|
Post by Nadia on Jul 15, 2020 16:48:33 GMT -6
Gold? Uh... not quite.
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 26, 2020 18:23:49 GMT -6
When he was a child, he feared the dark and the unspeakable terrors that lay unseen within. It was a source of paranoia, uncertainty, terror.. Typical of an impressionable youth. One too many scary stories playing on a pliable mind, and the seed of fear is planted, growing, festering.. But with age, one learns there is little to fear in the dark. The unspeakable terrors are simple fabrications. It is the mind that creates this fear and blames it on something beyond itself. Mind over matter.
The leopard let his hand pet gently over the mosca's head as they sat there in the dark cavern. His touch was surprisingly accepted, the creature's head pressing back in return as if to sap as much comfort from the touch as it could. He felt his lips curl up into a small smile. And.. Perhaps he was imagining it, but he could've sworn he was hearing a soft, nearly inaudible purr reverberating against the cavern walls..
He wasn't sure for how long he sat there in the company of his pets. But he decided it would probably be best if he began the mining part of this venture. The leopard yawned and stretched and called out for his gem dragon, ears flicking to the plinking footsteps of the creature.
26
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 26, 2020 18:36:16 GMT -6
"Ah, what have you there, Gid?", Xentus asked in surprise at seeing a sparkling lump in the gem dragon's mouth as it approached. It was hard to see, but the gold lump shimmered lightly in the dim light. It took a minute, but he managed to wrestle the mineral from the creature's mouth, taking it for himself before it could bury it in a cache somewhere.
Gid seemed to stare disapprovingly at its prize being taken, though its hollow eye sockets offered no impression that the creature could even see at all. The gesture was entirely missed by the leopard, however. He was already making his return out of the cavern to retrieve his pack and supplies. The mosca followed after him, tail raised high at the notion that they were leaving this awful, dark, and cramped hole in the mountain. The gem dragon reluctantly tagged along.
Xentus took some time rearranging his supplies and packing away his (Gid's) findings. It wasn't much yet, nor did he know what everything was, or what they were worth, but it was an excellent start already. The most recent find looked to be raw gold! They would fetch him at least a few credits.
27
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 26, 2020 19:38:26 GMT -6
After marveling at what he could only assume was gold, he prepped himself for the venture down through cavernous earth. He donned his hard hat, which had holes drilled for his horns and ears, and fastened his flashlight to the modification he made to the top so that he could have both hands free. The pickaxe was his tool of choice, with the hammer and chisel being close seconds which he kept easily accessible on the side of his pack. The shovel hung from the head off on the other side, and the less needed tools were put inside the pouch pocket. He was strapped up and ready to go. The sky was turning red as sunset approached, threatening to engulf him in darkness if the cave wasn't going to.
Pick in one hand, leash in the other, and flash light on. He was as ready as he was ever going to be. "Ready, Mira, Gid?", he asked his companions. The mosca would need to stay leashed for now, at least until he felt the young feline wasn't going to spook from any sudden noises. Gid, on the other hand, would be the one leading the way. He beckoned for the gem dragon to do its work -tracking down valuables.
28
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 26, 2020 20:12:01 GMT -6
And so it did. Gid was used to working in this fashion by now. It sniffed for tasty rocks to eat, dig them up, have them taken, then get a tasty snack from leopard-man! The gem dragon was rather fond of the mammalian man it accompanied. He was a source of gems, for one. He also provided a nice and safe home, without the terrors of giant tunnel worms. And he brought it back to its mountain home from time to time. Sure, it sometimes disapproved of its snacks being taken, but it was quick to forgive when it was given another snack in return. Gid sauntered off into the cavern, its trail brightly illuminated by the man's torch.
The tunnel grew smaller and smaller, until it became nothing more than a twisted hallway through the mountain. The mosca timidly followed close to the leopard's legs, rather disapproving of the cramped quarters.. But handled itself well enough. Its large eyes looked about the rock and dirt, pupils wide. It didn't like this place. The occasional hum from the leopard when he looked down to make sure it was near was reassuring though. But where exactly where they heading? At the point, it really didn't seem like any progress was being made..
