[credit]

Prompt Twelve
Featuring ;; Gibson

Gibson held the crystal close to his heart. He didn’t really understand its purpose, or if it truly belonged to anyone, or anything, but there was something within him telling him that he should be careful of the mystic jewel. He slowly ran his paw along the side of the gem, feeling every crack and chip along its side. It was truly a piece of art. The glow of the crystal pulsed as if it was the heart of the land. Gibson felt a dark urge forming within the pit of his stomach. The draw of the crystal tempted his childish urges of keeping this for collection purposes, but something else within him told that he should return it, make it part of the land once again. He looked around trying to find where he could possibly place it, and there it was. It was almost as if it was too easy to find.
Gibson hesitantly walked towards the crystal-shaped hole within the wall. He glanced at the gem once more, just to make sure that he was seeing things correctly as it was a habit of his to interpret things, one being the mimic he encountered earlier. He rubbed the crystal once more as if he were looking inside of it for some sort of guidance, but what good would come out of that. Hesitantly, he reached his hand out with the crystal tightly within his small fingers and wedged its way into the crevice. It fit perfectly. The crystal itself however began to spark. It started off small but eventually it grew in size. Suddenly there was a large flash, launching Gibson farther back than he’d like. The flash was bright enough to temporarily blind him, but once it vanished, Gibson felt a rather heavy weight upon his paws. On one of his fingers their lied a ring. A golden ring with a red jewel in its center. “I don’t remember having this on…” he said as he looked at his new accessory rather perplexed.
Once he rose to his feet, Gibson shook his head and looked around. “I think it might be time for me to leave this place… the heat is starting to get to my head.” The only problem was, that he didn’t know where exactly it is he should go. “Clark!” He called, suddenly remembering he had a pet to care for. Gibson rubbed his head gently and all of a sudden, it seemed as if he knew. He know how to get out of this world, but how exactly? At the time, Gibson shrugged it off and headed in the direction his mind was telling him to go, putting him a step closer to reuniting with his father.

[NightFlame22]

What happens to a heroine who can’t finish her quest?

Cinna looked up at the volcano looming over her. Rivulets of lava trickled down the sides, turning even the gentlest incline a deadly climb. Soot and ash poured from the mouth of the volcano, making the air even harder to breathe than it already was. It was hard to see the peak through the haze, but the glowing of the molten rock showed her that it was a pretty good climb to the top. Luckily for her, she was going down, not up.

As she descended into the caverns, she felt her worry grow. This land was full of danger; what could be awaiting her in the magma chamber below? Would she be able to get to the fire crystal with all this lava around? Many anxious thoughts swirled around in her head as she descended into the heart of the volcano.

The walk to the magma chamber was uneventful, if a bit uncomfortable. The heat had only grown as she went further down, and she was panting pretty heavily by the time she reached the final room. Before her lay a massive lava lake, the molten rock bubbling and swirling, looking as though it could erupt at any moment. There was a thin, rocky bridge that led to a small island in the center of the lava. It was too bright to tell, but Cinna dearly hoped the fire crystal was on that island… or, well, maybe she didn’t. That was a pretty long, precarious walk, and she wasn’t sure she had the nerves to brave the danger. But then again, if she didn’t, then who would?

Taking a shaky breath, she took her first step on the skinny pathway, then another, then another. She did her best to focus only on putting one paw in front of the other, desperately trying not to think about what might happen should she lose her balance. It felt like hours, but it might have only been minutes before she was halfway across. As she looked up to see how far she had come, she noticed the familiar shape of the pedestal that was identical to the ones the wind and earth crystals had rested upon. Now eager to claim her prize, she closed the distance and stepped onto the island confidently.

