Kalon Summer Event Drafts

[Unleashed Squiid]

After setting up camp for the night, you encounter some local wildlife. Are they helpful or a hindrance to your hero?
Wonder how you'll deal with this one...

Day 6-Featuring Eden

"Run!" Eden screamed, as she sprinted away through the forest. Behind her there were large, thundering steps; a monster had caught their scent, and was now closing in. She ducked through the trees, and leaped over logs and other fallen debris which clustered the ground. Although she could easily maneuver around these obstacles, the beast behind her simply crashed through them in no time flat. This pace would not keep her unharmed for long.

Think, think. What could she possibly do? And what was that? The kalon screeched to a halt in horror, realizing the dire situation before her. The forest ahead was being overrun in some sort of wildlife stampede. Deer, badgers, weasels and more all ran in a large clump. From what, Eden did it know, but what she did know was that there was a monster behind her. In a quick reaction, Eden ducked away under a log,
terrified, however the monster, now realizing the problem too, attempted to stop as well, but was not very good at doing so. It screeched as it was neared the animals, but then quickly whipped around and saved itself by jumping away. It hissed at the animals in fear, and Eden quickly realized that it refused to even get close to the cluster. It wasn't surprising. Most creatures would.

She thought about how to incorporate the stampede somehow into her escape, but she also knew that there wasn't much time. This log was no longer a safe option. The beast had seen her enter it.

When a thunderous cry shook the ground around her, she bolted; but it wasn't towards the way she had come. It was towards the stampede.

Taking a huge breath, the kalon leaped far into the air, and over the badgers which were racing around on the floor. The dust had not yet hit her lungs, and the hard, terrible hooves of deer had not touched her flesh, yet she knew they could. As far as she knew, the beast would not come within this part of the forest. All she had to do now was survive it herself.

Eden twisted mid-air to land safely on a rock. It was a little above the forest floor, which meant that at least she wouldn't be run over. The kalon knew that dust which filled the air was just as dangerous, so she covered her nose and mouth. It wouldn't last long, but hopefully it could protect her for long enough.

She observed the land for as long as she could before her eyes burned too, and knew where to go. A little ways ahead crept a small river. If she could make it to that water, then she would be safe. There was no way that the animals could be running through it in these conditions, for it was too wide.

Eden shook her head to clear her mind. Focus. Her instinct would guide her to the water, for though she trusted her mind, instinct never failed. The kalon backed up a few paces, then burst forewards, though the deer and mice and wolves, running as fast and as far as she could.

Then the blinding dust was over, and a lap of water ticked her feet. Yes. She had made it. Eden was safe.

[Unleashed Squiid]

From deep in the forest you hear something that sounds like singing. You follow the sound to find a mysterious pool, and someone at the center. Are they malicious or benevolent? What do they want?
How does your hero make it through this encounter?

Featuring Eden and Calypso

"Eek!" Calypso cried, as a spider landed on her paw. "I hate these things" she growled, squishing it. How disguising.

Eden was distracted, looking far into the distance at things unknown. The world was tranquil and peaceful. A gentle breeze stirred the trees, and ruffled Calypso's fur. It was chilly, but not too cold, and judging by the position of the sun, she guessed it was about six in the morning.

The two travelers had just woken up, though today it was earlier than usual. Calypso usually was an early riser, but this adventure was taking its toll on her. Late nights followed by days of travel were messing up her sleep schedule. Today she had woken up a bit tired, but the encounter with the spider had fixed that, and now adrenaline rushed through her veins. There was something about the morning that was just perfect. Something unlike anything else.

At first the kalon though she was hearing things, but there it was again; an angelic call. Somebody out there was singing. Calypso was confused; surely they knew better than to do that here? She had only been there a day, yet was well aware of the safety that silence brought. Monsters seemed to have adapted to the darkness in the forest by developing incredible hearing, as sometimes even the slightest noise would bring them racing towards the kalons.

Along with the confused dwelled curiosity. Who was it singing? Who could it be who was fearless of the monsters, or had somehow made it this far into the forest without encountering one? "Hey, Eden," she whispered, "Do you hear that?"

"Yes. I think we both know what to do by now, hm?"

