Note: I am ignoring all of my lore for this story, and defying flight rising logic by having a dragon magically get a new familiar for the duration of the story, even though i don't have the familiar.
The Voltens as a species have always been energetic creatures that seem to be immune to electricity. Many dragons, mostly of lightning, saw them as adorable little beans, and kept them as pets.
[indent]Loomie had been with his dragon since the dragon was a hatchling. (Let's pretend[/indent] Spire has a critical mass volten as his familiar even though I don't have a volten) Loomie was named by the dragon, who she'd figured out the name of her dragon was "Spiner" (Hey, I never said that voltens were smart and could understand dragon, ok?). Spiner worked in a factory that dealt with a lot of electricity. (Loomie was just a regular unelectrocuted Lumen, based off of this familiar [item=Swift Lumen] ) Spiner brought Loomie everywhere he went, so Loomie was always at risk of getting electrocuted. Then a massive malfunction happened with an energy tube, and every dragon evacuated the building to dodge the massive electric shock that was sure to follow, but Spiner and Loomie got separated, and Loomie never got out of the building. The electric shock electrocuted Loomie, giving her even more electricity than the swift volts. When Spiner came back, looking for Loomie, he was more than a little shocked (Pun not intended, it just came out) to see Loomie electrocuted beyond belief. Spiner then started calling Loomie Voltie, and their friendship continued.
Note: I am ignoring all of my lore for this story, and defying flight rising logic by having a dragon magically get a new familiar for the duration of the story, even though i don't have the familiar.
The Voltens as a species have always been energetic creatures that seem to be immune to electricity. Many dragons, mostly of lightning, saw them as adorable little beans, and kept them as pets.
Loomie had been with his dragon since the dragon was a hatchling. (Let's pretend
Spire has a critical mass volten as his familiar even though I don't have a volten) Loomie was named by the dragon, who she'd figured out the name of her dragon was "Spiner" (Hey, I never said that voltens were smart and could understand dragon, ok?). Spiner worked in a factory that dealt with a lot of electricity. (Loomie was just a regular unelectrocuted Lumen, based off of this familiar
Swift Lumen
Familiar
Lumen no longer require food, drawing all the energy they need from sunlight.
2950
) Spiner brought Loomie everywhere he went, so Loomie was always at risk of getting electrocuted. Then a massive malfunction happened with an energy tube, and every dragon evacuated the building to dodge the massive electric shock that was sure to follow, but Spiner and Loomie got separated, and Loomie never got out of the building. The electric shock electrocuted Loomie, giving her even more electricity than the swift volts. When Spiner came back, looking for Loomie, he was more than a little shocked (Pun not intended, it just came out) to see Loomie electrocuted beyond belief. Spiner then started calling Loomie Voltie, and their friendship continued.
Wyvern /\ FR+3
Any pronouns but it/its >If I made the thread, I'm subbed!
>Feel free to ping me, I don't mind!
fasjfdpajf totally screwed up the formatting so had to repost sorry
Prince of the Source
The abandoned Sanctum would require careful work before it could be considered safe again for Lightning’s average worker. The Expanse’s leading Magitech expert, Cinctus, was appointed the task of ensuring the facility was broken down properly, and that any magical devices that could be repurposed for the betterment of the Expanse would be used to their fullest potential. The skydancer reviewed all the Oculus’s intelligence on the research conducted there in preparation. He knew where he had to go first.
After directing his team, Cinctus rushed down the twisting halls of the Sanctum. A small fae piggybacked on his shoulders, delicate medical supplies contained in a box around their waist. The two finally found themselves arrived at their destination, a small, dark room with strange cages lining one wall, bizarre devices on the other, and various scrying instruments at either end. Cinctus offered his hand for the fae to perch upon and transferred them to a bench near the point of interest. This part would be dangerous for one not blessed by Lightning. The fae pulled out a small syringe and handed it to Cinctus. “Thank you, Farfara.”
The sight before Cinctus was…Pitiful. Even before he had entered the room, he had felt fear and hunger stinging at his antennae, prickling his being in small but increasing jolts. Depression’s cold hand sunk into his headscale and persisted to his core. “There you are,” Cinctus murmured at the creature in the cage. A small, fluffy squirrel. Coat a dull teal, ports placed along its sides. The rodent thrashed its tail at him, never breaking eye contact. “It’s alright. I’m sorry.” Cinctus quickly uncapped the needle of the syringe and administered the injection into the small mammal’s haunch through the cage. Aggression faded to docility as the sedative took effect.
Cinctus reached into the cage and pulled the little creature out into his arms. Small static prickles tickled his fur as he stroked the animal. “What’d those stinky Oculus do, hm?” He cooed. “This is our kingdom now, mine and yours. And it will be used for us.” Cinctus nodded at Farfara, giving them the signal to return to his shoulder. The squirrel’s breathing steadied, and Cinctus felt the carefree release of sleep in his antennae. “Sleep well,” he whispered, “And when you wake up, you will be the Prince of this land.”
…
The Critical Mass Volten and You: A Source Safety Guide
As you all know, we owe the functionality of The Source in no small part to the Critical Mass Volten. This adorable, industrious little creature acts as a power sink, absorbing electrical energy when the output of The Source exceeds the capacity of the Expanse’s grid. If you’re lucky, you may encounter one of these charming animals. It is important to enjoy their presence safely.
