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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 2, 2019 16:55:10 GMT -6
Fiera looked at the other tunnel branch, considering her other option. She had also hidden her OWN secret tunnel, layering up the rocks that she used to break into the room to start with to conceal the entrance. She had found it on accident while expanding one of the public tunnels, and upon realizing it was completely untouched, had hidden it near immediately. The area had proven to be rich in crystals, but was so dark and unexplored that she had been forced to turn around. She was definitely less likely to get in trouble there, and could explore it now that she had her flashlight. But... the siren song of getting her grubby hands on something that someone else was trying to hide was very alluring for her. She went down the left tunnel, Algol following behind obediently. She'd go to the other person's tunnel- it was closer, anyway.
Fiera: 5 Algol: Lv. 5.0/Lo 5.0 [Post 5]
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Post by Renathan on Aug 2, 2019 18:48:29 GMT -6
Oh, two very beautiful stones are nearby; one a mottled brown, and the other a pale moonlight all it's own.
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 3:18:29 GMT -6
Almost as if to give her advice, Fiera suddenly spotted two stones laying in the path of the other person’s tunnel that she had uncovered last time. She leaned down to pick them up and soon realized that they weren’t any regular rocks! One was a deep brown like a normal rock, but shot through with streaks of brighter colors such as yellow and orange, insinuating it’s value. The other was opalescent and pale, shimmering beautifully in the pale light. They were opposites in their types of beauty, but together in telling Fiera where to go. Or at least, that’s how she was taking it, now freshly determined to go trespass again. She quickly went to open her new mine cart- she had found some gems already! She swung it open and tossed in her first finds of the day. Things were going so well already!
Fiera 6 Algol: 5.1/5.1 [Post 6]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 3:24:52 GMT -6
She closed the cart again with a sense of finality. Screw what everyone else thought, she was going to see what was down that tunnel! Couldn’t be any worse than the tunnel worm she found last month, she thought with a shiver. She stood up, brushed off her pants, and picked up the rope for her mine cart again, dragging it along after her. Algol followed suit, chirping happily at getting to be outside and playing. No, chances are that the tunnel was filled with goodies, Fiera thought, ripe for the taking. And it’s not like the person who originally found it could fully lay claim either- the mines were public access, and anyone could come in to take what they wanted. If that person wanted to hide their vein, they should have done a better job of it as Fiera was doing nothing wrong, as far as she was concerned.
Fiera 7 Algol 5.2/5.2 [Post 7]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 3:30:46 GMT -6
She padded along the mine tunnels, lanterns passing on either side. Their light was artificial but comforting, an orange glow on Fiera and Algols’ faces. It was nice, but not what Fiera was looking for. She had been down here not too long ago, but already this tunnel was starting to look unfamiliar, even though she had trekked down it a half dozen times. At least she knew she couldn’t get properly lost- arrows pointing the correct way out were regularly posted on the cavern walls. They were sloppily applied in bright green spray paint, but they were accurate in the direction of the exit and impossible to miss, even in the lowest possible light. Fiera would be grateful for them- if they were what she was looking for right now. No, as of right now it was the formerly hidden tunnel she wanted, and had little interest in anything else.
Fiera 8 Algol 5.3/5.3 [Post 8]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 3:35:45 GMT -6
Finally, she saw a dip in the wall ahead of her. Could it be...? She picked up the pace, with Algol and the cart matching her pace effortlessly. She soon found herself stumbling over various pieces of rubble in the path- several roughly cut rocks from the wall, big and small. Most anyone else would be irritated, but Fiera was absolutely thrilled and continued to drive herself forward. These rocks, of course, were of the exact same type that she had tossed from the mouth of the hidden cave just a couple short weeks ago. They meant that she was getting close! The lanterns seemed to whizz by next to her, and Algol picked up on her excitement, chirping loudly and flapping his wings excitedly. He knew some sort of play was going on, even if he didn’t understand the game. Fiera rounded the corner and...there it was!
Fiera 9 Algol 5.4/5.4 [Post 9]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 3:54:34 GMT -6
Fiera sighed with relief at the appearance of the tunnel. It was just as she had left it. It was taller than she was, allowing her to walk through with ease, and rough hewn in the way that implied it was dug out by just one pair of human (or humanish, or mammalian, or ssashirk) hands. Despite that however, it seemed stable and well built- whoever those hands were, they were experienced. It was the same tunnel too, not a new one she had found on accident. Just inside the mouth, partially hidden by a pile of rubble, was a large generator battery, albeit shut off. Last time she was here, it was on (albeit with low power as it shut off after about twenty minutes) and powering rows of LED lights in the wall, pumping out harsh, artificial light. Now however, the tunnel was dark, a yawning ominous pit.
Fiera 10 Algol 6.0/6.0 [Post 10]
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Post by Renathan on Aug 3, 2019 4:24:31 GMT -6
What a strangely colored stone, and what an odd place for it to be hiding!
