[Catskitten]

Prompt 8

Tʜᴇ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ!
❝ Good thing you survived that myserious forest. There must be another crystal nearby.
I wonder if your hero can locate it and return it to it's rightful place. ❞

The party came to the tree in which the crystal was said to lay.
"Wonder what this keys for.
I swear if its used for nothing..."-Seventy
They walked into the tree and stopped.
"Nope nope nope..."-Seventy
Thousands of rocks with keyholes lay everywhere.
"One must be different."-Forager
"If you wanna spend all day finding the difference I'm just gonna stick this key in things."-Seventy
"Whoa wait hold on mom there might be words."-Bear
"Alright."-Seventy muttered
When the two turned there back Seventy stuck the key into a rock and turned. The rock turned over to reveal a tiny stone kalon. It growled at her a single word. "Impatience."
Than it leaped on her face and began biting her. Seventy screeched in pain and shook it off. It landed on the ground and turned to dust.
The rest of the party stared at her.
"Oh my god i hate puzzles so much." -Seventy snarled
"Maybe we should find the words?"-Forager shook his head and looked around
They spent forever looking but it turned out the different rocks were smooth to the touch unlike the others.
Once they stuck the key in and turned it the rocks glowed green and revealed words on them.
buried/find//lost/weakness/time
The tree than began clicking.
"What."-Bear commented
Two rocks turned over into kalons and ran to attack them.One bit Foragers ear and Seventy smacked it off.
One creature screamed "Fear!" at the kit.
Bear screamed back and threw the other.
Both dusted and the party looked around.
"The heck."-Seventy
Somewhere a chime was heard.
In the middle of the tree the ground began to glow green and dirt was revealed.
Three kalons turned over and began to attack the party. Bear was scratched and the creatures were dusted.
"Dig!"-Forager screamed in panic
Bear ran towards the dirt area.
"Not without us!"-Seventy snapped
The tree chimed and four rock kalons appeared. They went after Bear first. Forager and Seventy ran after Bear and attacked the creatures.
"Forager fight them I'm helping Bear."-Seventy
"What theres four."-Forager
"Theres gonna be more if we don't dig faster than the rate Bear is."-Seventy
Seventy ran over and began to dig with Bear.
The creatures dusted the tree chimed. Five stone kalons appeared.
"Independence." one creature growled mockingly
Forager huffed loudly and faced them.
"Got it!"-Bear yelled
He held up a key retrieved from the dirt.
"Another key joy!"-Seventy
sarcastically shouted
"Where does it go?"-Bear
The middle of the tree suddenly began to rise. Bear and Seventy backed up.
Bear looked at Forager.
Forager smirked back covered in dust. The tree chimed.
Six kalons rose up to face the party.
"Im helping Forager. When the thing shows stick that key into it!"-Seventy
Bear nodded. The tree middle rose and revealed more key holes.
Bear began to turn the key in them.
A part of the middle glowed when he finished one part.
Seventy screamed as a kalon bit her neck. She threw it off and Bear stopped to look at her.
"Keep going!"-Seventy snapped
Bear kept turning keys to reveal more glowing.
Forager threw a kalon over Bears head. It dusted and the dust landed on Bear. He sneezed loudly.
"Stop distracting him!"-Seventy
"Sorry!"-Forager
The tree chimed. Bear panicked and turned the last key. The tree stopped clicking.
"Thank you!"-Seventy called out
Bear turned around and began crying. His party was injured bad.
"Whoa whoa hey stop that.
Your a healer just heal us."-Seventy
"Guys the crystal."-Forager
"Im not worried about that right now!"-Seventy
Forager limped of towards the crystal that was showing up in the middle.
"We came this far."
The rouge turned around with crystal
and grumbled.
"At least a million gems for this thing."
"We aren't selling it!"

[shinjitaro]

Prompt; Day 8
Kalokairi, Forest Exit, 3rd of Wyrmstym, 401 V.C.

"I'm tired of all this camping.. the forest is freezing." Shiro complained and Akechi grinned at him, "It is cold, but we'll be soon out after we found the next crystal." "You're right about that. Who know if the location of the crystal is as blatantly obvious as back in the village. Better be on the lookout." Kirin declared and the other two nodded in agreement. They'd keep their eyes peeled for demon hoards and things of that sort.