29
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 26, 2020 21:16:52 GMT -6
Xentus followed diligently after the shimmering blue gem dragon. He wasn't sure just how far into the twitsting tunnel they traveled.. And he didn't exactly keep tabs on the path they'd taken. There had been a few forks here and there. Ah, but what was getting a little lost to a wanderer like himself? It was hard to get lost on purpose sometimes. Well, he was very easily lost in the wandering thoughts of his mind, but to not know where one's feet might take them with the next step was a much more fun adventure to him.
The gem dragon paused for a moment, assessing its position within the earth. Xentus tilted his head at the creature, wondering why the sudden stop. Mira pressed herself against his leg, large yellow eyes flicking about the hard rock walls in search of danger. The twisting cavern seemed to be quiet and safe enough. The only real danger was the uneven ground, which was littered with stones and pebbles and potentially loose patches that would give way into sinkholes. Gid surveyed the area, then decidedly turned to the left, beginning to claw at what seemed to be a crack in the rocky wall.
30
|
|
|
Post by Nadia on Jul 27, 2020 9:09:47 GMT -6
Some ore is visible in the crack.
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 2:15:05 GMT -6
Xentus guided the beam of light toward the crack the gem dragon was scratching at, stepping forward for a better look. He could see a faint glint of metal within, and beyond that, it seemed there was a space beyond the crack. This wall must've been some sort of old cave in. There was plenty of dirt and rubble built up at the base, but it was otherwise relatively clean. The crack could be wither a larger sheet of rock that had disintegrated over time, or a bunch of smaller ones that fit together quite well. He couldn't really tell.
But, Gid was certainly onto something, and he figured he'd speed up the process by helping the creature out. A worried glance was shot over to the mosca, who still seemed uncomfortable at best within the rocky chamber. It would be delicate work keeping the feline calm while digging the path ahead. He considered using the pick, but it might be a bit noisy to start with it suddenly. The shovel would do for now. He'd gradually build up the noise as to not cause too much stress to the young cat. His pack was slung off and onto the ground so he could fetch his shovel.
31
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 2:22:56 GMT -6
Time to get to work.. But before that, Mira deserved a little treat to reward her patience and hopefully calm her nerves. He pet the creature on the head, scratching its nape briefly, then fished out a smelly, meat treat from the capsule he had in his pocket. A single orb rolled in his hand as it was offered to the mosca, who ate it quickly.
"There, there", he cooed gently in his best attempt to reassure the timid creature. Mira was rather receptive to this and seemed to perk up a bit. Perhaps the scary mine tunnel wasn't so scary if treats were involved. It would have to tide her over for this session of digging and mining though. He straightened himself and began poking his shovel at the rock wall, searching for a soft spot to begin moving earth next to Gid (who was already making good progress). It was at times like these that he wished he wore shoes.. The head of the shovel was not the most comfortable thing to plunge into the ground with his bare paws.
Xentus steeled himself and pushed the tool into the dirt, heaved it up, then tossed it to the side. And again. And a few more time over, getting himself into the rhythm of it.
32
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 2:29:06 GMT -6
It didn't hurt too badly. The thick leather padding on his foot served as a sole that normally protected him from the scorching desert sands. It could handle a bit of shoveling too. Sure, it was uncomfortable, but he had the feeling he wouldn't need to work for too long. The wall was thin enough, perhaps half a foot or so. Once he had the base cleared, he'd work on getting to that shiny spot. He could only guess it was some ore vein. Gold was unlikely.. And thinking on it now, the nugget he wrestled from Gid didn't seem like it came from a vein. Perhaps it wasn't gold at all.. Agh that would be disapointing.
The leopard frowned at the notion. He wasn't really in this for the value of whatever he found, though. Spending time bonding with his creatures was his only true goal. He glanced over at Mira, who seemed to be alright with the action for the moment.. Then to Gid, who was busily digging away at a certain spot. The gem dragon pecked at part of the wall as it became loose, plucking chunks and tossing them to the side. The odd being seemed to be really determined with its work.
33
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 2:35:40 GMT -6
Soon enough, the crack grew wider, deeper, looser. He could make out the small section that seemed to gleam with a dull grey color. Some kind of metal ore, probably iron. This appraisal was on the fly, without reference. He wasn't good at it yet. There was much study to be done regarding the many minerals and metals and gems to be found hiding in the earth. There were so many rocks that looked the same.. Mundane quartz looked like raw diamond to the untrained eye. And his eyes were very far from trained at all.
