Talons and Teethby ArkinstoneChaptersHow it goesHere we goTake one more step right thereHow it goesAuthor's Note For every mean or evil deed, there are Infamy points. The more Infamy you have, the less likely you are to receive favourable reactions from strangers and acquaintances alike, but you are more likely to gain underlings who have answered the call of evil. The more Infamy you collect, the more figures such as Queen Chrysalis or Discord may like you. No deed is too immoral for you! How dastardly... For every good or selfless act, there are Honour points. The more Honour you have, the more likely you are to receive assistance from all sorts of peoples at your request, but you are expected to be able to take down greater enemies for less pay or no assistance because that is what heroes do. The more Honour you collect, the more likely beings of status are to like, such as The Celestial Princess or The Elements of Harmony. Noble, but not as profitable. Personal choices such as scale and familiar colors are customizable. As the story progresses, different types of points such as Strength, or Cunning will become available, but for now, we start off easy. Make your choices wisely! And may the odds be ever in your favour. How it goes Here we are. This is it. Our legend begins! Before we continue onto greatness, I will explain how things work around here. Every single thing you do and choose effects the story, no action is insignificant. It is our ultimate goal to become a legend, a being who will be hailed throughout the ages! But how we are hailed is up to you. First, we must create our being! a creature that can strike our name into the history books. What is our name? Something powerful! Something that truly screams our destiny! No ordinary name like Scales or Coal will do. Rizeth. A Queenly name for a Queenly dragoness. Freya. It reminds you of a goddess, but from where? Mistavi. A name that rolls off the tongue. Hygara. Not as smooth to say, but has a power behind it. None of these names do us justice! (Your choice) A perfect name needs a perfect body, a form that will serve us well. Sadly perfect isn't real so we will make do. But we shall at least be rarer than the common whelps slithering in the Dragonlands! Fire - A quadruped with large lungs and blood-red scales. Horns curl around our ears and end in sharp points facing the way we look. Muscular and with high firepower, this aggressive type has the power to back it up, though maneuverability is poor. Pfft, who needs agility when you can just blast away all your problems! ((Base of + 10 Infamy, this type does not have the best reputation for some reason....)) Ice - A quadruped with narrow and pale blue scales. Horns that look like icicles and trail down the neck. Slim and speedy, this dragon was born to be flying in narrow spaces and diving in freezing waters, and with a lethal icy blast, none dares to challenge it in its home turf. Though speedy and agile, when it comes to tests of brute strength, this type does not have the muscle to back it up though they can do damage with their whip-like tail. ((Base of +5 Infamy. Whenever these elusive dragons are spotted, they are always silent and intimidating, true masters of the cold shoulder)) Earth - A two-legged dragon with massive wings instead of arms and emerald green scales. Horns that could better be described as dull nubs poking out. This dragon can outrace any living creature with its massive wing size but is far too fragile and lightweight to do large amounts of damage to a stronger enemy as long as they stay away from the iron-like club on its tail ((Base of +10 Honour. Being attuned to the earth and having an affinity for manipulating plant life, these dragons have the respect of Earth Ponies)) Shadow - A quadruped with narrow wings and dark scales. Horns that curve down towards the ear before coming back up. This dragon specializes in subtlety, the ability to blend into the night along with a toxic gas breath and a scorpion-like tail makes it a deadly foe, but when caught outside of their comfort zone without any of their many weapons, these dragons are fragile and have thinner scales than usual. ((No Base Infamy of Honour. These dragons have no reputation because they have never been seen, or those who have...well, they never got the chance to tell the story. Now that our type has been chosen, we need to choose our size! Small. The size of an average pony. Faster but not as strong as we could be. Smallish. The size of Princess Celestia. A bit stronger than small. Medium. Almost as tall as Discord. Stronger then smallish, but more noticeable too. Big. Bigger than Discord. Very noticeable but very strong. Immune to average attacks HOLY SH-. Big as a house. There are few places that can hide you, but on the bright side, little can harm you either. Now that we are a suitable size. We have the option of a special familiar. Familiars are rare and can help you in certain situations, just don't expect them to do everything for you. Because familiars have special magic that is tied to you, they will always be able to find where you are and know your intentions, they are far smarter than the average animals and they share your lifespan. Pheonix - A handsome bird that nets you +5 Honour! With a strong affinity to fire, this bird is the portable fireplace you always wished you had, also handy when you need to burn some evidence and you need a lookout. This bird can never die of old age, but be careful, this bird