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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 12, 2021 7:47:26 GMT -6
She happily placed it in the cart, nestling it in amongst the others. Almost immediately, Daisy crept up to it and climbed in, curling up amongst the crystals that were colored just like she was. Fiera chuckled. "Well hey, if it's comfy, you do you." She said. As long as the kitten wasn't making any escape attempts, Fiera was fine with it. As she turned back to the wall however, Fiera noticed a little red stone lying on the ground. "Ah, and how did you escape my notice?" She purred before picking it up. It was fiery red and hard to miss, though it was only about the size of a fingernail. Not worth it to most people, but definitely worth it to Fiera, considering how much... she enjoyed having valuables. She tossed it into the cart with nary a glance before examining the wall for the signs of any more valuables.
Fiera 2 Daisy 7.2/9.2 37
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 12, 2021 8:08:51 GMT -6
Sure enough there was a slight discoloration and difference in texture in one part, implying something right beneath the surface. A few quick taps with her pickaxe revealed a common gemstone in pearlescent white. She was happy to accept it of course, quickly sorting it into her mine cart, but it wasn't all that was in there. She kept on digging, pushing further and further until eventually not one, but TWO fossils were revealed! "Geez, this place must have been a death trap back in the day." Fiera said to herself while looking at them. She had found a ton of fossils in these upper tunnels. Perhaps that was just where all the best sandstone was? It was still surprising, no matter how much she appreciated the sudden windfall. Regardless, it looked like these two fossils weren't too closely related to each other either, being from completely different once living creatures.
Fiera 3 Daisy 7.3/9.3 38
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 12, 2021 8:17:08 GMT -6
It took her a surprisingly long time to get them out, however. Gemstones were one thing- they were rocks. They could be chipped if you weren't careful, but they weren't easily broken and Fiera was easily able to get them out with a bit of work. Fossils on the other hand were easily broken and were completely useless if damaged. So it took a lot of fine tuned care to wrestle them from the wall, but once she had them they were absolute beauties on two ends of the scale of size. One was a back vertebrae from some enormous beast, as big around as Fiera's thigh. She could only begin to imagine the massive creature it came from, likely even larger than anything thundergug here in the labs. And then there was the other fossil, a chunk of amber. This was sometimes considered a gemstone in itself, but that wasn't what Fiera was looking at.
Fiera 4 Daisy 7.4/9.4 39
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 12, 2021 8:22:17 GMT -6
Instead, she was gazing at the little flecks inside of it- small arthropods that had been frozen in time for millions of years. Fiera still wasn't a huge bug fan, but here she had the two ends of the scale. The fossil of a massive vertebrate, and a fossil of some of the smallest creatures the world knew. She put both of them into the mine cart, and then picked up the creature she had that was still living. "Ready to go, Daisy?" She said, to be met with an assenting honk. The humanish placed the young tailypo back in her shirt pocket and picked up the mine cart's lead again, ready to head out. Daisy had been remarkably patient through all of this- a trait that Fiera could appreciate. Between the two of them, they had had an incredibly successful trip out. Now all they had to do was find their way home.
Fiera 5 Daisy 8.0/10.0 40
(Fiera takes her findings and goes home.)
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Post by Jack on Sept 12, 2021 12:15:08 GMT -6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 11:03:15 GMT -6
Vai Min Mur celebrations were really starting to ramp up, and to that extent it turned out Fiera had the mines mostly to herself today. She wasn't sure if it was because the people of the labs were preferring to take part in the celebrations (or perhaps the unusual activity at the Eccentric's Mansion), or if something about deep, dark, spooky caves tended to send more of a shiver up peoples' spines more than usual this time of year. Regardless, the humanish was perfectly willing to take advantage of it. As she carefully stepped down into the 'main thoroughfare' of the mines, she didn't see anyone else around her. A rare sight to be sure, but that meant that she wasn't competing with anyone else for goods for once. She chuckled to herself- she could do whatever she wanted, and no one would be able to judge her for it. Fiera 6 Misery 5.1/0.1 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 11:22:31 GMT -6
Well. No one could judge her except for, perhaps, Misery. Fiera had never owned a Void Salaves before, nor had she really trained a salaves before in general. That was part of why she came down here today- to get to know him a little bit better. If there was one thing that she had learned in her research however, it was that void salaves were more intelligent than the other serpents of their species... to the point where some were able to learn how to speak! Fiera hadn't met a talking salaves yet though, and most of the ones she had met seemed like simple animals. They ate their food, they stared at her with vague interest, and overall they didn't act much different from any other reptile that Fiera owned. Misery on the other hand was quite obviously different. And it wasn't just because he was a version one salaves.
Fiera 7 Misery 5.2/0.2 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 11:31:17 GMT -6
She had met a couple of other version one salaves in passing of course, and they didn't act much different than the second version. Same general snake-like behavior, same undulating movements, same bizarre gliding ability. But Misery was different from them. She had heard the rumor about void salaves when she bought him from Zoological Imports. In fact, that was much of the reason WHY she bought him from there, due to that interesting uniqueness. From the second she got him though, the humanish got the feeling that she wasn't really being stared at in that blank, vague way, but OBSERVED. He sat on the top of her mine cart, a spot she managed to get him to move to after he refused to follow her on a lead alone. And from there he kept a keen purple eye trained on her, watching her every move. She got the feeling she was being... studied.
