Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Sept 2, 2021 8:12:26 GMT -6
Well.. not so 'suddenly' as such. The wall was moving, shifting, changing, and it wasn't until it was drifting close that the sphinx recognized it as fog, slowly rolling in from the tunnel beyond. The appearance of a wall was largely due to the light having difficulty refracting through it, but once she edged the flashlight's spotlight a little more to the side, that twilight zone between darkness and light had more discerning. Right, well.. the flashlight was much too strong for this, so she switched it off and opted for using the crystal torch instead, whose glow was much milder.
Ras' unease didn't let up as the fog rolled in, beginning to snake around them, but neither was he having any specific fear reaction.
"Should we continue?" the sphinx looked to him, to find that confirmation. While a spectacle, there was no scent or trace to it other than moisture, and fog underground wasn't entirely an unnatural phenomenon. "Is it safe?"
The gargoyle hesitated, grinding his beak in deliberation.
(140) Darky: 140 - (added) Ras Dashen: 105 (0/5) / 105 (0/5)
|
|
|
Post by Nadia on Sept 2, 2021 12:29:32 GMT -6
It might be worth staying put long enough to pick these up.
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Sept 7, 2021 4:51:19 GMT -6
It wasn't safe as such. Where moisture was concerned, most rock creatures tended to run the other way lest they face erosion-related complications (Or worse, moss and algae that never got out of the different cracks and stone crevices). But also the gargoyle understood the fog itself wasn't the threat.. More what could be within it.
Sensing the gargoyle's hesitation, the mammalian walker over and places a hand on his side, smiling encouragingly, "We can leave, if you want. We don't have to go further in if there's something to fear."
The gargoyle stiffened, clacking his beak, suddenly, No fear! None! He rose to his feet, suddenly resolute and bolstered. The fog was scary, yes, but he had a duty to protect the mammalian, and in the process there was no room for something as weak as fear. Stamping his feet down into the stony floor, his jaw and intent was set, Can go. Forward good. It wasn't a lie, just.. perhaps more heavily in the 'if he tells himself that enough it's probably true' range of things.
(141) Darky: 141 Ras Dashen: 105 (1/5) / 105 (1/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Sept 7, 2021 5:53:20 GMT -6
Unbidden, the gargoyle began to march forwards, leaving the sphinx to step back and blink. The words had not been intended to be quite so encouraging, but she couldn't argue the results, seeing as the gargoyle was also the main workhorse (or workfamiliar) of the whole digging endeavor. Sure, the cart wasn't so large or heavy she couldn't just pull it herself, but it was more Ras' instinct, beak and claws that could really make a difference in destroying a good bit of earth.
Standing, she took a few hopping steps after him to catch up and fall in beside him, crystal torch high. "Just remember, if there should be anything, we can still turn around and go back. It's an option and retreat is alright," she wanted to make sure the gargoyle's pride wasn't going to put them (or more himself) into any greater danger. Where Ras lacked in ego, he was filled with duty. As it happened, being a guardian gargoyle also meant taking some of that classification more literally than other familiars.
(142) Darky: 142 Ras Dashen: 105 (2/5) / 105 (2/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Sept 7, 2021 5:59:21 GMT -6
Not surprisingly, the gargoyle's general laconic manner only increased as a result, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the possibility of retreat. If the worst came to it, the mammalian could just scoop him up and book it, but likely wouldn't hear the end of it afterwards.
Pushing into the fog, the tunnel became more humid and warmer, which was a positive sign. Any number of things could cause fog beneath the earth, but generally everything not related to heat tended to have poor consequences for organic things, especially in terms of breathing. The sphinx's assumed there might be a hot water vein somewhere nearby, connected to the tunnel network and having the occasional overspill into it as a result. So while the quality of the air remained breathable, the quality of the view was.. decidedly less so.
The crystal torch made for a better tool than the flashlight in this equation, although even so she could hardly see the ground beneath their feet. So much so that there was a sudden bump against her toes and a clattering along the ground as they walked.
