we could be heroes // dnp

[skywishes01]

kalon summer event.

CAST
NISHA - A heavily sarcastic & reluctant young kalon. Former rogue and an experienced fighter; she prefers stealth to confrontation. Always carries several knives.
ARIA - A sweet and rather timid girl who's never been out of the village. A budding mage. Cannot do anything without her staff.
AMALIE - Calm and serious, but also naive and pretty useless at most things other than potions. A beginner archer; she's slowly getting used to her bow.

ACT I: THE JOURNEY BEGINS
i. not done
ii. double standards
iii. lost and found
─── hadain's quests
xxxxxi not done
xxxxxii not done
─── briceus' quests
xxxxxi not done
xxxxxii not done
xxxxxiii drinks and duels
iv. the true beginning

ACT II: A HERO IS BORN
i in progress

ACT III: wip

actually going to try and fully complete this event !! It seems like a ton of fun oh boy,,
(I'm probably going to go back and do the ones I missed as well)

[skywishes01]

day 12 prompt.

“This is it, guys.” Aria says, looking up from her map. “This is where the fire crystal should be.”

The three kalons stood in front of a large cave opening- a gaping hole in the side of a volcano (Ryoko assured them it was inactive). The volcano was one of many in the Flamepoint Range, the Lavalands’ biggest stretch of mountains. There were less lava pools here – simply because there was no space – but occasionally, the kalons would spot a glowing fountain of lava gushing down a tall mountain. They gave these mountains a wide berth.

The map Aria had used to get here was one of Raffi’s; he’d uncovered it amongst the swords and bows in his storage room. Raffi claimed that the long-forgotten location of the map, rumored to lead straight to the fire crystal, had come to him during one of his meditation sessions. Which was debatable, but the kalons would take any lead they got.

And so, they’d followed the map across scorching plains pitted with lava-filled craters and crumbling ledges; fought their way through the foothills of the mountains; and finally reached the Volcano Cave after days of trekking across the range. The cave was jagged in appearance, rocks jutting down from the entrance like ominous, sharp teeth. The cave’s insides were pitch black; no sounds could be heard from the dark tunnel apart from a faint swishing sound, similar to the beach on a calm day.

Even that soft noise unsettled the kalons, because there was no water in the Lavalands.

Nisha squinted into the blackness, straining her eyes- but the cave refused to reveal itself. “So we have to go in there.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. Saying it aloud made her feel slightly, slightly better.

“Yes.” Amalie’s face is expressionless as she stares at the cave. She takes an unlit torch from her bag – always come prepared, even in the land of fire – and dips it into a nearby puddle of lava. It blazes with all the ferocity of a thousand fire chickens.

The partners don’t need to speak. There are no words to be said, no thoughts that they aren’t already thinking. Aria had tried multiple times to make a plan, but in the end, they had none- because how could they prepare for the unknown? The map, their only clue, was vague, telling them their destination and nothing else.

They were going in blind. Literally. But there was no other choice.

Holding her torch up high, Amalie leads her partners into the cave.

---

They’d been walking for a while – there was no way to keep track of time in that cave, though Nisha would claim it took hours – when a faint glow appears at the end of the tunnel. The torch had been their only source of light up till then, and as the three kalons approach, the glow increases in brightness and size until suddenly, the whole tunnel opens up.

Amalie stops abruptly, and Nisha walks straight into her. “What are you-“ she begins to complain, before seeing why Amalie has halted.

The tunnel has led them to a vast cavern- the inside of the hollow volcano. Far above, the blood red skies of the Lavalands can be seen through a small gap in the cavern’s high ceilings. And below, right at the partners’ feet, is a veritable lake of lava, big enough to hold the rest of the lava pools combined.

If that wasn’t intimidating enough, rock platforms break through the surface of the lava like stepping-stones. They’re positioned in a relatively straight line, and each platform rises higher than the one before it. And floating above the highest platform is a small, red crystal.

The fire crystal.

