[SkyGold]

|Prompt 16|

Previous prompts
1 | 2 | 3 | 4| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

"..." - Annabelle
"..." - Eric
"..." -Eleina

Eleina | Swordsman - Healer | 100 / 120 HP
Annabelle | Royal - Mage | 75 / 150 HP
Eric | Half-royal - Wizard | 150/ 200 HP

The trio exited the potion shop full of excitement and laughter, except for Annabelle, who was counting down the seconds till the side effects of the potion would wear off. She gripped the cloth on Eleina's shoulder tightly as the green haired girl danced down the path, lined by crystals and underground rivers. Eric held up the rear, his dark cloak wrapped securely around his body. His mouth twitches upwards in a smile each time they made eye contact, an occasional snicker escaping from his lips. Even though she was as small as a baby, a glowing protective aura hung around the team, sticking to their clothing and pulling on their hair.

"What good that potion was, we can fight! We can defend ourself a just fine!" The blonde whined, her small vocal cords producing a high voice. Eric's laugher gained her glare. "If you dare laugh again, I will march you back to that potion store and force you to drink a shrinking potion yourself!" Eleina also giggled as they broke even more. Annabelle groaned, holding the mass that had been her dress, closely to her skin. The torrment of the cries of joy ended as they turned the next right. The mini girl could feel the fear flowing off her ride in waves. She hugged the side of her neck in an attempt to comfort her. The path was blocked by a void-Ish figure, it's form weaving to and from existence. The whispers it placed in each of their ears could drive one mad.
"Eric!" She screamed, tiny hands press to her head. "Use a spell or something!" The dark skinned wizard gazed in horror and shock, his limbs frozen.
"I-I can't." A tone as the creature spoke came from her half-brothers mouth. Eleina shook away the fear and reached for the silver winged sword that hung from her waist.
"Hold on tight!" She warned, leaping and screaming with all her might. The sharp clang sounded in response to impact with an inner object. The creature wavered, shouting in fright. Annabelle leapt off her ride, running to her brother who now sobbed meaninglessly on the ground.
"Ignore the whispers!" She growled loudly into his ear, his pitted pupils turned to her, meeting her dual colored eyes.
"I can do this!" Confident swept into his voice. Cheering occurred in her head as he leaned over her, hands glowing with a watery light. "Begone!" Eleina flew back, whaking her head against the wall behind her while Annabelle skidded across the smooth, prism ground. Blinding white light shot from the void, cleansing its space. The injured team looked with tired eyes at the object left where a heart would have been. It was so pure that they were afraid to dirty it by carrying it or touching it.
"We found it." Annabelle whispered breathlessly, her hands itching to steal the bright crystal for herself. Eleina instead pulled out a blanket, wrapping the heart crystal safely. "We need to go on now on to the next adventure!"

[url]Larger[/url]

[cocoa]

Prompt 16

The final crystal was the most difficult to find, even with Ragiel's dull thoughts of this should be easier than the lavalands and the forest, because what could be worse than monsters, terrible oppressing auras and endless heat?

It seems beauty can, because as soon as they seem to come near to finding the water crystal (to which they do through Ulyana's expert deduction, Ragiel's fighting skills and Sen's wayfinder potions), spirits from the larger crystals around them become angry, tackling them to the ground and pinning their limbs. And there's no way to fight back, not when their forms are incorpearl than their precense so fleeting. They take away the water crystal and hide it somewhere else, and then it's a game of cat and mouse, but to Ulyana, the world greatest riddle. She loves it.

It is not so nice when Ragiel and Sen must fight through seemingly every monster of the Crystal Caverns, another hidden away around the bend. None are so vicious as the lands before them; rather, they have a radioactive grace about them, borne from the crystals around them, but no less protective, all the less.