1. Do not touch the Critical Mass Volten, even if it approaches you. The static in their fur is enough to harm even a Lightning elemental dragon. It can kill others.
2. Under no circumstances should you attempt to harm a Critical Mass Volten. Yes, even if it is attempting to approach you in what will most likely be a fatal cuddle. Better to die a hero than live a villain.
3. Do not feed the Critical Mass Voltens. They have a very special diet. This also may encourage them to approach those other than their handlers.
4. Stop saying you found a nest of Critical Mass Voltens. It can’t reproduce. Please report all Critical Mass Volten nests to the Volten Handling Department.
5. Have you found a Critical Mass Volten cache in your desk? Leave it alone. Removing it will do no good. The Critical Mass Volten has chosen that spot and will return. You will be relocated.
Remember, the Critical Mass Volten represents the spirit of productivity. Even after gathering all it needs to feed itself and its family that day, it continues to forage, storing the fruits of its labor safely away for later. We should all aspire to be like the Critical Mass Volten. Treat this handsome animal with the respect and admiration it deserves!
-Dr. Cinctus
fasjfdpajf totally screwed up the formatting so had to repost sorry
Prince of the Source
The abandoned Sanctum would require careful work before it could be considered safe again for Lightning’s average worker. The Expanse’s leading Magitech expert, Cinctus, was appointed the task of ensuring the facility was broken down properly, and that any magical devices that could be repurposed for the betterment of the Expanse would be used to their fullest potential. The skydancer reviewed all the Oculus’s intelligence on the research conducted there in preparation. He knew where he had to go first.
After directing his team, Cinctus rushed down the twisting halls of the Sanctum. A small fae piggybacked on his shoulders, delicate medical supplies contained in a box around their waist. The two finally found themselves arrived at their destination, a small, dark room with strange cages lining one wall, bizarre devices on the other, and various scrying instruments at either end. Cinctus offered his hand for the fae to perch upon and transferred them to a bench near the point of interest. This part would be dangerous for one not blessed by Lightning. The fae pulled out a small syringe and handed it to Cinctus. “Thank you, Farfara.”
The sight before Cinctus was…Pitiful. Even before he had entered the room, he had felt fear and hunger stinging at his antennae, prickling his being in small but increasing jolts. Depression’s cold hand sunk into his headscale and persisted to his core. “There you are,” Cinctus murmured at the creature in the cage. A small, fluffy squirrel. Coat a dull teal, ports placed along its sides. The rodent thrashed its tail at him, never breaking eye contact. “It’s alright. I’m sorry.” Cinctus quickly uncapped the needle of the syringe and administered the injection into the small mammal’s haunch through the cage. Aggression faded to docility as the sedative took effect.
Cinctus reached into the cage and pulled the little creature out into his arms. Small static prickles tickled his fur as he stroked the animal. “What’d those stinky Oculus do, hm?” He cooed. “This is our kingdom now, mine and yours. And it will be used for us.” Cinctus nodded at Farfara, giving them the signal to return to his shoulder. The squirrel’s breathing steadied, and Cinctus felt the carefree release of sleep in his antennae. “Sleep well,” he whispered, “And when you wake up, you will be the Prince of this land.”
…
The Critical Mass Volten and You: A Source Safety Guide
As you all know, we owe the functionality of The Source in no small part to the Critical Mass Volten. This adorable, industrious little creature acts as a power sink, absorbing electrical energy when the output of The Source exceeds the capacity of the Expanse’s grid. If you’re lucky, you may encounter one of these charming animals. It is important to enjoy their presence safely.
1. Do not touch the Critical Mass Volten, even if it approaches you. The static in their fur is enough to harm even a Lightning elemental dragon. It can kill others.
2. Under no circumstances should you attempt to harm a Critical Mass Volten. Yes, even if it is attempting to approach you in what will most likely be a fatal cuddle. Better to die a hero than live a villain.
3. Do not feed the Critical Mass Voltens. They have a very special diet. This also may encourage them to approach those other than their handlers.
4. Stop saying you found a nest of Critical Mass Voltens. It can’t reproduce. Please report all Critical Mass Volten nests to the Volten Handling Department.
5. Have you found a Critical Mass Volten cache in your desk? Leave it alone. Removing it will do no good. The Critical Mass Volten has chosen that spot and will return. You will be relocated.
Remember, the Critical Mass Volten represents the spirit of productivity. Even after gathering all it needs to feed itself and its family that day, it continues to forage, storing the fruits of its labor safely away for later. We should all aspire to be like the Critical Mass Volten. Treat this handsome animal with the respect and admiration it deserves!
-Dr. Cinctus
[b]A volten in the system[/b]
Starring Norkul and Spades
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/69298245][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/692983/69298245.png[/img][/url] [item=Scrapmetal tracker]
Norkul was on edge. More so than usual, that was. He was working on a very important part of the machinery; a project he thought could revolutionize how their whole flight could send electrical currents through the desert. But the closer he leant down to the blue glowing circuits before him, the louder that irritating noise got. At first he thought it was just his tinnitus acting up, but it had never sounded like chittering before. And certainly never like it was chittering at him, as if it was laughing.
It became too much to bear at some point and Norkul stood up straight. He walked over to his work bench and got to his knees. He kept a small box there, stuffed with whirring objects he tinkered with whenever he got electrician's block. He pulled out a small golden plaything that resembled a scrapmetal tracker. Norkul carried it carefully to the tubes in the machinery and set it down.
