Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 14:54:15 GMT -6
Looking back at the wall, the sphinx now had to consider two options: own up to the actual worry in her mind, no matter how founded and/or reversely paranoid.. or keep digging. Not liking the prospect of having to explain truth and lying to the gargoyle, she used that through to continue hacking at the wall, albeit with some more caution that wasn't there before.
The wall didn't really yield any particular secrets regarding the water, as it seemed far too thick to chip through by single pickaxe alone (and they weren't in the situation to devote an over-abundance of time for this little 'research'), but there was something else blue about it.
When pulling away a particularly large piece of rock, one side of it came loose a lot easier than the mammalian expected. Upon inspections, it appeared the reason for such was that the underside was a completely different mineral.
(263) Darky: 263 Ras Dashen: 129 (3/5) / 129 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 14:57:45 GMT -6
The ears perked, as she adjusted the flashlight to shine down into the deeper part of the crack. Sure enough, a brilliant blue glint shone back with a bright and bold hue. Strong enough that she almost though to have stumbled across something like a sapphire, but further clearing of the rock around it brought out other colours as well, such as blacks and whites. It wasn't until she was able to properly dislodge it from the wall entirely and dust off the debris that the proper inspection finally gave the rock a name.
Apatite. Unusual in how the colours striped, and not generally used for a lot of traditional jewellery, but certainly a combination of colours to behold. And in a funny sort of sense, ironic: She set out to locate the blue of the water, and instead found ocean and rain cloud encased in a stone. Which, honestly, was a much fairer trade.
(264) Darky: 264 Ras Dashen: 129 (4/5) / 129 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:01:49 GMT -6
Returning to the cart the mammalian carefully deposited the gemstone into the hold, where a number of fellow tag-alongs were taking a well-deserved nap. Not quite so was the gargoyle, who was doing his best to appear resting, but the sphinx could still sense the subtle buzz of an active mind.
"How are you feeling, Ras?" she asked, dusting off her hands, and nevermind there was an empathic bond between them.
Good, the gargoyle responded, already shifting up onto his feet. We go? We dig? This was his usual way of trying to ask for instructions, when the immediate course of action was unclear.
The sphinx thought about it. "I suppose a bit of both," she mused in return, indicating for the gargoyle to pull the cart along, "We'll have to see what else happens on our way, but mostly we'll be going." This Ras understood, and he shifted his weight a little more forward to help give the cart extra momentum.
(265) Darky: 265 Ras Dashen: 130 (0/5) / 130 (0/5)
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Post by Nadia on Jul 24, 2023 21:53:28 GMT -6
Not much time is given to reflect on what's going to happen next. There is the distinct sound of rumbling in the tunnels, growing closer and closer, and then-- bam!! Crashing through a wall mere metres away, the head of an enormous tunnel worm. Its destructive path has knocked a few other things loose, too. Should you avoid it, or is it worth becoming its friend...? To Tame the Tunnel Worm: Make at least 4-10 RP posts interacting with the creature and trying to tame it. At the end of your taming attempt, make your last post with [done] and wait for staff approval.
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 12:28:43 GMT -6
( Taming: 1 )
The mammalian excited in a perpetual present, being respective of the past and mindful of the future. This, however, didn't make her immune to falling prey to hindsight, nor the art of unintentional jinxing. It wasn't even moments after she'd finished explaining to Ras that they'll "see what comes across their path", when both sphinx and gargoyle felt a tremor through their feet. Already on a slight edge from the cave-in, the sphinx's mind was quick to assume the worst, instinctually making a connection to the tunnel becoming unstable and potentially crashing down onto them.
Ras was a little less elegant in his assumptions, knowing a tremor could be any number of things, but mostly stopping and assuming the posture which indicated that he'd fight the entire rock slide if he had it, and it would only need to give him the barest of reason. With a gnash of a beak, the gargoyle braced his feet..
(266) Darky: 266 Ras Dashen: 130 (1/5) / 130 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 12:33:52 GMT -6
( Taming: 2 )
The shaking continued and was immediately followed by small pieces of rock falling and sliding out of the wall as they tumbled past both mammalian and gargoyle, bouncing off helmet and cart. Now, in actuality, the entirety of the scene would last perhaps only a mere couple of seconds.. but adrenaline was a wondrous thing, even in someone who might have thought themselves already so depleted of it. The sphinx's head shot up, staring at the ceiling, fearing to see the cracks that were surely forming, about to loosen another hellish cascade upon them..
