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Post by NPC on Apr 19, 2022 9:44:39 GMT -6
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Apr 22, 2022 4:27:05 GMT -6
The process began smoothly though inevitably ended up running into hitches not long after. What rubble was on the outer layers of the blockage was more loose and easier to dislodge or chisel through, largely being made up of the same crystalline material that the walls of the cavern had been. But further in, the solid grey slate and granite started to pick up, only occasionally intermixed with the remains of crystal where ever the ceiling had collapsed in on itself. And unfortunately for her, the granite was much more abundant than the crystal..
In a way, she was now starting to understand what caused the gargoyle to take so much time during the middle part, as he likely would have had to cut through much of the harder stone before even reaching the other side. But, then again, that last stint of his seemed to be quite fast, so perhaps the opposite end is much softer material.
(212) Darky: 212 Ras Dashen: 119 (2/5) / 119 (2/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Apr 22, 2022 4:30:56 GMT -6
Other interruptions were also present, though far less expected and rather pleasant in nature, even. Every now and again, as the sphinx removed more of the rock from the wall, a hollow would become visible where the two or more large slabs of stone had created a bit of a pocket. Most of them weren't very much, but any such space would mean less digging, as the rock had already been vacated from the area. Admittedly, one still had to be careful with them, since not all such pockets could be necessarily stable.. which no doubt explained the dust cloud from the other end when Ras was finally able to break through the blockage.
Not for the first time the sphinx wonders and wishes the extent of magic could be used to melt stone as much as move it. Her skills in the earth forces were relatively novice, but even then the general impression didn't give much hope for anything usable here.
(213) Darky: 213 Ras Dashen: 119 (3/5) / 119 (3/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Apr 22, 2022 4:34:56 GMT -6
Inevitably, the way back home lead through hard work and sore arms. Which isn't to say there weren't benefit already in the process itself.. Not all the hollows were necessarily empty. Of granite, yes, but there was also other types of finds..
In one, she found a rough red stone and a mottled green one, garnet and jasper respectively. For all the bad luck they had been seeing in the cave-in and the unexpected troubles, it seemed the mines were especially rich in the warrior's stone that day (and whether that was a sign or not was something for the spirits to know). No sooner had she taken those back to the mining cart that a change glimpse on the way back caught sight of other things in the rubble, small and round. Not stones, as was her first instinct, but more of those strange eggs, even as one of them seemed to shine about as bright as copper ore itself.
(214) Darky: 214 Ras Dashen: 119 (4/5) / 119 (4/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Apr 22, 2022 4:38:58 GMT -6
No sooner had she stored those in the cart that she began to head back up the rubble hill to find the gargoyle standing there, rubble in his mouth. "What's that?" the sphinx blinked, surprised to see the gargoyle away from his task, but Ras merely inclined his head and dropped the rock pieces on the ground between them.
They weren't cleanly removed from the stone around them, looking more slate than anything else, but even so the sphinx could see spots of something 'other' peeking through places where the gargoyle's claws had scratched them free. A bit of additional chisel work on her end, far more precise than the gargoyle's beak and claws, and she could see the clump held three separate things - copper, a yellowish metal-like surface (too tarnished for gold) and a pale stone with red mottling.
Each of the three were easy enough to recognize, once the outer layer was breached, but it still surprised her.
(215) Darky: 215 Ras Dashen: 120 (0/5) / 120 (0/5)
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Post by Ashe on Apr 29, 2022 3:18:11 GMT -6
The walls are rich around here, it seems!
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:13:39 GMT -6
Normally these types of minerals didn't really appear this close to one another. At least, according to most geology books. Admittedly most geology books were also written using data and information from beyond the City, considering this place was relatively recent in terms of large-scale settlement. The mines, too, weren't exactly that old, unless some tunnels and caves had existed even before the City's founding.
Still, the nature of the place was every bit as fantastical as it was contradictory. A fact which she certainly didn't object to, even if it sometimes made for some.. unfortunate situations. Such as crystalline tunnels that cave in without warning..
Turning the stones over in her hands, she did smile at the gargoyle, though, "Nice find, Ras. Now, go see if you can finish up that tunnel."
Tunnel, tunnel, the thoughts rumbled back, with that distinct intonation of someone saying 'work, work', with only partly as much enthusiasm.
(216) Darky: 216 Ras Dashen: 120 (1/5) / 120 (1/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:13:58 GMT -6
It wasn't that the gargoyle wanted out that badly, especially because cave-ins were just an everyday part of living underground (and really, most organics were so bad at detecting them, it was ridiculous). But the sphinx's panic and near-squash experience was leaving its mark on their empathic connection, one even the usually so terse and unsympathetic Ras wasn't able to ignore. He didn't need her words or tone of voice to know that whatever was holding her panic together was thin, straining and starting to fray, the longer they stayed stuck in this rubble.
So he trotted back over to the tunnel and began to widen it with that much more gusto. There wasn't too much of the work left, but it would admittedly also go a lot faster if he didn't constantly bump into these 'special rocks' the two-legger was also interested in. He didn't quite understand why, but whenever bringing them over it seemed to reduce some of the tension in her, even if just slightly.
(217) Darky: 217 Ras Dashen: 120 (2/5) / 120 (2/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:14:21 GMT -6
By that logic, Ras could only assume they had healing effects on organics. It wasn't strong logic, mind, but his mind was simple and connections easy to make.
In the meantime, the mammalian cleared away some of the last debris around the stones, using the chisel to gently tap the seams where all three had been lodged together. With a few precise hits, the three rocks were separate pieces again. Not exactly clean ones, considering the excess material still sticking to their sides, but that's something she can worry about when they're home, and going over the full inventory.