“Parkour.” Nisha grumbles. She tries to keep her voice in its usual annoyed tone, but a tinge of fear seeps through. “I hate parkour.”

Aria steps bravely forward, but despite her bold actions, she trips over her own feet and almost falls into the lava lake. Leaning against the wall to regain her balance, she smiles sheepishly. “I… guess I’m not doing this either?” She has the grace to sound disappointed. She can’t use her magic to just fly up there either; yeah, it’s gotten stronger, but not strong enough to levitate a kalon.

“No.” Amalie says. “You will fall before you reach the first jump.” Aria winces. Harsh, but true. Amalie looks over to Nisha. She’s staring up at the highest platform, the crystal platform, and the fear is now visible in her eyes.

“You are afraid of heights.” Amalie realizes. Nisha jerks her eyes to Amalie’s, opens her mouth to deny it, then shuts it. She nods. Amalie dips her head. “So I must do it.”

Nisha and Aria try to think of protests, of words of warning, but they find none. Amalie made her decision quickly, as always. It was like ripping off a bandage:
Amalie knew what had to be done, and she did it.

“Are… are you sure?” Aria finally asks. Amalie faces her partner with a small smile.

“You two have received your crystals.” She gestures to Aria’s wind bracelet and Nisha’s earth ring. “I am apart of this team as well. I must do this.”

“Amalie, don’t-“ Nisha loses her words, then takes a deep breath and continues. “I know I wasn’t the nicest to you, back in the forest, but you don’t have to prove yourself. You’re a part of this team anyway.” And for once, Nisha means every word she says. “We could try and find another way to get the crystal.”

Amalie shakes her head. “Thank you, Nisha. But I can do this. Trust me.” Nisha remembers that day in the forest, when Amalie asked her the same thing. That time, her answer was no. But now…

“I trust you.” She says solemnly. Amalie’s eyes flicker with gratitude. She hands the torch to Nisha, who holds it like it is sacred, and turns to face the first platform.

The first jump is easy- more of a step than a jump, really. It’s a small line of lava that Amalie has crossed, but a big leap of courage away from her partners. From her friends. She can hear Aria whimpering behind her and Nisha’s ever-snappy reply:

“Did she make it?”
“Aria, it’s literally a ten centimeter jump. Of course she made it.”

Somehow, their words bring a smile to her face. And she’s even more determined to get that crystal.

The next platform is higher, like jumping three stairs at once, but Amalie makes this one, as well. Her partners’ voices still reach her- the sound of them is strength; she narrows her eyes at the platform in front of her. As she’s about to jump, a shout echoes through the cavern.

“Look out!”

Amalie freezes as, to the side, a giant serpentine monster leaps out of the lava, straight for the platform she’d standing on. She hasn’t got any weapons on her, and it’s too late to jump. All she can do is watch as the serpent comes closer, eyes flashing, jaws snapping. All she can do is wait.

But the snake never reaches her. Amalie watches as it falls, inches from the platform, a gleaming knife protruding from its side. Its body is claimed by the lava. She feels slightly queasy, knowing that could’ve easily been her.

She looks back at her partners. Nisha is standing in an attack stance, a new knife already in her hand. And there’s no trace of timidity on Aria’s face as she grips her magic staff confidently, ready to take down anyone who dares hurt her friend.

“Keep going!” Nisha calls. “We’ve got your back.” Amalie wants to scream, to shout, to thank them- but all she does is nod. She was never good with emotions; she’d find a way to thank them later.

Amalie lands the next jump easily, and the one after that, and the one after that. Her movements are precise, persistent and strong. She’s not giving up just yet. As she leaps to the next platform, she sees monsters rising and falling in her peripheral vision; a winged dog-like creature to the left, felled by one of Nisha’s knives; a roaring serpent rising from the right, sent screaming back to the lake by a bolt of Aria’s magic. Monsters and knives and magic bolts fly as Amalie makes another giant leap, this time barely reaching the second-last platform.

