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Post by Ashe on Jun 4, 2019 17:41:26 GMT -6
She'd have to wait until Ashe was back and able to figure it out for her. Maybe Ashe could teach her about the different stones. One day, he might do that. She was sure she'd be able to pick up on it, and maybe he would even be shocked by how well she retained information. She was pretty smart, if she said so herself. She understood what Ashe wanted, what he was saying, and knew almost everything there was to know about mining itself. She was much more skilled than him, and it seemed much more lucky. Inyala, however, just didn't have the knack. Brazin had thought Ashe was a slow miner, back when they were competing to see who could dig a tunnel faster, but Inyala took the cake and the ice cream along with it!
Ashe was definitely getting closer. It felt like the crystal was going to burn a hole through his pocket as it reacted to the one nearby. He felt like he had approached all that he could on the X axis, so to speak, so Ashe tried to feel how high or low... It turned out to be low. He crouched down and he could almost see it, even with his eyes closed and his world pitch black.
Inyala: 6 4/5 Brazin: 9 0/5 Ashe: 1 13/20
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Post by Jack on Jun 4, 2019 18:02:16 GMT -6
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Post by Ashe on Jun 5, 2019 17:16:11 GMT -6
Now seeking Chaos Crystals
Ashe reached out and felt the wall, searching, seeking. He knew the crystal had to be around here somewhere... Hopefully it wasn't in the stone. He gasped out loud when his hand pushed a little harder and actually fell into the hole behind it. The thin layer of rock had been eroding away, it seemed, and the wall itself wasn't the most stable thing, though it held up while Ashe's hands made quick work of the crumbling part. He reached inside, taking a big risk in doing so. There could be a spider, or a snake, or any multitude of monsters in there. But instead, his hands found two sleek crystals. TWO!? He opened his eyes and saw the shimmering purple in his hands. Wow, how incredible a find was that? He quickly stood up and pocketed them, briefly trying to focus enough to see if there was anything else nearby.
Brazin and Inyala continued to work together in silence and in the dark. It was Brazin who continued to find things, this time in the shape of a small round chunk that might, with some light on it, be revealed to be a paridot chunk, a splendid green. And apparently abundant, being it was one of Ashe's most frequently mined minerals.
Inyala: 7 0/5 Brazin: 9 1/5 Ashe: 1 14/20
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Post by Ashe on Jun 5, 2019 17:26:31 GMT -6
Ashe hurried the rest of the way back to their starting point. He arrived without feeling the tug from any other crystals, thankfully, and located the light and the cart. He picked up the rope in one hand, the rod in the other, and he started yet again down the path he had trudged up and down how many times so far tonight. It was definitely boring, and it felt twice if not three times as long as when he had had company with him. Once again, he felt a stab of loneliness, but he was soothed by the soft magical comfort of the crystals in his pocket. He had found so many, he couldn't believe it. If his luck could hold up a little bit more, he might be able to make a Node right here!
Brazin worked the small stone free and rolled it around in her clawed hands. She was knocking off all the dirt and stuff that she could, doing most of the work for Ashe since there wasn't much else for them to do in the darkness. Once she was done, she dropped off the gem. Inyala, unfortunately, didn't have anything to add to the pile, nothing to contribute, but she was still trying with the chisel.
Inyala: 7 1/5 Brazin: 9 2/5 Ashe: 1 15/20
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Post by Ashe on Jun 5, 2019 17:38:48 GMT -6
Inyala was giving it her all, but she was by now very convinced that this was just not her thing. It was too difficult to chip away at rock for anything halfways productive. Brazin went back to her spot on the wall and started clawing away at the rock and loose dirt. Inyala could hear her, but had difficulty seeing her, even the slightest shadow in the darkness. She was growing bored of this. With a snap of her fingers, she summoned a small flame and, with some work, she kept it balanced above her finger. The light was blinding after the darkness, and it even startled Brazin, causing her to spin around and see what it was. Just Inyala. Just an imp that was tired of not seeing anything.
Ashe was back to where he had found the crystals. Though he was moving slowly with his burden, he was going even slower through this particular spot, just in case something popped out at him. He tried to linger, thinking maybe something would whisper, but there was nothing. He sighed and continued on, carefully but quickly. He supposed on man could only have so much luck at any given time, and Ashe had used his up for the time being.