'Sick 'em, Spades,' he told it, and the small robot walked down the tube on its slightly uneven paws. Norkul would have to fix them later. The wildclaw sat down and listened carefully. The chittering had stopped. For a few minutes, he couldn't hear anything at all but then-
Spades was barking his mechanical bark and it reverberated back to Norkul. Something seemed to answer; at least it sounded like words, only not in any language Norkul had ever heard before. Spades' barks were coming nearer and something shot out of the tube.
Norkul lunged at it, and almost flattened it. 'A-ha!' he said triumphantly, holding the struggling lumen securely between his claws. 'I knew there was a volten somewhere in my programming, but I didn't think it'd be a life one.' In answer, the creature chittered at him angrily, as if [i]he [/i]had been disturbing [i]it [/i]while it was doing something of great importance.
Behind him, Spades came out of the tube, still barking. 'Well done, Spades,' Norkul said, 'you're a very very good boy who's earned himself some belly-electrocuting!' Spades sat down, wagging his tinkling tail like mad.
Norkul carried the volten out of his workshop. He looked around, hoping to find some inspiration as to what to do with it.
The volten wriggled around in his paws, and he thought he would drop it, but then he realized it had turned on its back.
'Oh,' he said. 'Everyone enjoys a good belly-electrocution around here, huh?' The volten looked at him expectantly.
'Well.' There did not seem a way around it but he really did not have the time right now. 'Tell you what, whenever I have time and spare energy, you can come here and I'll play with you. But in the meantime you have to wait somewhere safe, all right?'
He looked at the lumen dubiously. Surely it could not understand a word. But before he could do anything else the creature chittered at him again, it even seemed to be nodding and then it shot off so fast Norkul's eyes could only see it as a bolt of lightning. The bright blue bolt shot up into the night sky. When his sight returned to normal he could make out the stars above that were exactly shaped like the lumen.
'Oh that's neat,' he muttered and went back into his workshop as if this kind of thing happened to him everyday.
From that night on, whenever he had time and energy to spare, just as he had promised, Norkul would wave up at the sky - whether it was covered in storms or not - and the lumen would come down to visit him for play and treats.
Scrapmetal Trackers are able to sense tiny bits of metal buried in the earth. They dig up these remnants and bring them to their masters.
2900
Norkul was on edge. More so than usual, that was. He was working on a very important part of the machinery; a project he thought could revolutionize how their whole flight could send electrical currents through the desert. But the closer he leant down to the blue glowing circuits before him, the louder that irritating noise got. At first he thought it was just his tinnitus acting up, but it had never sounded like chittering before. And certainly never like it was chittering at him, as if it was laughing.
It became too much to bear at some point and Norkul stood up straight. He walked over to his work bench and got to his knees. He kept a small box there, stuffed with whirring objects he tinkered with whenever he got electrician's block. He pulled out a small golden plaything that resembled a scrapmetal tracker. Norkul carried it carefully to the tubes in the machinery and set it down.
'Sick 'em, Spades,' he told it, and the small robot walked down the tube on its slightly uneven paws. Norkul would have to fix them later. The wildclaw sat down and listened carefully. The chittering had stopped. For a few minutes, he couldn't hear anything at all but then-
Spades was barking his mechanical bark and it reverberated back to Norkul. Something seemed to answer; at least it sounded like words, only not in any language Norkul had ever heard before. Spades' barks were coming nearer and something shot out of the tube.
Norkul lunged at it, and almost flattened it. 'A-ha!' he said triumphantly, holding the struggling lumen securely between his claws. 'I knew there was a volten somewhere in my programming, but I didn't think it'd be a life one.' In answer, the creature chittered at him angrily, as if he had been disturbing it while it was doing something of great importance.
Behind him, Spades came out of the tube, still barking. 'Well done, Spades,' Norkul said, 'you're a very very good boy who's earned himself some belly-electrocuting!' Spades sat down, wagging his tinkling tail like mad.
Norkul carried the volten out of his workshop. He looked around, hoping to find some inspiration as to what to do with it.
The volten wriggled around in his paws, and he thought he would drop it, but then he realized it had turned on its back.
'Oh,' he said. 'Everyone enjoys a good belly-electrocution around here, huh?' The volten looked at him expectantly.
'Well.' There did not seem a way around it but he really did not have the time right now. 'Tell you what, whenever I have time and spare energy, you can come here and I'll play with you. But in the meantime you have to wait somewhere safe, all right?'
He looked at the lumen dubiously. Surely it could not understand a word. But before he could do anything else the creature chittered at him again, it even seemed to be nodding and then it shot off so fast Norkul's eyes could only see it as a bolt of lightning. The bright blue bolt shot up into the night sky. When his sight returned to normal he could make out the stars above that were exactly shaped like the lumen.
'Oh that's neat,' he muttered and went back into his workshop as if this kind of thing happened to him everyday.
From that night on, whenever he had time and energy to spare, just as he had promised, Norkul would wave up at the sky - whether it was covered in storms or not - and the lumen would come down to visit him for play and treats.
