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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 9:36:01 GMT -6
At least this canyon seemed plenty stable so long as she didn't damage the walls too badly. It was strange how its ceiling was always cloaked in darkness, though. It couldn't breach the ceiling, as she knew that it was day time outside- there would be light filtering in. Another part of her wondered if there were more branches and tunnels coming off up there as well, but beyond her reach- or anyone elses' for that matter. There must be endless tunnels down here, still undiscovered by all but the most daring miners. Or the ones with the most nimble pets that could carry them there. Fiera had discovered a couple herself, now that she thought of it. When she came down here with her brown sarane, Algol, a couple months ago, she had unlocked a glittering cavern where she had found many gems. She wasn't able to properly explore it until she got a flashlight, however.
Fiera 17 Madison 13.2/15.2 67
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 9:43:23 GMT -6
And by 'unlock' of course, she meant 'rip a massive hole in the wall', but that was par the course for mining. She supposed that by that definition however, she had 'unlocked' this underground canyon area as well. After all, the entrance leading in here was far too small for even a fae to make their way through before Fiera opened it up more. While finding new areas like this was a real drag (unless you had the muscles to not get tired, that is), it did have the unique benefit of introducing one to an area that hadn't be plundered yet. New areas were always rich in treasures, gems, crystals, and fossils alike, with a guarantee that you'd be the one that got the first pick of them. If Fiera's fat mine cart was any indicator of the truth of that statement, it was quite a lucrative way to mine.
Fiera 18 Madison 13.3/15.3 68
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 9:50:17 GMT -6
At least the path seemed to be opening up a bit. Fiera still hugged close to the wall so there was no chance of falling into the water, but it would appear that the river was a bit wider here, once upon a time. Instead of the thin, four foot spit of land she had to work with before, Fiera was now walking on a more comfortable seven foot ledge. It was made of the same materials as the walls, but horizontal instead of vertical, and worn smooth by the water that no doubt rushed over it thousands of years ago, now having narrowed into the stream to her right. Fiera gazed across the other side of the stream- the gap was only three feet wide, but she doubted that she could get her cart across it. The other side's ledge seemed even narrower than this one though- she was glad she was on the right side.
Fiera 19 Madison 13.4/15.4 69 (eyy)
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 9:53:26 GMT -6
Or the left side, as it was. The extra space was perfect for Fiera, her cart, and her pet, but... what was that? Fiera noticed something across the stream, across the gap, on the other side of the canyon. She flipped on her flashlight, giving the other wall a more direct beam of light than what the torch tied to her mine cart provided. Sure enough, embedded in the opposite wall was a gap. It was too skinny for a cart like her own, and taller than she was, but it was the first natural hole in the wall that Fiera had seen since she entered the canyon. She couldn't help but fantasize about what could be in there. Probably dozens of gems. Hundreds. Thousands! ...It was a shame she couldn't get over there. She peered off the edge of the ledge. Sure enough, the stream was still there, fast and deep.
Fiera 20 (Level up!) Madison 14.0/16.0 70
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Post by Renathan on Nov 5, 2019 10:00:31 GMT -6
The mine was quite beautiful with the stream there, wasn't it? The mines can be a lovely and strange place. Perhaps you'll be lucky if you look there?
[Nothing Happens]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 10:01:27 GMT -6
Fiera groaned, pinning her ears to her head. She could definitely jump over this, yes. It was only three feet wide, she could probably step over it if she wanted. But the idea of leaving her cart behind was terrifying from a certain standpoint- she'd never forgive herself if a gem wyrm or something like that broke into it and stole her hard earned treasures. She didn't want to leave Madison behind either- this was supposed to be a bonding trip for them, and leaving her scared and alone in a random cave wasn't exactly good for that. There was also the chance that she'd slip and fall into the stream, and that would be... well, probably inevitably lethal. Who knew where that stream led, or how cold it was. Not to mention she was part cat- she had every reason to not like water, even if it was a flimsy excuse.
Fiera 1 Madison 14.1/16.1 71
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 10:06:43 GMT -6
Fiera considered looking around further in the gap between the two sides of the canyon, but... there was no way to get alongside the stream. It was just a drop straight down, about four feet before you hit the water. And she didn't want to know what would happen when you hit the water. Still... maybe... Fiera got on her belly, right next to the ledge. Madison leaned off the edge of the mine cart after her, chirping curiously. "Don't worry, I'm not doing anything dumb... probably." Fiera reassured, waving the bat off. Then, she stretched her arm downward as far as possible, trying to breach the surface of the stream. She was a pretty long creature in general, but it was still quite a reach for her, even straining as hard as she could. She could feel the mist from the stream on her fae from here, speaking to its strength.