can still die if you are too reckless, especially if it comes into contact with water. It can burn enemies with ease and protect you well. Bat - A fluffy friend who makes the perfect spy +2 Infamy. This little one can find anything in pitch darkness and has perfect ears for eavesdropping. But your little biter has a high sensitivity to light, so unless you have time to specially train your little friend, I would suggest only using his talents at night. But thanks to being a familiar, it can learn a bit easier. Its sharp teeth can leave annoying bites, and its small and quick size makes it near impossible to catch Fox - A clever predator who can slink in and out of any establishment without being spotted +5 Infamy. This little carnivore is ideal for spy work and perfect for intimidation with those sharp teeth. Unfortunately, not many towns welcome foxes, seeing as they eat meat and all, so suspicion rises wherever you go. A true predator, handy in a fight. Tamarin Monkey - A cute thing that immediately gains the trust of animal loves +2 Honour. With little hands and thick red fur, this creature can grab items easily AND stay warm wherever you go. A sweet companion, but be warned, not the best at defending themselves or anyone else. And our form is complete! When children thousands of years in the future think of our greatness, this is what they will see. Let our legend begin! Here we goPale blue wings beat against the humid air, struggling to keep the exhausted figure in the air. The flight from the Dragonlands had been hard for a dragon of her smallish size and build, her wings were designed for sharp turns and speedy dives into freezing waters, not for long-distance flights. Aurora grit her sharp teeth as she made a controlled descent into the thick forest that lurked below, grimacing at the thin branches and vines that buffeted her already tired wings. With a loud huff and entirely graceful stumble, she landed down on the hard dirt of the forest floor. She panted heavily as she looked around the area, ever cautious. Her ear flicked behind her as a loud call cried out. She pays little mind as a bright blue Pheonix took its perch upon her back and clicked its beak at her angrily. She huffed out, still not recovered from her flight "Enough Azusa. Be grateful that I didn't leave you back in the Dragonlands" She raised her beak into the air snootily and shuffled away a little. Aurora rolls her eyes and begins to walk in a random direction. The forest was eerily silent, the soft padding of talons shattering the silence. Aurora hissed quietly "Azusa. Be my eyes" The Pheonix snapped out of her pouting to rush into the air. The dragoness didn't need to tell her familiar something was wrong, that the forest was far too silent and that they needed to find somewhere safe, the good thing about familiar magic is that they know this instinctively. It was only the snapping of a twig that alerted Aurora to danger as a sickly Manticore leapt from the bushes, slobber flying from its open maw and claws ready to slash and tear. Aurora sprang backwards, her quick reaction time keeping her from gaining a nasty wound over her face. She snarled at the Manticore and began to circle it, trying to buy more time for her mind to race through options. She wasn't strong enough to fight it head-on, and she was too tired to run or fly away. The Manticore had had enough of the tense circling and lunged towards her, causing a reactive blast of ice at the oncoming beast. The Manticore howled in pain and scrambled back as a section of its chest and its upper foreleg became almost entirely cased in frost, the chill radiating throughout the leg, causing it to turn black from frostbite. The Manticore ran away as fast as it could with one leg nearly dead, its whimpers signalling her victory. Success! We fought off the manticore thanks to our quick reflexes and speed! Good thing we were not any slower or we would have some impressive scars to talk about. Our next goal is to find some sort of shelter to survive the elements. Azusa dived down from the sky, oblivious as to why the dragoness below her was annoyed and slightly frazzled. With a musical call, the blue Pheonix pointed in a certain direction with a fiery wing. Aurora takes a few deep breaths to calm herself before she heads off in the direction her oh so helpful familiar pointed. It wasn't like Manticore should have been easily spotted from the air or something, and it wasn't certainly Azusa's job to be a lookout or anything. Aurora quietly steamed while she walked towards what appeared to be a small cave jutting from the ground that had been hidden by a thick grove of trees. Pushing her way through the annoying underbrush, she was able to get a better look at the cave. It was quite small, just large enough to fit her and a couple of other items, but it would soon grow too small as she was always growing. The roof of the cave was covered in grass and small plants, and the floor dipped below the ground. When she described it aloud, it seemed more like a burrow than a cave, but oh well. Beggars can't be choosers. Azusa, who had only seen the thing from above, looked into it in disgust. Such a dwelling underground was beneath her, an average Pheonix was rare, and a blue Phenoix such as her self was ten times as rare! There was NO WAY that she would go down there. No. Azusa is going to roost in the trees thank you very much. With a low grumble, Aurora ducked down and crawled into the burrow, blasting the