[PP-F1] New Beginnings <<DHA 1>>

[Astreya 0]

Astreya: HP 410/410 | EN 56/56 | 9 DMG | 62 MIT | 3 ACC | 18 Thorns | 1 Taunt | 8 BH | 1 Prosperity |
Hunting Familiar: 3/5

Roll ID: 202815
LD: 10 (Fail!  Closer!)

---

Astreya's hand left her blade as soon as she began to look around at the other hatchlings that were just now coming out of hiding, and she couldn't help but to frown slightly as she watched them all.  There was one that looked like it was damaged from a scratch down its side, and the one nearest her had a little bit of a limp as it moved.  "These poor little buggers have had it rough," the girl murmured, looking down at the creature before she noted that Vigilon was wandering off further into the cavern.  "You looking for more hatchlings?" she called after him, or at least, she started to.

She hadn't gotten more than a word out before the fellow just seemed to drop through the floor and she blinked, glancing toward Krysta.  "You want me to go after him or should I just watch these little guys here?" she asked, not entirely sure if she trusted herself to go deeper into the cavern without a torch or anything to see by.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Astreya

[Krysta 0]

The hatchlings continued to stay near Krysta, and Krysta continued to heal the wounded hatchlings. Astreya remarked that the hatchlings must have had it rough under Carsar's gaze. "I can only assume they have." Krysta replied.

Astreya noticed that Vigilon had gone into the cavernous den, and fallen where there was a spot of darkness. She then asked Krysta if she should go after Vigilon, or remain with Krysta and the hatchlings. "I can remain here for a bit, go ahead and follow Vigilon." Krysta answered. She plucked up a stick from the ground, then looked over to her familiar. "Yolviinsil, if you would?"

The small ruby red feathered dragon ignited the top of the stick with her flames, and Krysta would hand it to Astreya. "This should help you both to see through the darkness, at least a little." She told her.

Krysta would then return her focus to tending to the hatchlings. "Oh, and do let me know if you happen to find a dragon egg!"

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon walked forward, as there seemed to be no other way without climbing back. He just walked. Slowly, but how else would he move safely when his eyes had yet to adjust to the dark? Oh wait, he had the dark vision skill, he was already starting to see better. "Ok...now if I was a pile of shiny coins, where would I be...?" Vigilon asked himself. He walked forward a bit more and somehow there was a sparkle. He ran over to the object, but it wasn't alone. Glistening coins and glittering gemstones were very close by...it was a pretty good sized pile! There it was, the stolen treasure!

Vigilon's eyes widened, and he pulled out an empty bag from his inventory. He wouldn't want the hoard to get mixed up with his other valuables, so of course he'd be doing this.

If Astreya was to happen by, Vigilon would look to her, hand her an empty bag, and say "I found the hoard, let's get stuffing and bring it all back to its original owner!"

ID# 202816 LD: 19+6=25(Found Carsar's Hoard!)

@Astreya

Edited December 22, 2021 by Vigilon

[Astreya 0]

Astreya: HP 410/410 | EN 56/56 | 9 DMG | 62 MIT | 3 ACC | 18 Thorns | 1 Taunt | 8 BH | 1 Prosperity |
Hunting Familiar: 4/5

"Got it," Astreya spoke, nodding to her newfound friend, about to take a step forward when the woman called upon the dragon, before handing the bubbly girl a makeshift torch.  "Sweet, thanks!" Astreya cheered as she took it.  It likely wouldn't last too long, but it should hopefully last her long enough to find Vigilon and get the heck out of here.  "I'll be right back.  I hope," she added before moving back to the rear of the cave as well.

As she moved, the torch lit up her surrounding area, letting her see a path that led downward a great deal more smoothly than what Vigilon had taken when he'd just straight-up fallen down over the edge.  Picking her way down, she saw the fellow moving toward something and realized, as she started to come closer, that he had found a dragon-sized hoard.  "I...what?" she asked as the bag was thrust in her direction, and the woman shifted, finding a crack in the wall to wedge the torch into.

"You got it!" she called, helping to shovel as much of the coins, gemstones and everything else she could see into the offered bag.  "I wish I had this much money just laying around," she murmured as they continued.

Edited December 23, 2021 by Astreya

[Krysta 0]

Krysta remained with the hatchlings as Astreya ran off to help Vigilon. She turned back towards Yolviinsil. "Could you help me tend to their wounds with that gift of yours we recently discovered?" She asked. The small ruby red feathered dragon nodded to Krysta, and moved over to the limping hatchling. Yolviinsil began to emit a shining, blazing aura as she assisted Krysta in healing it. "Perhaps someday I may discover how this ability of yours ties to your being." Krysta remarked.

