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Post by Fanged on Aug 13, 2020 19:45:05 GMT -6
The area that she had landed in was surprisingly narrow. She found herself in a dark tunnel that appeared to stretch for quite a long way. She paused for a moment to gather herself. Her nerves were slowly steadying and Harper appeared to be more relaxed as well. She used the light of her flashlight to try to scout ahead. The pathway continued onwards until it disappeared from her view. There would be no discerning what was there unless she headed down the path herself. She and Harper began walking down it, wanting to traverse a greater distance within the underground than they already had. Harper hopped steadily, moving alongside her as they walked along. Fanged found herself moving slower than she’d like to, a likely side effect of the tumble she had taken earlier. She allowed Harper to take the lead, assuming that the Karzik would have greater navigational skills.
(Harper 12 2/5, 12 2/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 13, 2020 19:59:34 GMT -6
The tunnel was still dark even with the help of her flashlight. Fanged rubbed at her eyes trying to get them to adjust to the increased darkness. She couldn’t stop her mind from dwelling on the dark shape they had seen above them and she wanted to put as much distance between her and Harper and the area where they fell. Harper stopped suddenly, as though forewarned by a mysterious presence. Fanged could only assume that her instincts were screaming that something was amyss. Fanged felt herself stop instantly as well. Harper raised her head, as though listening intently for a certain sound to emerge within the mostly silent corridor of the tunnel. As if on cue, a hollow ringing noise echoed throughout the tunnel. Fanged felt her blood turn cold and she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself as though the action could protect her from whatever had made the sound.
(Harper 12 3/5, 12 3/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 13, 2020 20:18:52 GMT -6
When the sound subsided, Fanged didn’t know how on earth she’d be able to track it down. It would be difficult to track much of anything in this perpetual darkness. Having some natural light might be helpful, but she doubted that she’d be able to track down a sound even outside in broad daylight. Fungus appeared to be a permanent fixture in this tunnel. They permeated the cracks within the rocks, puffing up with spores when she was unfortunate enough to step too close to one. Harper paused briefly in order to avoid a rather large patch of mushrooms. Fanged scanned out a path that would allow them to avoid the fungi. She ushered Harper down it, effectively taking charge once again. It seemed like a safer idea to avoid the mushrooms. She didn’t know if they were poisonous and she didn’t care to find out with firsthand experience.
(Harper 12 4/5, 12 4/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 13, 2020 20:33:08 GMT -6
Harper was happy enough to continue along the path that Fanged plotted out for them. Fanged didn’t mind the faster pace that the Karzik was setting, they could afford to separate a little. She kept her flashlight fixed forward, taking comfort in the glow. It illuminated the haunting atmosphere of the tunnel and by that, it mostly displayed a wide variety of spider webs and assorted creepy crawlies. She wasn’t much of a fan, but she could hardly call herself frightened by insects. She shuddered as she stepped through a spider web, checking her body over briefly for any sign of its creator. When she was clean, she shifted her focus back to Harper. The Karzik had turned the corner and after she was out of sight for a brief moment, Fanged turned the corner as well to join her.
“A new area and a new chance to find some treasure,” she commented.
(Harper 13, 13)
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Post by Nadia on Aug 13, 2020 20:43:40 GMT -6
You feel like something is watching you...
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Post by Fanged on Aug 13, 2020 23:34:48 GMT -6
Before she could continue her thought, a small shape darted out in front of Harper and Fanged, effectively cutting off their path. It was a small pocketpet and thankfully, easily captured. When the tiny creature was put away, the two of them continued on their quest. Fanged could feel the wariness of her injuries slow her down. There was nothing much she could do about that and she was too determined to continue on to try and make a retreat. She tried to do as much as she could to keep her mind off of the soreness of her limbs and the stiffness in her knee. She switched objectives, using the light from her flashlight to try and search for any side tunnels that might be hidden from view. One of them might be exciting to explore. There was a lower chance of them having already been pilfered of treasure.
(Harper 13 1/5, 13 1/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 15, 2020 20:24:07 GMT -6
Darkness made it difficult for her to see the safest route to take. For now, she had to rely on Harper’s ability to lead her through the tunnel. It didn’t matter if Fanged kept stumbling over the rough terrain, as long as she could make it through without serious injury, that would be a success. The tunnel was void of life for now. It felt a bit strange. Usually there were insects present or some sort of plant life to indicate that the tunnels weren’t completely unable to host life. When there was nothing, it was a bit unnerving. Luckily, Harper appeared unaffected. With that in mind, she had to assume that the tunnel was safe. If it wasn’t, the mining familiar would show some outward display of discomfort. Just when Fanged felt the uneasiness encompass her, the light from the flashlight illuminated a small tunnel that extended off from the side.
(Harper 13 2/5, 13 2/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 15, 2020 20:30:00 GMT -6
The tunnel itself was not very large. The opening appeared narrow and she would need to maneuver herself carefully if she wanted to fit through. Harper joined her in her investigation. The Karzik stuck her head through the opening and after a few moments of checking it out, she hopped right on through the entrance. Fanged had no choice but to join her. From what she could see, the tunnel appeared to go on for quite a long way. It took her a few moments to squeeze her body through the opening, but she managed to accomplish it without too much difficulty.