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 6:35:28 GMT -6
Fiera went to step in- and stopped, noticing something at her feet amongst the rubble. One of the rocks had something distinctly shiny jutting out of it. Fiera gasped in surprise and dropped her bag, digging her chisel out of it. She fumbled with the tools for a moment as Algol “helped”- shoving his head in her tool bag, squeaking loudly. “No buddy, there’s nothing for you in there.” She chided gently, pulling his head out. Pushing the sarane hatchling away for a bit, she then dragged the rock closer. A few taps of the tool later, and the outer shell of the rock broke away, revealing the treasure inside. Fiera held it up to the light. “Perfect.” She said under her breath, turning it around. It was a beautiful pinkish stone- rose quartz, perhaps? Perfectly formed. It would probably be quite valuable, and Fiera was quick to squirrel it away.
Fiera 11 Algol 6.1/6.1 [Post 11]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 7:36:56 GMT -6
She put the rose quartz in her mining cart, and quickly closed it before turning back to the tunnel. She put her chisel back and took out her flashlight instead. It was shiny and new, freshly bought from The Underground, and loaded up with batteries. Unlike the tunnel’s original lights, this one wasn’t going to be dying on her any time soon. It also helped that it was in her favorite color and matched her hard hat. She turned it on with a satisfying click, and scanned the surrounding area. Sure enough, the tunnel looked how she recalled. The fact that the battery was still off and the tunnel was still uncovered implied that it’s “owner” hadn’t been back since last time either. That was good- it meant that Fiera didn’t have to worry about any traps being left for her, or any other surprise.
Fiera 12 Algol 6.2/6.2 [Post 12]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 7:43:50 GMT -6
She stepped into the tunnel’s yawning entrance carefully, rocks and grit crunching under her feet. She held her pick axe in one hand, ready for any valuable looking veins of minerals that might crop up- or any dangerous cave critters for that matter. She had found a couple last time after all. Algol followed loyally, snuffing the air around them. She supposed this must have been all new for him. He was used to fresh air and sunshine, long days playing in the public park. Something like this was completely foreign to him, tight spaces and winding passages. Still, it didn’t seem to stress him out, in fact it was quite the contrary. He seemed perfectly comfortable in here, curious even. She supposed it was a rather dragon-ly instinct to be comfortable in caves. That’s where they always hung out in myths and legends after all, perched on piles of gems, coins, and princesses.
Fiera 13 Algol 6.3/6.3 [Post 13]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 7:51:17 GMT -6
Algol was a real dragon though, and this was a real cave. She didn’t think Sarane actually hoarded treasure- it was likely just the cavalcade of new sights and smells that interested the brown whelp so much. She hardly minded him sniffing around either- if he could keep himself entertained, that was fine by her. She smirked as she watched him climb up walls and jump off rocks, trying to catch droplets dripping from the ceiling in his mouth. Yes, entertainment was certainly in hot demand down here. She’d have her own “fun” mining though. After all, there was no more thrilling feeling, in her opinion, than cracking open a rock and finding something that would make you rich inside. She had had that at least once on this trip already, and she wasn’t about to stop now. In the meantime, she scanned the walls around her for a good spot.
Fiera 14 Algol 6.4/6.4 [Post 14]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 7:56:19 GMT -6
Finally, she spotted something on her right side. The wall on that side was decorated with the strips of LED lights, but behind those was a long streak of shimmering rock. If the lights were on, you wouldn’t be able to tell it was there, but by changing the angle of her flashlight, Fiera could see that the light refracted slightly off of that patch. She supposed it was as good a spot to start mining as any, and adjusted her grip on the pick axe. She lifted it over her shoulder and swung, cracking off a large chunk of rock. Algol jumped at the noise, hissing at his owner. “It’s fiiiine.” Fiera said, continuing to work. “It won’t hurt you.” Algol still continued hissing however, and hung back behind a rich. Fiera rolled her eyes- he’d just have to get used to it. She was hardly going to stop after all.
Fiera 15 Algol 7.0/7.0 [Post 15]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 8:33:14 GMT -6
She kept on cracking pieces off, letting them fall to the floor at her feet. She was careful to avoid the strings of lights- she was fine with mining this tunnel, but she didn't want to damage someone else's property. Especially not if it meant giving up some of her hard earned credits. No, she'd just have to avoid the lights. Soon enough, she had a sizeable shallow cut along the wall, with a fair amount of rubble at her feet. Just as she predicted, Algol was starting to calm down- still flinching every time she made a move, but slowly creeping closer again. Soon, his head lunged forward and he snatched a particularly shiny piece of rubble from Fiera's feet, and ran off with it. Fiera glanced back- it didn't look too important, so she decided to let him have it. If he wanted a random rock, that was fine by her.
Fiera 16 Algol 7.1/7.1 [Post 16]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 9:55:01 GMT -6
She kept glancing over her shoulder as she worked- Algol sure was going to town on that rock he picked up, chewing on it and shaking his head. Every couple of seconds he'd let go (thought whether it was on purpose or on accident Fiera couldn't tell), sending the rock skittering off elsewhere, at which point he'd chase after it, pounce upon it, and start gnawing on it or batting it again. It was, frankly, adorable. She was glad he was having fun. Algol spent so much time cooped up in the kennel while she trained other pets, worked, and attended events that she was sure he had a lot of energy to get out by this point. Fiera did too, but that was more due to excitement for mining than it was due to being cooped up. To be honest, she was of the opinion that she worked too much.
Fiera 17 Algol 7.2/7.2 [Post 17]
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