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Post by Xentus on Mar 5, 2021 14:11:49 GMT -6
The warden was no longer some kind of frightening authority figure to stay out of focus from. He was.. Nice. Gentle too. And now it was seeking the warden's approval and favor. While it didn't think this development unbecoming, it was certainly unexpected after being locked in a cage. It did know that it wasn't the warden that locked it up. Others did. It would be wary of others, but the warden was the only other it had been around since coming into his care. And he was good. Varus seemed to be filled with a renewed vigor while digging and scratching into the rock wall, determined to find something else the warden might like. It did have an innate sense for nice rocks. And it wasn't long before a particularly green glitter showed itself. Its little claws worked quickly to remove the green gem from its confines, aided by the occasional peck from its beak.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 5, 2021 14:20:41 GMT -6
And with a bit more effort.. The green rock was freed! It was shiny and glimmery like the red rock the warden had it dig out earlier. This one was bigger too. Varus took a moment to marvel at the gem. It looked delicious. As much as it would've liked to keep the gem and stow it away in some little hoard, it felt that the warden would really appreciate this one. Holding it carefully between its two hands, the gargoyle stood beside the working man's side and waited for him to notice its presence. It took a moment, but the leopard finally paused his work bashing the stone to take a look at the stony creature. His brows raised in surprise - Varus had something much more interesting than that rock from before! "Ah, now this is a treat. Give, Varus", Xentus said with repressed excitement as he kneeled down to take the gem, "Well done, this one is proud".
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Post by Jack on Mar 5, 2021 14:46:54 GMT -6
A fossil and some ore??
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Post by Xentus on Mar 12, 2021 14:45:37 GMT -6
The leopard turned the emerald around in between his fingers, staring at the green glint that reflected in the gentle crystal-light. This was perhaps one of the rarer finds in their adventure thus far, discounting the magic crystal. A pleased smile rested on the mammalian's muzzle as he knelt down and patted between the gargoyle's horns. "Excellent find, dear Varus", he praised, hoping the gesture would go well received by the strange ground-dweller. Varus simply stared at the man with its empty eyes, showing no expression which he could read. But it was happy, truly. To be recognized.. It clicked its beak and turned back to its little burrow, satisfied with its work. Xentus was growing quite fond of this budding partnership. It was like having the gem dragon, but with the added benefit of knowing that he wouldn't need to wrestle for the valuable stones that got dug up out of the earth.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 12, 2021 14:53:39 GMT -6
The two got back to work, digging through stone and earth for the hope of finding more things of value. The clang of the pickaxe and scratching of claws filled the room, making the pair's presence here plainly obvious to anything which might be lurking around. Xentus was aware of the possibility of disturbing some giant tunnel worm's home, bouncing ideas around in his mind about just how exactly he would escape an encounter with such a beast. Varus was small and not exactly some kind of combative creature - what could it do? Peck something to death? The man almost scoffed at the idea. They were far better off trying to run and hide. He really needed to arm himself with some kind of weaponry for settings like this. The best he had were his claws, teeth, and one-and-half horns. Not exactly the most deadly of features, but there were something to put to use.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 12, 2021 15:11:44 GMT -6
Wielding a weapon wasn't exactly something the man was opposed to.. Perhaps some kind of blade like a scimitar or dagger would suit him well. The leopard hummed, musing on the thought. He wouldn't always be able to stand behind his pets or run away. Turning toward magic was also an option. He was gathering quite an impressive set of crystals that could be used for a node sooner or later. He did like the idea of controlling fire or being an oracle of order. Those were his closest candidates for magic. He.. Honestly didn't look too much into what kind of prowess he'd gain from magic, but the thought alone was appealing. But there was no rush for anything in particular. He'd heard that weapons and magic were useful for taming drakes too, which added to the appeal. He'd need to get those dragons trained and tamed eventually, unfortunately.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 12, 2021 15:31:24 GMT -6
Xentus let out a mix between a sigh and a grunt as he swung his pickaxe again. So many endless things to do about this place and here he was mining for the earth's treasures. Whatever he found here would eventually earn him a fair bit of credits, which he could then use to buy the myriad of things on his shopping list. He'd been looking into injections recently and figured to means to breed fairly powerful sarane.. It seemed to be a trend about this place to enhance the fighting prowess of their highly-territorial dragons. There was good money to be made in selling young whelps with champion parents. While the leopard wasn't greedy, coin was power in this city - a lesson he'd learned quickly. He made it quite well here for himself, all things considered. Something he hadn't expected when be originally bumbled through. Now look at him, mining with a creature he traded some fish for.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 12, 2021 15:49:44 GMT -6
The leopard's mind-meandering came to an end when a particularly strong strike against the stone caused it to shatter and reveal a small cavity in the earth. Xentus blinked and knelt down to get a closer look with his torch, hoping to have come across the treasure hoard of an earth-dweller. Instead, he was met with a less savory sight. A pile of bones in the vague shape of an animal. Most were destroyed or crushed by rock, so he couldn't tell exactly what he was looking at. Curious, he reached in to fish out the closest bone to him - some kind of leg or arm bone. And it was.. Petrified. Cold and stony. It was unnerving in a way, but also thrilling. He'd stumbled on some kind of old remains, a paleontology jewel. These were a somewhat rare sight and well sought after - especially after the museum began offering revivals.
