Crystal Cave Rescue (Spectra/Ariadne Job)

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What a weird job the two girls had taken! Going to some forgotten village in a forest cave? That's just the definition of creepy like in the horror movies she'd heard about. If spectra dies then that would be okay considering she's already ninety percent ghost.. Ariadne was a different story though, she was a beautiful young spider queen while if she died then spiders would just feast on her body out of a sign of respect and honor. Strange custom but also one that made Ariadne feel loved and appreciated, for if she was to die then she could feed her children one last time. Even if the spiders didn't want to do something they still would, out of love for their queen! Spectra's ghosts were probably similar but Ariadne never really knew if those ghosts were made from magic or if she harnessed the souls of deceased loved ones, if her father dies.. Will she be able to control his ghost? Because that will be super awkward considering Ariadne is the one who wants to kill Harkon Vondergiest, she wouldn't kill spectra as she has grown attached to the girl for an odd reason and she knows this betrayal will hurt her for a while but from Ariadne's viewpoint that man took everything from her and she was going to take everything from him, including his life.

Ariadne should let go of bitterness that will not leave or let her grow but how can she when a painful reminder of her past life is doing a job with her as they speak, she held no resentment towards the girl though! When it happened, Ariadne was only eighteen and spectra was simply twelve, which is an impressionable age, the mind doesn't even fully develop till age twenty five. So did spectra truly know what right and wrong was? Back then Ariadne could've sworn she saw a moment of sadness in spectra's eyes for the evil things she'd done but that girl was good at hiding her emotions, glazing over her eyes and keeping herself in check. She probably followed the ideology that sympathy for others is what gets you killed. Eventually, Ariadne learned that too, though she still has sympathy for various people she usually looks past it and continues to out whatever job she's on first rather than get caught up in silly emotions. Her mother used to tell her these cute little inspirational quotes like 'I've always hated you, you disgrace this family' and 'Be a normal girl and work in the kitchen' It was these words of kindness that drove Ariadne to the woman she is today, a stone cold bitch with a thirst for blood. The blood she was after most would always be the shadow stealer and one day she would get her revenge, hanging his head on the top of his castle as a flag of freedom.

This would all have to wait though, neither of the girls planned on going to the island of Transylvania anytime soon unless spectra for some reason wanted to go back and visit her pet zombies? She was weird like that. Anyways, Ariadne and spectra continued the little journey through the forest, checking the map every so often because lord forbid they make their village in a plain field or somewhere easily noticeable but no, it had to be in a dark forest hidden away inside a cave. From what she could gather, this place was filled with sacred animals of decent amounts of magic power and one of them could speak English? Very strange but the worst thing about this was they could not harm the animals even if the animals attacked first which she understood to a point but come on, she'd have to use her spider silk magic to just sorta attach them to the wall or make a little webbing trap for them! The one the two girls would have to worry about most though was the fairy queen and from the description of her, she didn't exactly sound like an easy target. The parents were worried sick about their child, as they should be but the question is why is this spirit protecting the child? Is there something going on at home or is Ariadne just projecting her own problems onto the child? The woman shook her head, trying to get the thought out of her mind, these people were probably great parents!

The two girls were nearing even closer to the village, according to the map they should be no less than half a mile away and with how fast they were making time it would feel as though they could be there in about five minutes! Spectra of course, could simply float instead of walking while Ariadne had to be a normal person and use her tired feet to walk along the dirty ground but she didn't care since she grew up on a farm and all that good stuff. Soon enough, the girls reached the village inside the cave.. truly a sight to see as jagged crystals lined the walls along with beautiful décor and ancient drawings to show the development of these people. It was like what you read in those fairy tales, something truly unbelievable but as she got lost in her own thoughts, one of the villagers, presumably the mother rushed to them, her eyes looked tired and red from crying, her cheeks stained and puffy from crying too.. Ariadne did feel slightly bad for this woman, to lose your only child and not how to get her back.