"Yeah. Lets go." The two tracked over, following the voice, but quickly realized that they were not alone in the journey. From out of the trees came a monster, one who, like them, was wanting to see what lay at the epicenter of that song.

"Already?!"

"Suppose so, now lets go!" They sprinted off. Hopefully whoever it was singing could help them out somehow. Calypso somehow had been chased by so many monsters now, that she was barely even scared anymore. She knew how to escape them; how to zip and dive through the trees and escape unharmed.

When she looked up however, there was a difference up ahead. Something Calypso had not thought of was the possibility of forest clearings. Somewhere where there were no trees to duck around or brush to hide in. Out in the open, the kalon was as good as dead.

"There's a river clearing up ahead! What do we do?" Eden looked panicked.

"Just-I don't know! Keep going!"

They ran, right into the clearing, where a river poured through the center. That was odd, though, for Calypso was sure that she had been here before and the terrain was different. They raced into the center, undamaged, but when the great beast behind them hit the open area, it let out a screech, and vanished into a blast of green smoke.

Calypso jumped back, "woah..."

"Who are you, travelers?" asked a gentle and soft voice.

Calypso whipped around. She had entirely forgotten about the singer, and what she was greeted with was an unusual sight. Sitting in the center of the river, oh a highly perched rock, sat a human-like creature...well, other than a few differences. His skin was green, and he had branch-like limbs. "Who are you?" she asked, shocked.

"Very well, I do understand your wariness. I do not have a name like that of you kalons, however I do have a number, in which I am number twenty two."

"Woah!" Suddenly Eden's attention had been caught. "Are you a nymph?!"

"N-no...I'm a speratus...basically the male versions of a nymph."

"Well, twenty two, I am Calypso." she smiled at this creature. There was something about him that drew her in, and by Eden's interest as well, she guessed it was magic. Eden was never interested, and she was most certainly never in reality rather than in her head.

"It's Eden," said Eden, staring right into twenty two's eyes. She broke contact, and glanced at Calypso. Without words the same thought passed through their minds. be on alert

A spider slowly trickled down its web right above Calypso's head. She scowled, and began to swat at it, when twenty two yelled, "No!" he stood up, and walked over to the bug, taking it on a single finger. He smiled at the bug, and then bent over and put it on a blade of grass. "Don't hurt the wildlife. It didn't do anything to you."

"What about the monster? You somehow-removed it?"

"The monsters do not wish to simply survive like the rest of us. They want to harm this world and bring chaos while they do it. I do not wish for them to hurt us any longer, so it is my goal to destroy as many as possibly." he glanced down, and examined the grass.

"So you protect the forest?"

He smiled. "I wouldn't say that...but I do like to help out. You two should run along, now."

The two kalons exchanged a look. "Thank you." they whispered to the speratus, in unison. Then, slowly the two walked away. Off to another adventure in this great forest. There were still so many things they would never know, and things they would probably never know. The moment they discovered a secret, another one seemed to pop up from nowhere.

As they walked away, a small, black spider crawled on Calypso's foot. But this time, she simply brushed it off into the grass.

[Unleashed Squiid]

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.

Featuring Eden and Calypso

"Yah!" Calypso swung at the great beast ahead of her with her. It was the size of an elk, but definitely was much scarier than one. With black fur and glowing purple eyes, this monster was something Calypso dreaded to see. She was done running, and finally had conjured up the bravery to fight it. Shockingly enough, it turned and raced away as soon as she struck it with her dagger.

Eden looked impressed. "Nice, man!"

"I'm not letting it go." That was surprising, even for her. Calypso usually was passive, and she found herself shocked by her own words. Without another thought, the kalon raced after the smoky black creature.

"Wait, you're serious?" Eden's mouth just about dropped, as she bolted after her friend.

It wasn't very long before the monster lead them into some sort of cave...no, that wasn't it. It was a labyrinth of some kind. They walked down stairs into complete darkness, and Calypso couldn't help but wonder what other secrets the forest held.

She traced down the steps into the darkness, and was greeted by a hearty red glow. Her mouth dropped. This was it. Another gem. "EDEN!" she gasped, "Look!"