Inyala: 7 2/5 Brazin: 9 3/5 Ashe: 1 16/20
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Post by Ashe on Jun 5, 2019 17:46:50 GMT -6
Ashe was getting closer and closer, and then suddenly he was in the spot standing between three gaping holes in the walls. The passages. He'd be back with his troupe in three simple minutes and everything would be normal again. He was strangely excited to see his comrades again, but first - he had to set this up. He took the cart over and leaned it against the wall, then drove the rod attached to the light into the ground so it would remain upright and standing, casting a glow through the whole room. In this new, bright glow, Ashe spotted something pink laying off to the side, in the mouth of the road not yet traveled. He walked over and picked it up, wondering what it could be. It was a round chunk of pink rock - not a gem, but a mind crystal! He needed this! This would be perfect for node creation, wouldn't it? He quickly walked over and deposited it into the cart.
With Inyala's ember flame dancing around on her finger, Brazin was able to better see what she was doing. With a quiet nod of thanks, she started tearing into the wall with a newfound confidence, happy to be able to see what she was doing once again.
Inyala: 7 3/5 Brazin: 9 4/5 Ashe: 1 17/20
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Post by Ashe on Jun 5, 2019 17:53:59 GMT -6
It was great that they were finally able to overcome differences and set them aside, to come together in teamwork and help one another. Inyala was providing Brazin with the light she needed, and Brazin was able to dig enough for the both of them. Without inyala, she had been able to dig, but not see what she was doing, and sometimes not see if she missed anything. Inyala, still providing the light, was able to sift through the dirt discarded below and find a chunk of pyrite. She left Brazin just long enough to drop it off in the pile they were leaving for Ashe, then she was right back with the gargoyle and shining again. Brazin continued to work, until she heard that fateful sound. She stopped and looked up suddenly, listening. This spooked Inyala a bit, whose flame went out when she lost concentration. She chirped in distress, then snapped her fingers again and brought the ember back to life. She shined it around the cavern, trying to see whatever it was Brazin had sensed. And then she heard it, too - footsteps approaching. She froze. Was it Ashe?
A bobbing light appeared from around the bend, quickly followed by a body that was holding the light on its head. It was Ashe!
Inyala: 7 4/5 Brazin: 10 0/5 Ashe: 1 18/20
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Post by Jack on Jun 5, 2019 18:31:44 GMT -6
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Post by Ashe on Jun 7, 2019 18:03:50 GMT -6
His little demon was so excited to see him that she rushed over and leaped, climbing up his leg and sitting on his shoulder. Though she was her own person, so to speak, she had come to value Ashe's companionship and adventurous lifestyle. To be separated from him, even for a little while, was strange indeed. And though she had had fun with Brazin, toward the end there when she had discovered how she could do something to help out, she much preferred to sit on his shoulder and watch and tell Ashe what to do.
Brazin looked up and clicked her beak at him in greeting, then paused in what she was doing to walk over to the pile of stuff they had found. She stood over the pile, not quite obediently domesticated enough to hand the stuff to Ashe, but she wanted to make sure he saw that they had been productive even without his human interference. But Ashe had been productive, too, and he excitedly showed his companions the crystals that he had found. "Looks like we both did great, huh?" He pocketed his crystals again and started to pick up the stones they'd found. He and Inyala walked back down the short path to deposit the stones in the cart.
Inyala: 8 0/5 Brazin: 10 1/5 Ashe: 1 19/20
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Post by Ashe on Jun 14, 2019 19:14:50 GMT -6
Inyala helped him carry some of the stones, the smaller ones that she could manage. Together, they dumped their find into the cart and headed back to Brazin. That was when Ashe felt the tug again. How many crystals was he going to find down this mine shaft? He liked this a lot and would definitely have to revisit it when they got going further. He closed his eyes and concentrated, letting the crystal guide him to it instead of him trying to find where it was. He stepped to the right- no, to the left. Forward, closer, warmer... Colder. He adjusted. Warmer, warmer... Hot... The energy was brimming inside him, vibrating his bones, demanding. And then - here. He reached up and started to use the pick axe he'd retrieved to dig into the wall. It was close to the surface, easy to call him to it, and also easy to unearth. Inyala climbed up his leg, hopped across his back, and perched on his shoulder to watch her master. She could pick up on the magical energy, too, but not as well as Ashe could. He seemed to be really in tune with it today.
Brazin clawed along at the wall in the dark. Ashe's absence didn't seem to bother her.