..but no, the rock above was solid, and the fall would never come. Instead, just as her brow was faintly starting to furrow, the reverberations intensified, quaking rocks even settled on the ground now..
And the wall mere meters from their position exploded into rock, debris and minor shrapnel, as something giant suddenly pushed itself through: thick-skinned, long-bodied, dark-coloured, beady-eyed.. and absolutely furious.
(267) Darky: 267 Ras Dashen: 130 (2/5) / 130 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 12:38:54 GMT -6
( Taming: 3 )
While the ceiling wasn't about to crush them, the sheer amount of rock displaced by the strange intruder was a whole other story. Senses shooting to focused sharpness, the mammalian reacted quickly, sliding over to Ras' side even as her hands pulled threads through the ether and something shimmered green at the back of the head. Just as she grabbed onto the gargoyle, pulling him into a forced hug, the rocky floor in front of them shot up a shield of pebbles, blocking the debris from hitting them fully.
It was a small shield, made largely on rapid instinct, and it was quick to break, but the rocks that did end up pushing past it had since lost their momentum, largely bouncing off harmlessly. The tunnel remained reverberating in a strange manner, something which would be explained later, but the explosion itself had then dissipated, with only dust still slowly settling in the air.
(268) Darky: 268 Ras Dashen: 130 (3/5) / 130 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 12:50:23 GMT -6
( Taming: 4 )
The sphinx coughed, wiping both dust and minor debris off herself, as she and Ras rose back onto their feet. Ahead of them, something moved in the silhouette of the dust, something which was... very large. There was a very small, very hopeful part of the mammalian's mind, that saw the vaguely serpentine shape, and felt a correlation towards certain serpentine large guys under her own care.. but even that part was quick to realize something was very, very, VERY off.
The air around them vibrated, as the shadow shifted, turned, and a part of it emerged from the dust: a red conical dome split into four quarters, pock-marked by rock and soil, and surrounded in a halo of smaller spikes. Darky knew the shape of it, and knew the species it belonged to, but she had NEVER seen one this large before, much less mere meters away from them and looking rather displeased.
(269) Darky: 269 Ras Dashen: 130 (4/5) / 130 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 12:54:50 GMT -6
( Taming: 5 )
Move. Move, move, MOVE, they needed to move. Urgently, she grabbed Ras by the harness and began pulling him back, before the head had fully emerged from the dust. With quick motions the leashes clicked off and the poor gargoyle was dragged to behind the cart, where he and the mammalian could huddle out of sight. In front of the cart, the tunnel worm's head studied the now-empty hall, and this.. strange box-shaped thing in the way.
Now, Ras hadn't really relented on his defensive (or offensive) posturing when all of this started, and fidgeted in the mammalian's grip as if he fully intended to jump out and bite this thing that could use him as a toothpick. Quiet, quiet! We need to stay still and silent, the mammalian insisted, holding onto him. She didn't really have a plan as such past that.. Everything up to that point had been largely reactionary.
(270) Darky: 270 - (added) Ras Dashen: 131 (0/5) / 131 (0/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 12:58:41 GMT -6
( Taming: 6 )
A couple more seconds ticked past, as the worm hovered over and beside the cart, blind to the space behind it, but otherwise looking no less intent on leaving this strange thing alone. Managing her breath, the sphinx tried rather frantically to recall what she knew about the worms, anything from past encounters with the smaller ones, or what she might have read. It wasn't much, but some of it was still useful.
Right, so.. they're not known to be very smart, they're not blind but their eyesight isn't exactly sharp either, they largely eat things whole (which wasn't a comforting thought at all), and.. were they territorial? No? Ugh, she couldn't recall that one.. And arguably the worst one to forget as well.
The air reverberated again, as the worm shifted, four-part mouth opening slightly as if it's trying to sense the cart, but getting nothing. And then, rather without much warning, it shrieked.
(271) Darky: 271 Ras Dashen: 131 (1/5) / 131 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 13:02:41 GMT -6
( Taming: 7 )
Anything shrieking in a tunnel was likely to be a recipe for disaster, for the walls are always close and the noise gets easily funnelled. When something giant shrieks, the whole tunnel shakes. Even Ras cowered at that along with the sphinx, as the latter tried to close her head to no avail. The worm then shifted its head and thrashed it into a nearby wall, as if in frustration.