Stories in the Stars Day 6: Critical Mass Volten
Words: 788
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/67845502][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=51&bodygene=13&breed=4&element=8&eyetype=12&gender=0&tert=100&tertgene=10&winggene=20&wings=77&auth=393b8e4d918b31e01305388d3001e8115d3e4e67&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url]
The next constellation that caught the attention of the stargazers was shaped like a rodent with a fluffy tail and two jagged lines coming out of its back. Most of the group had never seen a creature like that before and began to debate about what it could possibly be. One insisted it was a squirrel caught in brambles, another said it resembled a porcupine (this claim was met with doubtful gazes). This debate ran for a little while longer until someone who had been silent until now chimed in.
"I can't believe you all," the haughty voice said. "It's obviously a Critical Mass Volten." The speaker was a male Pearlcatcher with translucent wings and a gleaming turquoise pearl. He laid casually on one side, absentmindedly tapping on the orb with his claws. Upon seeing the confused looks of his companions, he sighed. "Here I thought everyone would remember the fable. Really, I shouldn't have expected much."
One dragon, a Spiral with white scales covered with orange, brown, and gold splotches, piped up. "Which story are you referring to, Poem? I don't believe I've ever heard about such a creature."
A Wildclaw with light and dark green feathers agreed. "Yeah, I wanna hear it! It sounds really cool."
With a roll of his eyes, the Pearlcatcher, named Poem, sighed once again. "You do realize it's a children's' tale, right? Meant to entertain hatchlings? Very well. If you all insist."
He lazily propped himself upright and began to talk. "It's a story of three brothers, the Swift rodents. There's Swift Volt, Swift Lumen, and Swift Volten. I don't know why whoever wrote this gave Volt and Volten such similar names. It's bound to get confusing, but whatever, I guess. Anyway, the three brothers all lived in the Charged Barrens. They were able to live there because they didn't require food or water to survive. Instead, the panels on their backs harvested solar energy, which provided them with the nutrients they needed to thrive."
Poem cleared his throat. "One day the three brothers were approached by the Stormcatcher himself. He had a very important job for them. They were to go out and collect as much energy as they could and then give it to the deity so he could convert it to electricity." The Pearlcatcher scoffed. "Don't know why the creator of lightning would need to ask three rats to do his job for him, but I didn't write the story."
"So the Swift brothers did as the Stormcatcher asked. Swift Volt and Swift Lumen collected as much solar energy as their panels could hold. However, it was much too heavy for them to carry all the way to the Tempest Spire, where the Stormcatcher resided. So they each consumed half of their energy collection and made their journey to the Spire, where the god accepted their offerings and bade them back to work."
"What about Swift Volten?" the Wildclaw asked.
"I was getting there," Poem huffed. His friends noticed that he was getting much more invested in the story than he would've liked to admit. "Out off all three of the brothers, Swift Volten was the most hardworking and determined. He spent several days under the harsh sun of the Charged Barrens, collecting so much energy that it sparked and crackled throughout the panels on his back. After a week of his tireless efforts, he carried himself all the way to the Tempest Spire without consuming a single drop of the energy for himself. Once he arrived, he collapsed from exhaustion at the Stormcatcher's feet."
"Did he die?"
"If you'd let me finish," Poem said while shooting a nasty side eye to the dragon who interrupted him. "The Stormcatcher was so impressed with Swift Volten's hard work that he decided to spare the small creature. He granted Swift Volten a new immortal form, one that could handle all of the electricity that was coursing through his veins. From then on, he was known as Critical Mass Volten, and served as one of the Stormcatcher's most trusted aids for all of eternity, with his likeness etched in the stars. His two brothers asked why they weren't rewarded for their efforts, but they were ignored."
"Why is that?" asked the Spiral.
"I don't know," the Pearlcatcher said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's not really that good of a message, honestly. Saying that you only get rewarded if you work yourself to death? Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure this started as propaganda to get Lightning dragons to work more. Hmm... well, it's a good tale all the same. Now, will you all please let me look at the stars in peace? Thank you very much."
Stories in the Stars Day 6: Critical Mass Volten
Words: 788
The next constellation that caught the attention of the stargazers was shaped like a rodent with a fluffy tail and two jagged lines coming out of its back. Most of the group had never seen a creature like that before and began to debate about what it could possibly be. One insisted it was a squirrel caught in brambles, another said it resembled a porcupine (this claim was met with doubtful gazes). This debate ran for a little while longer until someone who had been silent until now chimed in.
"I can't believe you all," the haughty voice said. "It's obviously a Critical Mass Volten." The speaker was a male Pearlcatcher with translucent wings and a gleaming turquoise pearl. He laid casually on one side, absentmindedly tapping on the orb with his claws. Upon seeing the confused looks of his companions, he sighed. "Here I thought everyone would remember the fable. Really, I shouldn't have expected much."
One dragon, a Spiral with white scales covered with orange, brown, and gold splotches, piped up. "Which story are you referring to, Poem? I don't believe I've ever heard about such a creature."
A Wildclaw with light and dark green feathers agreed. "Yeah, I wanna hear it! It sounds really cool."
With a roll of his eyes, the Pearlcatcher, named Poem, sighed once again. "You do realize it's a children's' tale, right? Meant to entertain hatchlings? Very well. If you all insist."
He lazily propped himself upright and began to talk. "It's a story of three brothers, the Swift rodents. There's Swift Volt, Swift Lumen, and Swift Volten. I don't know why whoever wrote this gave Volt and Volten such similar names. It's bound to get confusing, but whatever, I guess. Anyway, the three brothers all lived in the Charged Barrens. They were able to live there because they didn't require food or water to survive. Instead, the panels on their backs harvested solar energy, which provided them with the nutrients they needed to thrive."
