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Post by Leafy on Oct 27, 2019 12:44:24 GMT -6
She glanced around the area, searching for signs of anything interesting. Wild critters usually left tracks or even stashes of gems. She was mostly looking for the gem hordes, considering those were most valuable. She wouldn’t say no to stumbling across another wayward critter. She liked collecting the mining familiars and she already had one, she could always sell the duplicate. She felt a bit odd being so stingy with credits lately, but she hadn’t a lot left. She didn’t even think she had enough for a basic trip to the Hunter’s Lodge at the moment.
“Not that I really need more creatures,” she mused. “I have a lot of different ones I should be working with. Maybe I should get better at selling the ones I don’t need.”
She glanced at Faye. The halfbreed was investigating the tunnel wall, she seemed rather intrigued with a particular spot. Perhaps Leafy should take a closer look.
(Faye 10 2/5, 15 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 27, 2019 13:00:13 GMT -6
The Maluzik glanced up at her as she approached, momentarily broken out of her spell of concentration. She then turned back to the wall, as though trying to convey to the girl that she had found something. Leafy crouched down to get a better view. She studied the wall, trying to see what Faye had found. It took her a few moments, but she soon discovered that there were tiny pawprints embedded into the tunnel wall.
“That’s rather peculiar. It seems like some tiny creature was actually scaling up the wall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like that before,” she commented.
Faye clicked in response, pleased that Leafy had figured it out. Leafy squinted, trying to see if she could follow the track. They appeared to disappear into the ceiling. It wouldn’t be possible for her to follow them.
“Perhaps we’ll come across the creature later on if we’re lucky.”
(Faye 10 3/5, 15 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 27, 2019 13:06:44 GMT -6
She wasn’t going to bank on that too much. It was worth keeping an eye out for, however.
“Are you ready to move on?” she asked the Maluzik.
Faye clicked and followed Leafy as the girl walked forward. She was pleased that the crossbreed seemed to be more vocal. She’d hardly made a sound when Leafy first got her. The two of them walked in comfortable silence. The tunnel brightened up, making it unnecessary for Faye to use her echolocation skills. They walked until the tunnel started to open up. She paused for a moment, checking to see what their new terrain would be.
“We might be headed into a ravine. It’s best to be careful. Wild critters are fairly common in ravines. They open up to the outside world and it’s easy for winged beasts to swoop in.”
Of course this advice only applied if they did indeed wind up in a ravine.
(Faye 10 4/5, 15 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 27, 2019 13:10:35 GMT -6
The farther Leafy walked, the more confident that she was that they were headed into a ravine. The air was fresh and void of the earthy scent of dirt. As she walked, the tunnel stretched upwards, the ceiling reaching far higher than Leafy’s height. She had no desire to attempt to climb it. She was content right where she was. Faye stuck close to the girl, suddenly unnerved with the new area. Leafy wasn’t too worried. Faye was still new to the mines and some nervousness was to be expected. It didn’t necessarily mean anything bad.
“The tunnel should open up soon. Then we’ll know for sure if we’re in a ravine or not,” she commented.
Faye clicked hesitantly, not quite sure what to make of the whole situation. However, she continued to follow the girl as she walked forward. Leafy’s confidence was reassuring, even if Faye was still uncertain of things.
(Faye 11, 16)
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Post by Jack on Oct 27, 2019 16:05:21 GMT -6
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 13:34:05 GMT -6
There were an abundance of treasures to be found up ahead. Leafy gathered them all up and placed them in her backpack. Her pack wasn't heavy enough to justify returning to the buggy, but it might be worthwhile to return if she kept finding treasures at this rapid rate. This area had been so good at providing her with treasures, that she almost wanted to stick around longer. But spending all that extra time digging around this area probably wasn't worth the effort at this point. It would be more efficient to grab the loose treasure and moving on. Faye decided to take the lead as they moved forward. She was on high alert, almost as though she expected something to be lurking up ahead. Leafy tried to stay alert as well. If they were both prepared, then perhaps whatever was hiding up ahead wouldn't be able to startle them.
(Faye 11 1/5, 16 1/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 13:45:47 GMT -6
The steady glow of her flashlight on the path ahead helped to keep Leafy calm. Her eyesight was sharp enough and with the path ahead well lit, there was no point in being afraid. Faye stuck close to her, using the girl as a sort of shield. If there was a monster up ahead, they would be well prepared to deal with it. If she had to, Leafy was not afraid to chuck her flashlight at a threatening creature. And if it absolutely came down to it, Faye was capable of fighting. She might have been untrained, but most creatures had a natural instinct to defend themselves. The ones that didn't tended to be Orbaru and their respective crosses. Pets that couldn't battle were not very common in the labs, but they were still existent. Orbaru crosses had always been popular and Leafy felt they were common as people sought the perfect companion creature.
