|
Post by Renathan on Sept 3, 2019 17:03:21 GMT -6
Two beautiful stones were waiting for the taking; a pretty pale blue-green one, and a rich blue with speckles.
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 19, 2019 20:44:53 GMT -6
Silence could be more unnerving than terrifying noises at times. At least if there were growls or loud footsteps, she could predict when something was going to attack her, but with silence there was no warning. Koyuki’s presence gave her comfort. She would likely be able to sense even a silent foe. Leafy let herself to relax a bit. The halfbreed seemed calm enough for now, so there was no immediate need to worry. Snap was less calm, but he seemed more excited about finding gems than scared.
“What do you have over there?” she questioned the little halfbreed.
Snap had crawled on top of a small stash of gems and was checking them over carefully. Leafy crouched down next to him in order to investigate them for herself. It was too dark to make out exactly what gems they were, but she decided to take them considering that Snap was interested in them. She placed them in her backpack, wincing a bit at the extra weight. Once she was ready, she beckoned for both of her companions to continue onwards. The ground continued to slope which made progress slow going. It seemed like it would be a long while before they reached the bottom.
(Snap 20 1/5, 25 1/5 | Koyuki 6 4/5, 9 4/5)
111
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 19, 2019 22:19:36 GMT -6
Leafy wished she had some way of telling how far she was from the bottom of this path. She didn’t mind venturing into the unknown. She was simply growing impatient with how long it was taking. She inhaled deeply, trying to keep herself calm. Perhaps the boredom could be dispelled if she tried being more active in her gem finding. She fixed her gaze on Koyuki, deciding to observe the halfbreed for a moment. The creature was a bit of an enigma to her. She was intelligent, it was clear that she had more wisdom than a lot of her other creatures.
“You can understand me, right?” she asked the halfbreed.
Koyuki tilted her head, deciding not to confirm or deny the question. Leafy decided that the halfbreed liked to keep her secrets. Snap pounced forward, his tail wagging up and down. It appeared something had caught his attention. Leafy shone the flashlight forward, illuminating the patch of ground that Snap had just jumped onto. She squinted, the light not being bright enough for her eyes to see everything as clearly as she wished. From what she could tell, there were small, black shapes moving across the ground. Perhaps some type of bug?
(Snap 20 2/5, 25 2/5 | Koyuki 7, 10)
112
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 19, 2019 23:38:19 GMT -6
Leafy wasn’t particularly fond of the creepy crawlies that resided within the mines. She didn’t like when they crawled on her skin in the darkness. Certain insects could be dangerous and it unnerved her when it was too dark to identify them. Snap seemed intrigued with the insects, a rather unusual turn for him. Usually the mining familiar was focused on the task at hand. To her, he appeared almost as though to be having fun chasing the insects. Koyuki glanced back at them, wondering why the two of them had stopped. She stalked closer to the small halfbreed, it was unclear whether it was out of curiosity or annoyance.
Leafy watched the two of them for a moment. Koyuki didn’t appear annoyed, instead she joined Snap in carefully observing the strange insects. The girl was still unable to identify them, which made her all the more curious as to why both of her pets were so intrigued by them. She crept closer, not needing to be stealthy, but not wanting to disturb her pets. She kept the light steady. The insects didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. In fact, it almost seemed as though they were attracted to it.
(Snap 20 3/5, 25 3/5 | Koyuki 7 1/5, 10 1/5)
113
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 20, 2019 22:02:43 GMT -6
Leafy decided to test out the insects by moving the flashlight. She moved the light a bit away from her pets. The reaction from the insects was immediate. They moved as though they were a single unit. It reminded her almost of the ability hive mind, though she didn’t have an awful lot of experience with it. Koyuki and Snap followed the insects, though they kept their distance from the creatures, almost as though they were afraid of disturbing the bugs. Leafy moved the light again, this time further down the path. The bugs chased the light immediately once more. They were definitely attracted to it.
“Now that explains the bugs, but that doesn’t explain why the two of you are so interested in the bugs,” Leafy said.
Koyuki tilted her head at the girl, as though contemplating a way to communicate the secret behind the bugs. She waved her tail at the girl, beckoning her close. Leafy complied, shuffling close to Snap and Koyuki as they observed the bugs. She held the flashlight steady to ensure that the bugs didn’t disappear. She watched the bugs closely, but she was still unable to figure out what their purpose was. She would need to watch for longer.