The whirlwind chaos continues as Amalie stands before the last gap- the longest distance she’s faced. If she falls, she’s dead. But if she doesn’t get the crystal, they’re all dead. It’s not much of a choice, really. Monster roars and kalon shouts – “Hah! Take that, you disgusting overgrown worm!” – fill the air, but in Amalie’s mind, all is quiet. She’s deadly focused: nothing exists except her, the crystal, and the jump she has to make.

It’s all come down to this. Her whole journey, her whole life- this one moment will define her forevermore. It’s funny how the universe can do that to you, compressing all your experiences and emotions and mistakes and triumphs into a single second, a single frame of time.

I could die now, she thinks. A clear, emotionless thought. And the concept doesn’t scare her, not anymore. Her friends, the first people who’ve ever truly cared about her – no matter how much Nisha tries to deny it – stand behind her. So she’ll take this leap of faith. For them.

Amalie jumps. No deep breaths, no closed eyes- she just jumps.

The final rock platform hurtles closer, closer- not close enough. Amalie sees the edge slowly rising up and out of reach. Desperately, she reaches an arm out, searching for anything, anything- yes! Her hand scrapes against the craggy edge of the platform. She hears her blood thrumming through her head as she grabs the ledge with her other arm, and pulls herself up.

She lies there for a while. Her body refuses to move; the shock is still pulsing through her system. Shock that she almost met the fate of the monsters that are still dropping all around her, but mostly shock that she actually made it. She did it. She did it. As the thought registers, her heart slowly ceases its one-hundred-miles-per-hour sprint, returning to a normal, steady, alive beat.

She manages to get herself into a sitting position, every fiber in her body howling in protest. Her head spins, the blood rushing back to where it belongs. As she blinks away the spots in her vision, she’s alerted to a presence- a strange, magical presence at the edge of her mind, compelling her to look up.

She does.

The fire crystal hangs above her. It glows a different shade of red from the lava pools- while the lava speaks of danger, the crystal sings of safety. The energy that floats around the gem isn’t crackling or tense; it’s light and airy, like a soft blanket.

Because yes, fire can be dangerous. It can burn down whole forests and kill entire families. It’s a weapon, both wielded and in nature- it shows no mercy to anything in its path.

But fire is also warmth. Fire can comfort as well as harm, and lend brightness instead of destroying. It is the light that burns away the darkness and the energy that runs through us all. And that is what the crystal represents.

Amalie snaps out of her awe as another monster’s dying screams ring through the chamber. Carefully, respectfully, gently, she reaches out and touches the crystal.

A flash fills the cavern. Down at the shore of the lava lake, Aria and Nisha shield their eyes. The monsters go quiet; when the light recedes, there are no beasts left in sight. The two kalons recognize the flash. It’s the same bright light that filled the Gremlin Burrow when Aria received the wind crystal, the same glow that illuminated the witch’s hut as Nisha picked up the earth crystal. Which meant…

The two kalons look up to the top platform, wearing twin expressions of hope. And standing tall on the rock ledge is Amalie, the fire crystal a pendant hanging on her neck. Nisha grins widely and Aria lets out a joyful laugh as the red crystal sparkles and winks in the lava’s light.

A great rumble reverberates through the chamber. The kalons watch as more stone platforms rise up from the lake, filling the gaps in the obstacle course until a complete staircase of stone is formed. Amalie takes the stairs slow, painfully slow- you can never be too careful. Never.

When she finally steps onto solid, level ground again, she finds herself engulfed in a huge bear hug. “Aria,” she says to the kalon currently wrapped around her midsection, “There is no need to strangle me.” But Amalie can’t help but smile as Aria simply laughs at her request. The pink kalon gestures for Nisha to join in; Nisha rolls her eyes, but wraps her arms around her partners’ shoulders anyway. She could make an exception to her no-hug rule, just this once.

Because Amalie had retrieved the third crystal. And now, they were one step closer to their goal.

One step closer to saving the world.

2215 words. RIP