Eden grabbed the stone. "There's no way it's unguarded. Run!" As soon as the words exited her lips, the floor shook, and hundreds of those elk sized monsters appeared from what looked like thin air, and began to chase them.

The kalons booked it from there; racing, running, to the place where that gem belonged. Not knowing how long it would take, they ran, and they would not stop until they made it safely.

[Unleashed Squiid]

Oh gosh, this place is hot. Too hot for my tastes.
How does your hero fare in this heat?

Featuring Calypso and Eden

"I'm dying. Why is this place so hot?" Eden walked slowly along the edge of the lava chambers and through the fiery rocks which lined the path. Calypso wasn't paying attention. She didn't seem to mind the heat so much. It was most likely because she was always complaining about being cold.

Eden dramatically flopped over, with the intent of getting up at first, but then realizing that she was too tired to do so.

"Ah, come on, man." growled Calypso. "It isn't so bad..."

But it was. In the sweltering heat, Eden felt like she was melting. This place was definitely one she couldn't wait to leave. She turned to her side, and noticed a piece of firm paper which was in her pack. "A fan?" She fanned it on herself and felt much better after it. As soon as she stopped, the heat began engulfing her again. So, the poor kalon relied on a flimsy piece of paper over her entire well being. For as soon as she stopped, the poor thing would be unable to do just about anything.

[Unleashed Squiid]

username: Unleashed Squid
kalons used: Calypso and Eden
art or story:

"What?" As soon as the words exited his mouth, Calypso raced into the weaponry shed. She googled at the sharpened swords and arrows preciselcy sharpened into deadly points. Jars of arrow-tip poisons lined the walls as well as different concoctions which burst into flames or freezing ice.

She tested her hand with an axe, but found it much too heavy to lift and strike with. Next, she texted out a perfectly crafted sword. It was a good fit for her, but something about it just didn't feel right for her to use. She shook her head. No, this would not be her weapon.

Then, after testing out and failing to use any of the regular weapons in the shop, she turned the corner into the back of the room, and saw what looked like a floating bow. "What is...?"

She turned and noticed Raffi behind her. "Those are magical weapons. They can only be used by certain kalons. The weapon will let you use it should it believe you can."

"Oh...that's cool."

She walked over and picked up a mace. It leaped out of her fingers. She frowned. It happened again and again with all sorts of weapons. Finally, she reached a box of all sorts of viles. "What are those," she asked.

"That's gas. The bottles do all sorts of things, but the magical aspect is that will never empty out. You can pour the gasses out all you like, though it will always refill. The blue is toxic, but not too toxic. It will put you to sleep for maybe an hour depending on the dosage. The green will make one grossly sick-coughing, vomiting, the usual, but a kalon will always survive that dose as well. Purple makes the most aggressive kalon peaceful, and red turns the most peaceful kalon aggressive. Pouring the white one will heal wounds, and Lastly there's black...it, well, it's the only one which is fatal."

"Wow," Calypso whispered. She walked over to the viles and picked one, the white one, up. It stayed firm in her hands. She poured a tiny dosage of the gas onto the burn mark on her paw pad, and as the gas faded, so did the wound. Her eyes widened. "This is incredible!"

Raffi smiled. "Guess you're one to carry gas then. That's the weapon that best suits you."

"Wow. I'll take it then!" Calypso felt like squealing with joy, but didn't. She looked down at her new satchel filled with those colorful gasses. They were her new pride and joy, and there was a feeling deep inside of her that seemed to feel complete, as if this was meant to be. Like it or not, Calypso knew better than to take these weapons for granted. Though they were no blade, they were exponentially dangerous. And she knew that they would probably save her life one day.

[Unleashed Squiid]

Along the path though the lava kindgom, you manage to stumble upon a treasure chest, but it appears to be locked. It would be such a waste to leave treasure behind...
How does your hero manage to open the chest, and what's inside?

Featuring Eden and Calypso

"Ow!" Eden crashed to the hot stones which lined the lavalands. She had tripped over some kind of rock, cracking it open. Inside rest a magical-looking box, locked with some kind of golden contraption. For extra, (and obnoxious) measures, it was well-wrapped with chains made out of metal...and in this place, that metal was hot. The kalon quickly scooped up the object, and then immediately dropped it after it burned her fingertips.