"I'm Ariadne Grekos and this is Spectra Vondergiest! We're from the fairy tail guild and we've taken the assignment to come and rescue your daughter."   The woman simply smiled and gave both girls a hug, her sobs resonating throughout the enclosed space. Which was kind of an awkward thing to do in a moment like this, all Ariadne and spectra could do was sit back and let her husband comfort her. The two girls went deeper into the dark cave, going through and deciding to look for whatever the hell they were looking for, there were various sacred animals in this cave so they needed to be on high alert, Ariadne looking around and being thankful for cave spiders that she hoped would help her but she knew these magical creatures would be stronger than a single cave spider! So HOPEFULLY, spectra decides that money is more important than keeping her shoes clean and making sure her dress doesn't get a speck of dirt on it, even if that dress did look really good on her.


WC: 1,111/3,500
TWC: 1,111/3,500

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Why was it always the poor villages that needed help? The ones with strange inhabitants and mysterious places. Spectra was sick of the villages. Couldn't it be a rich man in a lavish castle for once? That would be a lot more enjoyable than... well the place they were headed too. But the cherry on top of this terrible evening? There was no carriage available and they would have to walk to the village. Spectra didn't know the meaning of the word, so instead she levitated, she didn't care how much magic it drained. Spectra had always been fond of dark, damp, places, but not when they were poverty stricken!

When they finally arrived in the village it was not how Spectra pictured it. To someone else it might have been a beautiful city, with gems, gleaming in every color of the rainbow. Crystals lined the walls of the cavern, while others hang from the roof. Even though it was far from the usual type they visited, it was far from Spectra's taste and the people, even in a different environment, were the same. Helpless. It seemed that in Fiore no one knew how to do anything for themselves. Always hiring mages to do it for them. Spectra had no real room to complain, she didn't like getting her hands dirty either but having run away from Transylvania she needed money but she was growing tired of helping others in order to get it.

The woman who needed help had lost her child, she was bawling about how she and her daughter were playing hide and seek one second and she was gone the other. Spectra speculated what really happened was that the woman stopped looking all together, but she wasn't going to be the one to bring that up right now. When the lady jumped at them for a hug Spectra quickly maneuvered out of her reach, no way was she letting this lady get snot all over her clothes. So, Ariadne suffered instead. The devastated mother basically sending a river of tears down Ariadne's back and then blowing her nose on her dress. Spectra couldn't help but laugh at her friends misfortune which the woman wasn't too pleased about.

Wiping away her sadness so that she could fully explain the situation entirely and give the girls directions, but it didn't really come across as that. She cried through the entire explanation, making it take a lot longer than it would. "We were playing just south of here, you'll go across the bridge and that's.. where you'll find the cave." It seemed easy enough and Spectra was ready to get it over with, then the lady opened her mouth again. "But, the sacred creatures are in that cave! Do not hurt them! Please." Spectra didn't care. She was going to do what she wanted, regardless. If those creatures so much as looked at her the wrong way, they were going to be yesterdays news.

Leaving the woman's house and following her directions closely they found the bridge. It, like a lot of the village, was made of crystals. It seemed a little worse for wear, because when Spectra put just a foot on it, the entire bridge began to shatter. The crystals turning to shards and powder as they fall down to the earth hundreds of feet below. Spectra stepped back, scared that she had just danced with death. "Damn it!" Spectra said, looking towards Ariadne with her usual 'you better fix this' glare.

It wasn't uncommon for Spectra to do this, make a mistake and blame it on someone else. It stemmed from her privileged childhood and was just a habit that never died down. How could she take the blame for her own actions when someone else was around to do it for her. That was what she was taught by her father, who had made many mistakes in his life but unlike Spectra, he learned from them. Despite his tyranny, he has been a great ruler, well, his victims might disagree but from a non bias standpoint he is definitely a king that will go down in history.