(Snap 20 4/5, 25 4/5 | Koyuki 7 2/5, 10 2/5)
114
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 20, 2019 22:44:47 GMT -6
She felt like she had waited for a good five minutes before Koyuki indicated that she should turn off the light. The girl complied, still not sure why her pets were so intrigued with the insects. The only light that remained for the moment was the colourful glow of Snap’s crystals. She watched as the insects changed direction. Some headed straight for Snap. It was inevitable considering his natural glow. Leafy could not see the other very well, but she knew they had taken a different direction. She watched Koyuki who was well equipped to see in the darkness.
The halfbreed followed the insects, moving silently and slower than the girl would have expected. She seemed interested in the path that the light seeking insects were taking. They moved further down the slope, but they didn’t continue to the end. They stopped a few meters ahead, disappearing into a crevice that Leafy could hardly distinguish in the shadows. Leafy knew that the insects were attracted to light, she had already tested and proven that. That meant that there was light somewhere on the other side of this tunnel wall. And if Koyuki and Snap were so interested in it, perhaps there would be gems there as well.
(Snap 21, 26 | Koyuki 7 3/5, 10 3/5)
115
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 20, 2019 23:32:53 GMT -6
She supposed the only way to find out what lay behind the tunnel wall would be to break through it. Snap stepped over. His interest captured by the task at hand. He scanned the wall and began to sniff at the different areas closest to the crevice the insects were spilling into. She felt the tools she was carrying on her shoulder, searching for the right one. The pick would be the most useful tool for the job. If she could find a weak area in the wall, it would be the tool that could bring it down. Hopefully Snap could guide her to such a spot.
Koyuki was a silent observer in the process. She hung back a bit, waiting for Snap to finish investigating the wall. When the tiny halfbreed had found what he was looking for, he waved his tail up and down, causing the glowing light from his crystals to bounce around the tunnel. Leafy was reminded to turn on her flashlight and she winced when light flooded the tunnel. She had grown used to the darkness and the light pierced her eyes. It took a few seconds before she adjusted. Once she did, she grabbed the pick and swung it at the wall.
(Snap 21 1/5, 26 1/5 | Koyuki 7 4/5, 10 4/5)
116
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 20, 2019 23:58:20 GMT -6
Leafy braced herself for the impact of the pick colliding with the dirt and stone wall. She felt the shock of the impact jolt up her hands and for a brief moment she lamented on the fact that she hadn’t brought gloves with her. Koyuki sprung to the side, dodging a wayward cluster of stones that had broken free from the wall. Snap was unfazed by the pebbles that struck him. Perhaps it was the construction of his body that prevented him from worrying about tunnel collapses. His one parent had been part spirit, perhaps that had more of an effect on his composition than she had been aware of.
“Well that’s certainly a good start,” she remarked.
The wall itself had a sizable indent in the front of it. It helped that Leafy was chipping away close to the large crevice that was already etched into the surface. Her goal now was to make it even weaker until it split open entirely. She hoped that she had the strength to accomplish the task. She glanced at Koyuki, not surprised that the halfbreed was watching her patiently. If Leafy had bothered to train her companions, they might have been able to use a move to bring the wall down.
(Snap 21 2/5, 26 2/5 | Koyuki 8, 11)
117
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 0:20:34 GMT -6
Snap nudged her shoe with his tail. He seemed almost excited at the prospect of breaking through the wall and he didn’t seem to particularly enjoy the fact that Leafy was taking a bit of a breather. She wiped her sweaty palms on the fabric of her pants. Snap while impatient, was also encouraging and she figured she ought to hit the wall again. Koyuki settled back a bit further. Leafy figured that the halfbreed had chosen not to get hit by wayward rocks this time. She smiled as she thought of the halfbreed being concerned about getting dirty.
“I don’t mind the mud,” she told Koyuki.
If the halfbreed were one to make sound, she likely would have scoffed right there. Leafy snickered as she struck the pick against the wall. She didn’t strike it as hard this time, not seeing much of a need to. She wanted to save her energy and the wall was already weakened. She struck with precision and the blow was aimed to loosen a large rock. A spray of dirt followed and while the rock didn’t break free from the wall, it was now dislodged from the crevice. Another strike would likely knock it down.
(Snap 21 3/5, 26 3/5 | Koyuki 8 1/5, 11 1/5)
118
|
|
|
Post by Renathan on Sept 21, 2019 11:26:48 GMT -6
Two very pretty stones can be found nearby; thankfully they are easy to find thanks to poking through the mining wall, and being brightly colored!