"Neat," chirped Calypso, prancing to the side of her hurt friend. She didn't even look at Eden, who lay scowling, on the stones, but instead focused her attention on that glittery box of wonders. What if treasure rest inside of it? What if it had a map to a secret garden, or a message from a wizard. Maybe there would even be a chocolate bar inside...wait, no, it would melt in this ridiculous heat. Hopefully, thought Calypso, there would be no such thing. "How does it open?" she asked.

Calypso knew better than to try and touch the box after seeing what it did to her friend's paws. Instead, she just examined it, bringing her face a little too closely. Surely, one would think that she would have learned her lesson, but instead Calypso ended up scorching her whiskers off. "I'm not sure," responded Eden.

The two kalons, now both seeking revenge, were desperate to open that incredible object. They would do anything at this point. Eden tried picking the lock, Calypso tried sculpting a key. But time after time, the object would not open. Hope was dwindling fast.

Finally, Calypso had enough. She let out a ferocious yell, and whipped a boulder down with all of her might against the lock, and the chains, and the box itself. There was a loud crunch, and as she lifted her makeshift weapon up, she was rewarded with a beautiful sight. The impact had shattered the protective gear, leaving a plain and simple sight. Now, to open it.

Needless to say, from here on, things didn't go so hot for the two kalons. The box was flung against the wall, Eden began to yell rude words, and Calypso had a miniature temper-tantrum at the sight of its contents. Inside of that glittering object rest a chocolate bar...a sad, flimsy, melted piece of candy which dribbled its chocolaty goodness all over the ground.

[Unleashed Squiid]

Uh-oh. Looks like that wasn't a real treasure chest. It was a mimic. Those pesky beast are always luring adventurers in!
How is your hero going to deal with this one...

Featuring Eden and Calypso

Calypso looked like one of those balloons at the car dealerships that just nonchalantly just wave in the wind. She had fallen to the floor, arms and legs strewn aside her, and lay still, letting her limbs be tasseled around in the draft. Eden watched, blankly. She couldn't blame her; the poor kalon had spent hours of her time trying to open that chest, and had already suffered one disappointment with its contents. But even though that had been bad, finding out that it was a bloodthirsty monster, and not in fact treasure, was even worse. Calypso didn't handle trickery very well which led this entire trip to her having a complete and utter mental breakdown on the floor. But as she lay in that little bundle, a monster crept around the darkened tunnels. This place was not safe.

As soon as she had thrown the chest against the wall from anger after opening it, the mimic had shifted its shape into its true form. Some slimy dragon-like beast. The impact had caused it to tear open one of it's legs, which now oozed some kind of glowing green liquid. Eden had sprung at it with her sword, but it had bolted off, and now lurked in the shadows. It was clear that one wrong step would land her into being its lunch.

She gazed around the cavern, eying every crack and every crevice. Calypso still hadn't moved. It took another thirty minutes for her to coax her friend to actually start leaving, and by that time, Eden was sure that the beast had them pinned in some kind of well-thought-out trap.

The two made their way to the exit tunnel, but then she saw it! A glowing speck in the side of the path! It struck her that this must have been that monster's leg, for it was the same color as its blood. "There!" she yelled, and ducked away from the left. Even so, it lashed out, barely able to reach her. She swung at it, doing what seemed like a fair amount of damage. Eden turned to look at her friend, but Calypso had vanished.

Then a mighty yell was heard, as her friend burst out from behind her, and struck the monster down, and killed it. "That's what you get!" she screamed. "First you trick me! Then you give me MELTED CHOCOLATE?! Not even I would do that to someone." she scowled at it, and Eden gawked at the sight.

Maybe one day Calypso would find treasure, and maybe one day she could keep it. This had definitely been quite the adventure, and now Eden was both exhausted and wide awake after witnessing such emotion from her friend. "So, Calypso," she asked, warily. "What do you say we go and get a chocolate bar?"

[Unleashed Squiid]

username: Unleashed Squid
kalons used: Calypso and Eden
story:

Eden snickered which lead to a large elbow being shoved into her side. "Ow," she whispered sharply. "Why?"