floor with ice to make it more comfortable for herself before laying down to get some rest. She was still too full of adrenaline from the fight to sleep for a while, so she let her mind drift to just a few days prior. She had been in the Dragonlands in her small but comfy cave. She was the only Northern dragon there, so she was an outcast among all the ash makers. She was beautiful, yes, with her pure white scales that had an iridescent blue sheen, her wings were large and an ombre of white to pale blue, but in the barbaric Dragonlands, beauty was nothing, and strength was everything in their kingdom. Northern dragons once had a kingdom of their own! A massive palace in the far north made entirely of ice and snow, but when the Crystal Empire's King, King Sombra, learned of the Northern Dragons, he hunted them all down until none could challenge him for the north. It was by pure luck that her sole parent escaped with her egg, which had taken hundreds of years to hatch. But her parent was gone now, and she had been alone in a pit of fire breathers. All it had taken for her to be booted from the only home she ever had, was for her to fire a blast of ice at an arrogant little shit called Garble. So began her exodus to Equestria. The indignity of being banished ate at her like acid. Other dragons had done far worse to each other, but noooo, let's get rid of the outcast who doesn't even eat gems anyway. Aurora put a stop to her thoughts as they threatened to become toxic. She had bigger issues now. Such as to decide what to do next and how she was to survive Points gained from this chapter 2 Strength. Fighting off a Manticore isn't easy 5 Cunning. Good thinking using an Ice Blast instead of brute strength! 2 Honour. Fighting a Manticore is an impressive story! While not all will believe it, those who do will respect you more. CHOICES (yay) You can pick multiple We are in the Everfree right? Why not head to the old castle? It could be a nice lair. + 10 Cunning We saw a village as we flew by, we could try our luck there. +2 Infamy This isn't even a cave! We should find a better one. This burrow isn't bad, but we need supplies. Like food. +2 Strength We should try and gain trust with the locals! But keep our base here just in case. +5 Honour There is a Pegisi city around here right? Cloudsdale? Maybe we can try our luck with the Pegisi weather factory (Ice type only choice)+5 Cunning+2 Honour Author's Note We know about Infamy and Honour, now, we introduce two more important points! For every feat of strength or brutality, there are Strength points. The more of these points you have, the stronger our form gets, giving us an edge in battle and squealing admirers. Oh, these boulders are in our way? NO PROBLEM For every clever or sneaky act, there are Cunning points. The more Cunning points you have, the more likely you are to be able to think, talk, or sneak your way around a situation. Oh, this boulder is in our way? Let's go around it instead of wasting precious energy. The further in we dive, the more things we learn, the more obvious it becomes that we need to be careful about what we choose, who knows what the future will bring? (Wrote this in just a couple hours, so there may be some errors. Sorry if there is) Take one more step right thereDrip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Dri- OH MY GOD. Aurora hissed as she crawled out of the disgusting burrow in the ground, the infuriating dripping of water leftover from the morning mist driving her thoroughly insane. She looked down at herself in disgust, her ice blue scales coated in mud and filth. She took a deep breath to calm herself, while there was not much that could summon her anger, being dirty was one of them. Shaking out her wings, Aurora looked at the burrow with contempt, there was no way she would be spending another night in a hole in the ground. With a bit of running start, Aurora leaps into the air, beating her wings hard until she reaches high enough above the ground where she can comfortably catch the wind currents and glide above the Everfree forest. Azusa, who had been quietly snickering at her, easily kept up with the brutal pace that Aurora set. It doesn't take too long before she spots a tall stone spire in the distance. It takes a while to arrive, but she is pleasantly surprised when she does. She glides around the castle several times, studying it closely. The base seems stable, the stone hasn't eroded from the elements, no large predators have moved in, there are quite a few holes in the roof, and spiders have definitely made a colony, but overall, with a bit -correction- a LOT of work, it could be a worthy abode. Landing down in front of the entrance, Aurora folds her wings close to her sides and walks into the castle while Azusa remains in the air, keeping a watchful eye for anything out of the ordinary. She wanders through the rooms, taking note of which room needs repairs and which rooms would be most suitable for her to make a nest. She poked her head into one room only to quickly dart back out and slam the door, a look of slight disgust on her face. She would come back later when the pair of tortoises finished their... business. A loud crack draws her attention to the ceiling, where she spots a large chunk of the roof coming loose with all her closing and opening of doors. She just manages to dodge the large rock as it crashes down right where her head was but a couple of seconds ago. If she had been any slower, she may have been