Inyala: 0 1/5 Brazin: 0 2/5 Ashe: 2 0/20
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Post by Ashe on Jun 14, 2019 19:34:15 GMT -6
Ashe felt the crystal, rather than seeing it, when he chipped away the last bit of rock covering it. He opened his eyes and saw - huh, this was a Chaos Crystal, not a Tainted Crystal. He knew instantly because he had one already, but also because this was the second type of node he wanted to collect. He felt like it was the same chaotic energy that he'd given to Ghidorah, and he still felt the thrills and the temors of it when Sparky got excited. Ashe could relate, and wanted it for himself, even if it wasn't as comforting and 'at home' feeling as the dark magic was. Order and Light were not for him, that was for sure! He gently pried the crystal free, wiggling it until it was loose. He showed his shoulder demon his prize. "Top priority, Inyala," He informed her. He wished she could locate the crystals for him, that would make this a lot easier. With a relaxed sigh, like someone who'd been holding his breath and could now breathe again, the pair of them turned and started walking again.
Brazin heard footsteps approaching, and she felt a magical presence different from before. Her own socketing, bestowing upon her some powers of her own, reacted in kind, and she could recognize what was coming. Ashe must have found something.
Inyala: 0 2/5 Brazin: 0 3/5 Ashe: 0 1/20
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Post by Ashe on Jun 14, 2019 19:42:02 GMT -6
But he wasn't the only one that found something. Her claws scraped across something metal and she froze, well trained and versed in what she was mining for, and this was some of it. She started to pay more attention to what she was doing on the wall, and less to what Ashe was doing down the passageway. Clawing and feeling and poking around, she eventually figured out where the beginning and end to the ore she'd just found was. She quickly chipped away at the perimeter and pried a chunk free. She poked and prodded, getting as much dirt off as she could, then she set it aside for Ashe to find when he got back. She widened the hole she'd made while getting the ore out, mining out all the rock that wasn't needed.
Soon, Ashe and Inyala joined her. The Imp hopped down from Ashe's shoulder, spotting the chunk of ore Brazin had mined up instantly. She investigated it, then motioned for Ashe to come and look. At what she had found. She held it up, briefly trying to take credit - but Brazin wasn't going to have any of that. The Gargoyle snapped her beak and let out a rumbly growl, like the sound of rocks falling somewhere down the tunnel away from them.
Inyala: 0 3/5 Brazin: 0 4/5 Ashe: 0 2/20
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Post by Ashe on Jun 14, 2019 19:49:26 GMT -6
Inyala jumped at the sudden sound and crouched low to the ground, hissing at the gargoyle. Ashe had never seen them fight like this before, but it was also the most time that they had ever spent this close to each other. Usually Inyala stayed on his shoulder and didn't venture close to Brazin, and not to mention the time they'd spent alone without him even in the room. As he watched, Inyala snapped her fingers and brought forth some flame, balancing it on the tip of a clawed finger. Threatening. He rolled his eyes. "Y'la, stop."
Instantly, the flame went out. The Imp looked up at Ashe, the aggression fading away after the scolding from her master. She picked up the chunk of ore she'd dropped anyway and balanced it under an arm, leaping up and climbing up Ashe's clothes to reach his shoulder. She chattered a bit to him, showing him what Brazin had found. Ashe nodded his approval and took it, sliding it into a different pocket. He wouldn't have much room for ores there, but for now it was fine.
"Thank you, both of you, for your help," He said, hefting up his pickaxe and getting ready to go back to work himself. It was about time he got the ball rolling again!
Inyala: 0 4/5 Brazin: 1 0/5 Ashe: 0 3/20
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Post by Renathan on Jun 15, 2019 11:19:30 GMT -6
Oh, what a strange geode! And a very pretty striated green stone...
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Post by Ashe on Jun 21, 2019 18:48:57 GMT -6
They worked on in silence, Brazin turning back around and pretending nothing had even happened, and Inyala sitting on Ashe's shoulder. He couldn't see her face, but he could imagine her glaring, arms crossed, at the Gargoyle, plotting some sort of revenge. While normally Inyala was pliable and obedient, sometimes she got a streak in her where she just wanted to pull pranks and sabotage others. Ashe supposed the former was due to him working with her constantly, and the latter was what she would be like without him around. But he didn't know for sure, and decided it would be best to keep her busy instead. "Keep an eye out," He told her, and he set to work mining the wall near, but not too close to, the gargoyle. Inyala nodded and glanced around, both guarding Ashe's six as well as keeping an eye out for shinies. She could get used to life down here, she figured. Dark, close quarters, yet she had no problem getting around.
Brazin's claws went through the gravel-like stone like butter. She brushed clawfuls of it away off to the sides, forming small piles. Nothing of interest tended to be in that mess, so she didn't sift through it. It pretty much crumbled anyway, and would have revealed its secrets.
Inyala: 1 0/5 Brazin: 1 1/5 Ashe: 0 4/20
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