Her heart dropped instantly and her breath caught in her throat. The pedestal was very much the same, yes, made of stone that somehow resisted the heat of the lava, but one thing was missing: the fire crystal wasn’t there! Cinna stared in horror at the place where the relic should have been, trying to come up with reasons why the crystal was gone but drawing total blanks. She fell to her knees, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she processed what was happening. “Have… have I failed?” She set her bag on the ground, then looked down at it when she heard a soft thumb. The stone orb she had acquired from the false chest had rolled out of the pack and sat next to her tail. Frowning a little, she picked it up and turned it over in her paws. “Some good you’ve been. First I get attacked by a monster, and now the fire crystal is gone…” She sniffled, then glared at the orb. Getting back up on her paws, she growled a little and chucked it into the lava. The orb soared and landed in the molten rock with a satisfying ploop! “Well… fat lot of good that did me. Oh well.” She sighed and slung her bag over her shoulder, feeling a little better after exerting a bit of energy.

The violent rumbling of the lava made her freeze. “What’s going on?!” A beam of light broke through the surface at exactly the spot where the stone orb had landed. Another shone through, and another, and another. Soon there was a pillar of light where the orb had sunk, almost too blinding to look at. Cinna squinted at the beam, gasping a little as she saw a little red dot rising within it. The red dot began floating over to her, and as it grew closer, she recognized the shape of the fire crystal! She held out her paws to catch it, and it settled neatly into her grasp. “But… how?” She gazed into its ruby-red beauty, the light flickering inside it like a campfire. “Did… did the mimic somehow find a way down here, and then eat you? Or did someone else find you and want to do away with you? Oh, there’s so many questions…” She sighed and smiled slightly. “But I think I’ll save them for another time. For now, I just want out of this place.” She tucked the fire crystal next to the wind and earth ones, and then began her ascent to the surface.

It was time to get the last crystal.

(826 words)

[Alihorse]

•Tetra•

"With how dark it's getting here in this cavern, I suppose getting that crystal fast is the only option!"

[amaoretto]

the only way to get the crystal is to slay the beast...

[MotherMother]

Featuring Dallas

[skywishes01]

day 12 prompt.

xii. almost there
nisha, aria, amalie

prompt found here !!

(I haven't organized that thread yet, but I thought I'd post my prompt on a separate topic because it's pretty long,, oops)

[lovestruck]

Chapter Twelve: stupid chicken!
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Characters::
Maua || lvl 199 assassin || 29 y/o
Maua is always angry or annoyed at something. She's rather sarcastic and kills with no guilt. She seems to be the main adventurer in the group. She's pretty much a jerk

Sierra || lvl 5 medic || 12 y/o
Sierra is pretty much useless. She complains a lot and is always scared about something. She can shoot a bow pretty well though? And she makes all of their medicinal remedies!

Melanie || lvl 10 knight || 27 y/o
Mel is nearly as useless as Sierra, originally a bartender, Maua forced her to come along on the journey. She's pretty sweet and talkative though!

__________________________
art
Hey found a fire chicken running around with it. Maua had to get it of course- she does all the dirty work.

[colambo]

prompt 12

Alex was a valiant one. No animal could frighten him. He was the holder of a wicked & deadly, robotic weapon, though. It was a weapon that could rotate up to 360 degrees and project itself or project lasers at speeds up to 75 mph. Alex was on guard at all times. Even a barely discernible hint of threat caused Alex to be vigilant. He wore that special air-conditioned suit and goggles that kept the bright light of the lava out of his eyes. He wore them proudly, as they were created from his own design and engineering.
The crystal was his goal, and he pursued it ruthlessly. He was not going to let anyone else have it either. He purposefully set up a trap for Vincent to be caught in. That way Alex could just go back at that moment and ask Vincent for help if he needed it. How very manipulative and unkind of him.. to put Vincent in danger, too! Just what Vincent hates about him. He'd have to help Alex anyway, just to be set free from the trap. If it backfired on Alex and Vincent ended up injured by an animal or something.. what good would it be other than just weigh on Alex's miniature, yet still there conscience forever?
Dexter was far behind them, for some reason. He stopped to check out some chickens tbh. Dexter happened to be the only one with all the bandages and medicines on him, too! We can hope nothing will happen to Vincent.

Something happened anyways! There wa very angry chicken that wants to peck Vincent for what seems like eternity. "Ow... AAhHAHHHHHHHH HELP ME" Vincent yelled in pain, after being poked thirty times. He hoped that Alex could hear it from the top of the mountain where he was. Alex heard it and he shot a laser down there by the trap..

