeth out in the collision? Take that, skull! ...Yeah. [b]Stardust[/b] and [b]Olivine[/b] aren't happy about it, but they have to hold hands to keep each other balanced and stop themselves from toppling off the thin ledge that promises to lead them to a nice crop of pineapples up on a tall rock formation. [b]Stardust's[/b] weight means he can keep them both safely grounded, and [b]Olivine's[/b] smaller size means she can test the stability of the stone about to be beneath their feet without as great a risk of cracking it. It'll be an annoyance well worth the golden fruits waiting for them up above. [b]Agate[/b] had known that following the Gaoler would lead her to food. She just didn't know it would be so dangerous [i]getting[/i] to that food. After sliding off a tricky bit of the ledge and smacking one of her wings on the way down, she decides the pineapples aren't worth the risk and goes to find a safe place to tend to her injury. [b]Nem[/b] is minding her own business and searing one of her steaks on a flat stone propped over a fire when [b]Umber[/b]--who has been following her all day--comes sauntering up to her camp. Behind him are [b]Braziliante[/b] and [b]Sahiz[/b], who joined up with him at some point during their search for firewood. After receiving a vague threat about getting knocked out if she doesn't let them up to share that fire, she snarls and leaps at them, slamming a paw down on the ground with a force worthy of an Eliminate stone. [i]They shall not pass![/i] [b]Umber[/b] and [b]Braziliante[/b] fall over, shaken off their feet by the impact, and scramble away like roaches. [b]Sahiz[/b] decides this isn't a fight he wants to get into and runs in another direction, figuring he'd best go back to working with [b]Erin.[/b] [b]Fazluna[/b] spies a horse pasture some small distance away and decides that meat is meat. When she gets close to the pen, however, she realizes that these are no ordinary horses--they're a gathering of black-furred Nightmares! When they smell her necklace, they charge after her, chasing her through the field. One gives her a cut with the point of its horn before she escapes. She makes camp at a rock ledge and spends her night treating the injury. [b]Riku[/b] sees a fire up on a rock ledge some small distance away, but decides not to approach it. She heard some chill-inducing whinnying and hoofbeats earlier, and she knows that's nothing she wants to be part of, thank you. Not when there are all these wonderful blackberries to pick. [b]Vermello[/b] is in the middle of persuading [b]Erin[/b] to join up with him just so he can backstab her later when [b]Fall[/b] and [b]Aequorea[/b] walk up on them. There's no way he can handle all three, so he puts on a friendly face and shares some of the beetles he dug out of the ground earlier that evening. Encouraged by this show of kindness, the others sit down. They all spend the night telling spooky stories about the ghostly army they've heard lives in one of the Cairnstone Rest caverns. The other three can't help but wonder why the tales [b]Erin[/b] knows are the most detailed. In financial news, local factory Banger Fireworks is experiencing a boom in business. Their customer base has positively exploded, and it's all gold coins and pretty gems for the owners. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Marble Block Suppliers finally admitted to going bust, and confirmed that the previous CEO had secretly chiseled into their profits. He is expected to be arrested today on charges of embezzlement and....[/quote] ------------------------------------------- @Deladria @Cattington @Dreamclaws @TheAwesoMew @Unicornponies @Rivertyl @Natureluvr @Chaosarceus @Aradan @ShadowWolfDeath @Leopardmask @Lightningwind @/Dragonfruiteen @Dinomatika @Kelpoyo @Solstices @Zif @cvthedral @Bezonox @Thewarywatcher13 @Browncoatparadox @Sidegrinder @Goldia @kijauni --------------------------------------------- [center][b]11 PLAYERS DOWN. 13 REMAIN ACTIVE.[/b] Deera has been knocked out.[/center]

"Ah! Sh-" Agate swore to herself when she slipped, still aware in the back of her mind of the need to be quiet. She tried to keep her footing as she slid down the ledge, but unfortunately ended up on her back, one wing pinned. Who needs stupid pineapples anyway? she thought. Gross. She looked around to get her bearings, then crept off into a cozy crevice nearby. She vaguely noticed that she had managed to chip her armor, but she figured it would probably heal itself when she healed HERself.
Which she actually had never had reason to do. She didn't know if she even could heal herself, but it was worth a shot. She wouldn't be flying anyway but it was better to not have a wing that hurt every time she took a step.