quite hurt. She gingerly steps over the rock, continuing her exploration albeit much more cautious. She had to dodge a few more pieces of debris as she walked, but thankfully she was small enough to dodge them without any harm to herself. She sighs as she opens the last slightly rotted door, already prepared for some new horror. She is instead surprised with a massive library, far larger then she had ever seen! Dust covered every surface, but she could feel the ancient magic keeping these books preserved still flowing. She walked through the library, not even being able to guess just how many ancient tomes, scrolls and books of the magic line the creaking shelves. This was perfect! The perfect place to make her nest! There were no holes on the walls, the door was halfway decent, and the magic that preserved this place would keep any rain from leaking through! She practically pranced through the halls, gathering materials to make a nest. Most of the blankets and banners she found were moth-eaten and smelled musty, but they would do until she could purchase better ones. She made a large nest happily, using the rattiest banners for padding against the stone floor, then using the softer blankets for the inner layer. Most dragons would happily sleep on the stone floor, but she liked to sleep on softer things, so sue her. After making her nest, she breathed a stupid amount of frost over it to freeze it and keep it cold, which is exactly how she liked it. As much as her decent nest called to her, she had to turn away and walk out of the castle to make sure that no creature would dare to try and come near her castle. She flew back into the air, using her ice blasts to make a layer of extremely cold frost over the trees and ground to serve as a warning. It wouldn't do to have any predators wander into her territory, completely unaware that she was around. If they choose to trespass after they received her warning, well.... it wouldn't be her fault if they were scattered all over the forest in pieces. Azusa assisted by burning the outer layer of her territory, making it so any creatures had a double warning, first with ash and embers, then with pure cold. After marking the outlines of her territory with her ice blasts, she considered her next move. She would need a hoard, for spending and supplementing her diet. She didn't have one as of yet, which was not at all surprising considering her position in the Dragonlands. She had scavenged the scraps of the older dragons who wouldn't care as much, and it helped that she mostly fed on meat and fish, but she still needed gems and gold to harden her bones and scales. She could steal some gems and gold from nearby settlements, but that would just antagonize her to her new neighbors, and there was no guarantee that they even HAD any gems. So that option was out... Maybe if she worked for gold which she could later exchange for gems? That could work, and it would build up a nice reputation with any locals she might encounter, but where? She refused to work in the mud and filth like she heard earth ponies do, so that was out... She had, however, heard of a rumor that the Pegasi controlled the seasons with the help of a factory in Cloudsdale was it? Aurora nodded to herself, Cloudsdale it was. She coasted on the wind currents over the forest until she reached a decent sized lake. Taking in a breath with her massive lungs, she descended quickly before splashing into the water and completely submerging herself in the water. She thoroughly washed her scales and wings of dirt and debris, she had to make a good impression after all, and it wouldn't do for a dragoness like her to fly into any civilization covered in refuse. She used her strong tail and wings to shoot herself out of the water and immediately into the sky. She continued to gain altitude until she was able to comfortably glide over the clouds. It might be a little difficult to find Cloudsdale, but surely it would be worth the effort to get a paycheck. CHOICES How are we going to introduce ourselves? Land in the center of town and announce our presence. We should get them used to us sooner rather than later. +10 Infamy +5 strength Land on the outskirts and ask for direction. We don't want to alarm anyone. +5 Honour +5 Cunning Fly around Cloudsdale for a while until we run into a Pegasi who can give us direction, we should have as little contact as possible so work of us doesn't get around +10 Cunning +10 Exhaustion Nevermind. This was a bad idea, we should just mine for our gems like every other self-respecting dragon, it can't be too hard, right? +10 Mana Author's Note Alright. Time for the last set that we will be getting for a while, this one is very important and each choice you make from here on will have BIG consequences in how the story progresses. Mana- This dictates what magic and how much magic you can use, the more mana you are able to build up, the more powerful and diverse the spells you can use. Of course, you have to learn the spells first, but the option is always nice. Exhaustion- While mana could be called your energy, this is the opposite. The more exhausted you become, the less chance you have of completing if whatever tasks you want to accomplish. Be careful not to become too exhausted or else you might find yourself unable to move for while....Taking century long naps becomes more and more tempting. Sorry for the delay in chapters, but finals man, I don't like finals (Who does?). I kinda rushed this chapter a bit, so there may be a few mistakes I missed.
