|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 4:29:14 GMT -6
Gid was busy biting chunks off the large piece of rock and metal on the ground in the meanwhile. It was a sizable piece about the size of its own head, but that would not deter it. It knew of the metal that was locked under the protective casing. It bit and scratched and circled the hunk, doing more or less what the leopard hoped it would do. This kind of work was instinctual for creatures of the earth; it was how they lived and thrived. The sight was an interesting one to watch take place. Xentus, now settled in with a quenched thirst, observed how the shimmering dragon extracted the valuable bits from the scrap. Since Mira was calmed, he could make sure the gem creature wouldn't eat or stash away the ore.
Once he felt the rock was worn down into a comfortable size, he decided it was time to take it for himself and carry on with the adventure. And of course reward the gem dragon for all of its hard work with a snack-gem. Gid wouldn't know much any difference between the two anyway, right? Perhaps it was a little cruel of him.. One day, he's properly reward the creature with a high grade treat. Just not today.
39
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Jul 28, 2020 4:42:07 GMT -6
There was still much to explore in these twisting caverns, and so the journey continued on. The newly found path was so narrow that he needed to crawl through for a few feet.. Normally he wouldn't mind, but it was getting damp and his silk pants were getting muddied.. One shouldn't venture into a mountain cavern and expect to come out of it clean though. Even so, he wanted to reach some reprieve from the muck sooner than later. Before long, the crawlspace opened up into a much wider, spacious rocky room. The area was cluttered with various stalagmites and stalactites, the occasional drip sounding as liquid fell from above. The walls featured shelf-like structures that seemed to grow moss or algae or something. A damp, stale scent lingered in the air.. Not the most pleasant of discoveries, but it was a change from the endless winding tunnels.
Gid took the lead, trotting through the muddy dirt undeterred. As usual, the gem dragon felt quite at home underground, no matter how the earth molded itself. Xentus followed after him, coaxing Mira to keep pace. The mosca seemed equal parts relieved and unnerved by the shift in surroundings. The mines had much to offer, and the small feline was not prepared for any of it.
40
|
|
|
Post by Nadia on Jul 28, 2020 9:08:45 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 13:46:43 GMT -6
The muddy ground and dank scent was undesirable to the small feline. Much of this was undesirable really. The widened cave room was spacious enough that the mosca felt marginally more comfortable, but given that the only light source here was the beam shining from the leopard, she felt best sticking close to him for comfort. The creature's ears flicked toward any little water droplet that sounded noise. The echoes that filled the area were scary.. But the mammalian pressed on. And so she would too.
Xentus made certain to take a good look around for anything that might be hiding in the cavernous room. Gems and suspicious rocks were on the forefront of his mind, but he was doing his best to keep away of anything that might be living in the cave. It didn't feel too lively though. No bats and their echoing screeches. No other cave crawlers except for Gid. He didn't quite want to run into such things, but entering their home uninvited might stir up some attention. He set his headlamp onto the gem dragon, letting the brilliant sapphire surface scatter blue light across the cavern. The creature ahead of him was steadfast, seeming to know the way forward.
41
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 13:52:34 GMT -6
Gid traversed close to the shelved wall, head low to the ground as if to sniff around. The onlooking mammalian was curious to know if the creature was actually using its sense of smell or if it had some other innate sensory organ that it was using in its head. Or it could be magic. When in doubt, magic was usually the answer to the mysteries of the world. As dismissive as that was to think, it turned to be more true than one might expect. Xentus wanted to give up on understanding the intricacies of magic.. Yet the allure of the unknown, the gnawing curiosity of what it would feel like to wield such a power.. He shook his head.
Magic was a power best left to those who understood it. He might eventually learn more about it eventually, but until then, he was fine letting his innately magical creatures do spells for him. Whenever he got the chance to train them, that is. As the small group walked, the tallest one noticed a change in the mossy, shelved wall. Cracks. He called for Gid to pause for a moment and let Mira stay back with some slask on the lead while he went to investigate.