She couldn't help but dwell on a thing or two while she waited for the players to return. She had lost her mother's side of the family, including her mother, and the only exceptions were...very few. She had lost Leif, and she was separated from her father and his side of the family. ...was she truly the last of her mother's line? It seemed likely, and it was difficult to even know it. It wasn't like there was anything special about her mother's bloodline, but Krysta, as of the present moment, was the last. If her family had a history that she wouldn't know about, this would make her a crux of her family's fate, as the wheel turns upon her, the last of her line...

Krysta did what she could to shake off the haunting thoughts. The more she dwelt on them, the more weight they carried.

[Vigilon 0]

As the two players stuffed the bags with the valuables, Astreya remarked how she wished she had this much money just laying around. "Heh, don't we all?" Vigilon responded. Wealth of that level, it could be used for so much. Financial security, providing for friends and family, and of course, helping those who have nothing... Such good uses those were, right? Well, such wealth would be nothing in comparison to what would lay ahead, when it was all over...

But while wealth was mortal and finite, it was always best to not keep the coin, but to pass it on. Vigilon noticed something on the pile as he was stuffing his bag. "Is that...?"

Lo and behold, there was a dragon egg sitting on the pile.

"What the hell, sir bad dragon?" Vigilon began. "An egg is a fragile cradle of life, not a collectible hard as diamonds!"

With a sigh, he carefully removed the egg from the shrinking pile of wealth. Now, where to safely lay it down so he could continue stuffing bags...?

[Astreya 0]

As they began to keep filling up the bags, Astreya could feel the sack steadily gaining weight, but didn't stop at all, at least until she saw Vigilon pause as if he had noticed something else.  "What's up, Vigilon?" she asked, glancing over the man as he looked up at the top of the pile of coins... before she saw the egg sitting up top, and her eyes widened slightly.  "Woooow, what the heck?" she called out, frowning as she stepped forward toward it.

She noted that he was looking around, and she blinked, imagining that he was looking for somewhere to either put the egg down, or maybe just a way to still keep filling up the bags while still hanging onto it.  "Frosty!" she called out, and the Frost Vulture peeked its head down over the edge of the cliff and started down toward the two of them.  "Here.  Can you take this egg from Vigilon back up to Krysta?  And be careful with it!"

If Vigilon was willing to let the bird (who had already been ferrying all sorts of things to Astreya) carry the egg, Frosty would do so with relative ease and deliver it up to Krysta, freeing them to finish getting the rest of the hoard.

@Krysta @Vigilon

[Krysta 0]

The thoughts persisted. She had carried their weight for quite some time, she might need to speak about it with Vigilon at some point. If her Bloodline had any value of any sort, it's continuation and survival literally depended on her...

Could her ancestors truly count on her? Was she good enough for the daunting task she was born unto? All others within her mother's bloodline have perished, there was no one else who could carry out such a thing.

Yolviinsil realized Krysta was starting to shudder over the thoughts, and brushed herself up against her in hopes of comforting her. "I....I'm fine, Yolviinsil, there's...no need....no need to...worry..." Yolviinsil let out a soft trilling noise in response. "...I can hardly lie to myself at this point...I am unsure that you'll understand, but...at this rate, I just might need to tell somebody..." Krysta admitted.

The forces of good were always met with some form of opposition...her mother perished from a disease, as well as her aunt and uncle. Her cousin was slain by a monster in human form...what kind of evil had sought to end her mother's bloodline? Could Krysta be the one who could survive its onslaught? If she and her bloodline were special, even if it was simply a part to play within a divine plan, evil would surely stop at nothing to try and snuff the light out.

Krysta must endure. She has to.

[Vigilon 0]

Astreya called for her familiar to help out by taking the egg over to Krysta. Reluctantly, Vigilon handed over the egg. Hopefully nothing would go wrong.

Now all that was left to do was gather up the rest of the hoard, and return to Krysta before heading back to the dragon who gave this task to the party. How the dragon Krysta slew was able to carry all this, along with the hatchlings and an egg, was proven to be beyond Vigilon's knowledge when he tried to think about it.

About a few minutes later, Vigilon could not find a single coin left around the area. "Well, I think that's everything. We should head back, Krysta's probably been waiting with the hatchlings longer than expected." Vigilon noted.

On the way back up, he was able to see where he'd fallen and where he should have stepped. The difference between the dark of the cave and the light of day was a bit much...for about a few seconds. He then noticed something was off about Krysta's expression, and he ran over to her. "Hey, Krysta, are you alright?" He asked.