Poem cleared his throat. "One day the three brothers were approached by the Stormcatcher himself. He had a very important job for them. They were to go out and collect as much energy as they could and then give it to the deity so he could convert it to electricity." The Pearlcatcher scoffed. "Don't know why the creator of lightning would need to ask three rats to do his job for him, but I didn't write the story."
"So the Swift brothers did as the Stormcatcher asked. Swift Volt and Swift Lumen collected as much solar energy as their panels could hold. However, it was much too heavy for them to carry all the way to the Tempest Spire, where the Stormcatcher resided. So they each consumed half of their energy collection and made their journey to the Spire, where the god accepted their offerings and bade them back to work."
"What about Swift Volten?" the Wildclaw asked.
"I was getting there," Poem huffed. His friends noticed that he was getting much more invested in the story than he would've liked to admit. "Out off all three of the brothers, Swift Volten was the most hardworking and determined. He spent several days under the harsh sun of the Charged Barrens, collecting so much energy that it sparked and crackled throughout the panels on his back. After a week of his tireless efforts, he carried himself all the way to the Tempest Spire without consuming a single drop of the energy for himself. Once he arrived, he collapsed from exhaustion at the Stormcatcher's feet."
"Did he die?"
"If you'd let me finish," Poem said while shooting a nasty side eye to the dragon who interrupted him. "The Stormcatcher was so impressed with Swift Volten's hard work that he decided to spare the small creature. He granted Swift Volten a new immortal form, one that could handle all of the electricity that was coursing through his veins. From then on, he was known as Critical Mass Volten, and served as one of the Stormcatcher's most trusted aids for all of eternity, with his likeness etched in the stars. His two brothers asked why they weren't rewarded for their efforts, but they were ignored."
"Why is that?" asked the Spiral.
"I don't know," the Pearlcatcher said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's not really that good of a message, honestly. Saying that you only get rewarded if you work yourself to death? Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure this started as propaganda to get Lightning dragons to work more. Hmm... well, it's a good tale all the same. Now, will you all please let me look at the stars in peace? Thank you very much."
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61397741][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/613978/61397741_350.png[/img][/url]
Critical Mass Volten
Ralph thumbed through the pages of the relatively dry research paper on the “Migration and movements of the Critical Mass Volten ([i]Voltus criticalus[/i]) in Carrion Canyon and its ramifications for other lightning taxa: potential for lightning harvest and storage.” He did not recognize the authors. Sighing loudly, he realized a great deal of work still needed to be done on [i]V. criticalus[/i] because this paper said nothing of any real value and he wondered how it came to be published in the scientific journal [i]Rodere Fulmen[/i] in the first place. He tutted and tossed the paper onto the portable desk set up in his encampment and rose to check the site preparations.
He had spent the last 3 days installing the long drift fences that would channel the squirrel-like Voltens into the testing area. It was tedious work, digging the narrow grooves for the fences, pounding stakes into the ground to hold them upright. The desert heat was unbearable, but at least the migration occurred at night, which was a good deal cooler. Then came the testing area itself, a 750-metre length that ran between several lightning harvesters on both sides of the fence, aimed toward the path through which the Voltens would run. The harvesters were gigantic metal funnels placed at precise intervals, and to each were connected several storage batteries. They hummed slightly, and the air in front of each funnel was oddly distorted, like a circular heat shimmer. Also within the test area were several equidistant optical “gates”, networked to the computer which would allow for calculation of Volten running speed. Everything seemed in place and ready. They should be arriving any minute now, he thought, as the sun had set hours ago.
As soon as he had that thought, an eerie blue glow began to appear in the distance, in the direction of the drift fence entry point. A rumble was felt, and then heard, the light growing brighter by the second as the Voltens ran, en masse, along their migratory route. He could tell the exact moment they hit the first optical gate, because a deafening THRUM began to pulsate, stirring the air, making his jaw ache and his teeth rattle. It was a sound more felt than heard. One by one the large batteries lit up, indicating successful lightning storage. The mass migration of Voltens looked like a river of light, moving fluidly through the testing area and then out into the canyon proper, continuing the journey to their ancestral breeding grounds.
As the Voltens exited the channel the blue glow faded and the lightning harvesters powered down. Ralph consulted the monitor to view the readouts and data collected from the event. He was astonished to find how swiftly the Voltens moved, the fastest recorded was 122 km/h. Only the Quillrunner could match that speed. Which of course makes sense, since Voltens are likely their prey.
Ralph took a moment to admire the dark desert sky, stars twinkling sporadically. Low on the horizon a constellation was rising, and Ralph watched as it grew brighter. “Ah. The Critical Mass Volten constellation. Visible only in summer, appearing for the first time on the night of the mass migration.” He wondered if there was a correlation, but to determine that would mean years of more research. He made a comment in his notebook and began dismantling the test site, pleased with its success.
Ralph thumbed through the pages of the relatively dry research paper on the “Migration and movements of the Critical Mass Volten (Voltus criticalus) in Carrion Canyon and its ramifications for other lightning taxa: potential for lightning harvest and storage.” He did not recognize the authors. Sighing loudly, he realized a great deal of work still needed to be done on V. criticalus because this paper said nothing of any real value and he wondered how it came to be published in the scientific journal Rodere Fulmen in the first place. He tutted and tossed the paper onto the portable desk set up in his encampment and rose to check the site preparations.