For now, a simple deposit in the mining cart, and she turned her attention back to the real problem on hand - the large rubble pile that Ras had thrown out of the tunnel, in front of its opening. Not for any treasure, but because if they were to get all of them out of here, cart included, she needed to clear up a path to the tunnel, to begin with.
(218) Darky: 218 Ras Dashen: 120 (3/5) / 120 (3/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:14:41 GMT -6
The more backbreaking work was largely done, with the bigger slabs and boulders pushed aside. The rubble Ras was digging up was more gravel, or equivalent in size, considering his digging style, so easily something a shovel could push aside without too much issue. Fortunate, too, since the sphinx wasn't exactly looking forward to breaking her bank any more than some stray pieces of rubble already did. The slab across the cart might have saved them, but there had been plenty other, smaller pieces, that made the journey down from the ceiling before that one. When she gets home, she'll endure the earful from the trio first, and then after that take a nap for what feels like a week. Dirt-encrusted, mining-geared and all - cleaning up will be a later-her problem.
For now, a different sort of cleaning up was still a present-her problem, so she picked up the shovel with a deep sigh and got to work throwing the rubble down the messy slope.
(219) Darky: 219 Ras Dashen: 120 (4/5) / 120 (4/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:15:10 GMT -6
Could be some of these rocks still contained some precious stones, but her mind largely didn't care about that. Could be there was treasure still to find within the cavern itself, unstable and threatening as it was. Still, it wasn't sparking the same degree of adventure as before. Right now, all she could think about was the warm touch of sunshine, the breath of fresh air, and the knowledge that the sky above would not come crashing down on her.
It wasn't much, but her anxiety was grasping at straws. And its grip strength was potent.
Up head in the tunnel, the gargoyle's progress gave her hope, feeling the gradual increase of triumph as Ras continued to clear out the gap on one side, the better to fit something wide like the cart through. Not for the first time the sphinx wondered if there existed some magic or spell that might simple turn stone to sand, or just move a portion of it out of existence.
(220) Darky: 220 - (added) Ras Dashen: 121 (0/5) / 121 (0/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:15:51 GMT -6
Even while not actively looking, the eyes does wander as she clears the rubble, dotting from one piece in the pile to another, as if out of habit (or perhaps by means of a more literal grounding technique. One can't spend as much energy on the crushing weight of the earth overhead when focusing on the tiny little pieces of earth right in front of you). And though it's aiming for speed, there's a pause as the sphinx's head slowly tilts.
Most of the rocks in the cavern are grey, and what remains of the crystal a motley mix of blue and purple. Not much is brown, so the rough-hewn side stands out oddly plain. When the flashlight strikes across it, the bright tint of something shimmy just beneath some scratches reveals more of the truth - metal. And something brownish like that could only be iron.
Carefully, she picks the piece out of the pile on the shovel, as to not let the rest of them fall off and needing to be collected again.
(221) Darky: 221 Ras Dashen: 121 (1/5) / 121 (1/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:16:10 GMT -6
Ore in general is good news, for there's many different ways they can be applied, and iron in particular is excellent news, since it's also the basis for so many tools and even weapons. Although the sphinx has much the arsenal she already needs, one can never be too prepared when it comes to equipment, and likewise never know when you need to smelt something to specifics.
And unlike it's gem brethren, iron isn't as likely to crumple and shatter when transported within the cart. So while everything else gets a nice little cloth wrapping, or placed in a soft bag, the iron can merely be placed on the bottom of the cart barrel as is, along with a few others of its metal kin. The remaining shovel full of debris gets deposited beside the cart, in an ever growing pile, as well.
The gargoyle's likely to have made much more rubble by the time she climbs the slope again, but the further in he goes the more time it takes to push things back out again, so there's some grace in that.
(222) Darky: 222 Ras Dashen: 121 (2/5) / 121 (2/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:16:27 GMT -6
No sooner did she reach the top of the slope than a pile of broken rock and crystal was pushed out from the hollow beneath the wall, unceremoniously shoved a few extra feet further, and then abandoned, as the gargoyle ducked back into the tunnel.
How much further do you have left? the sphinx tried to peer into the tunnel. The flashlight shined a good ways, but the rubble was a mixture of regular stone and the strange crystal, so the glints from the latter made accurate estimates difficult. A reflection would be a small protrusion, but it could also be the edge of the side wall caught at the right angle.
Soon, the gargoyle rumbled, the best answer he could give. Ras knew exactly how much was left, being a denizen made to dig, but he lacked the ability to translate that 'knowing' into thoughts the sphinx could comprehend as well. So instead of distance he gave estimates in time.
(223) Darky: 223 Ras Dashen: 121 (3/5) / 121 (3/5)
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jan 25, 2023 14:16:57 GMT -6
It was still good enough for her, seeing as he was doing most of the heavy lifting, after all. In the meantime, she pushed more of the rubble back over the slope's edge, letting it clatter down the smoother part and to the bottom. Not exactly a method of being neat, but in this case that wasn't as important any more - Soon enough the gargoyle would break up enough space to fit both of them and the cart out, and she'd be able to breathe air that wasn't entirely clouded over by fine dust (It wouldn't be quite fresh until they completely left the mines, but even that small change would have been equally as welcome).
The sphinx spent some time moving the rubble off the clear part of the slope, in preparation of getting the cart to be pulled up along it. Much of it was still rubble, though some different types of rock were apparent.
(224) Darky: 224 Ras Dashen: 121 (4/5) / 121 (4/5)
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