"I don't think he's joking, Eden!"

Eden suddenly looked quite embarrassed. She mouthed, 'oops' and then looked down at Raffi, and the chicken which was next to him. To be honest, she didn't know how to react to the odd sight, but she would admit that it was rather interesting. Why not give it a go? What would be the worst thing that could happen? Eden was always the wondering type, and the 'jump into possible science before researching side effects' type. But here she was, meditating. Surely it was just a peaceful practice and no more than that...right?

It had been maybe ten minutes, when Eden suddenly felt different. She opened her eyes and found herself in the same spot. It seemed normal until she turned to look at her friend, and realized, with horror, that Calypso had been turned into some kind of chicken.

"What is this," she yelled, and jumped back. Looking around even more, she realized that everyone was now a chicken, and that the fiery chickens seemed to be joined together in some kind of chicken ritual. Though she couldn't understand their clucks and pecks, the kalon knew that they couldn't be up to any good.

She turned her sword around in her hand, a nervous practice, until finally something touched her tail, and she lost her nerve. The kalon swung violently all around her, fearful of what would happen next. There was no way she would be cursed into being a chicken too. What was this meditation anyways? What kind of spell did it put on her? Was this a third eye view of the world? Were chickens the secret overlords all along?

"I'm done meditating for eternity" she yelled, but then a hand grabbed her shoulder, and she suddenly was shaken free of those chickens in her mind.

"Friend, you fell asleep," said Calypso. "All you did was take a nap while Raffi and I meditated."

"Oh..." Eden noted that now Calypso was not in fact a chicken. Maybe her experiment had fallen short. Perhaps Eden would have to try meditating again sometime.

"That's alright though," said Calypso, excitedly. "We both have a good idea of where to go, now!"

[Unleashed Squiid]

Seems like there's a lot of things out to get them, but your hero is pretty tough! Tough enough to find and restore the Lavalands' crystal?
Tell me how they do it!

Featuring Calypso and Eden

"Ah! My tails on fire!"

"Again?!" Why did that keep happening. Surely Eden would have learned not to drag it on the floor by now. It kept being lit up from the sparks that kept flitting about the chambers of magma. Calypso honestly couldn't understand why Eden couldn't remember this, but now was not the time to sit and grumble. She had a job to do.

Calypso glanced around for something to put out the flames, and ended up coming across some sort of wind being let off from underneath a rock. She judged that the wind was blowing fast enough that it would put out the fire rather than feeding it, so she called her friend over to have it extinguish the flames.

After the deed was done, Calypso became interested in what exactly that tunnel was. It was odd that wind would be so rapidly flowing from underground, that was unless it led outside, but this tunnel was going downhill. That was not supposed to happen. "Want to check this out?" she asked, thoughtfully. "Looks kind of cool."

"Okay, sure." Eden was stroking her scorched fur gently, and looked rather upset that she now had bald patches. It would grow back though, and Calypso knew that Eden would probably forget again within the next ten minutes anyways. She sniffed the tunnel first, just in case there were any dangerous fumes, and even tested it out with the white vile of gas she carried. It would turn colors should there be anything unbreathable of flammable be emitting from the area.

After the gas remained white, and dissipated, Calypso ventured down the passageway. She lit up a torch from her pack, and walked slowly into the darkness. Her eyes grew wide with wonder as they traced over the walls of the room. Drawings and etchings in the cold stone pierced her gaze with bright orange light. They glowed ever so faintly, but it radiated much brighter to Calypso after spending so long in the darkness. What was this place? Nobody she had encountered had ever mensioned this. Nobody had even mensioned that there would be any sort of distinguishable signs of life down here, either, besides bats and those darn fiery chickens.

She walked into what seemed like a cloak of darkness. It was so thick and pure that when Calypso turned around, the glow of the walls had dissipated into the air. It was so dark that the light of her torch lit up nothing but her own body, even though there was definite walls of stone around her. The question still burned into her mind. Where was this?