Spectra would one day inherit his throne, and when that day came she only hoped that she would be ready but in the back of her mind she seriously doubted that. Then again, aside from being grounded wasn't that why she was here? To improve! Honestly Spectra could not see herself on the throne anytime soon, and the thought alone scared her but she couldn't worry about the future. She had to remain in the present and right now she was blaming all of her problems on Ariadne.

There was really no telling when the bridge had been fixed last, Spectra could have died! But, she didn't and even if she would have fallen Ariadne would have saved her... right? Well, the jury was out for that question. None the less, Ariadne could rebuild the bridge very easily with her magic. It was versatile, good for many things, both in and out of combat. Spectra's magic didn't cast such a wide net but in combat it was extremely good and a lot of people were jealous that she mastered the lost art, meaning that in the whole wide world she was basically it's only user.

It was impressive of course, and only fed Spectra's ginormous ego. Ariadne's, she wasn't so sure about. Spider magic? Well anyone could pick that up. It was no secret that Spctra was obviously their 'glass cannon' a powerful attacker who could deal a lot of damage but take almost none in. That is after all why Ariadne focused on defense! So that in the end they could be a better team, and teams help each other, especially when their friend steps onto an old bridge and almost falls to their early demise.

WC: 979
TWC: 979

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As the woman hugged Ariadne, leaving a bunch of snot and tears down her back, she awkwardly patted the woman's back but on the bright side, the woman gave them information about where they had last seen their daughter. I mean seriously, who plays with their daughter in a dark and damp cave filled with sharp crystals.. Anyways! As the woman told Spectra and Ariadne where exactly they needed to go, the two girls followed the path she had pointed them to, it was a bridge? really? How fucking shady is that! This bridge looked older than spectra's mom and sadly this bridge couldn't afford plastic surgery like spectra's mother could! We should start a GoFundMe for this poor bridge and another one to try and make miss vondergiest one hundred percent plastic since she's already eighty percent there. Moving on, the girls soon approached a dusty old bridge made of basically crystals and dust but as spectra soon walked on it first, the bridge collapsed and almost took the young girl with it! Ariadne was told she had the lineage of luck but obviously not since spectra is still standing beside her!

There it was, that glare spectra always gave Ariadne when she wanted something and since Ariadne was gifted with such versatile magic.. She would have to be the one to fix this shitty little bridge. If she didn't know better then Ariadne might think someone sabotaged the bridge using some type of crystal magic but there didn't seem anyone here capable of using magic except for these two lovely young ladies. So that meant that Ariadne would have to use her thread magic to make a bridge, luckily her silk was very strong! Her eyes narrowed at spectra as she sent out a few thick strands of spider silk, forming and shaping them to meet the requirements of a bridge, first making the flat structure that the two would walk upon then doing the support by tying it to nearby rocks so that it wouldn't fall down, spider silk was the perfect ingredient for making this considering it's amazing tensile strength! This meant that soon after Ariadne was done, the girls could walk across the bridge with no problem. And so they did, moving through the bridge and continuing their little journey.

They had only gotten about three or four feet into the dark and damp area before a tiny creature fell from the ceiling, it looked as if part of the ceiling had randomly come to life but instead it was one of the adorable sacred animals, it smiled and started wobbling over to them. How adorable it was! The little creature had jagged crystals sticking out of its rock body, as if the darling animal couldn't get any more cute, it fell on its fat little face and rolled towards the girls! As it got up though, it hugged Ariadne's leg and stabbed her in the leg with one of its jagged crystals. Ariadne growled, saying various curse words towards the little creature until she was about to kick it but remembered what they promised the villagers, no harming the little sacred animals. So instead, she put on some silk gloves, picked it up and wrapped it in a thin layer of silk to soften the jagged rocks. If they ran into any more of these little shits then Ariadne was going to start making traps for them because this would slow them down. Moving past the covered creature, they both kept their eyes open for any strange things in case they needed to put on a defensive stance.