He had spent the last 3 days installing the long drift fences that would channel the squirrel-like Voltens into the testing area. It was tedious work, digging the narrow grooves for the fences, pounding stakes into the ground to hold them upright. The desert heat was unbearable, but at least the migration occurred at night, which was a good deal cooler. Then came the testing area itself, a 750-metre length that ran between several lightning harvesters on both sides of the fence, aimed toward the path through which the Voltens would run. The harvesters were gigantic metal funnels placed at precise intervals, and to each were connected several storage batteries. They hummed slightly, and the air in front of each funnel was oddly distorted, like a circular heat shimmer. Also within the test area were several equidistant optical “gates”, networked to the computer which would allow for calculation of Volten running speed. Everything seemed in place and ready. They should be arriving any minute now, he thought, as the sun had set hours ago.
As soon as he had that thought, an eerie blue glow began to appear in the distance, in the direction of the drift fence entry point. A rumble was felt, and then heard, the light growing brighter by the second as the Voltens ran, en masse, along their migratory route. He could tell the exact moment they hit the first optical gate, because a deafening THRUM began to pulsate, stirring the air, making his jaw ache and his teeth rattle. It was a sound more felt than heard. One by one the large batteries lit up, indicating successful lightning storage. The mass migration of Voltens looked like a river of light, moving fluidly through the testing area and then out into the canyon proper, continuing the journey to their ancestral breeding grounds.
As the Voltens exited the channel the blue glow faded and the lightning harvesters powered down. Ralph consulted the monitor to view the readouts and data collected from the event. He was astonished to find how swiftly the Voltens moved, the fastest recorded was 122 km/h. Only the Quillrunner could match that speed. Which of course makes sense, since Voltens are likely their prey.
Ralph took a moment to admire the dark desert sky, stars twinkling sporadically. Low on the horizon a constellation was rising, and Ralph watched as it grew brighter. “Ah. The Critical Mass Volten constellation. Visible only in summer, appearing for the first time on the night of the mass migration.” He wondered if there was a correlation, but to determine that would mean years of more research. He made a comment in his notebook and began dismantling the test site, pleased with its success.
The Critical Mass Volten
Once upon a time, there was a little Swift Volt who lived in a tall oak tree. It was a bit strange that there was an oak tree growing in the middle of the desert, but the Swift Volt didn't know that; the tree made a nice home, and it grew the tastiest acorns, so the Swift Volt was happy.
Not too far away from the oak tree was a tall lightning spire. It was the most powerful spire in the area, and harvested enough energy to power the projects of multiple nearby clans. Lightning magic emanated from the spire, and those plants and animals that lived within its radius found themselves imbued with little sparks of its energy, slowly growing over the years. The oak tree was one of the plants affected--it had been there for decades, and was the most powerfully magical tree for miles around.
Swift Volts, of course, thrive on lightning magic, and the little Volt in the oak tree was no exception. The crackling energy from the tree protected it from predators, and the tree produced the most delicious acorns. They sparked and glowed with lightning magic, and the Swift Volt could not get enough of them.
Since the Swift Volt lived in that tree safely and uncontested, it had all the time in the world to eat all the electric acorns it wanted, and so the Swift Volt feasted. By the time it was a year old, it was fifty percent larger than other Volts of its age; by the time it was two, it was twice as big, and crackling with power.
As years passed, the Swift Volt got bigger and stronger, filled with such energy that it flowed from the glowing spots in the Volt's fur. Eventually, it became too big to live in the tree any longer, and it radiated such an aura of lightning that no other creatures could get close. No longer was it a little Swift Volt: it was now an electric Volten, and it had reached Critical Mass.
The acorns from the oak tree no longer satisfied the massive Volten, and it wasn't sure what to do, until it looked up in the sky one night and saw the stars. To the Volten, they looked like giant acorns, and that sounded delicious. It climbed the tall lightning spire and leapt into the sky. When we look up into the night sky now, we can see the silhouette of the giant Volten, chasing after those giant acorns in the sky.
(Confession: The inspiration for this story was just that I thought the idea of a "critically massive" squirrel was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing about it last night.)
Once upon a time, there was a little Swift Volt who lived in a tall oak tree. It was a bit strange that there was an oak tree growing in the middle of the desert, but the Swift Volt didn't know that; the tree made a nice home, and it grew the tastiest acorns, so the Swift Volt was happy.
Not too far away from the oak tree was a tall lightning spire. It was the most powerful spire in the area, and harvested enough energy to power the projects of multiple nearby clans. Lightning magic emanated from the spire, and those plants and animals that lived within its radius found themselves imbued with little sparks of its energy, slowly growing over the years. The oak tree was one of the plants affected--it had been there for decades, and was the most powerfully magical tree for miles around.
Swift Volts, of course, thrive on lightning magic, and the little Volt in the oak tree was no exception. The crackling energy from the tree protected it from predators, and the tree produced the most delicious acorns. They sparked and glowed with lightning magic, and the Swift Volt could not get enough of them.
Since the Swift Volt lived in that tree safely and uncontested, it had all the time in the world to eat all the electric acorns it wanted, and so the Swift Volt feasted. By the time it was a year old, it was fifty percent larger than other Volts of its age; by the time it was two, it was twice as big, and crackling with power.