In the end, Sen brews from the ingredients of the Crystal Cove itself and some captured spirit essence a potion to be able to fight against the spirits. Armed to the teeth with anti-spirit potions, they at last come upon the water crystal, spray the potion around them, and snatch it within their grasp proudly, before promptly high-tailing it out the way they came before the monsters of the Crystal Coves come for their hides.

[MotherMother]

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=3511228#
Featuring Dallas

[shishou]

elne huffed and puffed, every breath that left him felt like he was being crushed. he has tried to find the crystal yet no luck. everything looks so similar and confusing, the brightness that shone from them blinded his eyes and its hard edges left cuts in his fur. heaving, elne steadied himself using his sword. he's searched high and low and felt all around trying to find the odd one out. with no luck, the kit trudged leaving paw prints on the ground and loose fur that hung from crystals.

the kit closed shut his eyes, tears threatening to fall as he let out a shaky breath. elne wiped away the tears, he was no child, he is a prince! a mighty knight and some stupid crystals won't stop him! the prince walked faster, wanting to out of the caves more than ever. and so he ran, he ran as fast and as far as his little legs took him. elne couldn't feel the wind in his fur as there was no such thing, his bag constantly hoped as it hung from his shoulders and his feet were tired. they've done a good job of getting him so far.

yet he fell, his feet couldn't take any more running but elne didn't feel sad. he felt much better than that. the knightnfelt happier than ever because guess what? the crystal stood infront of him, it looked nothing like the others from before. he was so relieved to have found it, hiding from view of others in an aquatic plant. elne let out a shaky laugh as his eyes twinkled like stars. forcing his legs to let him travel just a short distance, he reached over with his paws, grabbing the bright crystal. it felt wet yet looks so dry, elne sat there for a long time, resting his body and admiring the crystal's beauty.

[crona.]

they found it at the bottom of a pool
linked for size

[Flowerlily]

PROMPT 16
Tʜᴇ ꜰɪɴᴀʟ ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟ!

Marilee, Eda Cassidy, and Fauna finally found it!

[lovestruck]

Chapter Sixteen: The caverns
__________________________
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!

__________________________
Three kalons walked across a crumbling stone bridge. It was thin, and had no walls. Pebbles and shards of rocks tumbled from it as they walked cautiously. They were afraid it may crumble at any moment. They still had no clue where the final crystal was, but surely they'd find it soon. They had to, for the demons were at their worst. Maua turned, hearing a shriek behind her. Sierra had fallen through. She gasped. "No!" Maua leapt into the rushing water beneath them. Melanie shrugged. It seemed she had no choice but to follow. She leapt in. The water was freezing cold, surely full of blind cave fish that would eat off her toes. Melanie curled her toes worriedly, swimming after them. Sierra was gasping for air, when suddenly she plunged under. She fell into a cave system as the water rose above her head. An underwater cave? Maua and Melanie followed reluctantly, hoping to save their friend. They were sucked in by a current, and with a pop, they were in the cavern. Surprisingly, it only had about a half inch of water coating the floor. It was slick, and full of deep pools of water. Sierra coughed, spewing water everywhere. Melanie went to her side, gently rubbing the kit's back comfortingly. "Are you ok?" Melanie asked. Maua growled, nudging her aside. "We need to get going. I think the crystal may be in here. It just feels.. magical?" Sierra nodded, getting up slowly and whimpering. Her leg had smashed against a rock and she had a cut on her leg. "Maua, she can't walk yet." Melanie argued, pulling out the first aid kit. "You need to wait a few minutes. Fish or something and we can eat." Maua frowned. She pulled her sword out, tying a piece of string to the end. She dug around in the cold mud untill she had a handful of worms. She lowered the rod into a hole on the cave. It let river water in and was very deep. There'd surely be fish. She patiently waited there as Melanie bandaged up Sierra. Suddenly, the rope was tugged on. She flung her sword back. The huge, 30-40 pound fish landed right on Sierra's head. She groaned, falling backwards and hitting her head again. "Why does this always happen to me..." she moaned sorrowfully. Maua stifled a laugh, seeing Melanie's glare. "Hey! I caught a fish right?" You two can do what you want while I gut it and stuff." Sierra smiled, now quite happy. She pulled out the jar she'd gotten from Lilith and filled it with some water. She picked up one of Maua's fishing worms and dangled it in the water. Suddenly, a pink, fleshy creature with frilly ears and black eyes popped above the water. She swooped it up and put it in the jar. She ran over to Melanie, who was warming up by the fire Maua had started. She was soaked in ice cold water and cold drafts were coming through the cave. She looked up as Sierra came back, exclaiming, "Look! I caught an axolotl!" Melanie frowned for a moment, before smiling. "That's great Sierra. It won't survive though. It needs a filter or something. And very cold water." The kit whimpered, frowning. "I'll catch some minnows then." And so- she did. Maua had nearly finished gutting the fish when she noticed something glowing inside it. She dug into it. It was the crystal. She leapt up in joy. "I found it! I found the last crystal!" She grinned from ear to ear and jumped around a bit before settling down, and kidding the fish. "Thank you fish! Thank you- bleh!" She spat, the raw fish tasting absolutely disgusting. Now their only concern was getting out of the cave alive and with all of the crystals.

