Adventures in Interning: Crystal Campaign 3

It took Kaytlyn a few moments for her brain to interpret what her eyes were showing her. All the specks of light at the bottom of the crater were a city. The inhabitants under the mountain set up full-sized structures.

 

“Has this always been here? Why is it here,” the fennec asked, confused as she squinted to make out more details. 

 

This city being here didn’t make sense to her. With some extra exertion, Kaytlyn focused the enchantment from her clothes into a beam to light up the civilization. Most of the buildings looked damaged or knocked over. Shadows of people moved along the streets, attending to their daily business. Leslie pointed to something on the far side of the city. Kaytlyn moved her light beam to light up a large, smooth stone.

 

“That looks like where the Crystal Wyrm was sleeping before this city disturbed it,” Leslie mused as he tried to figure a way down. “This place wasn’t here before, so if you want to go home to back to town and report that, feel free.’

 

“I’m not leaving now,” Kaytlyn protested with a stomp. “You can’t just shake me off like that.”

 

“Suit yourself,” the man replies as he climbs the cliff.

 

More vines grow down the stone, adding Kaytlyn’s descent to the ground below. The damage’s true scale became evident as the two reached the town’s outskirts. It appeared like a giant had lifted the city and dropped it into the air. Debris from collapsed buildings filled the cracked, broken streets. Around the city’s perimeter, small, flat buildings had been erected, with larger structures rising towards the town center.

 

“Hopefully, wherever this came from, the rest of it is intact,” Leslie muses as she steps close to one of the buildings. Suddenly, around a corner, a large black serpent slithers. In reaction, Kaytlyn summons her F3NN3C P1NK armor.

 

“No, please, we need help,” the black snake’s hands fly up, and the hood flares. Around the serpent’s body were rings of colorful fabric that left their arms bare, but silvery rings stood out against their black scale fingers. “If you have a moment, that is.”

 

“What can we do to be of aid,” Leslie asked as he hadn’t drawn his sword. Without responding, the snake rushes off around the corner.

 

“My helmet is saying there’s an eighty-four percent chance this is a trap,” Kaytlyn remarks over the speakers of her mech armor. The computer in the armor displayed all kinds of information on the heads-up display on the eyes. Most of it didn’t make sense to the young fennec, but she read it off all the same.

 

“If you’re afraid, I can go without you,” the crystal smith laughs as he starts around the corner. After a second of hesitation, the pink mech suit follows the man. Not far off, the black snake stands with a silky one. Together, they are trying to push a pile of rubble.

 

“Help! Our son is trapped,” the black snake pleads, to look worried. Leslie looks like he is about to suggest something when Kaytlyn runs ahead of him.

 

“This is no problem for F3NN3C P1NK,” the pink fox mech armor declares. 

 

The metal fennec dug her hands into the gap of the stone and started to lift with all her might. Vines sprouted from the hands of the armor and formed a net around the rocks. Kaytlyn pushed her suit to its limits as she lifted the debris inch by inch. As the mech moved the stones, a young snake boy could slither out. With one last mighty heft, F3NN3C P1NK threw the pile of debris from the town. Overexerted and tired, Kaytlyn collapsed as the mech armor dissolved away.

 

After giving the young fox a moment to recuperate and drink some health potion, the snake people introduced themselves as Masha and Hangh and their son as Keda. They led Leslie and Kaytlyn to the town center, where emergency shelters stood. Triage and medical tents also appeared to operate as many different colored snake people tried to salvage what they could. While Masha took Keda to a medical tent, Hangh introduced the adventurers to the council.

 

“Can you take a message to the nearessst town for us,” a golden snake requested. “Also can you tell us where we are?”

 

“You are under a mountain on the planet, Lyra,” Kaytlyn responds, examining the serpent. “Famous for crystals, volai, and white powder beaches.”

 

“We are aware of the crystals but what do you mean by planet,” the council member asks with a slight headcock. 

 

“And what’s a Lyra? Is it some sort of instrument,” Hangh inquires confused.

 

“Wait, do you not know about the portals,” Kaytlyn answers their questions with one of her own. “There’s a whole paperverse out there.”

 

With the help of a large sheet of paper from her purse, the fox draws a diagram of the known portals with the Parchment Imp Inn at the center. Each world is labeled and given a brief explanation. Kaytlyn doesn’t know how to explain the portal work entirely but does her best. If she can discover where these snake people are from and register a portal there, it’ll look good for her internship.

 

After spending time with the snake, Leslie and Kaytlyn learn that they refer to themselves as Thath. From what they could gather, their home was a place called Kahari. A land alight with a blue sun and unique crystals of their own. They were still determining how they ended up on this planet so far from home. There were so many questions to answer, but staying underground wouldn’t solve them.

 

“So you still think I had something to do with the Crystal Wyrm attack,” Leslie asked as Kaytlyn prepared to help the Thath people move to the surface.

 

“I guess but don’t leave the planet,” the fennec answers with a laugh.

 

Once they were back in Alai Port with a group of the Thath, the duo found that no one there had heard of them or their planet. Leslie returned to work in his forge while Kaytlyn set up a temporary outpost to register the Thath. Most of the adventurers in town didn’t believe the fox girl’s tale and figured she made up the fantastical story for attention. That didn’t stop Kaytlyn from spearheading the effort to find a portal to Kahari. It took some time, but eventually, all the work paid off.