“Okay let’s hope we find some treasure in here,” she muttered, a touch displeased at the sudden discomfort she was experiencing in the small space.
It was a bit slow for her to traverse through the tunnel, but Harper made sure that the woman was keeping up with her.
(Harper 13 3/5, 13 3/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 15, 2020 20:39:49 GMT -6
The tunnel grew even more narrow and at that point, even Harper had trouble navigating through it. She had to be careful not to accidentally catch her elbows on the pointed rocks that jutted out from the tunnel walls. Her body had taken enough injuries this trip, she didn’t need to add to the pile of the ones she had already acquired. Natural lighting spilled into the tunnel the further on they went. Was it emitting from the outside? As she drew closer, she realized that the walls were lined with a bright yellow, glowing moss. Harper stopped for a moment and scrapped at the moss with her talon.
“Are you certain that’s not poisonous? That colour kind of seems like bad news,” Fanged trailed off. She had to trust that Harper knew what she was doing, but the moss was unnerving to her. Personally, she’d try to avoid it.
(Harper 13 4/5, 13 4/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 15, 2020 20:43:37 GMT -6
After what felt like ages of walking, the tunnel finally opened up enough to give her some breathing room. She tucked her flashlight away for a moment, wanting instead to follow the light from the glowing moss. The walls were absolutely covered in the stuff and now that she wasn’t so frightened of its potential toxicity, she found herself intrigued by it. Harper was focused on the moss as well. She had pulled out a fair amount of it and had piled it up in the corner. Was she using the moss as some sort of marker? Fanged wished she could ask her, but there was both a language and an intelligence barrier between them. For now, her actions would remain a mystery. Before long, Harper moved on ahead. Fanged followed her, giving one last glance at the moss pile before she went. Hopefully she’d remember where this was if they did need to come back here.
(Harper 14, 14)
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Post by Nadia on Aug 17, 2020 8:36:50 GMT -6
This discovery certainly matches the moss.
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Post by Fanged on Aug 27, 2020 22:59:56 GMT -6
Hidden within the moss was a small, green gem. Fanged was quick to grab it, with Harper having spotted it first. She was thankful for the Karzik’s keen senses. With the gem successfully collected, the two continued further through the tunnel. Before long, they found themselves faced with another dead end. She glanced around quickly, trying to see if there was an alternate path that she had missed. She paused before abruptly turning around. Was there somewhere else she could go? Or was she going to have to dig her way out? She turned to Harper to see if she had an idea of where to go from here. She tilted her head and observed the blocked tunnel wall. The Karzik tapped one of her talons against the area, trying to figure out if it would be easy enough for them to break through it. She drew back and looked up at Fanged.
(Harper 14 1/5, 14 1/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 28, 2020 9:18:17 GMT -6
Fanged pressed her ear against the wall and tried to see if she could figure out if it was hollow or not. If she could find a hollow spot, it would be a lot easier to break through. When she couldn’t discern anything, she shrugged her shoulders and picked up her tools to begin working. She started with the pick first, holding it steady in her hands. Harper moved out of the way as Fanged prepped to begin breaking through the wall. She inhaled sharply, mentally prepping herself for the impact that was sure to come. When she felt steady, she raised the pick high above her head.
“Alright, let’s see if we can get a good hit first try,” she murmured.
It took her a moment to gather herself, but when she was ready to struck down sharply with the pick. It collided right on target, digging into the tunnel wall.
(Harper 14 2/5, 14 2/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 28, 2020 11:52:34 GMT -6
A couple of rocks crumbled underneath the power of her swing. Many times, she lamented that she wasn’t as athletic as she used to be, but that didn’t appear to be an issue today. The ones that didn’t break immediately against the hard edge of her pick crashed down against the tunnel floor. Harper checked them over, searching each rock for any signs of gems hidden within. After a few moments of reprieve, Fanged grabbed the pick and struck it harshly against the wall once again. This time, a large area of dirt collapsed inward. Fanged got herself clear of the dirt just in case she faced a tunnel collapsed towards her. She was ultimately trying to collapse this wall, but she didn’t want it to set off a chain reaction and damage the tunnel she was already in. She simply needed a passageway.
“Alright, let’s try that again.”
(Harper 14 3/5, 14 3/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 29, 2020 0:14:40 GMT -6
When she hit the wall again, the stream of dirt increased immensely. With the increased instability of the wall, large rocks got swept away in the stream of dirt. As the rocks hit the ground, a cloud of dust filled the air, making her cough. Harper settled close to her and the two of them waited for the area to settle. When the dust cleared, it was clear that there was an opening large enough for both of them to get through. Harper was the first to move, hopping forward and peeking her head through the opening. When she deemed it safe, she hopped straight on through. Fanged followed with slightly more hesitation in her step.
“At least I don’t have to work more,” she muttered as she tucked her tools away. A new tunnel to explore was always an exciting prospect. She felt suddenly more confident and she and Harper headed forward.
(Harper 14 4/5, 14 4/5)
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