Was it hungry? Is it mad because it tried to attack and eat them, only to miss out on a snack like them? No, no.. something was still wrong. Something didn't fit the equation. The mammalian stared ahead of herself as the noise echoed away into the tunnels, but the reverberation remained. It wasn't.. noise. It was sonic only in the same way air gets displaced around a particular object, but this happened in minute rhythms. A resonance exact enough to break or weaken rock.
(272) Darky: 272 Ras Dashen: 131 (2/5) / 131 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 13:07:24 GMT -6
( Taming: 8 )
The shriek was its voice, the resonance something it was doing with the whole of its body. Cautiously, the mammalian turned to peek from behind the cart, and watched as the worm rubbed its head against the tunnel wall, the rest of its body slithering behind it as if trying to shed an old skin. These ones didn't moult like other serpents, as far as she knew. And the body language was showing signs of distress.. Perhaps it wasn't angry? Perhaps it was merely frustrated with something, and taking it out on anything nearby.
Which was fine and dandy as a theory, but didn't really help them without knowing what was causing it exa--
Something flashed in the darkness along the worm's body. A minute speck of reflection far brighter than the scale-chitin mix of the worm.. The mammalian squinted against the darkness, for once wishing she had the cat-sight most other feline-bloods did.. and saw shards of purple crystal.
(273) Darky: 273 Ras Dashen: 131 (3/5) / 131 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 13:12:22 GMT -6
( Taming: 9 )
Semi-opaque, with a slightly blueish hint. The very same crystal lining the walls from the tunnel collapse they had so narrowly escaped. Except these were shaped like thing shards, and they looked to be stuck between the segments near the worm's head. And suddenly the sphinx realized, with widening eyes, that the worm wasn't angry, or frustrated, or hungry.. it was simply in pain.
And like as not, risky or not, she couldn't leave it like that.
"Stay here, Ras. I'm going to.. try something," she whispered to the gargoyle, as another part of a tunnel wall was annoyedly smashed by the worm beyond them. She silenced any follow-up protests with a look of unbrokered determination, a welcome sight considering its absence the last few hours. "Trust me. Stay safe."
The gargoyle did the rock version of grumbling, by pacing in spot, but begrudgingly agreed. With a nod, the sphinx turned and slowly walked out from behind the cart.
(274) Darky: 274 Ras Dashen: 131 (4/5) / 131 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 25, 2023 13:17:32 GMT -6
( Taming: 10 - Done! )
Her heart was pounding, but even that wasn't as loud as the worm's occasional shriek and smash into a nearby wall. It wasn't long before it finally noticed her walking towards it, slithering up to its full height and parting the plates of the mouth in a throaty hiss. The sphinx held up her hands, fingers faintly moving as the air around them shifted subtly. A little closer.. a little closer.. timing was going to be key, because she only had one shot to get it right, and get out.
The worm lunged, head lowering to the ground.. the mammalian wove her hands through the air.
Suddenly, it couldn't move. Lashed to the very air with currents like chains, some form of magic it never knew even existed. Using this moment, the sphinx dashed in towards the side of the head, grabbed the first crystal and yanked it free. Then the second, then the last third one. Already the aether tethers were buckling, so she quickly tossed the shards aside and retreated back to a safe distance.
When the worm finally broke free, the pain was gone, the mammalian was standing at the cart, and spoke in a mild, calm voice, "There.. see? No more pain." One would have to hope that leap of faith was going to be enough (or they'll need to see how good they were at outrunning a giant worm).
(275) Darky: 275 Ras Dashen: 132 (0/5) / 132 (0/5)
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Post by Nadia on Jul 25, 2023 22:02:25 GMT -6
A very astute catch, on your part. The move is risky, without a doubt, and the deafening shrieks accompanying each yank of crystal from its body are unpleasant. But, with the offending stones gone... the worm can take a breath, or its closest equivalent. Its long body shudders. Is that.. gratitude, in those beady eyes? [Congratulations, you have successfully tamed the tunnel worm!] Looks like there's a stone for you to hold on to, to boot...
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