[Sanara]

Prompt 16
Featuring :: Dunkin

[apprentice_]

[ login : rainichi ] day sixteen
characters;

▪ onion || lvl 3 alchemist || lawful good || 19 y/o
a farmer who used to travel a lot ! he's pretty useless in general, but he tries really hard! when he does manage to do something right, it's a big help. he likes to talk about his chickens.


▪ lis || lvl 173 knight || neutral good || 23 y/o
lis is a knight without a permanent home! she's the most useful member of the party when if comes to fighting, but she can be both airheaded and hotheaded. she just has a big head all around. she's p cute tho

▪ reuben || lvl 48 archer || true neutral || 21 y/o
kind of a jerk |'D reuben is always just looking for some fun, regardless of what he has to do to get it. he's kind of shady actually.
best not leave him alone for too long.


for more information on these characters, you can click their names !!
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this is a direct continuation from the fourth prompt on lilith's thread ! afdsd i don't expect anyone to read that one first or anything but here it is !! this prompt here is,, p long n im sorry tbh (also note that lilith's potion made like a heckin storm on onion's head and turned one of lisbeth's eyes temporarily gold. this info is only useful at the v end when these things are referenced oops)
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Their ears had grown accustomed to the echo after every noise, every footstep. Accustomed to the odd ringing that traveled throughout the caves. They could finally ignore the neverending monotonous sound, forget it was even there. The crystal cove clung onto its visitors in a way that made the group of kalons afraid that maybe, the cave wouldn’t let them leave. The soft glow of the crystals that lulled its prey into a false sense of security, the silence that masked itself as peace, the air that felt too pure... Sometimes, the kalons would pause, and wonder where they were. Not because they were lost, but because they’d momentarily forgotten what this place was, who each other were, who themselves were. Then, their memory would pop back into place, and they’d continue as if nothing happened.

The tunnel they traveled through was getting narrow. Every five feet, the three kalons were pushed closer and closer together, until they had to walk single file. Soon, they were walking sideways, inching through the tiny space that was left for them. The physical struggle became more of a psychological hit, pressed between two walls that weren’t even two feet apart, not knowing when they’d escape, not knowing if they would. Crystals jutted from the walls, and often, one or more party members would nick themselves on the sharp rocks- pretty, but not friendly.

For once, Reuben was talking. He was the only one talking, practically holding a conversation with himself. He spoke of stupid things he’d done with his friends in the past. He retold stories that people had once told him. Every once in awhile, he’d say something like, ”We’ve ought to be almost out of here, don’t worry,” or, ”Stop acting like these walls are gonna crush you. They’re walls. They just sit here and do nothing.” The very fact alone that Reuben was trying to lighten the mood made Lis smile here and there, if only a little. She still felt insanely claustrophobic, but she didn’t doubt that she’d feel much, much worse if it weren’t for Reuben.