"The sky gets darker and darker each day.. Do you think the crystals are really helping?" Akechi questioned as he walked. "Course they are, we only got one to it's rightful place after all." Kirin muttered, his eyes were preoccupied, searching through the forest.
"Do you think I could restock on jerky before--" Akechi was interrupted by a yell and his head immediately jerked back. "Shiro?!" He exclaimed. Behind the two, Shiro clutched his staff while fending off a demon, he had fallen onto the floor.
Kirin sighed as he pulled the lance off his back and ran back to Shiro. With a skillful usage, Kirin speared through the demon without much trouble. The large distorted figure disappeared, and something fell from within it.
"Would you look at that... I Told 'ya I was ecstatic about clubbing demons earlier and the two of you just laughed, huh?" Kirin reminisced on a few days earlier as he offered Shiro a hand. "You still don't seem too happy about it." Shiro replied with a shrug.
"Hey," Akechi had just caught up with Kirin and stared at the floor. "I should've been looking out, I apologize." During his apology to Shiro, Akechi's eyes lit up at something he saw on the ground and he abruptly lifted his head up. "Is that... The earth crystal?" He asked, pointing at what dropped from the demon. "What... Well I'll be darned, it sure does look like it.." Kirin bent down and picked the crystal up. "What was a demon like that doing with the crystal..?" Shiro asked. "Beats me." Kirin muttered and handed the crystal to Akechi, "As long as we have it now."

"The next one is in The Lavalands, if you thought it was cold in the forest, this is a totally different story." Kirin remarked on their way out of the forest. "Yeah, you have the most fur out of all of us. You'll be burning." Shiro countered and Kirin frowned.
It seemed that traveling through the villages and the forest had brought the party closer.

[~Soul~]

Prompt 8

Noah ~ Celestia ~ Edmund

Noah and his party worked hard to pack up camp and get going as quickly as possible. With the Shell now around his neck, he tucked it into his tunic so none could see and ask questions. With everything back on the horses and everyone mounted, they set off and left the forest behind. They started heading towards the rocking terrain of the mountains and towards what they would consider the Lavalands of this place. Many people warned them about these lands and the creatures that lurked in their depths.

"I'm not afraid" Edmund spoke up on their ride as the treeline disappeared in the background. Edmund only did this when he was nervous as a way of trying to convince himself otherwise. Noah just nodded and in reply "Of course not Brother, a little bit of heat never go to you, you always perform well under pressure!" and for the most part that was true. Edmund was wonderful when it came to planing even and other thing like that on the spot and last minute. Though if the rumors where true about what lived in these lands would terrify poor Edmund and cause him to never want to leave the Enchanted Forest again.

Noah prayed that their time here would be a good one and with that they pushed onward. Though something didn't feel right. As though something was looming high above them. Noah turned to Celestia "Auntie, what makes you think the next crystal is out here?" He pondered, tilting his head to one side. She let out a sigh "The last one was to easy, it had came for us, not us for it. This one will be more of a challenge and this would be a great place to keep something well hidden as well. Its intimidating out here and most people would avoid being in a place like this." She pointed out. If she where to hide something she would do it in a mater of protecting it with some great beast that would do her bidding. It only make logical scene for it to be out here on its own. With that Celestia helped them navigate around the broken bits of rock and lava.

Suddenly there was the sound of flapping in the distance, though that distance was disappearing as it got louder and louder with a sudden shriek that was deafening. The Horses startled and begin to panic running for any near by cover. The lager shadow was all that was seen as is swoop in overhead. The strength of those wings added a pressure that was breath taking on our adventures as the dodged into what appeared to be a near by cave. With one last Roar that thing was gone. Though None of them dare check back outside to see if it was truly gone. Edmund was almost in tears as Noah had held him on horseback. Celestia looked around, seeing lava dripping from the ceiling to the pools below. "We shall camp here and wait it out un till we know its gone." She ordered.

( 515 )

[Midnightkitkat]

Prompt 8
Erebus & Janus
They set up camp early the next morning, hoping to make their way out of this accursed forest by sundown. Listening to the life around them everything seemed peaceful compared to the other day.. shaking the memories from his head Erebus stop and examined the path ahead. Foliage covered the forests floor like a green road, alive and pulsing with a strange aura. Looking at each other they silently agreed to follow.

