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Post by Nerius on Sept 9, 2020 21:27:59 GMT -6
[105]
There were none to find, and the gem dragon allowed him to pull his arm away and stand up, though she still stuck by his side. There was only one real way to go, and Nerius started down the bottom of the ravine. He soon realized the area he'd landed was unusually smooth, and the floor of the ravine became more and more uneven as he made his way down the natural tunnel.
It got a bit wider too, but that wasn't an issue, unlike the rough terrain, and in more than a few places he was finding he had to climb over or down large changes in height. It was still easier than trying to scale the walls, but it did make for slow going. He really did need to find a decent levitation spell, it would would make getting out of this deep hole much easier if he could just float up.
(Nerius: 5/20) (Ice: Lv 40, 200/205 | Lyl 40, 200/205)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 9, 2020 23:12:56 GMT -6
[106]
He couldn't though, his spell choices so far focused on ways to defend himself, and didn't have much in the way of utility spells. He was starting to realize that was worth investing in, how many times in his explorations now had he lamented not being able to use a spell to overcome an obstacle? Well, if this didn't inspire him to look into it, he didn't know what would.
How far did this ravine go? The rough ground significantly slowed his speed, but he'd still gone a good distance, and still couldn't see the end of the ravine. That was a good thing, Nerius supposed, as he hadn't yet found a way up, and the walls were just as slick and steep. Ice had an easy time keeping pace with him, she was smaller, but could easily fly over the large changes in elevation that Nerius had to climb up or down.
(Nerius: 6/20) (Ice: Lv 40, 201/205 | Lyl 40, 201/205)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 9, 2020 23:27:07 GMT -6
[107]
Was the ravine descending even further? It was hard to tell for sure with the ground being so uneven, but looking back where he'd come from, it seemed a little shallower in that direction. Even if it was, it wasn't a very significant change, and it was also possible it was just the ends, or end, of the ravine that wasn't as deep as the rest of it.
Mostly it was just uneven, and Nerius' journey continued uneventfully, until he heard water in the distance. That was potentially a good sign, if there was moving water, it had to be entering the ravine from somewhere, and it was possible the opening would be large enough for him to go through. Assuming it wasn't totally flooded, Ice hated going anywhere near large bodies of water, and Nerius still wasn't sure of the gem dragon actually needed to breathe, or could actually drown.
(Nerius: 7/20) (Ice: Lv 40, 202/205 | Lyl 40, 202/205)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 9, 2020 23:34:33 GMT -6
[108]
Nerius followed the sound of the water, and as he got closer he could see torchlight sparkling on the water in the distance. Even from a way off, he could see it was flowing from an opening several feet up on the wall, forming a small pool, and flowing... somewhere. The stream disappeared behind a large chunk of rock, and he couldn't tell where it went until he got closer.
Ice, as he expected, didn't want to get within ten feet of the pool, and chirped unhappily. It was their best best for getting out though, and Nerius studied the flowing water. Unfortunately, it drained out of the ravine into a small crack in the base of the wall, even Ice wouldn't have been able to fit through comfortably. Up was probably better anyway, and it was more promising, the water flowed out of a large hole in the wall, tall enough Nerius would be able to stand in it.
(Nerius: 8/20) (Ice: Lv 40, 203/205 | Lyl 40, 203/205)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 9, 2020 23:40:57 GMT -6
[109]
The water looked quite shallow, spread out across the floor of the tunnel, the issue would be climbing up there, it was going to be slick with the water. Nerius walked over to the opening in the wall, Ice made all sorts of unhappy noises, but somewhat to his surprise, did follow. The opening was about four feet up from the 'shore' of the pool, but as with the rest of the floor, wasn't all level.
All those lumps that had been a nuisance to climb over while traveling down the ravine came in handy here, there were enough uneven ridges that he could climb up them like they were a very crude staircase. That was covered in flowing water. Well, it couldn't be that much worse than his last trip to the mansion, and after he removed his boots and socks so they didn't get soaked, Nerius carefully climbed up the rough stone steps.
(Nerius: 9/20) (Ice: Lv 40, 204/205 | Lyl 40, 204/205)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 9, 2020 23:55:30 GMT -6
[110]
He held on to the wall where he could, it was damp, but at least water wasn't pouring down it, and made for a decent hand hold. Being barefoot probably didn't make things any easier, but he really didn't want his boots getting totally soaked. It was miserable to walk in, and took forever to dry. Still, it wasn't too bad, and as long as he moved slowly and carefully, Nerius was able to keep his balance, and after a couple of minutes of climbing, safely reached the opening.
Ice was not happy about him being in the water, even shallow water, and had made sad noises for his entire climb. Eventually though, she seemed resigned to having to at least be near water, and took flight, flying up to the opening where Nerius was. She still wasn't willing to actually land in the water though, hovering beside Nerius while she looked for a dry spot to land.
(Nerius: 10/20) (Ice: Lv 41, 205/210 | Lyl 41, 205/210)
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Post by Nadia on Sept 10, 2020 15:45:13 GMT -6
A gem wyrm has found some interesting things here... including a bone.
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Post by Nerius on Sept 10, 2020 16:32:18 GMT -6
[111]
(The event roll didn't mention where the wyrm was so hopefully this is fine?)