Stardust yawned and stretched. He jumped in surprise when his back hit the roof, and ended up banging his head. Getting up groggily, he found a drawstring backpack, with some meat, a loaf of bread, and some astronaut ice cream. A canteen full of water also awaited him.

Biting into the ice cream, he yelped in pain when he bit into something hard. Furious, Stardust threw it on the ground. He was shocked when a metal capsule rolled on the ground, with his teeth marks on one end. Picking it up, he twisted the cap off and found a map leading to an X? A note was also there, saying "Come here for food!"

Shrugging, Stardust held the capsule in his mouth and put the backpack on his horns. He soon found a trail that led to the spot on his map. There he found a small ledge with pineapples... oh so many delicious, golden, pineapples! Seeing that no one was there, Stardust bit into a piece of meat.

"Did you get my message?" a voice suddenly asked him. Stardust spun around to where the sound had come from and almost choked on a bone. He soon saw the olive-colored Pearlcatcher who tried to steal her bread.

"What do you want?" Stardust growled at her. The Pearlcatcher, whose name he just remembered as Olivine, whispered to him, "We could team up to get those pineapples! Someone has been following you, and I don't think it will be safe for you!"
Seeing her begging eyes of mercy, Stardust sighed. At least this would be better than nothing.

The two held hands, er, paws, to climb up the structure. Stardust's mouth watered at the sight and sweet smell of the pineapples, which were getting closer and closer.

A sudden cry of "CURSE YOU, GAOLER!!!" startles Stardust. Looking down, he sees a purple Mirror with green fins, adorned with minerals of sorts, screaming at him. He shakes his head, confused, but keeps going with Olivine. Soon reaching the top, Stardust stuffs as many pineapples in his bag as he can. When he looks up, he sees a shape in the sky, indicating that Olivine has already gone-and left him stranded. Looking at his small, bulky wings, Stardust sighs and falls asleep, making sure that he placed his bag under his body to keep it safe.

(I would like to request that for any future encounters, that no one takes control of Olivine. I would love to RP any interactions, but I'm not comfortable with other people writing my dragon, as there is a lot about her personality that isn't actually written anywhere and exists only in my head. Thank you!)

@snek - firstly I apologies profusely for no picking up on the LOTR reference. I confess I've only watched the first movie, way back when it first came out at the cinema, and haven't seen the others, or read the books. But I should still have picked up on that when I saw the word precious!


As Fazluna travelled through the day, she contemplated her haul so far and decided that she really needed some meat in her offering bag. So when she sees evidence of horses she's quite excited and tracks them down. Unfortunately, this time she didn't go in carefully with a plan and realised too late that it was a whole herd of Nightmares!! As if one nightmare wasn't bad enough to have to deal with. She tried to back away, but their heads were up, their nostrils were flaring, and they charged. Forgetting that one can never outrun a nightmare, Fazluna turned tail and fled, but sure enough, just as she thinks she's reached safety, she feels a sharp pain as a horn grazes her.

She makes it to a safe place, sets up camp and tends to her wound - luckily it's not as bad as she first feared. Ruefully she compares her efforts this afternoon versus this morning and reminds herself of an important motto - Be Prepared.

As she curls up to rest, she inhales the scent of her onion ring, drawing comfort from it. Doing so reminds her of the flaring nostrils of the nightmares and she sat up suddenly as the realisation hit that maybe they'd been after her precious ring. Never!! There was no way she'd be letting anyone take is from her!! She settles back for an uneasy night of slightly disturbing dreams she couldn't remember later.