42
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 13:59:33 GMT -6
Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be another one of those supposed cave-ins that led them to this area in the first place. Perhaps.. Something did live here? Some kind of tunneling creature, he thought. Something that could through the stony walls to create passages to more easily cross to other areas of the cavern. It.. Sounded a lot like literally any of the creatures that dwelled in this place. He chuckled at his presumption. Tunnel worms and gem dragons alike were capable enough for such a feat, it wasn't really impressive when he thought more about it. Still, this crack might possibly lead elsewhere. Or he could continue through this room, wherever it was Gid was leading them.
The leopard opted to examine the cave-in a little more closely, taking his pick to the looser stones on the wall. And his light fell upon bones. Crushed, it seemed, beneath the rubble. Most of it was fragmented or simply dust ay this point, but one feature stood out. A single claw. He plucked it from the rubble, taking a close look as he twirled it between his fingers. Long and pointed, almost like his own. His eyes glanced over toward Mira, examining her paws for comparison. No, not quite feline.. Then, his gaze drifted to the gem dragon's feet. Not crystalline either.
43
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 14:11:23 GMT -6
The mammalian prided himself on knowing a bit about biology. He was fascinated by the animal world and how they worked. What kind of claws were better for what job, for example, was something that he had some vague knowledge on. Long curved claws were usually reserved for raking through the earth. Usually, there would be a hollowed underside to help shovel away dirt.. Good for short term digging, like ursine animals might for crafting a den. Or for termite eating creatures to ravage a nest. Short, hooked, triangular claws were good for climbing and gripping. Usually seen on felines.
This claw gave him ursine vibes, so that's what he settled with. It puzzled him why any sort of bear-like animal would be this deep in the mountain though. Perhaps he could do more research about it later. He stored the claw in a pocket and called for Gid to continue on, and coaxed Mira along. Gid was more than happy to continue tracking for the next treat. The mosca on the other hand sheepishly followed after the man as if wondering why the short stop. Moving more might mean moving out of this place.. But unfortunately for the young feline, they were steadily making their way deeper within the depths of the earth.
44
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 14:20:12 GMT -6
As the trio progressed along, the sound of water flow became increasingly apparent. Not the drips or trickling that they heard echoing along the walls, but an actual steady stream of liquid. An underwater river of sorts, perhaps? It wasn't yet in sight, but Gid seemed to be leading them toward it. The cavern here spread out into several different chambers separated by slabs of stone. Some paths seemed to connect, while others diverged. They were steadily making their way up an incline, away from the shelved, mossy wall, and now into an array of naturally made rocky steps. The terrain was uneven and wet, littered with pebbles that jut out from the surrounding stone.
The air wasn't as stagnant anymore, which the leopard took as a plus. The path soon peaked and flattened out, leading them toward another open area. Gid slowed his pace, seeming cautious. The gem dragon opted to walk close to the smooth, slick wall instead of traversing the wide space. Xentus took that as a warning, looking over to what Gid might be avoiding.. A sheer cliff. They were situated about ten feet away from it while walking along the wall, but it was rather unnerving.. The leopard tightened the slack on the leash, directing Mira to stay close.
45
|
|
|
Post by Nadia on Aug 1, 2020 16:50:31 GMT -6
Wow, the drop doesn't look too appealing. The drip-drip-drip of water can be heard somewhere below, but that is about all.
[Nothing happens.]
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 18:12:49 GMT -6
The leopard warily eyed the edge, but continued to proceed ahead, as directed by Gid. The gem dragon likely had little interest in getting itself smashed to pieces, so he felt rather confident following after the creature. The moisture in the air increased as they traveled.. He couldn't tell if it was a good of bad sign. His knowledge of cave systems were rather minimal.. He was was only scratching the surface in geology and learning the names of different minerals. Direct exposure was indeed a great learning incentive, but without instruction, it was nearly pointless. He could only make assumptions. Like.. This section of the cave was likely carved out by the underground river flowing through it. Water wears away rock with erosion. Made sense to him.
Their trail began to descend and loop back toward where they just came from. The leopard grew a bit suspicious, unsure of where exactly it was there were going. Toward the water? Gid hadn't stopped to scratch at the walls yet, which was normally the sign he might've sensed something interesting. The nature walk wasn't so bad either though. Well, for him. Mira was uneasy, but kept up just fine. It would be interesting to see how she might react when presented with a pool of water.