I guess you can be nice when you want to, she thought, but kept her mouth sealed. To say this aloud, she figured Reuben would only deny it and begin to argue over something trivial.

Onion trailed behind the two. He found himself often wondering of the possibility of snakes or spiders, especially when he’d pass by a crack in the wall, and he’d peer into the blackness of it.

They never found a single living thing in the tunnel, other than themselves.

Lisbeth, in the front of the line, yelled when she saw the end of the tunnel. She described it simply as blue. And sure enough, after Lis squeezed out from the passageway and fell into a large open room, followed by her teammates, they were met with a sea of blue. Not only was the actual lake in front of them a foggy blue, but the walls were like ice, and the crystals’ lighting was more tinted than usual.

The kalons stood on a small platform that hovered just above the water. They couldn’t see the floor. Lis mused over their options.


[ The entire room is just water! What is this?! ]

▷ Turn back, no way!
► Sink or swim, man!
“I guess we’re supposed to... dive in?” Lis twirled her hair around her finger. “Don’t suppose that potion gave either of you of gills, did it?”
“Not me,” Onion answered, and Lis chuckled at him having responded to a rhetorical question.

Both of them heard a splash, and spun to see the waves drive out from one spot in the water. A head appeared from this spot, and a tiny fountain spewed from Reuben’s mouth. His arms swayed gently in the water, keeping him afloat. His eyes displayed the same dull emotion as always. “You guys coming in or what?”

Lisbeth’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that water freezing?! Isn’t your armor heavy?? Reuben,” she whined, “why do you have to be so reckless?”
“Eh? What do you mean, ‘reckless’? You’re the one who said we’ve oughta swim. Where else do we go, back? I’m pretty sure we’ll find ourselves somewhere if we just swim under this wall.” With his thumb, he pointed behind him at the wall in the distance. It did seem the water went under it.

Lis mumbled to herself. “Yeah we’ll find ourselves somewhere alright, we’ll find ourselves dead.”

If Reuben heard her, he didn’t comment on it. “The water’s pretty warm, actually. And if you’re not strong enough to swim with armor on, that’s your own fault!”

With a scoff, Lis pulled her hair into a tighter ponytail. “I mean, the potion gave you extra strength, so you've got an unfair advantage, but I’ll show you I can do it even without the help!” In one movement, more clunky than graceful, her body dived into the water, and she reemerged with a triumphant look. “The water is warm...!” In such a cold cave, the warmth was just as much a relief as it was confusing.

Before anyone could tell him to do so, Onion hopped into the water too. He struggled significantly, and when he managed to get his head above the water, he looked terrified. “I didn’t swim that much as a kid,” he whispered in regards to the stares he received.

“Will you be alright?” Lis sounded concerned.
Onion nodded. “Mmhm, as long as there aren’t any strong currents.”

Reuben’s head fell back beneath the water. Lis barely managed the words wait up! before she also went under, and lastly followed Onion. It was hard to decide whether to swim fast, wasting more energy but possibly finding air faster, or to swim slowly, saving their energy but risking drowning.

The further they went, the more they felt like this water was almost breathable, like it’d be impossible to drown. This, of course, was not how the world worked, so they kept their breath pent up within them. When they resurfaced on the other side of the wall, everyone gasped for air.

The new room they entered was smaller than the last. It wasn’t even so much a room as it was an air pocket, and a dark one at that. But underneath the water, the walls and floor were lined with crystals. The glimmering effect left an astonished feeling that was hard to place, and in this dark room, it was intensified.

“There’s something down there.” Reuben was looking down. Onion jumped at simply the notion of a monster residing in the pool with them. “It’s like, a giant fish... I think.”

“I didn’t see anything...” Onion continued fidgeting at the thought.
“I didn’t either,” Lis added.