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Post by Jack on Mar 12, 2021 21:35:48 GMT -6
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Post by Xentus on Mar 14, 2021 4:28:35 GMT -6
There weren't very many salvageable bones in the tomb. Two were in good enough condition to keep; the rest were hardly distinguishable from the rest of the rubble. Aside from the bones, there was a rather fascinating impression of scales in this final resting place of a long forgotten creature. The leopard was keen enough to separate those from the surrounding earth, given a hunch that someone else might find them interesting enough to take off his hands. It would make for good decor on a mantle or desk as a paperweight. A chuckle escaped the man as he mused on the idea of returning to the earth, only to become a piece on someone's desk some time in the future. It was like having a second life. Of course, he could just.. Bring these bones back to life. But the small dinosaur Zhyre was already quite enough for him at the moment.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 14, 2021 4:34:32 GMT -6
Satisfied with the find, Xentus scooted out of the small crevice and peered over to the gargoyle. The stony being was busily scratching and digging, seeming to be on the trail of something else within the confines of earth. He watched it for a moment, taking a break to observe his partner's behavior. Varus was focused on a gem it sensed, buried here somewhere. It could almost smell the minerals.. Within a couple minutes, it had finally come upon its quarry - a lumpy set of crystals. What they lacked in shape, they made up for in brilliance and color. The gargoyle carefully pecked the lump out of its hiding spot and backed out of its burrow, turning to the warden to present him its find. Much to its surprise, the man seemed to already be waiting. A sudden pang of nervousness washed over it. Had the warden been keeping watch this whole time?
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Post by Xentus on Mar 14, 2021 4:41:08 GMT -6
The small stony being stared at the warden for a moment, unsure of what next to do. Part of it wanted to simply shy away and drop the crystalline lump. But another part of it told it to be brave, and that the warden would welcome any gift it had to bear. The two sat there, gazing at one another until the leopard broke the silence. "Come now Varus, why so shy suddenly?", the man's gentle words cooed, "Have something to give?". Xentus leaned forward and held his hand out, motioning for whatever the gargoyle had in its clutches. And the gentle approach seemed to snap the creature out of its stupor. It clicked its beak and passed the crystals, staring expectantly at the warden. It wanted to be sure that it had done well, that the warden liked this gift too. Xentus mused over the crystal lump for a moment, twirling it around in his hand.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 14, 2021 4:47:18 GMT -6
It seemed to be some kind of quartz. Or that was his best guess. The glimmery lumpy crystal bunch was oddly non-descript, featuring no particular quality which struck him as some kind of certain gem that he knew of. It was pretty though, he'd take it. Probably would fetch him some good credits. "This one thanks you, Varus", the man chimed, flashing a gentle smile, "Excellent work. With that, let us move on to some place else, yes?" Despite not knowing his words, Varus clicked its beak in response, acknowledging that the warden seemed pleased at least. It watched him for a moment as he went to their pile of belongings and started arranging things, then decided to lurk nearby. It could tell the warden had grown uninterested in this spot. Where would they wander to next? The stony being was hoping to continue digging soon.. It could get lost in the rhythmic noise of moving earth.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 14, 2021 4:54:24 GMT -6
All packed and ready to continue, the leopard beckoned for the gargoyle to follow as he made his way out of the small room and back into the winding mineshaft corridor. With a quick glance around to gather his bearings, Xentus continued deeper into the unknown. The path ahead smelled somewhat sulfuric. Unpleasant, but not unbearable. If he recalled correctly, such a scent could indicate something biologic nearby.. Or volcanic. Or a gas leak. There were a few options, and none were all too favorable. Coming across some kind of thermal vent sounded like it could be interesting to look at from afar, but it also meant this area would be prone to quakes. Given the amount of loose rubble and collapsed rooms, he wouldn't be surprised if it were the case. "Stay close Varus, alright?", he murmured down to the gargoyle, concerned for its safety. It could probably burrow out of harms way, but he did want to protect the little thing should they face trouble.
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Post by Jack on Mar 14, 2021 9:00:19 GMT -6
Your good fossil luck seems to have run out
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