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Post by Ashe on May 18, 2019 3:56:47 GMT -6
AsheMason 3 Feel the node Encounters: on Looking for: Tainted Crystal  Level: 76.2 Loyalty: 75.2 Stamina: 1 Strength: 3 Resistance: 5 Dexterity: 3 Mentality: 3 Special Abilities: Earth Resistance, Fly, Opposable Thumbs, Magical Moves: Dig, Peck, Claw  Level: 51.1 Loyalty: 41.1 Type: Imp Stamina: 1 Strength: 1 Resistance: 0 Dexterity: 4 Mentality: 4 Special Abilities: Flutter Moves: Ember, Scratch          Ashe held another scrap of paper in his hand as he tried to make sense of it. Find a Sarane nest, and find an item that might be in it? Oh hell. It had taken him so freaking long to find a Sarane hatchling that had wandered away from its nest, and now he had to find an actual nest? And not die? He thought about bringing Fafnir with him, since he was born in these very tunnels, but he felt weird about bringing a large creature into the tight quarters. Even if that creature was from here. In the end, he decided against bringing his trusted buddy, and instead had his other half, an Imp named Inyala, on his shoulder, and his magical Gargoyle, Brazin, at his side. Inyala went everywhere with him, as eager and constant as a shadow. Brazin knew these tunnels like the back of her hand, and he would have been lost many a time without her guidance. She might not always be able to find him the treasures his heart desired, but she got him in and out reliably. Together, the trio entered the soft darkness at the front of the mine shaft. Here, the lights were at their brightest, close to the mouth and well traveled. Ashe hurried through this section, down another well traveled path. "Do you remember our mission, Braz?" Ashe asked the gargoyle. She scurried across the ground, flashing (embarrassingly) pink with her magical sheen. She made a sound that was similar to two rocks grinding together, and he took that as a 'yes you can stop badgering me now and let me work, I know what I'm doing.' The man stayed quiet after that and decided to give her the benefit of the silence. On they trekked, down another path. Inyala: counted Brazin: counted Ashe: 0 5/20 post 1 |
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Post by Ashe on May 22, 2019 17:15:54 GMT -6
Ashe knew for a fact that there were no Sarane nests this close to the entrance, so he didn't even think about stopping or even pausing this early. Brazin was of the same thought and led them down one shaft, and then turned into another. Eventually, they left the populated area behind and the lamps became less and less frequent. The darkness was inviting and soothing, as far as Ashe was concerned. He worked best at night anyway. He had a flashlight that he taped to his hard hat just in case he needed to see. Later on, he knew, there would be caverns and sheer drops, but his hearing was pretty good determining if they were anywhere near something like that. The scrapes of their feet on the ground, the tiny sounds of rocks moving, would give it away if they shared the same space. He might not know where a drop was, but something about the air around him...
Brazin scraped at the wall as they passed, feeling, testing. Ashe sensed her hesitation. Was she trying to decide to turn? Or were they getting close? He moved his hand to touch the light, but before he could turn it on, he tripped over a large stone. Cussing like a sailor, Ashe went down, scraping his hand as he fell and tried to catch himself. Now, he definitely turned on the light. Another curse passed his lips as he saw blood on his hand, though the good news was Inyala had managed to hang on. She wasn't too happy, but she was unhurt.
"Damn rocks..." Ashe muttered. Guess his nightvision wasn't perfect.
Inyala: 0 1/5
Brazin: 0 1/5
Ashe: 0 6/20
post 2
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Post by Ashe on May 22, 2019 17:54:50 GMT -6
Ashe dusted himself off and wiped the blood on his pants leg. He righted himself and made sure Inyala was alright. She chittered, concerned about his injury, but he waved off her worries with a shrug. "I'm fine, Y'la," He told her. It was nothing, more embarrassing than anything else. He went on, following after Brazin. She had hesitated only briefly, maybe to climb over that rock that Ashe tripped on, before continuing without a hitch in her stride. She didn't wait for Ashe to catch up, merely kept on trucking. Ashe scrambled after her, the light from his helmet bouncing all over the walls and the floor. He caught up to her and slowed his pace, the wheeled cart he had with him bouncing just as roughly over the uneven floor. He was glad it was light enough to pull, though it was still a hassle. He'd have to find a 'base' soon, leave that and the light stick there, then they could explore more completely.
It was uneventful for the next five minutes. Five minutes of doing something fun, like flying on your Sarane, or swimming with your Pliathor - the time flew by. But five minutes in the dark, when you're looking for something and you have no idea where it could be, seemed to take forever. Eventually, it did pass, and with it Ashe found a nice open space that would make a nice 'base' to set up camp. He called to Brazin to pause and let go of the rope for the cart, setting it up against the wall. If he found anything of interest, it would go in there. He set up the light to mark the spot, glanced around for hidden crevices that might hold goodies or curious Sarane hatchling eyes, then nodded for Brazin to continue.