As the trees opening into a clearing their eyes widened at the sight. A large tree with branches expanding across most of area resided in the center, its leaves changing through seasons in the blink of an eye, as beautiful greens grew orange and reds fell like flames. If the crystal was anywhere out here it had to be there.

Setting down his bag and weaponry Janus made his way closer towards the tree, watching as it seemed to grow taller the closer he got. Reaching its base he took a deep breath and began his assent, moving from branch to branch in calculated and precise moments. He continued this until the branches grew shorter and closer together. There he could see a glow within a knot at the trees center, nestled inside lay the second crystal. Picking it up carfully Janus held it close and started making his was down, finding it much more difficult with the hindrance of the gem. Just before reaching the bottom his hand slipped and gravity took effect.

With a oof the kalon landed only inches from his companion. Groaning he lifted his paw, revealing the unharmed crystal clutched within "Could I get some help here?"
(274)

[jianwai]

Tʜᴇ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ!
Araxie - ( 876 words )

The forest whispers to him, pulls him deeper into intertwining branches overhead and thick, dark tree trunks. Always the mind for science, for discovery, he had been prone to wandering off in explorations sake long before the journey of a lifetime ( with two he slowly finds himself liking; the speechless kalon whose love lay with the currents of the oceans, and the young kalon who thought himself better because of youth-- who paid no attention to the wisdom of his elders and ... who was a friend. ) Araxie was a weak man to the call of the world around him, umbrella tucked neatly under his arm, he takes his first step away from the camp where beetles had sought warmth on their bodies ( he spares a glance back, notices that beetles still pile as a mass on the sleeping companions of his, and he almost laughs at the sight; it rumbles deep in his chest, makes its way to the tip of his tongue before he swallows it down. He would not be waking them. )

Then, back to the forest, to the sweet whispers that have his ears twitching like mad-- he wonders how the noise doesn't wake his companions, but then again he doubts if a pile of sleeping beetles doesn't wake them, why would such a delicate whisper do it?

He takes calculated steps into the forest, mindful of the roots that breach the earth-- he spares a glance down, brows knitted in curiosity, roots lead into the darkness of the forest and seem to defy all logic of the direction of roots. Are they leading him? The thought passes in the mind, pulls and tugs its way to the forefront of thought, and Araxie must shake his head to banish such a wild and irrational thing. Yet he is compelled to follow the roots, mindful to step over them, fears that if he trips so deep within the woods he will not be found, his body will be mulch and held further the growth of the towering trees. Irrational, he hasn't fallen to his work yet, and he will not let some adventure in search of crystal to do it either.

The trek is dangerous, the low light has him reaching both arms out to feel his way, and he thinks himself a fool for not bringing a torch. It would have been easy! He feels the umbrella at his hip, and sighs, thinks himself a fool for choosing an umbrella to do magic with instead of ... a lantern or something that produces light. Though, the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that a lantern would have been a poor object to do magic from-- clunky and heavy and just ... not good.

Pulled from thoughts by a branch that snags his shirt, he blinks, finds himself at the base of a large tree. Adjusting the umbrella at his side, his attention pulled solely on the tree.

A beautiful tree. Short and fat, nothing like the tall reaching tree's around the lands; to Araxie it was beautiful nonetheless. It's roots were like severed limbs reaching skywards, hands that had violently clawed their way and parted the dirt towards freedom; Araxie even feared that if he moved closer one stray root would grab him, drag him beneath the ground to be forever lost-- forever a piece of the woods. The more he thought, the more he realized he would not mind it, let the dirt replace the air within his lungs, let him study the forest as an insider and not an intruder.

Squatting, he removed the umbrella from his side, resting it in the notch of roots besides him, and then he sat himself down besides him. There, from the corner of his eye he spotted a peculiar sight, reaching out slow and careful to peel back moss that stretched itself in an attempt to cover ... an abandoned den? Araxie pulled the moss back with the utmost respect, not wanting to rip it anymore than he had to, folding it back onto the gnarled roots-- such a strange moss, bending to his will far easier than any moss Araxie had found.