BLAM

It became oddly silent. Alex was already approaching the crystal, no time to turn back now... Alex's gloved hands touched the fire crystal, which was presumably very hot! He tucked the crystal into his breast pocket. Then he leisurely strolled down the mountain, back to where the trap was set. He found a dead chicken and Dexter stitching a painful wound on a fainted Vincent. "I'm both proud of you and disturbed by you at the same time, son." Dexter looked up to glare at Alex for a second, his glasses shined in the lava light.

[arcticlights]

Prompt 12
Tʜᴇ Cʀʏsᴛᴀʟ

[Takk]

Aɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟ!

It'd been tough trying to take care of chickens, handle mimics, raise dragons and humor the strange kalon in the caves. Not to mention throwing together a random spur of items to help rebuild a broken cart wheel wasn't easy either. The group was tired if silly side quests getting them no closer to saving innocent lives.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. Ico was still hopeful they'd made a difference stopping and helping that lady with her cart, but it'd taken a good amount of effort and energy on their part.
All three of them could agree however the heat was getting to them and they'd love to be anywhere else. The sooner they really cracked down and started searching, the better... With a bit of emotional help from Raffi, the three set out into one of the more unknown caves. Locals said they could hear voices down this cave speaking of pain and woe to those who entered. Allariia considered it a good place to start, abandon mines and haunted houses always held valuable secrets so a creepy cave must have it's shadows too. Surprisingly enough, she didn't get any argument from the two boys as she lead the way into the darkness beyond. Casting witchlight, her staff carries a ball of light as they enter.
It was oddly cooler here, no lava lit the walls or carried an unbearable heat under their paws.
It was like stepping into the freezer section of the cave; though it wasn't exactly freezing...
Down the long and dark path, it felt like they'd been walking for days before they reached a cool, damp cave. Killing the witchlight, there was glowing all around them. A glowworm cave no doubt by the colors, but something moved in the distant darkness.
"I told no one to come, they lie and come anyway." Hissed an elderly voice, much older than any voice any of these kalons had heard before. A pair of bright pink eyes illuminated a corner of the cave, unblinking and locked on their location.
"Who speaks?" Ixion replies, choosing to face this shadow as an unknown being rather than a fiend. True intention were unknown, best to keep an open mind until they know who owned this voice.
"Curious, but not original. Warrior Lion said those words many years ago, long before any of you were born. Simple whelp lings, you speak to Vasha, former king of fear and ruler of night."
The shape moved towards them, the party expecting a large dragon or fiercely intimidating snake of sorts. To their mild surprise, it was something of a hybrid. It had the body of an eastern dragon, long and snake like but it was covered in feathers and had no wings.
It was many shades of blue, black and had a few speckles of white. Vasha was a name lost in time, no one recognized it and the hurt in his eyes was obvious. "Did Lion warrior not speak of me? Not pass down my story? The wings he cut from my body, did they not bring him the king position he wished for?" He seemed more disappointed than anything. "I've held his legacy in my claws for years, yet he speaks not of me..."
Vasha turned away, his long tail weaving around his legs and tightening against them. Scars were apparent on his legs, back and sides of his tail. Ico wondered how many wings this monster had in his lifetime. Ixion approaches Vasha, padding to his side and seeing he'd clenched his claws over something. "What did Lion leave behind?"
The large pink eyes stare at Ixion for a moment, unfolding his claws and revealing the fire crystal. "Not leave, he traded it to me for my wings. He was sent to kill me but instead offered me a crystal, said to fight off evil and restore the land which I live. I could never use it, perhaps it was made for destruction like Lion. the traitor."
Ixion crossed his arms, looking at the floor. "Maybe there is something we could trade you for it? We need the crystal, it's power is only now surfacing and we need it to heal the land. What do you desire?"
Fiddling with the fire crystal, he thought he might desire companionship, maybe love, a legacy about him... To be remembered for his crimes and redemption would be more than reward for protecting this useless stone all his life in the shadows. Having decided, he drops the stone in Ixion's paws.
"Listen to my story and spread my legacy across the land to any adventurer you meet. This is my wish, Vasha the King of Night demands justice for what Lion did."