Fiera 8 Misery 6.0/0.3 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 11:36:56 GMT -6
As much as Fiera wanted to get to know Misery, she couldn't help but feel like he was getting to know HER just as well. It almost felt like she was at a job interview, though he could hardly say no to her owning him. Well, maybe he could. She had had her pets- ESPECIALLY her intelligent ones, though it was hard for her to call those "pets"- try to escape from her in the past, and it wouldn't be difficult for a creature of his color and quietness to disappear quickly in the mines. Though the further down they went, the harder it would be for him to get out on his own, and she doubted he would be able to find much food down here. Or at least, food that was nutritious and appealing. The gem creatures you definitely couldn't eat, and she doubted that karzik were particularly tasty.
Fiera 9 Misery 5.4/0.4 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 11:39:13 GMT -6
She supposed there was always the juicy, fat tunnel worms, but those tended to put up a fight. On some level perhaps he knew this, and that was why he hadn't moved from the top of the mine cart yet... or perhaps he didn't actually care one way or another about Fiera yet and just couldn't be bothered to move. Fiera had to admit, she wished that wasn't the case. He was pretty damn big for a snake, and it made pulling her mine cart a lot harder when he was sitting on it even though it was empty. She could only imagine how hard it would get once she filled it with gemstones and interesting rocks. Or at least, she hoped she would be doing that- she didn't see any promising veins of ore or sparkles along the rock yet, and mining randomly was always a luck of the draw sort of thing.
Fiera 10 Misery 6.0/1.0 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 12:01:26 GMT -6
She wondered what Misery would think of the whole affair, if he was truly as intelligent as the shopkeeper assured her. No doubt Fiera would seem insane to a degree, pounding away at the walls for just a little scrap of rock, no different to him than any other. Plus... he would have to get up when Fiera started mining, as she would need to put her findings inside the mine cart he was currently holding closed with his enormous bulk. That could wait until later though- Fiera was still looking for a nice start to get to digging. The tunnels further in were just as empty as the main hall, though Fiera was still in one of the larger ones, about seven feet wide and high. Normally there would be at least half a dozen people within one's line of sight down here, mining away at the rich walls.
Fiera 11 Misery 6.1/1.1 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 12:11:33 GMT -6
There was a reason this tunnel was so big and wide, after all. It was supposed to be one of the most gem rich parts of the mines, but it was usually so consistently swarmed with people that Fiera never got a piece of the action. There was always so much competition for it that Fiera would either get muscled out of the best spots, or she would get mad enough about it that she'd end up doing something that would probably get her arrested. Needless to say she didn't need the extra trouble, so she kept quiet most of the time and found her own corner of the mines to work. That usually worked out well enough for her, as she always came back from the mines with significant bounties, but she couldn't help but be excited about getting to mine in a part of the mines that was actually KNOWN for its good bounty.
Fiera 12 Misery 6.2/1.2 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 12:27:39 GMT -6
Misery watched her with vague interest as she started getting set up. It was clear to him that SOMETHING was happening when she set her bag down and began sorting through it, and that they were no longer moving. He considered getting up, but then he would lose his most comfortable spot... so it didn't happen. Meanwhile, Fiera was busy looking for her pick axe. There was a slight discoloration in the wall here- a slightly darker shade of grey in comparison to the lighter shades around it. To anyone else that wouldn't mean a single thing, but to Fiera it indicated a possible store of wealth within the craggy stone. She wasn't about to let this opportunity pass her by, so she was quickly trying to find her mining equipment. Finally she saw her pick and grabbed the handle, shaking off the other pieces of equipment and letting them rattle back into the pack.
Fiera 13 Misery 6.3/1.3 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 12:37:53 GMT -6
With her favorite tool now retrieved, Fiera straightened herself out, standing up to face the wall. Misery kept looking at her... and recoiled, hissing as she let loose the first strike against the wall. It didn't do too much to the wall, only chipping off a couple shards of stone around the darker area. It did do a lot to Misery though. Apparently Salaves didn't much like the loud clanging of pickaxes, and he immediately tried to back away. This clearly wasn't the activity for him, and he would leave this strange person to it... if he could. As he attempted to make his escape back up the tunnel, he felt a tugging around his neck. Ugh. This damn lead. He pulled a bit harder, only to realize that he was still tied to the mine cart and couldn't get away. He hissed irritably, flicking his tongue out. This wouldn't do at all.
Fiera 14 Misery 6.4/1.4 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 16, 2021 13:01:56 GMT -6
The void salaves yanked on it harder, and succeeded in pulling the mine cart a few inches. Fine. That would work for now, he supposed. The clanging sounds as Fiera mined at the wall disguised the turning of the wheels as Misery pulled it further and further from its starting point. Things were going well for him, until he turned slightly, and tried pulling the cart in a vaguely different direction... only for one of the wheels to not like that very much as squeal loudly. Fiera paused for a moment, her ear flicking behind her. Misery paused, hoping that she wouldn't notice and would go back to her... whatever it was she was trying to do. Unfortunately for him however, she turned and saw her mine cart not where she left it and her salaves DEFINITELY not where she had left him. She clucked her tongue and put a hand on her hip.
Fiera 15 Misery 7.0/2.0 10
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