How it goesAuthor's Note For every mean or evil deed, there are Infamy points. The more Infamy you have, the less likely you are to receive favourable reactions from strangers and acquaintances alike, but you are more likely to gain underlings who have answered the call of evil. The more Infamy you collect, the more figures such as Queen Chrysalis or Discord may like you. No deed is too immoral for you! How dastardly... For every good or selfless act, there are Honour points. The more Honour you have, the more likely you are to receive assistance from all sorts of peoples at your request, but you are expected to be able to take down greater enemies for less pay or no assistance because that is what heroes do. The more Honour you collect, the more likely beings of status are to like, such as The Celestial Princess or The Elements of Harmony. Noble, but not as profitable. Personal choices such as scale and familiar colors are customizable. As the story progresses, different types of points such as Strength, or Cunning will become available, but for now, we start off easy. Make your choices wisely! And may the odds be ever in your favour. How it goes Here we are. This is it. Our legend begins! Before we continue onto greatness, I will explain how things work around here. Every single thing you do and choose effects the story, no action is insignificant. It is our ultimate goal to become a legend, a being who will be hailed throughout the ages! But how we are hailed is up to you. First, we must create our being! a creature that can strike our name into the history books. What is our name? Something powerful! Something that truly screams our destiny! No ordinary name like Scales or Coal will do. Rizeth. A Queenly name for a Queenly dragoness. Freya. It reminds you of a goddess, but from where? Mistavi. A name that rolls off the tongue. Hygara. Not as smooth to say, but has a power behind it. None of these names do us justice! (Your choice) A perfect name needs a perfect body, a form that will serve us well. Sadly perfect isn't real so we will make do. But we shall at least be rarer than the common whelps slithering in the Dragonlands! Fire - A quadruped with large lungs and blood-red scales. Horns curl around our ears and end in sharp points facing the way we look. Muscular and with high firepower, this aggressive type has the power to back it up, though maneuverability is poor. Pfft, who needs agility when you can just blast away all your problems! ((Base of + 10 Infamy, this type does not have the best reputation for some reason....)) Ice - A quadruped with narrow and pale blue scales. Horns that look like icicles and trail down the neck. Slim and speedy, this dragon was born to be flying in narrow spaces and diving in freezing waters, and with a lethal icy blast, none dares to challenge it in its home turf. Though speedy and agile, when it comes to tests of brute strength, this type does not have the muscle to back it up though they can do damage with their whip-like tail. ((Base of +5 Infamy. Whenever these elusive dragons are spotted, they are always silent and intimidating, true masters of the cold shoulder)) Earth - A two-legged dragon with massive wings instead of arms and emerald green scales. Horns that could better be described as dull nubs poking out. This dragon can outrace any living creature with its massive wing size but is far too fragile and lightweight to do large amounts of damage to a stronger enemy as long as they stay away from the iron-like club on its tail ((Base of +10 Honour. Being attuned to the earth and having an affinity for manipulating plant life, these dragons have the respect of Earth Ponies)) Shadow - A quadruped with narrow wings and dark scales. Horns that curve down towards the ear before coming back up. This dragon specializes in subtlety, the ability to blend into the night along with a toxic gas breath and a scorpion-like tail makes it a deadly foe, but when caught outside of their comfort zone without any of their many weapons, these dragons are fragile and have thinner scales than usual. ((No Base Infamy of Honour. These dragons have no reputation because they have never been seen, or those who have...well, they never got the chance to tell the story. Now that our type has been chosen, we need to choose our size! Small. The size of an average pony. Faster but not as strong as we could be. Smallish. The size of Princess Celestia. A bit stronger than small. Medium. Almost as tall as Discord. Stronger then smallish, but more noticeable too. Big. Bigger than Discord. Very noticeable but very strong. Immune to average attacks HOLY SH-. Big as a house. There are few places that can hide you, but on the bright side, little can harm you either. Now that we are a suitable size. We have the option of a special familiar. Familiars are rare and can help you in certain situations, just don't expect them to do everything for you. Because familiars have special magic that is tied to you, they will always be able to find where you are and know your intentions, they are far smarter than the average animals and they share your lifespan. Pheonix - A handsome bird that nets you +5 Honour! With a strong affinity to fire, this bird is the portable fireplace you always wished you had, also handy when you need to burn some evidence and you need a lookout. This bird can never die of old age, but be careful, this bird can still die if you are too reckless, especially