There seemed to be nothing strange happening for the moment but the girls continued this shitty little walk down the hellish cave. How come they always took the worst jobs? Sadly, there was no job that involved meeting hunky men and helping them pick out their swimsuits. I mean why are there never any hunky men in need? Or one where the two girls would have to clear out an entire all you can eat buffet! This was injustice at its finest, always give the pretty girls the ugliest jobs. If the two could find a job that wasn't complete shit then she'd be happy! The only real good thing about this job was the reward, they could get a good amount of jewels and finally afford to buy some of the best equipment the stores had to offer! Spectra had already bought this weird umbrella weapon but Ariadne wanted a giant fan like they had back in ancient china, she would get a magical one though, of course she'd also want a pet to help her alongside missions and possibly to eat spectra or attack her every once and a while.. The thought of it was enchanting! She kept daydreaming until Ariadne almost tripped over another one of those little sacred shits, soon she gently pushed it over, causing it to be stuck on its back as they continued their treacherous journey through basically hell.


WC: 840/3,500
TWC: 1.951/3,500

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After Ariadne had so generously used her threads to make a sturdy bridge, they were finally able to enter and start their journey. If it had been a normal person walking through the cave they might have noticed the radiating beauty emitting form the crystals multi colored light, the way it lit up the cavern creating an enchanting magical glow. Spectra couldn't see any of this. She hated it here. "This place is so disgusting, and not in the good way!" This was not a dark and depressing kingdom like Spectra's ideal home, it was a lit and lively grotto! Spectra didn't see how it could get any worse really and then... the jagged gems above them shook and from above fell a hideous creature.

Spectra had seen a lot of ugly in her sixteen years of life, granted these things didn't really make the top of the list they were definitely on it. Someone normal might have found them adorable, but Spectra preferred the gruesome and grim, zombie, vampires, monsters, those were more of her type than anything else and these things didn't come close.

A small, gray, rock-like beast with a conical body. Light blue crystals of various shapes and sizes were sprinkled throughout it's rocky torso. A white, fluffy collar surrounded its small head with bright blue eyes and diamond shapes ears. It hopped toward them and Spectra screamed. "Ewwww! It's so uncute!" Spectra hated it, and Ariadne didn't react much differently. Both of the girls were read to punt it, the creatures beady eyes staring at them as it awaited it's fate, but Ariadne stopped both herself and Spectra, telling her that these were the sacred creatures they were forbidden to touch. Spectra, of course, didn't like being told no and decided to go her own way. This problem with authority had caused a fair share of damage before, and she never learned her lesson no matter the situation this attitude tried to teach her.

Walking forward she prepared to kick that thing right out of the way, but before her foot made it's mark it let out a strange sound that hurt Spectra's ears. Immediately she stopped the 'attack' and covered them. "God, whats it doing?" She yelled, trying to talk to Ariadne over the noise. By the time she had figured it out, it was too late. Hundreds of these creatures dropped from the ceiling and charged at them, yelling things in their own language that neither Spectra or Ariadne would understand.

These creatures were very troublesome and she hated how many of them there actually were! It was as if they were duplicating or something, then again they did appear to be similar to rabbits... knowing that she could not hurt the creatures due to them being 'sacred' to the village Spectra decided to do the next best thing. Scream, yell, and make a break for her life.

"RUNNNNN!" Spectra called out, beginning to fly. A few of the creatures threw themselves at her even in the air but she managed to swerve and doge them. "This was such a bad idea! Why didn't anyone tell me this would happen!" At this point Spectra was basically sobbing as she flew, using whatever method she could to escape this mess, which she would blame Ariadne for later. After around five minutes or so of flying she had lost sight of her partner and found herself in a dead end, well almost. The only point of access to the next area was a small earthen doorway carved above a crystal ledge. Spectra shrugged, it was a good thing that she could fly.