Fiera 2 Madison 14.2/16.2 72
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 10:10:24 GMT -6
Finally, she managed to dip one finger in, just the tip at her very limit. It was freezing! She nearly whipped her hand out- but noticed the strength of the stream next. Yeesh, it tried to rip her hand away. No wonder this canyon was carved so deep- this was one powerful river! She wondered internally where it had come from. She had found streams down here in the mines before, but never one this strong. It was coming from the direction she came from however, leading to where she was going- so she had never really tried to investigate its source either. Well, that was one thing she could do, she supposed. That would likely be an adventure for later, though- she had no guarantee she'd find the source, or even anything of interest down there. And she hated the idea of dragging her cart all the way uphill again on a whim.
Fiera 3 Madison 14.3/16.3 73
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 10:15:49 GMT -6
But... that thin cave on the other side was SO tantalizing. And if she couldn't investigate the stream... well, a LITTLE detour couldn't hurt. Fiera looked down at the water beneath her, and took a deep breath... before turning around and going back to her mine cart. She'd need moral support for this. She held out a finger for Madison, and the bat happily crawled up onto it, before scurrying up her shoulder again. Fiera untied the lead from her mine cart, and retied it to her wrist, keeping Madison safe and secure on Fiera's body. While she was sure that the candy corn bat wouldn't run away by this point, this was a way of maintaining their 'buddy system' and keeping either of them from getting separated. Stranger things had happened down here, after all. Then, Fiera turned back to the ominous gap, with the stream flowing down below.
Fiera 4 Madison 14.4/16.4 74
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 10:18:33 GMT -6
Fiera gave herself one last equipment check. She had her pick axe clutched in one hand, and her more delicate tools stored in her backpack. The rest she was leaving with her mine cart, which she kept lashed to a boulder. Hopefully it wouldn't slip off into the stream like many of the other ones did, taking all of her gems and crystals with it. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the paranoia. This wasn't going to be a long detour- she'd be gone for five minutes, top. The humanish stood at the edge of the gap, looking down. She took a deep breath, and... just stepped over it. It wasn't that hard, it was only three feet wide. Sure, it was a bit of a reach for her legs, but she was a tall lady. It was no problem, and the opposite ledge was sturdy enough.
Fiera 5 Madison 15.0/17.0 75
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Post by Renathan on Nov 5, 2019 10:49:11 GMT -6
A beautiful hunk of metal shimmered in the light that passed over it.
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 11:55:40 GMT -6
So she simply stepped over, glancing at the ledge around her. This one was a lot thinner than the one she had been walking on before, even if it was made of the same material. Even if her cart was light enough to bring with her, there'd be nowhere to put it- it was only about a foot and a half wide. She hugged close to the wall, trying quite hard to not fall off. Madison looked down too, chirping quietly. "It's ok Madison, it's just a ledge." Fiera said, mostly for her own comfort than that of the candy corn bat, following it up with some scritches behind her ears. Then, she shuffled along the wall, looking for that split in it that she had seen earlier. The less time she could spend out here, the better. The last thing Fiera needed was some random event that could make her trip.
Fiera 6 Madison 15.1/17.1 76
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 12:01:15 GMT -6
Finally she found it, her fingers catching on the lip of the crack. She realized a bit late however that the chunk she had grabbed onto was a different color than the rest of the lip, and it crumbled off in her hand before she could get a good grip. She yelped with surprise and pulled her hand back, pressing herself further into the wall. A crappy hand hold was the last thing she needed! Still... she looked at the chunk in her hand. It glimmered with a hint of some metal- she had found another piece of ore! That was always a good sign- with any luck, there'd be a lot more ore in the crack. She stuck the piece in her pocket for safe keeping. She was glad she wore cargo pants- she wouldn't have many places to put her findings until she got back to her cart.
Fiera 7 Madison 15.2/17.2 77
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 12:05:27 GMT -6
Once her pocket was closed, Fiera kept shuffling forward, leaning into the crack as it deepened. Soon, she was directly in front of it. It was... a lot tighter a squeeze than she thought, to be honest. She tried lodging herself in, but it didn't quite work. Even though the crack was tall, it wasn't very wide, especially where Fiera's head was. Madison chattered down it, and Fiera could hear an echo come back- at least it was deep. Maybe it would open up further in? Fiera was a stubborn lady though, and started tapping her nails on the wall rhythmically, trying to think of a solution. Then she sighed- she was already covered in dirt. Might as well cake some more on. She got down on her hands and knees- carefully, of course. She still didn't have a lot of room to work with here on the narrow ledge.
Fiera 8 Madison 15.3/17.3 78
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 5, 2019 12:11:38 GMT -6
Once she was down, Madison re-positioned herself to sit on Fiera's back instead of her shoulder. Fiera felt a little bit chagrined at that- she wasn't an equillion! But Madison was a small creature who didn't know any better, so she supposed she could let it go. Then, she began to crawl, holding her ears out on either side. Fiera didn't have whiskers like a cat, but her ears would do in determining how wide the passage was. If the walls brushed too close on both sides of her, her ears would get pushed in first. Considering that they were big enough to be just about the same width as her shoulders if she held them straight out, she could use them to judge if a passage was too small to crawl through. In theory, that is. Fiera had never actually had to do anything like this before, even in her rougher days.
Fiera 9 Madison 15.4/17.4 79
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