[Astreya 0]

"Frosty's good at what she does!  No problems at all!" the girl cheered as she saw Vigilon's somewhat crestfallen expression for the Frost Vulture to take the egg up to where Krysta was.  The beast gently grasped it in its talons before a single beat of its wings took it skyward, and she nodded as she watched the creature head up, likely heading to where the other woman was.  

Astreya moved back over to help Vigilon finish with putting all of the stuff from the hoard into the bags for them to carry up, but she started to ponder a little bit as she did the same things as Vigilon.  How had the creature managed to get all of this here?  Maybe it had taken multiple trips?  "Dragons gotta have some weird magic around 'em." the girl concluded aloud, not revealing the rest of her thoughts, although it was clear that she had something in mind.  At Vigilon's words as they finished, however, she glanced up with a nod.

"Yeah!  Totally!" she agreed, beginning to move along with the young man toward where they'd come down.  She had grasped ahold of the Torch which was a great deal smaller now, heading along with him up the path toward the mouth of the cave.  Once she'd arrived, however, she had set down the sacks of rewards... and paused a little as she glanced to him, and then back to Krysta.  Now that Vigilon had said something, she could see a slight difference in the way that Krysta was holding herself.  Her posture was a little drooped, and the woman frowned.  "Can we, like, help in some way?" she added, not wanting her new friends to be upset!

[Krysta 0]

Krysta noticed Astreya's familiar carrying an egg over to her, and she received the egg from the bird. She gently placed down the egg for the time being, and the hatchlings stayed near her, probably wondering when Krysta was going to take them back to their home.

Krysta tried to rid herself of the haunting thoughts, but to no avail. Vigilon and Astreya came out of the cavern, and Vigilon noticed that something was off. He rushed to her side, and asked her if she was alright. Astreya also noticed that something was wrong.

Krysta was at a bit of a loss for words, she did not know what she should say first. She wanted to tell Vigilon what was on her mind, but Astreya was around as well, and since they had only met recently, to speak of such personal information wouldn't be the best idea.

"It's just...something personal, you needn't worry about...about..."

Unable to hold it in anymore, and with tears starting to well up within her eyes, she suddenly pulls Vigilon in for an embrace. She chokes back tears, but they flow out regardless, one by one. She would then whisper into his ear, "Of my mother's family...I am the last."

[Vigilon 0]

Krysta suddenly hugged Vigilon, with tears in her eyes. She then whispered some words into his ear. He had been with her long enough to know what she meant by this.

...Damn, this was something very serious. Vigilon had never knew his father's side of the family, excluding a cousin named Tara, until he ended up in this game...but Krysta had a different family.

To be the last of one parent's side of the family...that must hurt to think about, especially if you saw them as good people.

Vigilon hugged Krysta back. She should definitely let it out if she had to. The only thing that could make this awkward was...oh, right, Astreya was right there...and the players still had to return the hatchlings. ...but this was important, he wouldn't let go until she was fine with it. With a sorrowful expression on his face, and his eyes nearly closed, he would keep her close until she was finished letting out her feelings...besides, he didn't exactly know which words would make her feel better at this moment.

Edited December 24, 2021 by Vigilon

[Astreya 0]

Despite the fact that Astreya would call Krysta 'friend' in a heartbeat, there was still a divide between them, of course.  Not anything negative, but simply a lack of familiarity.  The ice maiden had only just met Krysta a short time ago, and whatever weighed heavily upon her shoulders, Astreya didn't yet know... although perhaps neither did Vigilon, judging based on how he was acting.

All the same, Astreya felt...uncomfortable, as the blonde-haired woman reached up toward her male companion, pulling him into an embrace.  Images of Zack flickered through Astreya's head- from their first meeting all the way to watching him butchered by the wild creatures that roamed the first floor.

She didn't let her expression change, but politely moved, heading toward the mouth of the cave.  Frosty wasn't too far behind, the Frost Vulture having deposited the egg gently upon the ground as it flapped over to where Astreya stood, staring out of the cave.  That simple gesture, of Krysta having someone to hold sent waves of jealousy and sadness both through the woman.  She still wore a small smile on her features, but it no longer touched her eyes as she waited for the two to have their moment.

[Krysta 0]

Having Vigilon there to hold, to lean on, to cry on, it was...sort of relieving, to be able to let it out with someone she cared about very deeply. She held Vigilon for a few more minutes, before letting go.

She wiped her tears, and she steadied her breath. "Alex, thank you....for being here. I honestly do not know what I would have done if I did not have someone I was close to in this moment..."

