[zapdragon555]

Yicro

Yicro blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of Craiss Caverns. "Wow," she breathed, staring at the blue and purple crystals that reflected light from the cave entrence behind her. The Glacial Serraptor's bright eyes studdied the gems inquisitively. Carefully, she tapped one with her foot, but accidentally broke it off. "Goodness! How fragile," she said, staring at the shattered jewel. "No use just leaving it here," she sighed, picking up all the pieces and placing them gently into the pack that was swung over her shoulder. She huffed as she glanced around the mouth of the cave. "Well, there certianly aren't any Akails here," she growled. Suddenly, a rumbling noise sounded behind her. "W-what was that?!"

(1)

[zapdragon555]

Yicro's eyes widened as a huge wall of rocks fell behind her, blocking out her only exit. "Oh no..." she whispered, zipping up to the wreckage. "No, no, no!" The Serraptor began to dig wildly, scooping out piles of rocks, but it wasn't enough to break through. "How am I going to get out...?" she said in dismay. The dragon-creature slumped against a cave wall. It was brighter than she thought it would be; the crystals somehow produced their own light. Even the one in her pack was glowing through the fabric. "Well," she mused, looking around, "this is beautiful. Maybe I should explore a bit; I might find another exit somewhere!" With that, she picked herself up and padded into the dark cave. Suddenly, something under her foot snapped. "What the...?" Yicro said, picking up what she'd stepped on. It was a long stick, forked at the end, that was broken in half slightly; however, a small strip of bark was holding the two pieces of stick together, causing a bend in the stick. "I could use this," she murmured, twisting the stick so that the two pieces separated. Digging into her pack, she pulled out a loose piece of string that had somehow found its way in there. She put the two pieces of stick together, and tied them with the string so that they were secure. Breaking off another crystal, she set it gently into the fork of the stick; it fit perfectly. "I shouldn't make a habit of breaking these things off," she sighed. Now that she had a light source, Yicro walked slowly into the darkness of the cave.

(2)

[zapdragon555]

The Glacial Serraptor's eyes darted around the cave walls, the crystal-tipped stick providing a soft glow of blue light. Yicro couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her, even with her hawk-like vision. Her clawed footsteps echoed off the barren, rocky cave walls. "This silence is unnerving," she muttered, shivering. Even though it was winter, Yicro didn't think the weather would reach past the mouth of the cave. "That must mean there's an opening somewhere!" she exclaimed happily. Immediately she picked up her pace, almost skipping as she bounced down the cavernous hole. Suddenly, she stopped. In front of the Glacial Serraptor was a fork in the road. "Oh no..." he muttered. "What do I do now?" Yicro dug into her pack and brought out a chocolate bar. Eating always helps me think, she thought as she happily took a bite out of the brown candy. "Maybe I could mark my progress somehow."

(3)

[zapdragon555]

Yicro blinked, suddenly thinking of something. "Since the crystals near the entrance are brighter than those that are here, I bet they absorb light!" she exclaimed. Looking around, she also noticed that at least 90% of the crystals here were blue and purple. "So if I use my Healing Touch..." she mused, picking up a blue crystal that was decently dull and putting her claws on it. "I should be able to control the color and brightness!" Harnessing a small amount of energy, Yicro's claws began to glow yellow. Suddenly, the crystal lit up a bright golden color. "Bingo."

(4)

[zapdragon555]

Quickly shoving the rest of the chocolate bar into her mouth, Yicro impaled the yellow crystal into the dark, stone wall. "Good," she said happily. "This crystal sticks out like a sore, yellow thumb!" She decided to take the left path, grabbing a dull crystal here and there, turning it golden, and pressing it into the wall. She held her 'crystal-lamp' in her jaws as she worked at a steady pace. "Ok," she sighed, "I think I can stop with the crystals for a bit." Yicro burried several dull crystals in her pack and continued to walk, leaving the golden-colored glow of the charged crystals behind her.

(5)
Level up!

[zapdragon555]

Yicro's claws clicked ominously as she padded slowly across the stone-and-dirt floor. "It's so quiet in here," she murmured, stopping to gaze around. The dark walls appeared to be closing in on her as she stood there. "I wish I weren't claustraphobic," she sighed, shaking her head. Yicro quickly hurried on, taking another crystal out of her pack and charging it. She shoved it into a wall and slumped against the rocks below it. "This is exhausting..." she yawned. "And this place looks pretty deserted."

(6)

[zapdragon555]

Yicro's eyes grew heavy as she rested against the wall of rock. She looked down the hall she came, and then down the uneven hall she was going into. "I can't see the end of either..." she mused, digging through her pack. She pulled out her out-of-batteries flashlight, and quickly threw it back in. "Useless contraption," she growled, breaking off another small piece of chocolate and popping it into her mouth. "There sure isn't much to explore in this one-way hall," Yicro sighed, leaning heavily against the wall behind her. Suddenly, a huge rumbling sound echoed off the cave walls all around her. "Oh, no!" she gasped, looking around wildly. "It can't be another rockslide!"

(7)

[zapdragon555]

Yicro gasped as the once sturdy wall behind her suddenly slid to the side, revealing a passageway into the ground. "Oh my," she whispered, poking her head into the hole. Shining her crystal-light into the new passageway, she noticed some weathered, stair-like rock formations leading down into the depths of who-knows-what. "I might as well explore," Yicro said, tiptoeing onto the first stair. "Hello!" she called. Her greeting seemed echo forever until it finally stopped. The Glacial Serraptor's footclaws clicked on the ground as she padded slowly down the stone staircase.

(8)

[zapdragon555]

"I think I can see a light," she mused, looking far ahead. "Maybe it's just this crystal playing tricks on my eyes." Without warning, the Serraptor's foot missed a step, causing Yicro to plummet downward. Seconds passed before she hit the cold, stone floor with a huge slam. "Oww..." she whined, gently rubbing the back of her neck with her tail. She noticed a small amount of blood dripping from her nose and mouth. "It's not that bad," she muttered, wiping both of them off and rubbing her hand on the ground. She picked herself up and looked around slowly, taking in the landscape before her. "This..." she whispered in awe. "This is amazing!"

(9)

[zapdragon555]

Before the young explorer lied a huge, towering castle of crystals. Light from huge, light-charged crystals hanging from the ceiling bathed the entire landscape in blue-green light. "It's so beautiful..." Yicro murmured, fingering through her bag without looking. Soon enough, she found her camera. Lifting the machine carefully to her eye, she backed up a little to get a full view of the castle. "Click!" she giggled, pressing the button near the top of the camera, taking a picture. The contraption flashed, confirming the picture had been taken. "Let's get a look at it," Yicro mused, pressing the 'review' button on the camera. Unfortunately, the flash had reflected off the crystal castle, causing nearly the entire picture to be blurred and white. "Shoot," she growled, turning off the flash. Once again, she held her camera up to her eye. "Wait..." she said, lowering the camera. "If I take a picture of this, everyone will want to come here." The Serraptor looked around at the beautiful crystals covering the castle and cave walls. "I don't think anyone else should know about this."

(10)
Level up!

[zapdragon555]

"But since I know where this is," Yicro said, grinning. "I can come here any time!" Immediately she bounded up to the crystal castle, her pupils shrinking as light shone on her face. "I wonder if anyone lives here..." she murmured, her footsteps echoing across the various crystal walls and arches. "Or perhaps this whole thing was formed by nature..." The Serraptor walked into a chamber with a perfect star shape carved into the wall, with a beautifully lit crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "...Nope. Definitely not formed by nature."

(11)