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 13:32:15 GMT -6
Leafy could not suppress the cough that broke free from her throat as dust filled the air. Her work in the tunnel had loosened it and now the air was thick with a coating of it. She wiped her brow and examined the rest of the wall. She looked towards Snap for guidance, seeing as he seemed to have a natural talent for figuring out the best way to bring down a tunnel wall. Koyuki was less experienced than the mining familiar was, but she watched intently, eager to learn from the other creature. Teamwork was essential for an exploration team.
She gripped the pick, watching Snap as he gestured towards another area on the wall. It was clear that he wanted her to strike there. She set the flashlight down on a rock, making sure to angle it so that the exact spot she was to hit was illuminated. Koyuki moved so that she was positioned behind the flashlight. The girl gripped the pick in her hand. She didn’t hold it too tightly, simply secure enough to keep it from flying out of her hands. She inhaled deeply as she raised the pick. Then, with a wide swing, she brought the pick towards the wall.
(Snap 21 4/5, 26 4/5 | Koyuki 8 2/5, 11 2/5)
119
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 16:44:33 GMT -6
As the pick collided with the wall, two gems that had been lodged in the dirt loosened and crashed to the ground. Leafy jumped in surprise, she hadn’t seen them. Snap leaped forward, eager to investigate the new treasure. She appreciated the help. The mining familiar checked them over carefully before looking expectantly up at Leafy. The girl stepped over, making sure to avoid accidentally stepping on Koyuki as she moved. Not that the halfbreed would simply allow herself be trampled on. She still didn’t want to annoy her. She leaned down and scooped up the gems, rubbing off the dirt that clung to their surface.
“I can’t quite tell what these are, they’re still too dirty,” she remarked.
She shrugged as she placed the gems in her backpack. There would be time to clean them fully later. She glanced back at the wall, assessing the damage that she and her pick had done to it. The wall itself was looking in rough shape. Dirt streamed down the wall, having broken loose by the sharp impact of her pick. Koyuki kept her distance, her body tense with anticipation. With a little more effort, she felt certain that the entire wall would collapse.
(Snap 22, 27 | Koyuki 8 3/5, 11 3/5)
120
|
|
|
Post by Renathan on Sept 21, 2019 16:57:02 GMT -6
A really neat cracked-open geode can be found among rocks nearby. What a nice golden color!
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 17:19:30 GMT -6
Snap pounced on an object, his tail waving wildly as he tried to signal her to come over. Koyuki watched him carefully, she leaned forward a bit, presumably trying to get a closer look at whatever it was he had found. She settled back after a short while, having lost interest in Snap and his strange object. Leafy was more intrigued than the halfbreed had been. She leaned in close, noticing the round surface of a geode when she saw one. The geode itself had been opened, perhaps it had cracked open when it had fallen from the wall.
“It’s not as valuable as a regular gem, but it’s still a good find,” she informed him.
Snap looked pleased with himself as Leafy added the geode to her backpack. The weight of her backpack was steadily growing and it would take her a moment to adjust. She grabbed her pick and turned back to the wall. She wanted to bring it down, but now she would need to figure out how to do that safely. She glanced at Koyuki, noting the continued tension in her body. Snap glanced up at the wall, concentration etched into his features. Did he have a plan?
(Snap 22 1/5, 27 1/5 | Koyuki 8 4/5, 11 4/5)
121
|
|
|
Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 18:03:53 GMT -6
Snap glanced up at her, he blinked once at her before turning back to the wall. Leafy figured he was scanning it, trying to find the next best spot to serve their purpose. Koyuki moved closer to Leafy, pressing close to the girl’s legs. She seemed relaxed now, perhaps Snap’s careful planning was helping to set her at ease. They waited for a short while before Snap began to wave his tail enthusiastically once again. Once he had Leafy’s attention, he gestured above himself. It appeared he was telling her to hit the wall where there was a sizable indent already in it. Dirt streamed around the indent, indicating that it was already weaked.
“Alright, you might want to step back for a moment,” she told her pets.
She raised the pick and struck quickly, not wanting to lose sight of the spot that Snap had pointed out to her. The girl braced herself as the pick hit the wall. At first, she thought the impact hadn’t even had an effect at all. Soon the dirt surrounding the indent began to break free in thick streams. There wasn’t a single collapse of the wall, instead it seemed the wall was slowly disintegrating.
(Snap 22 2/5, 27 2/5 | Koyuki 9, 12)
122
|
|