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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 10:42:53 GMT -6
There was condensation building on the walls, Runa noted as she brushed her fingers against them. She could not hear the water droplets that were falling but she had felt the ones that had fallen on her face when she looked up to appreciate the cave formations that hung above them. She didn't know much about things that formed from the ceilings of caves but they were still quite impressive to look at.
Forrest pushed at her side and she absently pulled out a rock to feed him. She was focused on illuminating the path in front of them and keeping a sharp eye out for hazards within the mine. Ahead, she could see what looked like a cave in, perhaps? She narrowed her eyes and pointed the flashlight toward where she thought the cave in was and felt disappointment rise in her. Yeah that was going to be super annoying to try and get through.
Of course, it could also be that the wall of rocks was holding up something important. As they approached, she felt more irritation rise. She looked at Forrest.
Think you could move the rocks? she signed at him. Then she blew out a breath. She really hadn't trained him to be able to do anything helpful here.
20.7 Forrest: 14.0 // 17.0 Mines - 58
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 10:51:03 GMT -6
She put her hands on the wall of rocks and pushed lightly. The rocks did not budge. Forrest stood next to her, putting a foot on the stack of rocks experimentally and then backed up.
Could you maybe...slam into it? she signed. It meant absolutely nothing to Forrest. Which was a shame, she thought to herself as she looked Forrest over because he was definitely heavy enough that a couple of strong slams would probably break through the rocks. He pawed a stone lose from the wall and it rolled to rest at Runa's feet. She looked at him. He looked at her.
Could you do that...a few more times? The lack of response was not promising. Runa put the shovel under one of the top rocks experimentally and put a little bit of weight behind it. It rolled down the rock wall and landed next to the rock that Forrest had freed from the wall. This was going to take forever at that rate. But it was also probably safer than trying to get Forrest to ram his entire body into the blockage.
She put the shovel under another rock and prized it from the wall. It broke open when it hit the other rock by Forrest's feet.
Runa: 20.8 Forrest: 14.2 // 17.2 Mines - 59
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 11:15:32 GMT -6
Forrest had pulled a few more rocks off the wall, stomping on them and the eating the remnants that were left when they were small enough for him to get in his mouth. She suspected that the larger ones were too hard to for him to eat since he couldn't get his mouth around the larger stones that he had dislodged. She dislodged one of the other rocks with her shovel and it fell to the ground.
Seems like a waste to be this big and also this not helpful she signed to him, having set down her shovel to take a quick break. The rocks were quite heavy. Forrest, apparently determined to be helpful, dislodged another rock and ate it in pieces. Runa picked her shovel back up and continued the destruction of the wall. She wondered if it was a fruitless effort to continue breaking down the wall.
She wondered what had caused the cave in to begin with. Horrifyingly, she realized it was possible that someone had caused the cave in and had been trapped and killed by the falling rocks. That was a dark thought. What if there was a body under these rocks. Surely she would have noticed the smell?
Runa: 20.9 Forrest: 14.4 // 17.4 Mines - 60
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 11:52:15 GMT -6
A few more rocks tumbled down from the wall. Forrest had gotten a few more although given that he stopped to eat them when he pulled them off of the wall. He had also eaten a few of the ones that Runa had pulled down, stomping on them to break them down and then eating the pieces. Every time he broke a stone open, Runa eyed the rubble to see if there was anything gleaming in it before he ate it. It would be just her luck if the Lamadidron ate any gems that she found before she had the opportunity to grab them.
Her stomach rumbled and she grimaced. She was starving. She briefly considered how fortunate it was that she had brought an animal that ate rocks with her into the mines. If she had brought anyone else she would have had to feed them rather than one that could just eat the environment that surrounded them. It would have been comparatively hard to feed Gallant or Goewihg if she had brought one of them.
Also, she was pretty sure Gallant would have had a fit if she had tried to bring him into the mines. Goewihg might have done better but probably not as well as Forrest.
Runa: 21.0 Forest: 14.6 // 17.6 Mines - 61
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 12:29:21 GMT -6
This was going nowhere. Runa picked up the flashlight and looked around, considering her options. She could head back to where there was a branch in the tunnels and go the opposite direction she supposed. She looked at Forrest and shook the bag of rocks. Immediately, he came over to her, looking to see if she was going to feed him any of the rocks that were in the pouch. Was it possible that an animal who ate rocks had a favorite specific rock?
It must have been so because otherwise she wasn't really sure why Forrest would abandon his veritable feast to come back over toward her and eat the rocks that she had brought him. Or maybe he just liked spending time with her and that was enough of an enticement to get him to follow her. Whatever the reason she was grateful she didn't have to work too hard to convince him to follow her.
They luckily hadn't traveled too far from the original point of the branching so they got back to the area where the tunnels split rather quickly (especially considering Forrest was with her. She pointed the beam down the other tunnel and didn't note a cave in.
Runa: 21.1 Forrest: 14.8 // 17.8 Mines - 62
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 12:38:32 GMT -6
They started down the other path, Runa holding tightly to the tools that she had bought. Forrest paused next to her and tilted his head. Runa stopped walking as well, keeping an eye on him and relying on him somewhat to indicate if he had heard anything concerning. Runa looked around but did not notice anything that was potentially dangerous. Nor did she smell anything worrisome.
After a heartbeat, Runa started walking again and Forrest started walking again as well, having evidently determined that whatever dangerous had caused him to stop was no longer an issue. She patted him as he kept pace with her. She would maybe have to train him to operate in certain capacities with her - perhaps to even act as some sort of guide for her when they were in areas where it might be beneficial to have hearing.
She touched the wall again, having had another drop of water hit her cheek. They were even wetter than they had been closer to the entrance. The flashlight glinted oddly and she stopped, what had caused the light to reflected like that? She held out a hand to Forrest who, predictably, did not even pause as they drew closer to the area.
Runa: 21.2 Forrest: 15.0 // 18.0 Mines - 63
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Post by NPC on Sept 19, 2024 10:36:02 GMT -6
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