(Faye 11 2/5, 16 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 13:55:11 GMT -6
The path they were heading down started to take sharp turns in multiple directions. Leafy slowed her pace considerably, not liking the sudden narrowing and disorienting layout of the tunnel. Faye was a naturally cautious critter. She followed Leafy's pace with ease, not complaining that they were slowing things down a bit. She kept a tight grip on her flashlight. The natural light in the tunnel seemed to be slipping away and soon her flashlight would be the only things keeping the path lit up. Even with a rather active lifestyle, pacing herself was important for the girl. She had planned out an extensive trip throughout the underground, she didn't want to have to cut it short because she didn't plan her energy conservation efficiently enough.
"If you get tired, I'll need to keep that in mind as well."
She didn't have a good gauge for Faye's fitness level quite just yet.
(Faye 11 3/5, 16 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 14:04:18 GMT -6
As they walked, Leafy made a mental note of the topography in the area. She had a brilliant memory when it came to pathing the places she had already been. She might have been naturally talented in that area, but effort was what truly helped her memorize areas. She had heard of creatures that had routes programmed into their biology. Salmon were always aware of where they had been born and they would return to that area once again when it was time for them to spawn. She wasn't aware of any lab created creatures with the same ability, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. She felt certain that Faye was not programmed like that. She was designed with echolocation as a form of her biology. She was created to explore new areas, not to return to the places she had already been. She was almost like a reclusive adventurer.
(Faye 11 4/5, 16 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 14:11:55 GMT -6
The farther they traveled without incident, the more Leafy allowed herself to relax. Faye was still on edge, but going forward, that appeared as though it might be common for the halfbreed. Humans weren't designed to thrive underground, but the halfbreed was. Leafy considered herself to be in a state of comfortable claustrophobia when she was down in the mines. She was aware of the dangers that being in a tight space could be, but she found that she had gotten used to it. There was always a voice in the back of her mind warning her that she was not meant to thrive in an enclosed space. Hence she had settled on the term comfortable claustrophobia. Comparing it to a phobia wasn't exactly accurate, but she hadn't any other way to describe it. Faye had an innate knowledge of the mines that the girl could never hope to possess.
(Faye 12, 17)
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Post by Renathan on Oct 29, 2019 15:34:53 GMT -6
A beautifu vein of opal could be found, just enough to glean a single piece big enough for the taking. Just beyond that; a vein of silver! What luck!
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 17:10:45 GMT -6
The flashlight unfortunately had a fairly narrow field of view. Luckily, this was large enough to allow her to catch a glimpse of a small gem cache hidden right next to the left wall. It was tucked away within the dead roots of some sort of underground growing plant. Faye was equally interested in the gems and sniffed around to check if there were others hidden. Alas, it seemed to be just a single gem and an ore hidden away. She wouldn't complain, this was a good find. She leaned over and picked up the opal and the piece of silver, stashing them away in her backpack. She'd need to think about returning to the buggy sooner rather than later. But for now, she was still comfortable continuing on. Faye lost interest in the gems once they were securely placed in Leafy's backpack. She was ready to find some new treasure.
(Faye 12 1/5, 17 1/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 18:24:04 GMT -6
One of the downsides to a tunnel that constantly twisted in all directions was the inability to see very far ahead. The flashlight couldn't exactly see through the wall. She shivered at the autumn chill. Even the shelter of the underground couldn't save her from the colder seasons. There was something surreal about being so far underground. If something happened to her down here, she might not ever be found. There was some comfort in the fact that Leafy at least had a few friends that would worry about her. She had recently completed an Orbaru breeding with Jack. The older woman would likely make an effort to find her if she suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. Maybe her pets would get worried as well. Faye had enough smarts to get herself out of a dangerous situation. But sometimes death happened through simple chance. There was no preventing bad luck.
(Faye 12 2/5, 17 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 18:31:36 GMT -6
Leafy decided to take the lead from Faye. Their partnership was an equal one, they took turns leading and following. It was effective to change up strategies to find even more treasure. They had different ideas of which paths to take, but together they could cover both ideals. There was no right way or wrong way to treasure hunting. Of course, there were ways to be unsafe in the mines, but Leafy was experienced enough that she didn't make amateur mistakes anymore. Faye was a mining familiar, but she didn't have the exact experience needed to be an effective miner. There was still a lot for her to learn and it made Leafy feel important to be the one to teach her. The halfbreed had begun to trust her so much more than she used to. She didn't treat Leafy with disrespect. Instead, she had accepted the girl's strengths and used them to her advantage.
(Faye 12 3/5, 17 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 29, 2019 18:36:44 GMT -6
Leafy had spent a considerable amount of time learning to track monsters. Of course the added benefit for these skills was that they translated quite well to tracking creatures as well. Leafy had found a considerable amount of wild familiars in her many hours spent in the mines, but she'd never gone out of her way to search for them. She was more likely to do such a thing in the mansion, where the critters changed monthly and were rather limited in their appearance. She wondered if she could put her skills to use. It had been a fair amount of time since she'd truly tracked down a monster and she was itching to try it again. She glanced to Faye, contemplating if the halfbreed was ready for such an endeavor. She likely wasn't ready for a dangerous monster, but it might be worthwhile to try and teach her to track down a wild familiar.
(Faye 12 4/5, 17 4/5)
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