Despite having uttered out Vigilon's real name, the matter was too serious for her to address him otherwise, for she had been told his real name during the bloom of their relationship. She looked around her and remembered what the players were supposed to be handling. She also noticed that Astreya had moved over, closer to the cavern. Well, the moment was finished, it was time to get back to the present duty. "R-right then, we must see these hatchlings to safety." Krysta stated. With that, she picked up the egg, and started on her way back, and most of the hatchlings followed close by immediately, a few looking to the other players before following suit.

[Vigilon 0]

A good Relationship is always a two-way street. He had to be there for her when she needed him, and vice versa. He knew there would be moments like this, where he simply needed to be there for her to cry on, to lean to, to hear her troubles and help her release whatever sorrow-filled thoughts troubled her mind. Krysta cried for a short moment before letting go, and Vigilon would let go when she did. She thanked him for being there when she needed him. "I'm happy to be here for you, Jewel." Vigilon said with a soft smile. Maybe one day he and Krysta could hold each other close without any sorrows to let out.

Krysta wiped her tears and picked up the egg. It was time to go. Vigilon walked over to the bag(s) he'd stuffed and picked them up. Before following Krysta back to Fuzziel's nest, however, he walked up to Astreya. "Sorry that it kind of happened so suddenly...maybe sometime I can invite you on a grind or quest with some other friends of mine, you won't exactly have to feel like a third wheel then." He said, hoping to make the situation less awkward before he went back to following Krysta.

[Astreya 0]

Astreya's gaze out into the distance was clear and unclouded as she looked out beyond.  Of course, she wasn't really looking at anything- she was just reliving things inside her mind for several long moments, not able to really escape from the cyclical darkness that came whenever she was reminded of Zack.  It had been a long time, and she was, admittedly, a lot less sore about it than she'd been when it had first happened... but that didn't mean the wounds had fully healed.  They were still there- she'd just gotten used to their pain.

All the same, when she had heard the two speak within, able to tell that they had finished with the comfort Krysta needed, Astreya hadn't turned to face them...but she had put the brave face on.  The face that she wore when she spoke with everyone.  The same one that Vigilon and Krysta had seen this entire little journey of theirs.

There were no tears shed, nothing on her features that indicated anything was wrong as she turned toward Vigilon at his apologetic words.  "Don't, like, worry about it or anything," she spoke, lifting up both hands with a wide smile.  "I'm just glad that she's, like, totally feeling better," the girl continued, beaming her usual grin at him.  "But let's go!  We gotta get all this, like, back to Fuzziel!"

She hopped after the pair, all negative emotions swallowed and hidden under the surface.

[Krysta 0]

With the hatchlings following close by, the trio of players would surely make their way back to Fuzziel's nest. While the trip was quicker returning to her nest than when they were searching for Carsar's, it still took a short moment or two to recall the exact location of Fuzziel's nest.

When the players reached the nest, the hatchlings would recognize their home and run up ahead to reunite with their mother. Fuzziel's expression brightened upon seeing the Hatchlings return to her side, and Krysta gently set down the dragon egg in front of her. "It is done." Krysta began. "Carsar shall terrorize your family and the lands no longer."

After a short moment, The sound of cracking could be heard. Krysta looked over to the egg, which was shaking and starting to crack. The hatchlings watched the egg with anticipation, eagerly awaiting their new sibling's arrival. Soon, a small hole appeared in the egg, the shell that it took the place of was pushed out by something within. The egg continued to shake and crack, until a newborn hatchling started to emerge from it. It was a wondrous moment to witness. Krysta smiled as the hatchling laid eyes upon its mother.

Fuzziel turned to look at the players, with a great deal of joy in her expression. "Thank you...thank you all. Carsar may have potentially threatened other dragons out of envy, or possibly threatened your kind out of pride. Perhaps it is for the best that he is no more." The Topaz dragon spoke. She then looked to the hoard that Vigilon and Astreya had brought back, and took only a large portion of it. "The rest of these treasures were Carsar's property, and therefore the spoils of war. Feel free to divide them among yourselves." She noted.

[Vigilon 0]

Astreya told Vigilon not to worry about her, that they should just get the stuff returned to the dragon. "Alright then, let's go."

Vigilon thought the return trip was gonna be easier than it ended up being. It wasn't like he remembered the exact location of Fuzziel's nest, but hey, at least the trio was able to reach their destination. Heck, Veriost even dove down from the sky just to swat at Vigilon to move his face so his eyes would be looking in the actual right direction once.