As years passed, the Swift Volt got bigger and stronger, filled with such energy that it flowed from the glowing spots in the Volt's fur. Eventually, it became too big to live in the tree any longer, and it radiated such an aura of lightning that no other creatures could get close. No longer was it a little Swift Volt: it was now an electric Volten, and it had reached Critical Mass.
The acorns from the oak tree no longer satisfied the massive Volten, and it wasn't sure what to do, until it looked up in the sky one night and saw the stars. To the Volten, they looked like giant acorns, and that sounded delicious. It climbed the tall lightning spire and leapt into the sky. When we look up into the night sky now, we can see the silhouette of the giant Volten, chasing after those giant acorns in the sky.
(Confession: The inspiration for this story was just that I thought the idea of a "critically massive" squirrel was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing about it last night.)
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/20890117][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/208902/20890117_350.png[/img][/url]
“Heads up, team! Pack of Voltens coming through!”
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/20022382]Ebony[/url] cast a hasting spell on both of her companions, and they swiftly attacked the voltens. The lumen went down first, followed by the volt, but both fighters paused upon seeing the last one. It looked like an ordinary swift volt, only with dangerous amounts of electricity arcing around it.
“I doubt thisss beast is sssafe to attack…” [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/20458549]Tsara[/url] hissed. “What should we do?”
“Aw man, I don’t know,” Electra said. “We don’t happen to have any lightning-element dragons here. If Azurite were here, he’d be able to wallop that beast in no time flat!”
“So, do we run?” Ebony asked.
“No! We shall go down fighting gloriousssly against thisss wicked bea–“ Tsara’s sentence cut off as Electra grabbed her and ran out of the Golem Workshop.
—
“Well, that was… an eventful day,” Ebony said, curling up next to Electra as they shared a meal: a fine cut of salted meat (from what animal, Electra didn’t know but didn’t exactly care) garnished with various herbs and vegetables (which Ebony happily ate).
“Tsara certainly acted like Tsara,” Electra said. “Don’t know why she was so upset about that animal but who am I to care?”
“Sometimes you just have to ignore her,” Ebony said. “By the way, do you want to watch the stars again tonight? The storms will arrive soon, and we won’t be able to do it in a while.”
“Of course!”
—
“Oh hey, the lumen constellation is out tonight!” Electra said.
Ebony studied it intently, a concentrated look on her face. “What’s wrong?” Electra asked.
“Look! Above the lumen’s back: do you see six stars, in two jagged lines? It looks like electricity. That’s what we saw! C’mon, Electra, we’ve gotta check the constellation records!”
Ebony cast a hasting spell on both of her companions, and they swiftly attacked the voltens. The lumen went down first, followed by the volt, but both fighters paused upon seeing the last one. It looked like an ordinary swift volt, only with dangerous amounts of electricity arcing around it.
“I doubt thisss beast is sssafe to attack…” Tsara hissed. “What should we do?”
“Aw man, I don’t know,” Electra said. “We don’t happen to have any lightning-element dragons here. If Azurite were here, he’d be able to wallop that beast in no time flat!”
“So, do we run?” Ebony asked.
“No! We shall go down fighting gloriousssly against thisss wicked bea–“ Tsara’s sentence cut off as Electra grabbed her and ran out of the Golem Workshop.
—
“Well, that was… an eventful day,” Ebony said, curling up next to Electra as they shared a meal: a fine cut of salted meat (from what animal, Electra didn’t know but didn’t exactly care) garnished with various herbs and vegetables (which Ebony happily ate).
“Tsara certainly acted like Tsara,” Electra said. “Don’t know why she was so upset about that animal but who am I to care?”
“Sometimes you just have to ignore her,” Ebony said. “By the way, do you want to watch the stars again tonight? The storms will arrive soon, and we won’t be able to do it in a while.”
“Of course!”
—
“Oh hey, the lumen constellation is out tonight!” Electra said.
Ebony studied it intently, a concentrated look on her face. “What’s wrong?” Electra asked.
“Look! Above the lumen’s back: do you see six stars, in two jagged lines? It looks like electricity. That’s what we saw! C’mon, Electra, we’ve gotta check the constellation records!”
@StormDragon21 @Sandydragon595 @Forestwolf @Mutation @Saronai @Wylin @romlily @Tenrecidae @AloVra @Pensacola @Scatterspark @Bxy26 @dragonpals @robouiop
Hello! Here is our very last constellation. This week has just flown by for me. I hope you've been having as much fun writing your stories as I've had reading them!
[img]https://i.imgur.com/1KXaikB.png[/img]
[b]Paperclip[/b]
[b]You have until August 01, 2021 18:59:47 FR time to submit your story.[/b]
Hello! Here is our very last constellation. This week has just flown by for me. I hope you've been having as much fun writing your stories as I've had reading them!
Paperclip
You have until August 01, 2021 18:59:47 FR time to submit your story.
Repost due to mistaken code!
[i]You come across a small gathering of hatchlings. Somehow they seem familiar...very familiar...[/i]
[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/63053651][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=34&bodygene=4&breed=10&element=10&eyetype=7&gender=1&tert=38&tertgene=9&winggene=4&wings=35&auth=cf829be79fc91fb12e81c4a66673fc048fc3f7a1&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url][/center]
"Oh, I helped out with this story!" Gladeling preened and settled in to tell.