if it comes into contact with water. It can burn enemies with ease and protect you well. Bat - A fluffy friend who makes the perfect spy +2 Infamy. This little one can find anything in pitch darkness and has perfect ears for eavesdropping. But your little biter has a high sensitivity to light, so unless you have time to specially train your little friend, I would suggest only using his talents at night. But thanks to being a familiar, it can learn a bit easier. Its sharp teeth can leave annoying bites, and its small and quick size makes it near impossible to catch Fox - A clever predator who can slink in and out of any establishment without being spotted +5 Infamy. This little carnivore is ideal for spy work and perfect for intimidation with those sharp teeth. Unfortunately, not many towns welcome foxes, seeing as they eat meat and all, so suspicion rises wherever you go. A true predator, handy in a fight. Tamarin Monkey - A cute thing that immediately gains the trust of animal loves +2 Honour. With little hands and thick red fur, this creature can grab items easily AND stay warm wherever you go. A sweet companion, but be warned, not the best at defending themselves or anyone else. And our form is complete! When children thousands of years in the future think of our greatness, this is what they will see. Let our legend begin!
Here we goPale blue wings beat against the humid air, struggling to keep the exhausted figure in the air. The flight from the Dragonlands had been hard for a dragon of her smallish size and build, her wings were designed for sharp turns and speedy dives into freezing waters, not for long-distance flights. Aurora grit her sharp teeth as she made a controlled descent into the thick forest that lurked below, grimacing at the thin branches and vines that buffeted her already tired wings. With a loud huff and entirely graceful stumble, she landed down on the hard dirt of the forest floor. She panted heavily as she looked around the area, ever cautious. Her ear flicked behind her as a loud call cried out. She pays little mind as a bright blue Pheonix took its perch upon her back and clicked its beak at her angrily. She huffed out, still not recovered from her flight "Enough Azusa. Be grateful that I didn't leave you back in the Dragonlands" She raised her beak into the air snootily and shuffled away a little. Aurora rolls her eyes and begins to walk in a random direction. The forest was eerily silent, the soft padding of talons shattering the silence. Aurora hissed quietly "Azusa. Be my eyes" The Pheonix snapped out of her pouting to rush into the air. The dragoness didn't need to tell her familiar something was wrong, that the forest was far too silent and that they needed to find somewhere safe, the good thing about familiar magic is that they know this instinctively. It was only the snapping of a twig that alerted Aurora to danger as a sickly Manticore leapt from the bushes, slobber flying from its open maw and claws ready to slash and tear. Aurora sprang backwards, her quick reaction time keeping her from gaining a nasty wound over her face. She snarled at the Manticore and began to circle it, trying to buy more time for her mind to race through options. She wasn't strong enough to fight it head-on, and she was too tired to run or fly away. The Manticore had had enough of the tense circling and lunged towards her, causing a reactive blast of ice at the oncoming beast. The Manticore howled in pain and scrambled back as a section of its chest and its upper foreleg became almost entirely cased in frost, the chill radiating throughout the leg, causing it to turn black from frostbite. The Manticore ran away as fast as it could with one leg nearly dead, its whimpers signalling her victory. Success! We fought off the manticore thanks to our quick reflexes and speed! Good thing we were not any slower or we would have some impressive scars to talk about. Our next goal is to find some sort of shelter to survive the elements. Azusa dived down from the sky, oblivious as to why the dragoness below her was annoyed and slightly frazzled. With a musical call, the blue Pheonix pointed in a certain direction with a fiery wing. Aurora takes a few deep breaths to calm herself before she heads off in the direction her oh so helpful familiar pointed. It wasn't like Manticore should have been easily spotted from the air or something, and it wasn't certainly Azusa's job to be a lookout or anything. Aurora quietly steamed while she walked towards what appeared to be a small cave jutting from the ground that had been hidden by a thick grove of trees. Pushing her way through the annoying underbrush, she was able to get a better look at the cave. It was quite small, just large enough to fit her and a couple of other items, but it would soon grow too small as she was always growing. The roof of the cave was covered in grass and small plants, and the floor dipped below the ground. When she described it aloud, it seemed more like a burrow than a cave, but oh well. Beggars can't be choosers. Azusa, who had only seen the thing from above, looked into it in disgust. Such a dwelling underground was beneath her, an average Pheonix was rare, and a blue Phenoix such as her self was ten times as rare! There was NO WAY that she would go down there. No. Azusa is going to roost in the trees thank you very much. With a low grumble, Aurora ducked down and crawled into the burrow, blasting the floor with ice to make it more comfortable