"What could that be, Gid?", he asked the gem dragon as it seemed to move its focus to the metal. Of course, he expected no reply from his sapphire companion. 'Something tasty', he mocked a reply, chuckling to himself. The leopard paused for a moment, checking on the mosca. Mira's eyes and ears were pointed to whatever it was he was doing to the rock there. Somewhat mesmerized? Or more likely, wanting the noise to stop. Unfortunately for the mosca, the noise would only increase from here. The shovel did its work, removing much of the loose stuff. But now that he reached harder stone, it was time for the pick.
34
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 2:43:10 GMT -6
Xentus started tapping against the crack carefully, testing the amount of strength he needed to send chips of rock flying away from the surface. Surprisingly, a few chunks easily fell from the crack, leading him to believe this was some sort of brittle material. Maybe something in the family of flint. He knew that one was easy to chip and break. From his reading, he knew some people even made primitive arrowheads from it, chipping at it to mold it into the desired shape. He couldn't really know for sure, but it seemed sound in his mind, so he went with it.
With every tap of the pickaxe, he increased the power behind the swing, hoping to break through the stone and reach that metal. Gid helped near the ground by his feet, clawing away the chips and larger chunks that fell. The gem dragon was starting to make a decent, critter-sized hole down here. The mosca was no help, and wanted nothing part of this endeavor. Mira stayed at the end of her leash, as far away from the flying scraps of rock as possible.
A few well-placed blows to the wall exposed more and more of the small vein of metal, much to the leopard's delight.
35
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 4:05:27 GMT -6
It wasn't much, but it was a nice find all the same. He knew he could trust the senses of the gem dragon. Now, to extract it. He wasn't exactly sure how to handle this exactly. Ores needed to be smelted to extract the pure metal. He'd need to chip away as much excess rock as he could, otherwise he'd be ferrying a lot more extra weight. Unfortunately, his knowledge on how to best handle this task was limited. Perhaps this job he'd pass over to the gem dragon. He'd need to keep a careful eye on the creature, or else it might just feast on the ore as well as the rock.
Xentus struck part at the exposed iron in an attempt to loosen the valuable part from the rest of the wall. It took a couple of hard hits, but the whole affair came crumbling down with a clatter, kicking up a fair bit of dirt. Parts of the cracked wall crumbled as well, exposing a hidden branch of the tunnel. A hiss of distress escaped the mosca, causing him to perk up in alert. Poor Mira was not ready for the dirt and dust assaulting her sensitive nose..
36
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 4:13:03 GMT -6
Xentus quickly turned his attention to the frightened feline, leaving Gid to clean up or dig around, whatever it was the gem dragon would do. Mira's fur stood on end, head hunkered down with flattened ears. It was a pitiful sight. Once again, he felt awful for dragging poor Mira out into an alien environment, far from the comforts of the spacious kennel enclosure. But he would use this to his advantage. By providing her comfort in her time of peril, she'd become even closer to him. Yes, that sounded like a proper excuse for this ramshackle plan of his.
He offered the back of his hand towards the young cat's face, allowing her to sniff him to confirm his identity. She seemed to calm down a little with his scent in mind, but her eyes were glued to the new mysterious and dark hold in the wall.
"No need to be afraid, Mira", the leopard gently comforted the mosca, now petting its head, "Xentus is here, see? He will allow nothing bad to come to his precious Mira." He could feel as the creature pressed against his hand, melting into his touch. A little reassurance was all she needed, it seemed.
37
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 4:20:41 GMT -6
Ah, it couldn't be helped. He settled himself down next to the winged feline, dropping his pickaxe beside him. Another little treat was fished out from the capsule container and held out to Mira, who happily snacked on the offering. With that, she returned to a calmer (though still rather timid) state. This was slow going, and he was fine with that. Patience was something he prided himself on having plenty of. And taking a break from tearing down the cracked rock wall seemed appropriate. He deserved it. And Mira seemed to appreciate it.
Now was as good a time as any to fetch a drink of water as well. They've been out for a couple of hours at this point, and he hadn't had much in terms of sustenance in the mean time. He didn't need to worry about watering the gem dragon, but Mira may want a few laps. A thermos was retrieved from his pack and some water was poured into the cap for the mosca. She seemed to appreciate the gesture, gingerly licking the liquid after giving it a sniff. And the rest of the water in the thermos was for himself. Clean and refreshing, with plenty left for later.
38
|
|