Ice circled for a few moments, until she spotted a dry ledge above the water line. She swooped down for a landing, and only then realized she wasn't alone. She let out a surprised chirp, which drew Nerius' attention. A gem wyrm, he realized, though it took him a second to spot it in the darkness. A pretty one, jet black and.. curled around something? It wasn't uncommon for familiars to have little hordes, and though he couldn't see what it was yet, there he could see some lighter objects that weren't part of its body.
Nerius waded through the calf high water to approach the wyrm. Hopefully it wouldn't bolt, though the gem wyrms he'd had in the past hadn't been terribly skittish. They'd been more dense and oblivious, but this one could be different especially since it was a wild one, so he tried not to startle the wyrm as he moved closer.
(Nerius: 11/20) (Ice: Lv 41, 20/6210 | Lyl 41, 206/210)
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Post by Nadia on Sept 12, 2020 16:17:34 GMT -6
The wyrm lifts its head and looks in your direction. It doesn't appear too bothered by your approach - it curls a little tighter around its discoveries, but otherwise simply watches. Docile, for a mines creature.
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Post by Nerius on Sept 12, 2020 21:22:44 GMT -6
[112]
As far as he could tell, (it didn't have eyes so it was hard to be sure), the wyrm had noticed him, but didn't seem to care too much about either him, or the gem dragon. Ice had noticed its little horde, and he was concerned she might be getting a little too interested, "Ice, don't," he told his familiar as he got closer, "Leave the wyrm alone." She made an unhappy noise, but didn't approach the wyrm further. She probably would have been willing to fight the wyrm for its gems, and Nerius would rather a friendlier approach.
And he had just the thing too, or so he hoped, a bag of non jewelry quality gems that he usually gave to Ice as a snack, but suspected other mine dwellers would like as well. "Hello," he greeted the creature, setting one of the blue stones on the ledge, not too close, but enough that it would be able to reach the gem easily enough.
(Nerius: 12/20) (Ice: Lv 41, 207/210 | Lyl 41, 207/210)
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Post by Nadia on Sept 13, 2020 12:07:04 GMT -6
The wyrm looks at the offered stone for a second. Looks nice enough... it slithers forward without straying too far from its little hoard, and takes it. Hmm. Good. It stares at you expectantly - any more where that came from?
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Post by Nerius on Sept 13, 2020 20:56:55 GMT -6
[113]
It looked like the gem was a hit, even if the wyrm was still cautious about its horde. Having the gem dragon that close probably wasn't helping matters, but attempting to shoo Ice off the ledge would likely cause a scene that might scare the wyrm off. It didn't seem to mind her presence too much anyway, and was now looking at him with a very familiar expression. That look of 'ooh more food?' was one he was quite used to from his own creatures.
He wasn't about to disappoint, either, and Nerius set a small pile of gems down between himself and the wyrm. Ice, he noticed, was starting to get jealous, and not wanting the gem dragon to try to start a fight, he gave Ice a few gem treats of her own. Most of his attention was still on the wyrm though, and he had more gems if it wanted them.
(Nerius: 13/20) (Ice: Lv 41, 208/210 | Lyl 41, 208/210)
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Post by Nadia on Sept 14, 2020 10:30:39 GMT -6
Ah, more! The wyrm is satisfied with this development, and snaps up a few more gems. It wonders if it will get more of the same if it follows you along...
[Congratulations, you have successfully tamed the creature!]
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Post by Nerius on Oct 18, 2020 20:32:16 GMT -6
[114]
The way to many creatures heart was through their stomach, and the wyrm was no exception. The gem treats were clearly enjoyed, and it even uncurled from its horde to slither closer for more treats. Nerius gave it a few more, noticing Ice was trying to be sneaky, creeping over to the wyrm's undefended horde while it was distracted with food. The wyrm didn't seem to notice, too interested in Nerius and the gems he had, and it looked like the creature would be coming along.
It would have been nice if the wyrm knew a way out, but that was probably too much to hope for, especially one that Nerius could fit through. It was climbing up his arm and onto his shoulder now, and Nerius wondered if it had been stuck on that ledge, not wanting to get into the water. Ice hated going near water, and it was possible that wasn't unusual in gem critters.
(Nerius: 14/20) (Ice: Lv 41, 209/210 | Lyl 41, 209/210)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 18, 2020 20:43:45 GMT -6
[115]
Nerius looked over the ledge, checking for anything he might have missed. The only thing there now was Ice, who was holding the items she'd sneaked away from the wyrm. Seeing that Nerius was looking at her, she took the opportunity to chirp, and nudge the items toward him to carry. She liked to use him as a pack mule; he didn't mind, it allowed him to keep track of the gems and such better.
He accepted the items, and looked them over. A pale blue gem, probably aquamarine, though Nerius didn't want to dig out his gem guide right now. A fossil too, that was a bit more unusual, but he'd found one that looked like that before. A giant wishbone, like something from an oversized bird. It looked terribly fragile, so he wrapped it carefully before putting it away in his pack. With that, he looked down the partially flooded tunnel, and started wading his way deeper inside.
(Nerius: 15/20) (Ice: Lv 42, 210/215 | Lyl 42, 210/215)
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