(143) Darky: 143 Ras Dashen: 105 (3/5) / 105 (3/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Sept 7, 2021 6:34:49 GMT -6
The gargoyle tensed immediately, stopping to arch his spines and back, but the sphinx wasn't quite so alarmed. The sensation and sound seemed to suggest she'd managed to stumble across a loose rock on the floor more than anything of considerable concern. Hunching down, the sphinx began to creep forwards, trying to spot the object on the floor within the fog, as she vaguely oriented towards the last known direction of the noise. The search didn't even last that long, as she was able to spot a vague dark brown shape in the hazy air. Picking it up, the outside had a distinctive layered feel of a geode, while a crack on the side showed hints of the colour within.
Pale.. somewhat translucent.. and very bright. Ah, there was only one stone able to reflect light like that - Diamond.
"Easy there, Ras," she smiled, turning to show him the geode, "It's just a rock, nothing to be worried about."
(144) Darky: 144 Ras Dashen: 105 (4/5) / 105 (4/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Sept 7, 2021 6:56:54 GMT -6
The gargoyle settled, but only slightly. Sure, there was nothing to be worried about now, but that didn't mean there couldn't be something to be worried about. The mammalian scanned the nearby surroundings for anything else that might have been missed underfoot, and managed to find a pink-ish rock as well, one which was much easier to recognize as a mind crystal. Fortunately her foot had not touched that one first, otherwise it could have been the mind crystal that scattered across the floor and perhaps threaten to crack in the process.
Carefully, she made her way back to the cart and deposited both within. In light of these new discoveries, it seemed there was as much cause to keep an eye on the floor as the path ahead, since the fog was rolling in thick enough to hide more than shadow from the torchlight within itself. Due to that, as they continued their path onward along the tunnel, the sphinx made sure to keep the crystal torch a little lower, the better to spot anything on the floor (Preferably before her foot would hit it, this time).
(145) Darky: 145 Ras Dashen: 106 (0/5) / 106 (0/5)
|
|
|
Post by Nadia on Sept 7, 2021 11:55:03 GMT -6
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Oct 1, 2021 7:14:16 GMT -6
It wasn't long until another shadow became apparent against the misty backdrop, this time a little lighter in tone than before largely because the stone in question was halfway translucent. The sphinx picked up the shard and shone the torch a little closer to it, turning it around in her hand. The yellow tint could have made it be quite a number of things, from amber to citrine, but the distinct clarity and surface hardness made only one option likely - topaz. Admittedly.. topaz generally didn't present quite itself quite so sharply but who knew what magics and forces existed deeper within?
She deposited it into the cart and the two continued along, as the fog gradually began to thicken and thin in turns. Where it was coming from, it didn't seem too consistent, and almost felt like it was stuck in the air. The moisture didn't cling to either of them, since was much too cooled down to do that. If there were thermal vents, those could have explained it, though she would have expected the temperature to be warmer in that case.
(146) Darky: 146 Ras Dashen: 106 (1/5) / 106 (1/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Oct 1, 2021 8:57:50 GMT -6
Likewise, with the lack of a breeze or wind in the tunnel it almost seemed as though the fog hung heavy and old in the tunnel, unable to move or escape. Even the two passing through it created soft vortices in their wake, enough to push it aside slightly and stir the air for once in however many years since it was last disturbed, but not enough to cause it to dissipate completely. Like little ripples of an airy wake, their passage eventually settled back into the hazy cloud it had been, though now only slightly altered.
Mindful of the peculiarity, the sphinx kept an eye open on the walls to their either sides in addition to the ground, in case a tunnel branches off or opened up somewhere that could bring more light into the cause of this strange phenomenon. In so far as she saw, however, it mostly continued as a solid, smooth wall, with only the occasional dents, hollows and small tunnels running above or below, remnants of the central river it used to be.
(147) Darky: 147 Ras Dashen: 106 (2/5) / 106 (2/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Oct 1, 2021 9:27:39 GMT -6
The small little off-branches might have been big enough for Ras to fit through, perhaps, but were certainly not even close to big enough for the sphinx to venture down into. Nor would she have felt comfortable to, considering it would have been a tight space at best and a potential dead end trap at worst. The concept of being trapped without escape made for an uncomfortable lump in her stomach, one best swallowed down by having the thought scattered away with a shake of the head.