for herself before laying down to get some rest. She was still too full of adrenaline from the fight to sleep for a while, so she let her mind drift to just a few days prior. She had been in the Dragonlands in her small but comfy cave. She was the only Northern dragon there, so she was an outcast among all the ash makers. She was beautiful, yes, with her pure white scales that had an iridescent blue sheen, her wings were large and an ombre of white to pale blue, but in the barbaric Dragonlands, beauty was nothing, and strength was everything in their kingdom. Northern dragons once had a kingdom of their own! A massive palace in the far north made entirely of ice and snow, but when the Crystal Empire's King, King Sombra, learned of the Northern Dragons, he hunted them all down until none could challenge him for the north. It was by pure luck that her sole parent escaped with her egg, which had taken hundreds of years to hatch. But her parent was gone now, and she had been alone in a pit of fire breathers. All it had taken for her to be booted from the only home she ever had, was for her to fire a blast of ice at an arrogant little shit called Garble. So began her exodus to Equestria. The indignity of being banished ate at her like acid. Other dragons had done far worse to each other, but noooo, let's get rid of the outcast who doesn't even eat gems anyway. Aurora put a stop to her thoughts as they threatened to become toxic. She had bigger issues now. Such as to decide what to do next and how she was to survive Points gained from this chapter 2 Strength. Fighting off a Manticore isn't easy 5 Cunning. Good thinking using an Ice Blast instead of brute strength! 2 Honour. Fighting a Manticore is an impressive story! While not all will believe it, those who do will respect you more. CHOICES (yay) You can pick multiple We are in the Everfree right? Why not head to the old castle? It could be a nice lair. + 10 Cunning We saw a village as we flew by, we could try our luck there. +2 Infamy This isn't even a cave! We should find a better one. This burrow isn't bad, but we need supplies. Like food. +2 Strength We should try and gain trust with the locals! But keep our base here just in case. +5 Honour There is a Pegisi city around here right? Cloudsdale? Maybe we can try our luck with the Pegisi weather factory (Ice type only choice)+5 Cunning+2 Honour Author's Note We know about Infamy and Honour, now, we introduce two more important points! For every feat of strength or brutality, there are Strength points. The more of these points you have, the stronger our form gets, giving us an edge in battle and squealing admirers. Oh, these boulders are in our way? NO PROBLEM For every clever or sneaky act, there are Cunning points. The more Cunning points you have, the more likely you are to be able to think, talk, or sneak your way around a situation. Oh, this boulder is in our way? Let's go around it instead of wasting precious energy. The further in we dive, the more things we learn, the more obvious it becomes that we need to be careful about what we choose, who knows what the future will bring? (Wrote this in just a couple hours, so there may be some errors. Sorry if there is)
Take one more step right thereDrip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Dri- OH MY GOD. Aurora hissed as she crawled out of the disgusting burrow in the ground, the infuriating dripping of water leftover from the morning mist driving her thoroughly insane. She looked down at herself in disgust, her ice blue scales coated in mud and filth. She took a deep breath to calm herself, while there was not much that could summon her anger, being dirty was one of them. Shaking out her wings, Aurora looked at the burrow with contempt, there was no way she would be spending another night in a hole in the ground. With a bit of running start, Aurora leaps into the air, beating her wings hard until she reaches high enough above the ground where she can comfortably catch the wind currents and glide above the Everfree forest. Azusa, who had been quietly snickering at her, easily kept up with the brutal pace that Aurora set. It doesn't take too long before she spots a tall stone spire in the distance. It takes a while to arrive, but she is pleasantly surprised when she does. She glides around the castle several times, studying it closely. The base seems stable, the stone hasn't eroded from the elements, no large predators have moved in, there are quite a few holes in the roof, and spiders have definitely made a colony, but overall, with a bit -correction- a LOT of work, it could be a worthy abode. Landing down in front of the entrance, Aurora folds her wings close to her sides and walks into the castle while Azusa remains in the air, keeping a watchful eye for anything out of the ordinary. She wanders through the rooms, taking note of which room needs repairs and which rooms would be most suitable for her to make a nest. She poked her head into one room only to quickly dart back out and slam the door, a look of slight disgust on her face. She would come back later when the pair of tortoises finished their... business. A loud crack draws her attention to the ceiling, where she spots a large chunk of the roof coming loose with all her closing and opening of doors. She just manages to dodge the large rock as it crashes down right where her head was but a couple of seconds ago. If she had been any slower, she may have been quite hurt. She gingerly steps over the