Entering, she decided it would be best to wait for Ariadne. It looked just like the rest of the place, with crystals sporadically placed here and there. It did seem as if it was getting smaller, but not by a lot. The dangers that lurked beyond this point were a mystery and there was no telling what was ahead and she would probably need her friend if she was going to survive. Especially considered all they had already been through in this crystal disguised hell hole. A lot of the times it was Ariadne saving Spectra's skin and she was grateful, even if she didn't show it all the time. They were amazing friends and had a very close bond. Plus she needed someone to point a finger at if things went wrong, and who better to hold liable than her partner in crime!?!

Spectra had the tendency to do this a lot, accuse Ariadne of doing things she didn't. Blaming others came as easily as breathing to Spectra. It was second nature. Besides, Ariadne didn't mind. She was used to it by now. They had spent four years together and she had, on more than one occasion, gotten used to being treated this way. If she wasn't used to it by now, well then she had to be crying very softly at night so Spectra didn't hear it. This wouldn't have been the first time Spectra made someone cry, a lot of the maids on Transylvania didn't enjoy working with her due to her sheer brattiness, but the few that managed to survive she had grown quite close too. It was a lot like her friendship with Ariadne. It started off with them trying to kill each other, and then blossomed into so much more! After all, they wouldn't be in this cave otherwise.

WC: 912
TWC: 1,891/3,500

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Of course, spectra would be the one to try and harm the creature and again, of course it let out a cry that alerted all the other little creatures of that species, Ariadne covered her ears, glaring at spectra as soon the creatures dropped down from the ceilings and walls, preparing to attack the two girls and since they couldn't fight back so they did what any sensible person would do! They ran, though it wasn't like you could call spectra a sensible person or anything, Ariadne on the other hand was smart and sent a spider web behind her, towards the creatures as the majority of them got caught in it, sticking together and giving them enough time to escape these little darlings. The two girls managed to find a dead end except for a small earthen entrance hanging over a crystal ledge, of course spectra could fly but Ariadne couldn't. So the girl placed webbing on each hand, molding it so it was like front sided gloves and she climbed the walls like a spider, moving swiftly and using the stickiness of the webbing to support her weight.

This place was terrible, Ariadne kept thinking different things about it as she climbed, following spectra's flight pattern. "You know, if we finish this job without being KILLED by your idiocy, then we can get a lot of money." This was true as the reward was very generous, if the girls did manage to finish this without dying then they'd be closer and closer to being rich! Ariadne had always dreamed of what it was like to have all that money while spectra was filled with money before she ran away. Though, spectra's money was stained with blood while Ariadne's would be bathed in justice. Something she wasn't sure spectra knew the meaning of. It wasn't like Ariadne was a saint or anything, she'd done some awful things even before spectra's family took over but it got worse as she hung out with this monster high rip off.

Soon, they crossed the little threshold and managed to be in yet another crystal filled cavern but this one felt different? It seemed there was eyes watching them from different areas of the cavern.. It's not like either of them could see the eyes but something about this area made chills shiver down Ariadne's spine? It felt like they were being heavily watched by some kind of person or creature. It was probably best to just keep moving and not think too much about it, this was a cave after all and things were creepy but she'd get over it as she always has! In all honesty it was most likely just a cave bat or even one of those adorable cave spiders you'd see back at her homeland. Which was now barren of any life at all except for the withered crops that once lined the beautiful village. If she ever got back, Ariadne planned on rebuilding the village and making it into a base of operations! Somewhere she could build a castle or house where they could all rule fairly instead of as a dictator like some people's fathers.. But the past is in the past, let it go.


"Do you think we're being watched?" Her eyes narrowed through the cavern, looking for any signs of life yet she spotted nothing. It was possible the creatures were in this area too but she got the sense they weren't the same ones, the energy felt different and more powerful, almost uneasy. Sacred animals were honestly so annoying, why couldn't they live in the forest like normal animals! better yet, why couldn't they be normal animals? She looked over at spectra as she moved through the cave. This was a very boring and uneventful mission, maybe the parents shouldn't have raised their daughter in a cave with jagged rocks and dangerous wildlife? Especially when a giant crystal goddess is living inside the cave. It's possibly they sacrificed their daughter to the fairy queen and then regretted it so they hired mages to steal her back. Ariadne didn't wanna make any assumptions but with how backwoods these people seemed it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that they sacrificed children to made up animalistic gods. These creatures looked like something out a board game such as candy land.