“Mm,” Reuben looked at his teammates, “It’s because you’re both blind and fail to properly survey your surroundings.” Neither Lis nor Onion had comeback. Reuben wasn’t wrong. “I’m almost certain I saw the gem, too, sitting in an opening in the wall. I might be able to sneak in there and grab it.” He was a foot under the water before anyone could tell him it was a bad idea.

“He’s going to die,” Lis said, more to herself than to Onion.
“I’m going to die,” went Onion, who was also only talking to himself.

Reuben’s lungs felt hot. He thought he’d be sweating, if he weren’t submerged in water. The creature was easily five times his size, more than that, maybe. It was hard to tell; The fish was coiled, similar to a snake. It’s skin was made up of smooth surfaces, the texture like the crystals that scattered the cave. It was white all over, save for the deep blue eyes that stared Reuben down. He’d thought it’d been asleep.

When the fish lunged forward, Reuben was swept away in the massive currant it created. In his surprise, he gasped. Bubbles floated to the surface of the water as his stamina instantly depleted. A goner, he was all but dead, his vision going blurry before everything turned darker and darker. He thought he must have looked lame, acting all confident, only to fail a mere minute into his mini quest.

Yanked above water, he choked until his throat was sore. He wiped the water from his eyes, and watched as Onion came into focus in front of him. “Ah... Thanks,” he spoke, his voice weak and unwilling to cooperate. He looked around. In this small air pocket, he didn’t see Lis. “Where’s...?” Reuben followed Onion’s gesture downwards.

There, in the water, Lis held her sword in front of her. The monster was surrounded by anger as it observed her. Looking behind it, Reuben could see the wall’s opening, where there was no light except for that which glinted off a tiny object. The gem, or so he hoped. In reality, Reuben wasn’t entirely sure. He prayed that his behavior, that putting himself and, more importantly, Lis in danger, would be worth it. That needed to be the gem.

“Onion,” he spoke, “Search for a way out. Don’t engage the monster.” As he said this, the fish swam around Lis, and all she could do was defend herself. In this element that wasn’t her own, she couldn’t much attack. It was a matter of keeping herself alive, whilst distracting the fish. Reuben pondered how long she could her breath. “I’ll retrieve the gem.”

“I... Alright. I’ll do my best.” Onion went looking for an exit before Reuben could get another word in. It didn’t matter; He’d said what he’d needed to. More than that, he was surprised he saw no hesitation in Onion.

Reuben did what he could to avoid the creature’s sight as he swam for the gem. He caught a distressed glance from Lis, a look that said, hurry up. Her desperation was caused more by the idea of drowning, rather than being batted around by the fish. The fish, it seemed, was still deciding how to proceed.

Reaching the gem, Reuben had to poke his head inside the dark space in the wall. As he did, he heard an eerie wail in front of him. His bones turned to ice. His vision shook. He was eye to eye with not one, but two more monsters. These ones were significantly smaller, but still they must have matched his size.

He snatched the gem and turned around, just in time to see the larger fish barreling toward him. He escaped by an inch, the creature crashing against the wall before it hurried into the wall’s opening. His eyes darted around frantically, and his hand squeezed the crystal until it cut into him. There- There, in the distance, he could see Onion waving for him to come over, and so he did. He swam with all the power he had left, and he didn’t look back.

Onion lead him above water, and they each crawled onto ground. A new tunnel spiraled away from the water; Was it birds that they could hear on the other end?

“Where’s Lis?” Onion tilted his head.
Reuben’s heart turned cold. “You mean she’s not already here?”
“N-No, she wasn’t following you??”
“I- Lord, that woman...!” He tossed the crystal to Onion and stood. He inhaled deeply, shut his eyes, cursed himself for this mess,

and as he did, an arm pushed out of the water, and dragged a body onto land. Lis hacked as she laid on the ground, trying to regain control of her breathing, trying to soothe her pulse.