rock, continuing her exploration albeit much more cautious. She had to dodge a few more pieces of debris as she walked, but thankfully she was small enough to dodge them without any harm to herself. She sighs as she opens the last slightly rotted door, already prepared for some new horror. She is instead surprised with a massive library, far larger then she had ever seen! Dust covered every surface, but she could feel the ancient magic keeping these books preserved still flowing. She walked through the library, not even being able to guess just how many ancient tomes, scrolls and books of the magic line the creaking shelves. This was perfect! The perfect place to make her nest! There were no holes on the walls, the door was halfway decent, and the magic that preserved this place would keep any rain from leaking through! She practically pranced through the halls, gathering materials to make a nest. Most of the blankets and banners she found were moth-eaten and smelled musty, but they would do until she could purchase better ones. She made a large nest happily, using the rattiest banners for padding against the stone floor, then using the softer blankets for the inner layer. Most dragons would happily sleep on the stone floor, but she liked to sleep on softer things, so sue her. After making her nest, she breathed a stupid amount of frost over it to freeze it and keep it cold, which is exactly how she liked it. As much as her decent nest called to her, she had to turn away and walk out of the castle to make sure that no creature would dare to try and come near her castle. She flew back into the air, using her ice blasts to make a layer of extremely cold frost over the trees and ground to serve as a warning. It wouldn't do to have any predators wander into her territory, completely unaware that she was around. If they choose to trespass after they received her warning, well.... it wouldn't be her fault if they were scattered all over the forest in pieces. Azusa assisted by burning the outer layer of her territory, making it so any creatures had a double warning, first with ash and embers, then with pure cold. After marking the outlines of her territory with her ice blasts, she considered her next move. She would need a hoard, for spending and supplementing her diet. She didn't have one as of yet, which was not at all surprising considering her position in the Dragonlands. She had scavenged the scraps of the older dragons who wouldn't care as much, and it helped that she mostly fed on meat and fish, but she still needed gems and gold to harden her bones and scales. She could steal some gems and gold from nearby settlements, but that would just antagonize her to her new neighbors, and there was no guarantee that they even HAD any gems. So that option was out... Maybe if she worked for gold which she could later exchange for gems? That could work, and it would build up a nice reputation with any locals she might encounter, but where? She refused to work in the mud and filth like she heard earth ponies do, so that was out... She had, however, heard of a rumor that the Pegasi controlled the seasons with the help of a factory in Cloudsdale was it? Aurora nodded to herself, Cloudsdale it was. She coasted on the wind currents over the forest until she reached a decent sized lake. Taking in a breath with her massive lungs, she descended quickly before splashing into the water and completely submerging herself in the water. She thoroughly washed her scales and wings of dirt and debris, she had to make a good impression after all, and it wouldn't do for a dragoness like her to fly into any civilization covered in refuse. She used her strong tail and wings to shoot herself out of the water and immediately into the sky. She continued to gain altitude until she was able to comfortably glide over the clouds. It might be a little difficult to find Cloudsdale, but surely it would be worth the effort to get a paycheck. CHOICES How are we going to introduce ourselves? Land in the center of town and announce our presence. We should get them used to us sooner rather than later. +10 Infamy +5 strength Land on the outskirts and ask for direction. We don't want to alarm anyone. +5 Honour +5 Cunning Fly around Cloudsdale for a while until we run into a Pegasi who can give us direction, we should have as little contact as possible so work of us doesn't get around +10 Cunning +10 Exhaustion Nevermind. This was a bad idea, we should just mine for our gems like every other self-respecting dragon, it can't be too hard, right? +10 Mana Author's Note Alright. Time for the last set that we will be getting for a while, this one is very important and each choice you make from here on will have BIG consequences in how the story progresses. Mana- This dictates what magic and how much magic you can use, the more mana you are able to build up, the more powerful and diverse the spells you can use. Of course, you have to learn the spells first, but the option is always nice. Exhaustion- While mana could be called your energy, this is the opposite. The more exhausted you become, the less chance you have of completing if whatever tasks you want to accomplish. Be careful not to become too exhausted or else you might find yourself unable to move for while....Taking century long naps becomes more and more tempting. Sorry for the delay in chapters, but finals man, I don't like finals (Who does?). I kinda rushed this chapter a bit, so there may be a few mistakes I missed.
