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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jul 20, 2023 9:12:36 GMT -6
 You have tamed the winged gargoyle! And as it moves to jump into your mine cart, it reveals the most valuable gem in its little green hoard. |
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jul 21, 2023 15:06:20 GMT -6
With the gargoyle settled in the cart, the sphinx was finally able to take a breather. Right, well.. she might need to explain to Sha'Nepti why the necklace has an extra set of scratches or two (or just head over to the workshop and make a new one to replace it, if the gargoyle's not too keen on returning it), but at least they managed to get through that without any further incident.
See? there's an awkward smile towards Ras. It's possible to make friends without fighting. The gargoyle in turn shuffled awkwardly, but largely remained unconvinced. Which admittedly was largely because the gargoyle usually saw the end goal as 'it can't do anything bad if its no longer moving'. The ste of 'no longer moving' wasn't the same as 'not alive', since the gargoyle's understand of something living didn't necessarily have to involve breathing, but still. In effect, the point remained.
(251)
Darky: 251
Ras Dashen: 127 (1/5) / 127 (1/5) |
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
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Post by Darky on Jul 21, 2023 15:27:32 GMT -6
Before the two could turn and investigate the cache proper, however, the winged one shuffled within the cart, causing something to spill out and clatter off the various ledges onto the ground. The sound rang an unusual sort of clarify that the mammalian had ever really heard from one specific type of rock, nevermind that the back of her mind had suddenly begun to itch a very familiar fashion. She turned, slowly at first, and saw the crystal slowly coming to a stop on the ground.
For a moment neither mammalian nor gargoyle moved, the former a bit too afraid the fall might have cracked it.. but since no immediate arcane explosion followed it looks like they were lucky. Magical crystals weren't exactly overly fragile, but it didn't really stand to test theories and find out, particularly if they didn't know what type of abuse the crystal might have already gone through in the past.
(252)
Darky: 252
Ras Dashen: 127 (2/5) / 127 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
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Post by Darky on Jul 21, 2023 15:31:20 GMT -6
Slowly the sphinx manoeuvred over, and with utmost care, picked up the crystal before wrapping it in another piece of cloth. The cart itself was starting to get a bit full, from the constant visitors if not the rocks they hoarded, so she sought to place it as much off to the side as possible, tucked between other folded items. If anything perhaps that would spare them too much damage on the way back, even if the nesting residents decided to get a bit rowdy.
With that sorted, she headed over to where the winged one had first been spotted and collected the other two green stones, bringing them over to the cart as well. Ras observed, still dutifully wanting to show his own find, but patient enough to realize there was an order to things and the mammalian would let him know. Said finds didn't admittedly ping quite as strongly as the crystal had, though if asked he'd defend himself with the notion it HAD been in the same general direction..
(253)
Darky: 253
Ras Dashen: 127 (3/5) / 127 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
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Post by Darky on Jul 21, 2023 15:35:04 GMT -6
With that sorted, the only thing that remained was the cache. In truth the sphinx hadn't really expected to find more than a couple of stones at best. Not because she didn't believe in Ras' skills, but more because that seemed to be their luck at times. That expectation was soon proved quite wrong, when the mammalian pulled away the first layer of stones making up the odd cairn-like structure off to the side of the wall, and immediately saw bright colours flashing back.
"Oh, wow.." she blinked against the glare, and actually had to point the flash-light away. Not because the stones themselves were so bright, but because the reflections of the light caused quite the kaleidoscopic reflection. Such tended to happen quite easily when you had a bunch of diamonds all bundled together.. And not just diamonds either, as she soon came to realize, but a few pink-coloured ones too.
(254)
Darky: 254
Ras Dashen: 127 (4/5) / 127 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 21, 2023 15:38:46 GMT -6
The diamond itself would have been a decent enough find, and the jasper and silver ore a nice added bonus, but what really caught her attention were the mind crystals at the very bottom. How strange.. she can't really recall the last time she'd seen more than one clumped together.. Nor such angular shapes, now that she thought about it.
Good find? Ras asked, peering into the cache from beside her. Based on the emotional output, he might as well have been lightly waving his tail. Despite her tiredness, the mammalian had to smile, turning towards him with a nod, "Very good find. Nice job, Ras. Now let's get these onto the cart." Before anything else happens, was the part she didn't say out loud, but couldn't help but feel. The problem with having a good haul is that it gets all the more precarious in getting it back up top-side.
(255)
Darky: 255
Ras Dashen: 128 (0/5) / 128 (0/5)
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Post by Nadia on Jul 23, 2023 3:37:35 GMT -6
After the excitement of such finds, there seems to be a lull in activity. The rock walls here are just rock. That's a shame.
[Nothing happens.]
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jul 23, 2023 22:54:22 GMT -6
With everything secured and locked down, it was time to start going again. The gargoyle moved back up to the front of the cart where the mammalian was able to re-attach the leads on the harness, and within a few moments later the tunnel was quietly echoing with the sound of wheels rolling over semi-even ground.
The mammalian had a pretty decent idea about what the length of the crystalline tunnel had been, but not quite so much about its depth. It hadn't been completely even, to be sure, and even a slight slope downward could have placed them much deeper than where they started. Likewise this tunnel seemed to slope quite a bit upwards, though not as much as to make walking difficult. This meant that although she could estimate how far the outside edge of the mountain was in terms of horizontal distance, it wasn't quite so clear cut on the vertical one.
