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Post by Fanged on Aug 29, 2020 0:26:18 GMT -6
When she and Harper were fully through into the new tunnel, the woman took a moment to check their surroundings. Harper seemed a bit more on edge than she usually was. Fanged hoped that was simply because they were entering unknown territory, but she’d keep an eye out all the same. Her pets had better senses than her and she tried her best to trust them. She gripped her flashlight tightly and used it to fight off the shadows. With the light, hopefully nothing would be able to sneak up on them.
“Looks like we’re alone for now,” she commented. “Luckily, people aren’t particularly stealthy so there shouldn’t be any others around for us to fight over treasure with.”
She much preferred tackling these loot areas alone. The prospect of splitting loot wasn’t the best, especially considering that she tended to fluctuate between a lot of credits and none at all.
(Harper 15, 15)
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Post by Nadia on Aug 29, 2020 7:28:03 GMT -6
That’s interesting ore.
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Post by Fanged on Aug 29, 2020 11:18:06 GMT -6
Immediately, Harper spotted a piece of topaz and some sort of ore that Fanged had never seen before. She was quick to collect them and placed them carefully in her bag with all of her other finds. With the treasure collected, they could head forward again now. She held the flashlight at an angle, making sure that it could illuminate all corners of the tunnel. Without additional treasure, they were safe to leave this tunnel should the opportunity arise again. She relaxed as she held the flashlight safely in her hands. The light would ensure that no treasure would escape her and Harper’s sight. She’d feel foolish if she missed one located right under her nose. The flashlight should help to mitigate that risk.
“Maybe keeping my eyes fixed on the ground would be helpful as well. But for some reason, I feel like you can spot gems better than I can.”
(Harper 15 1/5, 15 1/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 29, 2020 11:28:26 GMT -6
Fanged felt a strange sense of déjà vu as she continued through the tunnel. She didn’t think she’d actually been here before, but it felt familiar to her. Logic told her that it was common sense for tunnels to feel similar to one another. It wasn’t as though much variation was possible in a standard, run of the mill tunnel. Harper didn’t appear concerned with this potential development, so Fanged decided that her feelings were completely psychological in this regard. Harper was focused on their path ahead. She hopped steadily, making sure to match her pace to Fanged’s in order to allow the woman to keep up with her. Steadily, Fanged was growing more used to walking while nursing minor injuries. When they were finished with this expedition, the woman would take some time to rest up completely before attempting to tackle the mines once again. She didn’t want to risk things.
(Harper 15 2/5, 15 2/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 29, 2020 11:36:53 GMT -6
Fanged pressed one hand against the tunnel wall for stability. The dirt indented with the press of her fingertips. She hoped it was more stable than it appeared, but as long as it held things would be fine for them. She felt a sudden sense of warning that she hoped could be chalked up as simple paranoia from being underground for so long. If that feeling grew worse however, she would be sure to listen to it. Harper stopped suddenly her attention quickly switching focus to a strange pile of rocks.
“Strange, it appears like someone stacked these deliberately. My instinct says a person did it, but there’s an equal chance that a creature did as well. Especially in the underground where creatures specialize in rocks and gems.”
Harper approached the rock pile and tentatively stretched out a talon. She checked over the rocks, searching for any hidden gems in the pile.
(Harper 15 3/5, 15 3/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 29, 2020 11:52:11 GMT -6
When it became evident that it was simply a pile of regular rocks, the two of them moved on. Fanged wanted to focus on moving across the most ground as they could, but things may not work out exactly like that. When Harper concluded that there was no treasure to be found, she hopped back over to Fanged and took the lead again. The woman took a moment to breathe in deeply before joining her Karzik on the journey forward. She wanted to change her mindset for now. If she felt too paranoid, she would start having her senses warped with anxiety. She needed to keep a calm head and focus on exploring new places and finding treasure.
“Nobody can find you down here. It’s not like we’ve even come across any other miners. The underground is giant and difficult to find anybody, let alone you,” she murmured to herself.
(Harper 15 4/5, 15 4/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 29, 2020 11:56:01 GMT -6
The two of them walked in silence now, both intently focused on keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of gems. Fanged was slowly growing more and more tired the longer they spent down here. If they could find some worthwhile treasure, then they could comfortably turn around and head home. She wanted something substantial so that the trip was really worth the effort. Harper seemed content to journey with her. If the Karzik showed any sign of wanting to stop, the woman would be quick to oblige her. But for now, both were fine with continuing.
“I’m glad that you’re here with me. I fear I might lose my mind if I was down here all alone,” she remarked.
Having someone to talk to always made Fanged feel better. She tended to be the type to talk aloud to herself and that habit was one that people considered to be quite strange.
(Harper 16, 16)
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Post by Nadia on Aug 29, 2020 12:57:58 GMT -6
The cavern rumbles and shakes, throwing dirt and small rocks upon you and your pet. The rumbling becomes louder, and the shaking more intense. Bigger rocks start to fall, tumbling down and surrounding you with debris! Before you know it, you’re completely trapped in. Looks like you’re going to have to dig your way out.
[The next 5 posts yield no results.]