The reunion of the hatchlings and their mother had such a pleasant mood. It was heartwarming to watch. Vigilon smiled, and Krysta set the egg down in front of the Topaz Dragon. She told Fuzziel that the deed was done, that Carsar couldn't do anything against anyone anymore...which was probably a lore factor and not a quest factor, because, well, this was a game, after all. Vigilon would pour out the contents of the bags he'd stuffed, revealing the hoard that was retrieved. Then came the sound of cracking. The egg was shaking, and soon a baby dragon started to emerge from the egg. This rescue was an absolute success, and this hatching egg, if not all the hatchlings being in full health and their wounds healed(thanks to Krysta of course) was evidence of it. Fuzziel was delighted to see her youngest child hatch, and she turned to address the trio of players, thanking them for this victory.

Fuzziel then looked to the complete hoard retrieved from Carsar's den, and took only a large fraction of it, stating that what was left was the original hoard that Carsar had prior to attacking Fuzziel's family, and that by defeating Carsar, his hoard now belonged to the players, for it was the spoils of war. Vigilon took a look at what had been declared loot, and he divided it into three piles. each pile had five materials, but there was a difference only in col. Two piles had 1500 col, but there was one that had 2000 instead. Vigilon took one of the two smaller piles, and would leave the other players to take their picks. As much as Vigilon was willing to give the larger pile to Krysta, he personally believed that Astreya should get it, kind of like a bonus, as compensation for third wheeling for about most of the whole trip.

Once all three players had chosen which piles to take, Fuzziel looked to the players once more. She then proceeded to take out three Topaz gemstones, handing each one to a player. The gemstones were spherical and were about half an inch in diameter...shaped like this, there had to be a purpose for them...right?

 

[Astreya 0]

On the way back to Fuzziel's cavern, Astreya couldn't help but to have the negative thoughts swirling around all inside of her, wanting to get out.  Not that she had any real distaste or dislike toward Vigilon or Krysta, but she mostly just felt saddened by the fact that she didn't have Zack to rely on anymore- that he was gone, and he wasn't going to ever come back.  

The hollow feeling didn't last long- Astreya was good at compartmentalizing her inner sadness with things and broke it down, not letting it linger for too long on the surface.  She glanced out to the side of the mountainous region, or up into the sky as if she were looking for her Frost Vulture whenever it was threatening to break through the placid surface of her features.  She didn't want to worry Vigilon and Krysta about her own issues- she'd handle them as she needed to when they came up.

Soon, however, they had arrived back at Fuzziel's home, and the girl had come in with the others, skipping lightly and showing off excitement as she came into the cavern at having done as-requested.

"Awesome!   We're, like, totally glad to hear it," she spoke with a wide grin, before the sounds of the egg starting to crack and hatch reached her ears.  Her eyes widened as she saw it, moving forward a bit, kneeling down before the hatching dragonling, grinning widely as she watched it.  "This is so cool!" she spoke, her bright blue eyes lit up in excitement as she watched it, even as she heard Vigilon and Fuzziel beginning to discuss the treasures.  

As the money was laid out, Astreya glanced over.  "Krysta totally like, showed Casar what was up, so she should like, get the big pile, right?" she asked, even as she shifted forward to pick up one of the other smaller piles, leaving the large one for the other girl.  "Krysta kicked butt out there!"  As she was handed the gemstone, her eyes widened a little.  "Oh man, this is too cool!  I wonder what this is for.  Do you guys know?" she asked, with both Vigilon and Krysta having dragons of their own...maybe they had an idea?

---

OOC: Took 1500 Col pile!

[Krysta 0]

Vigilon divided Carsar's hoard into two smaller piles, and one larger pile. He took one of the smaller piles for himself, and Astreya proceeded to take a smaller share as well, leaving Krysta with the larger pile. Once Krysta had taken the share that the other two players has essentially given to her by picking the other piles, Fuzziel then pulled out three Topaz Gemstones, and handed one to each player. Astreya asked Krysta and Vigilon what the gemstones might mean, but they had as much context on the gemstones as Astreya did, which was none. "Nothing off the top of my head for the moment..." Krysta admitted. 

 

Krysta then turned to address Fuzziel. "It brings me pleasure to know that our deeds do much good for those around us. Thank you for this gift." She said, with the topaz gemstone in her hand as if it was the gift in question. With that, it was time to leave.

 

Krysta took a moment to ponder what the gemstone was for...well, what usually happens with such non-material gemstones in RPGs? "Hmm....perhaps...these are keystones of some sort..." Krysta thought aloud.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Krysta