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Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 18:42:46 GMT -6
Leafy wondered if she should strike the wall again, but Snap had settled down. Both of her companions were content to watch the wall slowly break apart. She decided to follow the lead of her companions and settled down the watch the stream of dirt and rocks. She joined Koyuki who had settled in a good distance away from the wall. Leafy felt anxiety claw at her chest. Would the entire tunnel fill with dirt and stone? She glanced over at Snap. He was closer to the danger than she would have liked, but she trusted his mining familiar instincts to keep him safe.
It took a long time of waiting before the tunnel wall had spread out far enough across the floor for a sizable gap to appear near the top. It might be unstable, but it would be a way to cross to the other side. Leafy was confident in her party’s ability to cross it. Koyuki and Snap were both lighter than her. If weight was going to be a problem, that would be her burden to bear. She stood up and gathered her tools. The pick would need a good cleaning once she had finished with this exploration.
(Snap 22 3/5, 27 3/5 | Koyuki 9 1/5, 12 1/5)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 19:54:59 GMT -6
Leafy narrowed her eyes as she squinted in the darkness. It was difficult to keep her vision sharp with just a flashlight. Snap and Koyuki watched her closely, waiting for the girl to lead them forward. She supposed they were also wondering if she would make it over the half-collapsed tunnel wall. She tested the pile of dirt and rock that had gathered nearby. If she could make it compact, she’d be able to stand on top of it without worry. The larger rocks provided stability, but the freshly disturbed dirt was still a bit too loose to stand on with confidence.
“Maybe if I stomp on it?” she considered.
She tilted her head as she scanned the dirt for an area that would work for her. The dirt piled closest to the center of her workspace seemed like it might work. She grabbed her shovel, intending to use the back of it to force the dirt to compact together. It didn’t take long. The tunnel itself wasn’t particularly large and with a sturdy place to stand, she would be able to scale the wall. Koyuki and Snap both moved closer to her as the girl stepped up onto the dirt pile.
(Snap 22 4/5, 27 4/5 | Koyuki 9 2/5, 12 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 21:14:21 GMT -6
Leafy felt confident in her climbing ability. She wondered for a moment if she should carry Snap. She knew Koyuki had the power of wind up her sleeve, but Snap wasn’t quite as lucky. However, he was also well equipped to deal with the terrain in the mines, he shouldn’t have much issue climbing over this tunnel wall. Leafy moved quickly, wanting to get over the wall before anything bad happened. She found a rock that was embedded in the wall which would make a perfect handhold. She placed her palm against it and held tight. She used the stability to heave herself up and over the tunnel wall.
“It’s safe for you to join me!” she exclaimed to her pets.
Leafy scrambled over the tunnel wall and landed safely on the other side. It took a few heartbeats before Koyuki and Snap both joined her. They moved quicker than she expected them to. She needed to learn not to doubt their abilities. The other side of the tunnel was filled with natural light. Was this close to the surface? It must be near some sort of exit. You couldn’t see this much sunlight deep underground. Now it was time to look for treasure.
(Snap 23, 28 | Koyuki 9 3/5, 12 3/5)
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Post by Renathan on Sept 21, 2019 21:17:39 GMT -6
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Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 21:49:25 GMT -6
Leafy scanned the length of the new area she was in. The wall in front of her was open, leading clearly outside. She still wanted to explore around for a little bit, but it was clear that this expedition had come to its end. There were a few gems sparkling in the sunlight. It was a decent haul for certain. Snap beat her to it, his tail wagging as he raced to the gems. Leafy joined him, happy that her hard work hadn’t been for nothing. Koyuki stood back, not as interested in the treasure as she was in exploring the new area.
There were two gems and a piece of ore. It was certainly a decent haul and Leafy was not disappointed. She followed Snap closer as the two made their way over to the gem pile. She slung her backpack free from her shoulders. Her muscles were relieved to be released from the weight. Her bag had grown heavy with treasure. A few more would hardly make a difference in the weight at this point. She placed the gems carefully inside. These would fetch her quite a few credits if she took them in to sell. She needed credits at the moment.
(Snap 23 1/5, 28 1/5 | Koyuki 9 4/5, 12 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 22:14:01 GMT -6
Koyuki spent time checking behind each large rock and around the corners of the open cavern they had found themselves in. Would this be considered a ravine? Leafy wasn’t quite sure if it qualified as one. With her newfound treasure secure in her backpack, she slipped the straps back over her shoulders. Snap looked pleased as he caught of glimpse of all the treasure they had found. Mining familiars were fond of their gems and Snap had done good work helping her find what they had. Koyuki didn’t have that same attachment to such materialistic things. The halfbreed seemed to enjoy the journey more than anything else.
Now that the journey was over, Koyuki seemed eager to leave. Leafy supposed she had other things she wanted to do and now that this cavern had been explored, she was ready to move on. Snap on the other hand appeared as though he wanted to stay. Koyuki was more independent than Snap was. If she wished to explore on her own for a bit, Leafy wasn’t about to stop her. As though reading her thoughts, the halfbreed nodded at her before disappearing out the cavern opening and into the sunlight. She would be fine on her own for a bit.
(Snap 23 2/5, 28 2/5 | Koyuki 10, 13)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 22:54:11 GMT -6
She felt a bit saddened by Koyuki’s departure. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the halfbreed to be on her own for a little while. It was the signal that their journey had closed. It hadn’t been the most exciting of explorations, but she was satisfied by the number of gems they had found. Besides, it would be easy enough to come back to the mines if she wanted more adventure. Snap was taking his time exploring the cavern. She didn’t mind if he wanted to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. It was possible that there was still treasure in here. Koyuki hadn’t seemed particularly interested in gathering anything else. There might still be stuff that she had missed. Leafy settled down on top of a sizable rock. She could at least take a moment to catch her breath. The climb over the wall had taken quite a lot out of her.