Reuben shakily exhaled, looking relieved for a whole half second before that relief turned to wrath. “What took you so long?! I thought you were gonna die!”

Lis, still laying on her stomach, made some sort of vague hand gesture. “So...” She had to force her voice to work, “You were worried about me, is what you’re saying...?” Reuben pressed his lips together. Lis compelled her body to sit upright. She would have laughed, if it didn’t hurt to. “That fish was a mother. I think she was just protecting her young... Why would the fourth crystal be in some fish’s den?” Under her breath, she murmured, ”You did get the crystal, right...?”

“It’s pretty.” Onion examined the crystal in his hands. It sparkled more than any of the other gems.

“Figures. Women and their jewelry, man.” Lis stretched her arms. Thank god they got the crystal; Lis wasn’t ready to ever go back down there. “You guys noticed we’ve fought a giant snake, a dragon, and now a giant fish? A bunch of long, cold blooded scaly things...” No one had the chance to reply before she continued on. “That tunnel leads out, right? I hear a bird’s song.”

“I hope,” Reuben replied, and they headed off without a moment’s notice. Despite barely escaping a risky situation, they all were able to joke around. Reuben noted that Onion’s hair wasn’t sparking anymore, but Lis’ eye was still gold. Lis only shrugged at the color of her eye, and then mentioned that she held her breath for longer than ever before, and maybe that was the physical boost the potion had given her. Reuben told her to stop bragging, and Onion laughed.

Four crystals. Wind, earth, fire, and water. They held all the pieces. What now, but to return to the castle? What would be awaiting them? How did these crystals work together, what did they do? There was just one more step left until they returned life to the kingdom, and came out as heroes.

They each pretended they were less anxious than they were.

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[jianwai]

|Prompt 16|
Hyacinthus

It seemed silly to seek one crystal in a cave of many; where water glistened from the walls, dripped down and spattered the ground, kept their paws forever wet-- much to the displeasure of two companions, the third more than content to find coolness over his skin and water in the vicinity. At least he felt happier, hadn't had much reason to complain, no need to sob in the night when his fellow companions rested-- in fact he hadn't slept much in the caves, too busy exploring, too busy counting each puddle of water they came across.

Both mind and tongue distracted, Hyacinthus did found it humerus they sought a crystal in a cave of crystals. Almost like grabbing one crystal would be good enough, as if they could trick the world and the quest itself and leave the wondrous, ineffable cave. While his companions bickered on this fact, seemingly attempting to free a crystal from the grip of the cave, Hyacinthus had taken the opportunity to say goodbye to the beautiful pools of water-- to the cave that he would not mind making home, even the spots of radiation seemed friendlier than half of the sights and scenes they've stumbled across together.

Of course the sea will forever be his home-- no cave could take away the wash of the current, the grip of seaweed if one was not careful to watch where he swam, and the critters that existed besides him.

He rests at the edge of a pool, dangles the tips of his paws in, and relishes in the cool water over paws rubbed raw from rock and grit-- beautiful and welcoming as this cave was, it was ultimately still a cave; rough floors and loose pebbles. He wiggles his toes, watching the ripple across the surface of the water, and even giggling to himself.

There in the watches, something glistens-- catches his eye easily, he's used to looking in water, always searching for the next ... next whatever! He peers for a moment, doesn't take long for blue eyes to register what he's found, and little less than a second passes before Hyacinthus slips half of himself into the pool of water. Eyes wide open, it is easy to scoop the crystal, held gently in his maw-- afraid to break it, but he has learned to be gentle. Fishing village and all, it was never wise to lacerate a fish with teeth while still in the water. He surfaces, pulls himself out by his haunches and shakes away the water once he is away from the pond, crystal still held withing his maw.

He supposes he should tell his companions he found the crystal, no need for trickery, but ... maybe it's best they argue for a little while longer. Just to stay in the caves a touch longer.