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Post by Fanged on Aug 30, 2020 18:52:35 GMT -6
Apparently, the tunnel was more unstable than she thought it would be. The walls began to shake and large rocks broke free from their place within the dirt walls. Fanged drew close to Harper, not wanting to get separated from her pet. She felt a sudden sense of terror as the rocks collapsed around her and effectively trapped her inside the tunnel.
“Okay this is fine. I have the tools to dig us out,” she murmured.
Panicking wouldn’t help her at this point. Harper and her waited for shaking to settle. When it finally did, she got prepared to carefully dig her way out. She inhaled deeply and set out to investigate the damage done in the tunnel collapse.
“Okay as long as we’re both still together, we can get through this.”
Harper appeared eager to help, though Fanged didn’t know how much help the Karzik would be. Perhaps she could dig?
(Harper 16 1/5, 16 1/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 30, 2020 23:35:10 GMT -6
She didn’t know if the pick would be helpful for this. She needed something that she could be a bit more delicate with. In the end, she chose to use her shovel and literally dig her way out. Harper appeared a little nervous, but she trusted Fanged to get them both out safely.
“Okay, you stay over there and I’ll see if I can dig around these rocks that are blocking our escape,” she told Harper.
The Karzik appeared content enough to wait for her move. The woman navigated around the small space until she found an area that she deemed adequate. She felt the sense of foreboding she had felt earlier remain heavily in her system. She manipulated her shovel so that it was wedged between two rocks. She then used the strength she had left in her body to separate the rocks and remove one from the pile of rubble.
(Harper 16 2/5, 16 2/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 31, 2020 0:28:06 GMT -6
It took her a long while before she got into a groove of removing rocks and slowly revealing an opening within the blocked tunnel. She was steadily growing even more tired and she figured she’d likely head back after she had gotten her and Harper free of this tunnel.
“Just a bit more and then I think we’ll be able to wiggle our way out of here. It won’t be the easiest fit, but I think we’ll manage,” she said.
Harper seemed to relax at her words. She waited patiently for the woman to dig them the promised opening that both of them should be able to crawl through. When it was finished, Fanged gathered up her tools and poked her head through. When she had her head through, she then wriggled forward and squeezed her shoulders through. With that accomplished, she managed to squirm the rest of the way through.
(Harper 16 3/5, 16 3/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 31, 2020 17:24:35 GMT -6
Now that Fanged was through the opening, it was simply a matter of getting Harper through as well. Then they would both be free from this sudden nightmare. She leaned down close to the opening, beckoning for Harper to come after her. It took a while, but eventually Harper poked her head through. Fanged then helped her fit the rest of her body through.
“Phew, looks like we’re about as safe as we can be now,” she commented.
Fanged stood up and brushed the dirt off of her pants. The area she emerged in was surprisingly different than what she expected. It was the tunnel that she had been in before, but the cave-in had some drastic effects in it. For one, there were multiple new tunnel options for her to choose from. She thought she and Harper would head home now, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.
(Harper 16 4/5, 16 4/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 31, 2020 19:31:12 GMT -6
Fanged ushered Harper through the entrance of one of the tunnels. Harper appeared fine with this new development. She decided to adopt a slow pace, thinking that both of them needed a bit of a reprieve after that entire ordeal. She didn’t want to stumble and risk further injury or tunnel collapse. With her mind occupied, it was left up to Harper to lead them around the various obstacles within the tunnel. Harper hopped onto a large rock that Fanged struggled to step over. She was steadily growing more adept at navigating through the underground, but there were still things that caused her some difficulty.
“I wonder if we’re down here alone or if we’ll run into company,” she remarked.
She seemed to expect to run into some wildlife soon. Her gut told her that they wouldn’t remain alone forever. She was a bit excited at the prospect of finding some local wildlife.
(Harper 17, 17)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 31, 2020 19:39:34 GMT -6
She frowned as she realized that there was suddenly an abundance of mushrooms in the tunnel. They didn’t appear poisonous, not that she could tell that sort of thing very well. However, she liked to listen to her instinct and her gut told her not to bother worrying about the fauna here. As long as she didn’t breathe in any spores, she should be fine.
“Too bad you don’t have natural bioluminescence like Phi does,” she remarked to Harper.
She didn’t mind that Harper was different from Phi, but she didn’t like having to rely on her flashlight as the only light source she had on hand. If the flashlight broke, she would be vulnerable to the darkness. Just as the thought entered her mind, she realized that there was an additional source of light in this tunnel. Again, it appeared to be glowing moss, though this moss was a deep shade of purple.
(Harper 17 1/5, 17 1/5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 31, 2020 19:46:08 GMT -6
Harper stopped for a moment to inspect the moss. She leaned forward and scraped at it with a talon. Fanged watched quietly as the Karzik draped moss across her talons. She hoped that the Karzik hadn’t understood her remarked about bioluminescence. She accepted her creatures as they were. She didn’t need them to be something that they weren’t.
“I hope you’re simply interested in the moss and not taking any comments I make to heart,” she said.
Harper kept a small handful of moss in her talons and continued to hop forward. There was moisture collected in the floor of the tunnel. With every footstep, water pooled up into the footprints that they left behind. She hoped that wasn’t a bad sign. Drowning wouldn’t be the way that she wanted to go down here. It was either a sign that they were close to an underground water source, or close to an exit that led to water.
(Harper 17 2/5, 17 2/5)
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