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/63136202]Plagueling[/url] poked her. "It's not a very good story then."
Gladeling hissed and snapped at her sister. Plagueling dodged and sent a strain of plague her direction.
"Oh, stop it! You make me sad when you fight." [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/62676043]Earthling[/url] frowned at the squabbling hatchlings.
"Yes, stop it." [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/63678444]Stormling[/url] sat on Plagueling. "I want to hear the story."
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/60783636]Tideling[/url] jumped on Gladeling. "Be still and nice, and I'll let you up to tell the story."
The sisters subsided, glaring at each other. "Fine."
Gladeling fixed her ruffled crests. "Okay, so there was a little creature that lived in the forest. He liked it there."
"No one knows WHY," Plagueling muttered. Stormling gave her a look, and moved closer.
"Anyway, one day a great big massive thunderstorm showed up. The little creature was struck by a stray lightning bolt, and somehow didn't die. Instead, he developed zappy-zaps."
"Cool!" Stormling said.
"Once the storm left, he was very miserable. He couldn't go anywhere without zapping something. He hurt a lot of trees, plants, and animals. He couldn't be with his friends anymore."
"Awww..." said Earthling.
"Even Gladekeeper couldn't let him live in the forest anymore. But she was sad to see him go. He followed the trail of the storm until he found his home with Stormcatcher."
"Cooler!" said Stormling.
"He was happy there. No one minded his zappy-zaps. No one got hurt--they thought it was funny to be shocked. But he missed his home in the forest, and he missed Gladekeeper. So he went to the Stormcatcher and asked how he could send a message to her to let her know that he was still alive and okay."
"And Stormcatcher told him to figure it out all by himself, I'll bet!" Stormling giggled.
Gladeling frowned. "Yes, he did. So the little creature worked really hard to figure it out. Once he did, he went to the Arcanist and showed him what he had made."
[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/63803864]Arcaneling[/url] grinned. "I like throwing new things up in the sky!"
"One night, Gladeling looked up and saw her old friend shining high up in the sky. He had cute furry ears, a cute furry tail, and lots of zappy-zaps. She smiled at the stars, because she knew that it was a message from him saying that he was okay. And they all lived happily ever after."
"And then they all got sick with a Plague," Plagueling interrupted.
The rest of the hatchlings scattered as Gladeling leaped on her sister with a shrill squeal.
Repost due to mistaken code! You come across a small gathering of hatchlings. Somehow they seem familiar...very familiar...
"Oh, I helped out with this story!" Gladeling preened and settled in to tell.
Plagueling poked her. "It's not a very good story then."
Gladeling hissed and snapped at her sister. Plagueling dodged and sent a strain of plague her direction.
"Oh, stop it! You make me sad when you fight." Earthling frowned at the squabbling hatchlings.
"Yes, stop it." Stormling sat on Plagueling. "I want to hear the story."
Tideling jumped on Gladeling. "Be still and nice, and I'll let you up to tell the story."
The sisters subsided, glaring at each other. "Fine."
Gladeling fixed her ruffled crests. "Okay, so there was a little creature that lived in the forest. He liked it there."
"No one knows WHY," Plagueling muttered. Stormling gave her a look, and moved closer.
"Anyway, one day a great big massive thunderstorm showed up. The little creature was struck by a stray lightning bolt, and somehow didn't die. Instead, he developed zappy-zaps."
"Cool!" Stormling said.
"Once the storm left, he was very miserable. He couldn't go anywhere without zapping something. He hurt a lot of trees, plants, and animals. He couldn't be with his friends anymore."
"Awww..." said Earthling.
"Even Gladekeeper couldn't let him live in the forest anymore. But she was sad to see him go. He followed the trail of the storm until he found his home with Stormcatcher."
"Cooler!" said Stormling.
"He was happy there. No one minded his zappy-zaps. No one got hurt--they thought it was funny to be shocked. But he missed his home in the forest, and he missed Gladekeeper. So he went to the Stormcatcher and asked how he could send a message to her to let her know that he was still alive and okay."
"And Stormcatcher told him to figure it out all by himself, I'll bet!" Stormling giggled.
Gladeling frowned. "Yes, he did. So the little creature worked really hard to figure it out. Once he did, he went to the Arcanist and showed him what he had made."
Arcaneling grinned. "I like throwing new things up in the sky!"
"One night, Gladeling looked up and saw her old friend shining high up in the sky. He had cute furry ears, a cute furry tail, and lots of zappy-zaps. She smiled at the stars, because she knew that it was a message from him saying that he was okay. And they all lived happily ever after."
"And then they all got sick with a Plague," Plagueling interrupted.
The rest of the hatchlings scattered as Gladeling leaped on her sister with a shrill squeal.
) Spiner brought Loomie everywhere he went, so Loomie was always at risk of getting electrocuted. Then a massive malfunction happened with an energy tube, and every dragon evacuated the building to dodge the massive electric shock that was sure to follow, but Spiner and Loomie got separated, and Loomie never got out of the building. The electric shock electrocuted Loomie, giving her even more electricity than the swift volts. When Spiner came back, looking for Loomie, he was more than a little shocked (Pun not intended, it just came out) to see Loomie electrocuted beyond belief. Spiner then started calling Loomie Voltie, and their friendship continued.