Inyala: 0 2/5
Brazin: 0 2/5
Ashe: 0 7/20
post 3
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Post by Ashe on May 24, 2019 16:37:19 GMT -6
They rounded a jagged curve, the three of them in tandem, and came to a narrow passageway. Inyala made a soft sound in Ashe's ear as she looked at the rough rocky walls around them. They were pretty deep into the earth at this point, with the floor at a slight but constant down slope. There were little pockets of moisture causing puddles here and there, and tiny rivulets of water trickling down the path. The ground was rough but flat, for the most part, so the going was easy enough. Ashe kept one boot in front of the other, reaching out to touch the walls occasionally, making his way in the near darkness. His helmet light, and Brazin's glow, were the only things lending sight here in the earth.
Each shadow could be a crevice, each bouncing of the light could be a shadow creature scurrying away. While plenty of people would proceed with fear, Ashe's anxiety took a different form; excitement. Tense with hope and interest, plodding on and on when nothing happened. He had a mission, he had to find this nest and whatever item was in it. He hoped it was obvious once he saw it, because come to think of it he didn't know for sure...
Brazin led them onward, pausing occasionally to listen and cock her head. But then she would continue moving, once she found there was nothing useful.
Inyala: 0 3/5
Brazin: 0 3/5
Ashe: 0 8/20
post 4
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Post by Ashe on May 24, 2019 17:48:32 GMT -6
Occasionally, Ashe paused to stoop and pick up an interesting looking rock. Some of them looked like they could be shiny gems, and he dusted them off as best as he could before pocketing them. He'd have to look at them closer under some real light, maybe get some good scrubbing in, before he could be too sure. It would be more in his interest to end up with a bunch of rocks he didn't need, on the slim chance they could be gemstones, than if he passed them up and he ended up leaving valuables in here. He was trying to steal from the Sarane, not give more to the Sarane!
Brazin stopped suddenly up ahead. Ashe had been checking out another rock that looked like an ore and pocketing a chunk of it, so he almost tripped over the stationary gargoyle. He caught himself, using the wall, causing Inyala to give a squawk in protest as she was nearly thrown from his shoulder. "Shit. Sorry. Give a guy a bit of a warning, eh?" Brazin clicked her beak and flapped her wings, trying to silence the human as she listened to something. Ashe looked around, using his light to try and see what she could be looking at. He saw a small tunnel, obviously used by creatures and not humans. He knelt to look at it better, trying to determine if he could fit. If he even wanted to fit...
Inyala: 0 4/5
Brazin: 0 4/5
Ashe: 0 9/20
post 5
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Post by Ashe on May 24, 2019 17:57:01 GMT -6
Ashe thought he could probably get his shoulders in, and could probably climb through for a little distance at least, but he was concerned about it narrowing even further once he got in, and getting stuck. Neither Brazin nor Inyala could pull him out or blast some rock away to get him out. He could die in there. There was something different about dying down here in a tight tunnel due to your own stupidity, and something more fun about dying up on land due to your own stupidity facing a monster or something - he would choose dying up there. Even drowning would be more enticing than this. So he hesitated, then nodded to the hole. "Wanna take a look, Y'la?" The imp crept forward and peered into the hole, and Ashe tried to be helpful by lowering his head so the light on his helmet shone deeper inside. He couldn't see anything, but his eyes weren't nearly as good as a creature's was. Brazin gathered closer, also interested in the hole. Ashe wasn't sure if the scratching sound was Brazin moving, or if there was something down there around a bend...
Inyala took a few cautious steps into the hole. Her wings fluttered nervously as she got further away from her master, but she was a brave little thing. Ashe was less brave when it came to risking his familiar, so he sat, tense, and waited for her signal.
Inyala: 1 0/5
Brazin: 1 0/5
Ashe: 0 10/20
post 6
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Post by Ashe on May 26, 2019 17:30:20 GMT -6
Inyala proceeded through the tunnel, her arms stretched out to touch each wall and keep a good judgement of where she was and if the tunnel was shrinking at all. She was also able to figure out if there were any holes from tunnels that emptied into this one, or perhaps that this one branched into. So far, nothing... But as she went, she felt like things were watching her, and she was constantly whipping around, ready to strike out at them. She had the power of flame at her fingertips, quite literally, and she would eagerly singe someone's eyeball if she needed to! Nerve wracking as this was, she continued down the path, determined.