The hike continued! With the girls casually chatting about random things on and on, talking about how they both planned on becoming dark mages in the future and wandering why their third partner who was basically a scarecrow without a brain was taking so long to 'practice' her magic! It was very sad that she couldn't join them on the quest this time considering it would be much fun with her constant nagging and puking everywhere. So tragic, it almost brought a tear to Ariadne's eyes but luckily all the plastic surgery kept that from happening. Beauty is pain and money helps with beauty! If you aren't beautiful in this world then what are you? Ugly? I don't think so! Ariadne was a very prestigious woman who ate as much as she wanted but kept a slim figure due to her fast metabolism and quick energy to exercise. Good thing the quest was getting closer to its end or else Ariadne would die of boredom and sleep deprivation. She slept in a very luxurious dorm at fairy tail but the loud sleep farts of spectra kept her up.


WC: 916/3,500
TWC: 2,867/3,500

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It was endless. The halls of the crystal cavern just seemed to get longer, smaller, and more dangerous. The crystals were much clover to the path, their pointed edges threatening to cut anyone who walked too close. Not to mention it was like being under constant surveillance. Spectra could not see the eyes through the darkness, but she could feel them. "It better not be more of those ugly things!" She pouted, referring to those ugly rock bunnies that so rudely attacked her. Now, Spectra wasn't quite like Ariadne. She lacked the calm mature motherly approach to things and when she talked it was loud, loud enough to bring whatever was watching them right out of their hiding place.

Spectra was not excited to be here, she wanted to get out. The stupid creatures and stupid crystals. Helping people was just so lame! No one could do anything for themselves, how do you even let a child get lost in a cave? Maybe they should have been watching them better, then this would have never happened. Not to mention they couldn't even hurt these things? Ugh! It was too much. Do this do that, Spectra just wanted to do something for herself! The good deeds she had done so far made her really see her fathers prospective. How he wanted to take over the world and blah blah blah. These thoughts were quickly put to rest due to her dangerous environment! It was just one thing after another in this place...

On the ceiling, there were three crystal-shaped eggs that began to crack just as a chickens would. "Uh oh." Spectra said, watching a strange creature hatch just above. What emerged from the crystal cocoon was a white fox embedded with various jewels with an sharp quarts unicorn horn sticking out from it's skull. Falling to the floor and landing on all fours, the three foxes kicked behind them and charged towards the girls. Spectra flew up, causing one of the foxes to run into a wall of earth and get his horn stuck. "Hahahaha!" She called out in her usual high pitched voice before carrying on through the cave. She was sure that Ariadne had managed to escape and if not? Oh well.

But it wasn't gonna be that easy. The fox managed to break free from the earth wall and was running after Spectra, jumping in the air it created a crystal plate to step on, it did so with every leap forming a stair case of sorts so that it could catch up to her and once it did, well it was bad news. Spraying sparkles from it's horn Spectra was, from the neck down, encased in crystal. It was quite literally her crystal coffin. As she was flying when she was trapped she fell to the ground with a huge thud. "You're so lucky I can't hurt you!" She yelled at the creature who was now standing over her body, threatening her life with its horn. "ARIADNE! HE-HE-HELP!" Spectra called out, sobbing, hoping her friend was close by.