(Snap 23 3/5, 28 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 23:27:38 GMT -6
Snap seemed content to check through every nook and cranny in the cavern. Leafy felt warmth spread through her chest as she watched him. The sun here was warm and relaxing and she didn’t mind staying here just a while longer. The only thing better than this would be some hot springs that she could soak in, but that wish certainly wouldn’t be fulfilled here. Snap was intrigued with the strange insects that swarmed here. Leafy had almost forgotten about them, but now she could see that they were crawling across most of the cavern. Her skin crawled just looking at them. They avoided her though, opting instead to swarm within the sunny areas. The girl still didn’t quite know what drove them towards the light. Did they eat sunlight? Did they eat something that could only be found in sunlight? Perhaps that was a question she could answer with more observation.
(Snap 23 4/5, 28 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 21, 2019 23:59:45 GMT -6
Snap sniffed cautiously at a pile of stones a little way away from where Leafy was sitting. She watched as insects poured around them. Was there something important about those stones? A food source perhaps? Curiosity thrummed through her veins, but the weariness in her muscles won out. She wanted to sit for just a while longer. If there was anything important to be discovered, she trusted that Snap could handle it. She watched from a distance, laughing as Snap batted at the small stones surrounding the insects.
“Have you found anything?” she called out towards him.
Snap glanced at her for a moment as he heard her voice. He flicked his tail up once and then turned back to digging through the stones. Once she felt she had rested enough, she stood up and wandered close to see what Snap was so intrigued by. At first glance, it still looked like a bunch of regular pebbles to her.
(Snap 24, 29)
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Post by Lethalia on Sept 22, 2019 3:22:07 GMT -6
A gleaming tigers' eye catches the dim light in the familiar's pile of rocks.
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Post by Leafy on Sept 25, 2019 22:03:58 GMT -6
It had been a few days since she had finished up her last excursion into the mines. Leafy was now prepared to make another. She brought along Faye, a creature she had bred for such a purpose. She had ventured into the mines a bit before with the familiar, but that hadn’t been a true mining expedition. Now she had a chance to give Faye the true mining experience. She had even brought along a few special tools to try out. The mining rover could be used to store her finds and it was a lot larger than her backpack was. Leafy could use it as a sort of base where she could reconvene after she found treasure. “We’ll be careful not to get into any battles, I know I haven’t trained you for that,” she told the mining familiar. Faye watched her carefully. The creature was slowly starting to warm up to her. (Faye 5 1/5, 10 1/5) 131
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Post by Leafy on Sept 25, 2019 22:26:10 GMT -6
It would take a while for Faye to trust her entirely. Her Malii parentage made her wary of most things. Combined with her mining parentage, that made for an interesting combo. Leafy was confident that the Maluzik wouldn’t leave her behind if push came to shove. The girl was rather attached to the halfbreed. She had picked the parents carefully and the end results had pleased her. Now it would be a great time to test how effective she was at mining.
“It’ll be difficult, but I think you’ll do just fine,” Leafy told Faye.
The halfbreed pricked her ears forward at the sound of the girl’s voice. She then turned and entered the mines, as though accepting the challenge. Leafy followed, a smile spreading across her face. The rover would make hauling all her tools a lot easier, even if she wouldn’t be able to take it down the tighter tunnels.
(Faye 5 2/5, 10 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 26, 2019 11:02:28 GMT -6
The mines had become like a second home to Leafy. The dark underground was more peaceful than one would expect. Faye was just at home here, though that was likely due to her parentage. It made the girl feel a lot more confident in the expedition. She led the mining buggy through the entrance and set it down while she decided which path to take.
“Any preference?” she asked Faye.
The Maluzik paused for a moment, as though deliberating. She swiveled her ears around, listening to the different sounds in the mines. There were many paths to choose from. Leafy didn’t have much of a preference. Most paths led to adventure after all. Faye finally settled on a path. Luckily, it was wide enough for her mining buggy to fit down. She picked up the buggy and followed Faye as she disappeared down the wide path and into the darkness ahead.
(Faye 5 3/5, 10 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 26, 2019 11:09:37 GMT -6
The buggy was light for now, but Leafy assumed that would change once she added some heavy gems to it. It did well to lessen the weight of lugging around all of her tools. Faye was kind enough to stay just in sight of the girl. She was slower while lugging the buggy around, but she would set it down once they reached an area it wouldn’t fit through. The path began to slope and Leafy found the bulk of the buggy a little easier to manage.
“Don’t get too far ahead,” she cautioned Faye.
The halfbreed snapped her head up and glanced at the girl. She slowed her pace slightly once she realized the girl had fallen behind. Leafy used the torch she had brought along for light. She liked the way it looked and its thin base was a little easier to hold as she dragged the buggy along.
(Faye 5 4/5, 10 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Sept 26, 2019 11:18:17 GMT -6
The tunnel that Faye had picked turned dark very quickly. The light from her torch was hardly enough to light the area just in front of her. They would need to navigate carefully. There was always a chance that the path would suddenly drop off into a cliff. Faye would be fine since she had wings, but Leafy certainly did not.
“I certainly hope you wouldn’t let me fall to my death,” she muttered.
It was the risk of adventuring and Leafy was not one to be deterred by such dark thoughts. For now, she focused on the treasure there was to find. Leafy wasn’t about to complain about having to drag the buggy around. She could try training a critter to pull the thing, but doing it herself wasn’t so bad. But she also wouldn’t complain if the path ahead required her to set it down for a moment while she checked an area it couldn’t fit down.
(Faye 6, 11)
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