No need to take such bold risks as yet, especially since the main tunnel seemed hardly lacking in an end. The two continued down it, eyes and ears open for anything unusual. It wasn't long after that when another shadow popped up as the torch grew closed, this time a blue-ish tone shining through the dull grey, and slightly off to the side. It wasn't a large piece of rock, but large enough to be distinct from the slight rubble on the edges of the tunnel.
(148) Darky: 148 Ras Dashen: 106 (3/5) / 106 (3/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Oct 1, 2021 9:32:31 GMT -6
Bringing it up to the dull light, it was a lot harder to distinguish the blue stone from the topaz from before, largely because there happened to be quite a number of different blue stones in existence. Something which wasn't helped by the fact that most of them looked quite alike in surface texture and composition.. This one almost had a look of something else to it, but when the sphinx brightened up the torch a little, it's much more vibrant blues gave enough clues to decide the other way - sodalite. Most likely, at least.. Nothing was ever really certain down here in the mines, since darkness and tiredness could make one see a number of things, so it was often back at the kennel when true sorting could begin.
She placed it into the cart and the two carried on again, still cutting through the thick fog. As atmospheric as it was, it remained quite amazing that it persisted for such a length of time, much less length of the tunnel.
(149) Darky: 149 Ras Dashen: 106 (4/5) / 106 (4/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Oct 1, 2021 9:37:40 GMT -6
That meant it was either very localized or perhaps not entirely of a natural persuasion. There were creatures who could create mist and fog, though those phenomenon often didn't stay for very long either. So perhaps a combination of the two? A source more creature than environment, but the conditions of the environment being what allows it to maintain it for so long.
"Keep your eyes sharp, Ras," she whispered to the gargoyle as they picked up the pace again, following along the grey-haze tunnel. Her sight was quite lacking in these conditions, even the torch making it barely better than the flashlight had, so she would have to rely on the gargoyle to be a form of early warning system. If for no other reason then because he could likely feel the tremors before she could see or hear the source of it.
Ras bolstered up, neck arching forwards and shoulders squaring, as if the intimidating presence might dissuade the fog itself to lift. (It wouldn't, but he got points for trying).
(150) Darky: 150 - (added) Ras Dashen: 107 (0/5) / 107 (0/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Oct 1, 2021 12:30:51 GMT -6
The gargoyle took point in the adventure forward, with the sphinx mostly keeping a few steps behind, just slightly ahead of the cart he was tethered to. The cart's own back-facing lantern helped illuminate the spaces a little, so long as the fog didn't grow too thick, making it more a reflective surface than a gas to shine a light through. At least there wasn't any questions regarding their direction - The tunnel continued onwards with hardly any twists and bends, much less anything more than but a minor elevation change. Although the sphinx could not confirm it, it did almost feel as it sloped slightly downwards in some parts, before climbing back up again. But because it happened across a distance of several dozen meters, it was difficult to tell when the changes occured.
With the gargoyle's nose close to the ground and hollow eyes pointed forwards, the two ventured deeper and deeper, the fog their ever present companion.. Until one rather wet-sounding step broke the monotony.
(151) Darky: 151 Ras Dashen: 107 (1/5) / 107 (1/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Oct 1, 2021 12:35:18 GMT -6
Ras stopped and Darky felt a sense of alarm go through him. The gargoyle was surprised, though it was difficult to tell as to why. He took a step back, raising his foot out of the pool of water on the ground, as if he had stepped into something unseemly. Water, he thought, or rather more pondered as it was transmitted with a sense that a question mark hovered not too far from the end of it. The sphinx knelt down, reaching out her hand and tapping the pool on the ground with a soft splash. "Yes," she agreed, though was beginning to understand his perplexment.
It was hardly a pool, the depth a questions of millimeters rather than centimeters. But it seemed to almost seamless blend into the floor of the tunnel, which had taken on a rather purple-ish hue. There were still slight bumps running through it, as if someone had paved over cobblestones with a clear liquid that hardened, but the texture beneath that was much more varied.
(152) Darky: 152 Ras Dashen: 107 (2/5) / 107 (2/5)
|
|