It was at times like this when Spectra truly was thankful that Ariadne had escaped death by the Vondergeists hands four years ago granted it only landed her right by Spectra in the end which was a fate worse than death at times. None the less, she had grown very close to her over the years, and even learned to depend on her in these types of situations. They had each others backs through thick and thin and Spectra was sure this time was no different from all the rest. There were very few situations where Spectra didn't put her faith and trust into Ariadne. Though it might not be noticeable to everyone, if you spend enough time with someone you begin to learn things about them, things they don't say but you can tell they are thinking.

Ariadne never forgot how Spectra and her came to meet. It was like the weight of the world resting on her shoulders, the trauma she suffered from that night. Still, Spectra couldn't care less about what Ariadne felt, but she did care about what she might do. Was her own life in jeopardy? Was it all a part of some scheme. Spectra didn't know and she was too childish to figure out. She just hoped that sometime soon she'd get out of this crystal coffin and then the cave. This had definitely been one of the worst missions yet. She should have known when that bridge collapsed that it was going to be a terrible day!

But she didn't, so they would continue on and probably face even worse conditions inside. If this place was so sacred why didn't they take care of it? That was a question Spectra was determined to ask the villagers when and if she got back. If something was this precious to them, why just let it sit here and basically destroy itself. Clearly this sentimental value they claimed it had was lacking in years of late. If Spectra was in charge, this place would be spic and span. Polished and cleaned daily, you would be able to see your reflection in just the normal rocks! AND the crystals of course and these creatures would be taught some manners.

That rule of not hitting them would also be lifted, you can hit them if they hit you! It's so unfair otherwise. Really what was so special about them? The appeal? Spectra just couldn't see it no matter how hard she tried to look. Even as she was laying on what was basically her death bed, with the ugly fox staring at her like she was a plump roast beef, the beauty of this crystal cave wasn't exposed to her. She only kept thinking about if she was in charge.

Maybe she would actually get rid of the creatures all together, they'd need an exterminator of course. These things were like bugs and they repopulated like no tomorrow. Every corner they turned was something new, and Spectra wasn't the type to enjoy discovering new things. Especially if they tried to attack you for.. what? No reason. So what if she called them ugly or tried to kick them. Big deal. They needed to get over it and she needed to be saved. If Ariadne didn't get there soon there was no telling what would become of her and this fox looked as if it was starving.

Spectra couldn't believe it even aught up with her, it was fast, she had to admit, but it was also cheating! Only she should be able to fly, those were the rules and this thing completely broke them! That was not okay. Not at all. Just because these creatures were special to the village didn't mean they could beat her, she wouldn't accept it. No, she would have won if it hadn't done such a thing. Spectra was certain of it. This fox wouldn't have even been able to touch her! Then another thought came to mind, maybe the cave empowered them and outside they would have been completely and utterly useless.

That made her feel a lot better about getting caught. They obviously had a leader and she would definitely take it out on them, this rule of not touching them didn't even matter to her anymore. If these villagers cared so much they could do it themselves. It would do them some good to take responsibility for their actions! Especially when it was bad parenting.

WC: 1,257
TWC: 3,148/3,500

---

Ariadne continued moving down the narrow cave path, only being illuminated by the dim light the crystals gave off, they were amazing in beauty and sight but truly she wondered if they had magical properties and maybe that's how these creatures had came to be? She wasn't sure but one thing she did know was that if she wanted to keep this whole quest up, she would have to keep up with spectra considering that girl got into more trouble than a literal child. Ariadne would not be surprised if Ariadne found the child and just sort of ignored it too. She wasn't the best at this sort of stuff so Ariadne usually helped her along the way! Even though spectra did come in handy in situations that would require her unique magic, overall the two had very conflicting personalities that would most likely not go together but somehow it did? It was truly a strange type of friendship but nonetheless it was still a beautiful one.

A sound could be heard above them, of course something was about to happen in this specific area! It seemed these weird crystalline eggs were hatching on the ceiling, as a simple crystal fox came out and it looked Angry? No, scared! Aw the poor thing was so adorable and she just wanted to hug it, that was until spectra started to taunting it and the poor thing got super angry, charging at her before it got its horn stuck in the cavern wall. This wasn't unusual for spectra, considering how she acted childish most of the time. She'd seen a scary side of spectra before though, a sadistic side that she only really showed when she was around her father but she never really knew why spectra fled away from Transylvania since she loved it so much. Ariadne simply left because she was taken into captivity.