Blue gaze fell to the dark, dark den: he doubted that light would not be able to penetrate the darkness. Then a nagging urge arouse, louder than thunder in his ears, whispering for him to craw into the hole; to let the earth hold him safely, close his eyes with the kiss of sleep and forget about the world that seemed adamant on taking happiness. He follows the advice, will blame it later on how tired he was, inching forwards until he was halfway into the den. Eyes closed, his nose touches something cold, and he dares not open his eyes until hands have clasped this foreign, cold object.

Another crystal to pocket, to take back to the group, pressed against his side with the umbrella. He worries how he found it, wonders if the forest whispered for him to take it or if the crystal had whispered to be recovered.

He doesn't want to think of it. Scared-- frightened of the answer he could find.

[LostInTheEcho]

Day Eight

Writing Prompt
Username: LostInTheEcho

Party
- Floor -

His quest continues after a somewhat inconvinient night and encounter with a singing creature in a lake. He wanders through forests, up hills and down slopes. He got branches and fir needles stuck in his hair and fur. His feet were wet. Very wet. He had given up all hope of keeping them dry and were now marching straight through marshes if he deemed it to be the fastest route.

Speaking of routes, he had aquired a map from someone he met on the way and he thought it was fairly accurate atleast. However, the map wasn't so usefull now since he had gotten lost and he was not yet so delirious to believe that he had the slightest clue of where on that piece of paper he was. All Floor knew was that he had been walking a rough west and sooner or later he'd find a path again. He was hoping for sooner, honestly believing in later.

He trudged through thickets, stumbled down scarps and climbed over rocks. He was going to walk west and find that path. Something in him however said that even though he walked in the same direction, he was going in circles. Even though his doubts he kept trying to find his way by guessing where he should be.

It was after one of these guesses that he decided to chance going north instead. Couldn't hurt, could it? A lot of walking through mean terrain later he found himself by a small lake which he quickly could locate on his map, confirming that he actually knew nothing about orienteering.

There was something of with the lake though, Floor thought. Suspissions were confirmed when he took a closer look at the water which was apparently boiling, or atleast it looked like it. It was on the other side of the body of water were the boiling were the most intense, so of course that's the place he headed for.well there he found the origin, or so he thought, of the boiling. A crystal. It was glinting in the nonexistent sunlight, it was a cloudy day, and looked like it had been dropped there just a few moments ago, that's how clean and looked after it appeared.

Floor was cautious, which meant not dipping your paws down in the water, but using two sticks to fish it up was okay. After a bit of tricky manouvering the crystal was up on the shore and the boiling stopped abruptly. To make sure that it was safe to pick up, he poked it a few times with a stick. When that came back unscathed he poked it a few times with his paw. Nothing out of the ordinary. It felt like a wet smooth rock.

When he knew it was safe and wouldn't spontaniously combust he scooped it up and buried it at the bottom of his backpack, together with the first crystal. Two down, two to go. Now to find his way out of this forest...

[500]

[eli ayase]

PROMPT 8

ft. desdemona and mimoza

theres a faint glow...

xxxxx is that a fire?

thats the crystal!

[lovestruck]

featuring Maua,Sierra,Melanie

They found it in poison ivy- of course Sierra and Melanie made Maua fetch it
art here

[credit]

Prompt Eight
Featuring ;;Link and Sunset

After watching Sunset’s attack from the vicious rodent for at least half an hour, Link decided to rise from the tree and help out his fellow party member. One click blow to the creatures head nearly knocked out the creature, but it wasn’t powerful enough to end its life. Sunset grasped his hand still sobbing from the encounter. Link looked toward his comrade in pity as he grabbed it to get a closer look at it damage. “You’ll be fine you big baby, it was just a little rabbit nibble” Sunset looked towards Link with a flame in his eye, “Little?! Do you see the blood on my hand?! That was anything BUT little!!”
Link gave a quick smirk and rolled his eye. “Just take some cloth off your cape and wrap it up to stop the blood flow.” Sunset sniffled as he did so. Link turned his back towards Sunset with the most peculiar sound ringing in his ears. He had only heard this sound once before, and that was when the two stumbled upon the first crystal they spotted. “Oi...Sunset. You hear that?” Link asked.
“The only thing I can hear now is the sound of my own sorrow! Wait a second…I hear it!” The blonde kal quickly gathered his things. “C’mon! It’s this way!” Sunset quickly finished up patching up his wound and followed close behind. He’d have to deal with this goon until his son was returned. Hopefully that would be soon.

[Quillington]