Each step grew hotter and hotter, and the floor began to start tingling her delicate paw pads. But when she turned, and when her friend's tail dragged across the floor, it was not burned. Not even hot. In fact, the floor had begun to glow from its rising temperature, and even though it sizzled and smoked, the two kalons did not feel a thing. Fear tingled at the back of their minds, but the curiosity burned far more. They were going into this passageway no matter what.

It was then, after a long and tedious travel, that they made it into the room. The room which would forever scorch its image into her brain, and forever creep into her dreams. The crystal chamber.

In the center rest a magnificent crimson gem illuminated by the patterns of glowing rock in the floor. It was surrounded by a heavenly aura of light, which appeared tantalizing. The gem taunted her to pick it up, yet somehow it seemed to push her away. It surely glowed at degrees which would incinerate her in an instant. The glow was both beautiful but dangerous, and Calypso loved every second of it.

"How will we get that crystal," she breathed when the silencing awe wared off. "I can feel its heat all the way over here."

"I don't know," Eden whispered. She looked discouraged. They were both staring at a love which was unobtainable. Their entire journey's goal at the slight of a whisker, yet could not retrieve it. How heartbreaking.

But not all hope was lost. For then came a tiny 'cluck' from the ground. Calypso glanced down to see her pet chicken looking up expectantly at her. "Yes!" she cried, as her little pet hopped up and took the glittering object. Their quest was complelted. Now, all they would have to do is take back her chicken. Excitement bubbled in her heart. Yes, this was it!

"Come on, little guy." Calypso beamed down at the feathery chicken. "Lets bring this crystal to where it rightfully belongs."

[Unleashed Squiid]

Ayyy champ! You found the crystal. I'm proud of ya!! Hahahahgh!
-He pats you on the back-
You know what that means? -he gets closer to you and whispers; Time to party.
-He pops open some soda. A bunch of chickens come running.-

PARTYYYY!!!
-a bunch of loud music starts to play.
he slams a heavy axe into the floor.-
what will you do? will you stay and party?

username: Unleashed Squid
kalons used: Calypso and Eden
story:

Calypso screamed as she was flung into the air by a cluster of happy, but fiery chickens. The original wave of fear quickly subsided into joy. She was three fourths of the way through this mission, collecting neat crystals, and putting out Eden's tail when it caught fire, and oh how fun it had been. So many amazing kalons had helped her, and led her all this way. Calypso danced around to the loud beat of the music, still caught up in the arms of so many chickens. What fun this was! She let out a loud yell, and the chickens echoed the sound in equally loud, if not louder, clucks.

As she soared high about the ground, Calypso couldn't help but notice Eden, tucked away in the corner. She looked extremely uncomfortable. Chickens engulfed her in their feathery pecks and sick dance moves. Calypso laughed out loud when one tiny chick flapped atop her friends head, and began to do the moonwalk. She was definitely not a party person, but that didn't mean Calypso wasn't. She finally got off of the wave of chickens, and made her way to the center where two roosters were having a rather scorching dance off. Their moves impressed Calypso, but that didn't discourage her. When the mob of chickens voted one of the roosters out, the kalon stepped in, and began to dance her heart out. With the chickens clucking around her, she felt on fire. (hopefully not literally.)

Then, a crash sounded, and the dancing ceased. The chickens voted. To her surprise, the majority was in her favor. Again, they lifted her up into the air on their wings, in that chicken way of cheering, and she made her way to the refreshment section, and grabbed herself a soda. A satisfying tsst sounded as she cracked it open. Ah, yes. This was quite the party.

A tiny chicken began to make an announcement, and Calypso found herself in the middle of a huge crowd. Then, Raffi of all people walked down with a golden, but most likely gold-plated plastic, crown and placed it on her head. "I guess you've been named dance queen," he said, amused. "I didn't expect that from you. Nice job, Calypso."

Calypso beamed. This party had been fun, but it was also tiering. She made a break for it, as the chickens seemed to be entertained by more dancing, and walked back out of the party, and off into a new adventure. Surely the next place this trip brought her would not be as interesting as this fiery land was. Even though she would not miss this sweltering temperatures, meeting Raffi and the chickens was more than fun. To be honest, Calypso knew that she would miss them dearly, but there were more adventures to go on, and she could not stop her journey here.