Not many people knew this, but Ariadne collected different things and recently she had found out secrets about this cave such as the things that might be dwelling in it, that fox that spectra taunted is a rare sight in this area and if she wasn't careful, it could easily use it's crystalline horn to impale her. The tall pale woman simply sighed as spectra continued her antics, moving a little deeper into the cave as she looked for any signs of a child such as footprints or clothing that might have been torn off. She did find a small blue piece of cloth that got stuck on a nearby pointed rock but just as she was about to pick it up and examine it, she heard a familiar scream calling out her name for help. Spectra.

Wirth a sigh, Ariadne moved at a decent pace, trying to get there before the animal killed her as that was the only reason she could assume spectra was calling for help. When she got there, the sight was just as she had expected, a cornered spectra was being held hostage by the crystal horned fox! If this was Ariadne's first rodeo with spectra then she'd be worried but Ariadne thought over for a minute, on the bright side if she let the animal impale spectra then the girl would be dead.. On the other hand if she saved spectra then.. Well actually Ariadne couldn't think of any upsides to that option! Though, nonetheless Ariadne sent out a thick strand of webbing as it wrapped around the fox, Ariadne pulling it towards her which caused the fox to skid to a corner where it struggled to escape the webbing though later on it would be able to free its self.

Her eyes darted to spectra, giving her a glare. "This is why we don't taunt the animals, these are not the rats you probably killed as a child, these are magical creatures that can and will kill you without a second thought." This was Ariadne's motherly side that she often had to use around spectra, she never really met spectra's mother but she did meet her father, a terrible man that she planned on killing later but for now she would just play this little game until she got close enough to the king to take him out. A true queen lets the pawns arrange themselves before attacking. Just like in a distorted game of evil chess.


WC: 730/3,500
TWC: 3,597/3,500

---

Continuing through this endless maze they called a cave they would eventually stumble upon a large clearing with even more crystals, but what was strange was once they entered the radiating glow seemed to stop, only briefly, and soon appeared the leader. A small creature with a vaguely humanoid appearance. With a lower conical body, gray rock with a large, pink diamond in the side. Its upper body had two arms and was covered by a white material that resembled a dress. Small, mitten-like hands poked out of the sleeves. Around its neck, a golden, half-circlet with a pink diamond in the center. Its head was gray with purple eyes and red circles around them along with pointed ears. On top of its head was a collection of pink crystals forming a headdress signifying regalia. Four spike-like crystals along the top, a long crystal on either side hanging downward, and a large circular centerpiece on its forehead. A small, golden piece hanging off the center crystal and a small pink diamond embedded in the back of its head.

While it might have been the epiphany of beauty, Spectra didn't see it that way. It was just as ugly as everything else in this cave. Then, Spectra saw the child crying, blowing his nose into the crystal queens dress. It must have taken after it's mother. Spectra then explained the situation, unaware if the queen actually knew English she talked slow and loud like she would with a foreigner but shockingly enough she got an answer. "Very well, take the child, and never return. You have caused enough trouble." Spectra wanted to tell her off, the nerve? SHE had caused trouble? No this kid napper had. But, Spectra bit her tongue against all that she stood for because she just wanted this nightmare to finally be over.

Rescuing the kid they were granted access to a quick exit and brought him to the village whee they were thanked and given their reward, which with all they had been through Spectra deemed not enough but sadly the villagers refused to give her more and when she threw a fit about it threatened to call the Rune Knights. This was honestly the last straw! She wasn't going to help people anymore. Especially if they were going to be like this! She could have let their kid die, they were lucky to have her. Hmph.

WC: 401
TWC: 3,549/3,500