46
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 18:21:03 GMT -6
Most small cats didn't care for lurking around water. He found it kind of funny how commercial pet food advertised all kinds of off flavors for house pets to eat. Salmon, for example. At what point in a house cat's life would it even encounter salmon! Why wasn't there any rat or field mouse flavored food? It was much more realistic than fish. Then again.. When the typical 'house cat' in the city tended to be gigantic estharnes, perhaps fish wasn't so far off the mark. The man twisted his lips, distracted. Mosca could essentially be house cats. Would Mira prefer fish or mouse flavor food? Xentus was rather naturalistic when feeding his personal menagerie. Carnivores were fed raw meat, herbivores were given fresh hay, grass, and pellet feed. Processed foods were for those who were 'domestic', like the few smaller breeds of vulticus he owned. And strange creatures like the gem dragon were given whatever specialty they needed. But the 'flavor' of whatever they were fed was always something that seemed right for his pets. It wasn't until the feeling of 'wet and slippery' underfoot alerted him, jarring him from his thoughts. There was a thin layer of water coating the ground now. The leopard looked around, examining the new open space he found himself in. It was down below from where the cliff gave way to. An underground lake.
47
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 18:30:03 GMT -6
The water was nearly completely opaque, saturated with minerals from the surrounding rock. It was a shimmering cyan tone at the surface and faded into a deep blue as it descended into unseen depths. Almost like something out of a mysterious dream. The leopard stopped and stared for a moment. He knew Gid din't care for the superficial beauty of his underground home, but it sure was a sight to behold for the leopard. He blinked at the rippling water, tracing his eyes over to the edges where it met the rocky wall. The walls and ceiling were covered in stalactites, which made the occasional drip, drip... Drip.. Into the pool below.
He didn't know much about swimming in underground bodies of water, other than that they could be dangerous to dive in. Disorientation was a killer in places like this. The threat was alone to ward off the desire to take a plunge. And he had a timid little mosca to take extra good care of and not leave alone in a scary cave. He smirked to himself and continued after his dragon, who seemed to be slowing down. Perhaps they were nearing a spot where it wanted to start digging?
48
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 18:44:55 GMT -6
The dragon found a small cliff to scale and with a few fluttering flaps of its wings, it flew up with ease. Xentus blinked hard at seeing it make its way up so effortlessly. And.. It could fly! His mind was about to swarm, buzzing with questions on how it was capable of such a feat with a solid gem body, but he stopped them all with the simple answer of magic. It had to be. Whatever magical force allowed a gem dragon to live at all had to be same one to let it take flight. Xentus deemed this to be the truth and did not want to burden his mind with it. Why else would the creature have wings anyway?
He carefully turned to pick up the mosca, letting it sniff his hand before he attempted to pick it up. Mira lightly protested this, with a gently uttered mew, but otherwise submitted to being grabbed and hoisted over the short cliff. Then Xentus himself was up next. He didn't have any fancy means of scaling the slippery rock, and instead clumsily clambered over, digging his claws wherever they would find purchase. With a bit of effort and muscle, he rolled over the edge, huffing out a little breath.
49
|
|
|
Post by Xentus on Aug 1, 2020 19:00:41 GMT -6
He considered himself athletic, but the entire hike down here left him a bit winded. Perfect excuse. He could afford to take a small break, recover a bit of energy, and then be on his way if the dragon deemed this not to be the spot. And this was the perfect excuse to look over the lake for a while longer. The leopard sat up and gazed over toward the deep cyan water, eyes tracking the occasional drops of water that caused ripples on the surface. Did tides affect underground lakes? That would be a question he'd seek the answer for later, if he didn't stay here long enough to have it answered before his eyes. He would if he could.. But the mosca likely wouldn't enjoy that.
Xentus looked down over at Mira, who was fastidiously grooming herself from the collection of moisture and dirt that collected on her fur and feathers. It seemed a rest point would be necessary. He asked the blue gem dragon to stay near, though it seemed it was going to anyway. The creature was poking its head into nooks and crannies between the spires of stone that decorated the cavern path. A small break with a view, then it would be time to pick up the pickaxe again.
50
|
|
|
Post by Nadia on Aug 2, 2020 14:10:00 GMT -6
Another claw? Oh, and a stone, if one looks closely.
|
|