And she would have kept going, too, but she was pretty sure she found the end of it. It was a dead end, a rock wall. Weird that it would just end like that... She was disappointed. She'd wanted to find the thing her master was looking for, or at least a shiny stone, and this was all she had instead??
Meanwhile, Ashe and Brazin were still waiting at the entrance of it. Brazin looked like a frozen gargoyle on a perch, the way she went rock-still. Ashe couldn't just sit here, though. He paced a little bit, then he pulled out the pickaxe he kept slung in his pants loop and started picking away at the wall. Not hammering in, in case it caused rocks to fall in there, but enough to do something.
Inyala: 1 1/5
Brazin: 1 1/5
Ashe: 0 11/20
post 7
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Post by Renathan on May 26, 2019 19:40:45 GMT -6
You have rolled a success! Your QP will be added to the bank soon, and you will be receiving a prize message as well.
You may continue roleplaying if you wish!
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Post by Ashe on May 28, 2019 16:56:55 GMT -6
Even though it was the end of the path, it must have been a nest. Inyala snapped her fingers and summoned a small flame to hover over them, so she could better see where she was and what was here with her. Shocked, she saw a small exit tunnel she had completely missed in her search. She crept forward, three legged, and through the little tunnel. It was probably hatchling Sarane size, if she had to guess. Maybe wyrm or gem dragon size, too. But she hoped it was a Sarane so she could find the nest and please her master! She emerged on the other side into a large cavern, that was easily able to accommodate a full grown Black Sarane. Why they would want to live underground, when they spent so much time flying, was beyond her. Who was she to judge, though?
Ashe was growing a bit more nervous the longer Inyala was gone. He was making a decent dent, all very careful, on the opposite wall now. He had pocketed a few more stones that looked like they could be used to make jewelry, even if they weren't actual gems or anything shiny and worthwhile. Brazin stared intently at the entrance hole, waiting. She could probably hear what was going on, and she wasn't sharing details with Ashe, making the poor man suffer.
Inyala: 1 2/5
Brazin: 1 2/5
Ashe: 0 12/20
post 8
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Post by Ashe on May 28, 2019 17:03:32 GMT -6
Inyala looked around the room and didn't see anything living currently in there. No adults guarding the nest, no hatchlings - though the eggshells she found on the ground showed that there were some hatchlings somewhere, just not here. Hopefully the mother had her babies elsewhere. Inyala crept forward along, carefully. She used the light of the flame to quickly search the nest, which was a mix of dried mud, stones, and other various things. She saw some gemstones in there sparkling in the fire light. Unfortunately, she also saw a weird looking item that obviously didn't belong there. That must be why they were there, what Ashe had been searching for. That meant she had to take it, and if she took it, she wouldn't have enough hands to carry any of the other interesting things... It was a sad decision to make, but a certain one and she did not regret. She grabbed the item and scurried back through the hole in the wall, then back down the small tunnel. She emerged, covered in dust, but holding the item, victorious. Brazin regarded her with slight interest, and simply turned to start heading back to the entrance. She knew Ashe would want to hurry and turn his prize in for the reward; they'd be back later to mine.
Ashe greeted her warmly and took the item from her with praise, then offered his arm to her so she could hop up and onto his shoulder.
Inyala: 1 3/5
Brazin: 1 3/5
Ashe: 0 13/20
post 9
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Post by Ashe on May 28, 2019 17:15:54 GMT -6
The trio left the mines the same way they had arrived. Ashe picked up his light and started pulling the cart behind him. It had been a bit of a waste to bring it, he thought, but he had a habit of being 'better safe than sorry' when it came to riches and finding valuable things. He had taken risks in the past, but now that he was wealthy, he took fewer. He didn't want to miss out.
Brazin led them up tunnels and down tunnels and around, but slowly the lights were appearing, and then more frequently, until the whole place was lit up once again. Ashe's eyes squinted against the glare. Already, he'd gotten used to the darkness and welcomed it. Here they were in brightness, and then, he could see the actual daylight out there not too far from where they were now. The main tunnel. Almost out, almost free.
"We owe it to you, Y'la," Ashe told his Imp fondly. She made a soft chirp noise, and leaned her head against the hand Ashe offered her. Brazin up ahead caught the sunlight in her prism pink jeweled body and sparkled. Another wince from Ashe's eyes, and Inyala hid in his hair. All Ashe had left to do was to find this person who posted the quest, and hand the item over.
Inyala: 1 4/5
Brazin: 1 4/5
Ashe: 0 14/20
post 10
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Post by Renathan on Jun 1, 2019 0:17:25 GMT -6
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