(256)
Darky: 256
Ras Dashen: 128 (1/5) / 128 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 23, 2023 22:59:15 GMT -6
The general term 'we'll get there when we get there' wasn't unfamiliar to her, although between the events, the haul, and the passage of most of the day she rather hoped to get home as quickly as possible. If it would involve calling in some tat-lungian help to get both her, Ras and the cart back in record time, so be it, although calling ahead would have meant that she and the gargoyle wouldn't have to wait on the mountainside for any considerable time.
It was almost funny how the brain ends up focusing on the smaller details like that, when in specific states. Any other time it would have been hardly a trouble, and yet here she was mentally fussing over such minor details. Maybe taking a break from the mines after this wouldn't be so bad of an idea, at least until she can think of some sort of 'anti-collapse' escape method..
(257)
Darky: 257
Ras Dashen: 128 (2/5) / 128 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 23, 2023 23:03:14 GMT -6
Well, regardless.. Sometimes nothing happening can be a good thing, especially on an already tired brain. The tunnel continued onwards with only the distant gloom as their guide, though the flashlight was cutting through it quite well. The coolness of the air continued to be a balm on both soreness and tiredness, allowing the mammalian to feel at least a little bit refreshed. It was always difficult to tell if and when Ras was tired, since the gargoyle didn't quite operate on the same physical level and most other organics. In truth, the mammalian sometimes wondered if he even could get tired, considering he looked to be a pretty strong workhorse as was.
The cart, laden as it was, was probably the heaviest its been, and yet the gargoyle didn't seem to be particularly struggling. Even up the broken slope, the claws might have scrambled on uneven rock, but never slip.
(258)
Darky: 258
Ras Dashen: 128 (3/5) / 128 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
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Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 23, 2023 23:08:11 GMT -6
It was some distance into the newfound tunnel (and hopefully back out of the mountain) that the gargoyle stopped again, head craned as if sensing something. When the sphinx stopped, she too started to hear a faint enough sound, something which had been otherwise drowned out by the steady rumble of the cart's wheels.
"What is it?" her ears perked, moving to try and lock on.
Water, Ras replied, moving over towards the side of the wall, or as close as the cart reigns allowed him to get without pulling it off course. He took a moment to sense again, before tapping the beak against a specific spot of rock. Here.
The mammalian moved over and leaned her head against the rock. Sure enough, at this distance she too could hear the faint bubbling of a stream or minor current somewhere beyond the wall, although the air in the tunnel didn't feel particularly humid.
(259)
Darky: 259
Ras Dashen: 128 (4/5) / 128 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
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Post by Darky on Jul 23, 2023 23:14:54 GMT -6
She also couldn't quite tell what direction the stream was going. Was it cutting underneath them? Running parallel? Or just close enough to hear but otherwise not even touching their path? With the recent cave-in still fresh in her mind, she didn't want to necessarily risk any location that could have water-erosion, given the frailty of the area.
Standing back, the flashlight shone across the whole of the wall. There were some cracks and crevices, as none of the path or tunnel was completely even, but not enough to make better sense of what was behind it. For a moment, the mammalian considered whether investigation was necessarily.. but perhaps it was also a nice chance to give Ras a break from pulling the cart and having answers at the same time.
"Alright, take a moment to rest up, I'll have a look," the told the gargoyle, and picked up the pickaxe, trying to see if she can make a big enough gap in a crevice to see more.
(260)
Darky: 260 - (added)
Ras Dashen: 129 (0/5) / 129 (0/5)
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Post by Nadia on Jul 23, 2023 23:39:45 GMT -6
 Looks like there's something in there... |
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Darky
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Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 14:44:50 GMT -6
The chiselling took some time, largely because the mammalian preferred to use the pickaxe in place of the actual chisel. This wasn't the sort of job that required a precision tool, least not quite yet, and largely the pickaxe tended to feel better in her hand anyway. It also meant she didn't have to hit quite as hard, or as accurately, as with a chisel and mallet, which was the main boon in her rather tired shoulders and back.
What material the wall was made of, she couldn't really tell. Between said tiredness and the panic attack episode, a lot of little details were slowly blurring together. Most likely something or another of granite and sediment.. The tiny bit of her brain still operating on full did end up recalling the crystalline tunnel had a rather 'dried up underground river' vibe to it, before it fell in on the two of them.
At that thought the pickaxe suddenly paused.
(261)
Darky: 261
Ras Dashen: 129 (1/5) / 129 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 14:49:37 GMT -6
Underground river.. and the sound of water bubbling just on the otherwise of this cracked wall. Maybe it was just because he no longer heard the hacking sounds, or maybe sensing the sudden spike of fear, the gargoyle's head rose from the ground and turned to look at her attentively. He wasn't privy to all her thoughts (not like the tat-lung habitually tended to be), but even he could skim that she wasn't feeling well in the here and now.
Dig? the gargoyle ventured.
Darky blinked, waking from that rather awful train of thought, and looked to him, "Hm? Oh, ah.. No, you keep resting, it's alright. I'll manage." It was a good thing Ras wasn't that good at lying, nor spotting a lie. The tat-lung would have hardly allowed her to get away that easily.. Instead, the gargoyle considered, trusted, and laid his head down on his front feet again with a small shift.
(262)
Darky: 262
Ras Dashen: 129 (2/5) / 129 (2/5)
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