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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:01:59 GMT -6
Go out and get some 'fresh' air, they said. 'Its good for you to get out of the garden', they said. Nowhere in those two sentences did it make a hint of sense to be reading a piece of paper tacked outside the tavern for 'adventurers' to go raid a sarane nest and bring back a specific item for a reward. This had all sorts of things wrong. Granted, the only interesting part seemed to be going into the MINES to retrieve this item. But from a sarane nest? Were they barking mad? Personalized deathwish to the populace who appeared to be desperately craving things to do.
Flare didn't own any mining anything; he had rented his gear off a generous individual in the past when he had gone into the mines with Darkee; and walked away with a small amount of treasure to boot; not to mention to splitting headache from ptsd...
He decided to at least get Pak out for a walk.
2.5 8.20
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:08:39 GMT -6
 Pak hadn't seen much of the city, much like himself. Only with a handful of berries to keep the pollen cat satisfied and interested in him rather then his surroundings, they set out to the mines. Following the path out to the deep dark rock tunnel. If he was lucky, there wouldnt' be a second time of encountering a crystal with splitting headache properties. Did any other individual break down at the touch of magic? True, mages were rare, usually drafted into the militia or executed. From rumor at least. The pollen cat waddled along on all fours beside the ssashirk as he hobbled down the road, assisted by his trusty walking 'wood'. One of these days, he wouldn't be flat broke and able to afford a decent walking stick. Or carve one himself. Pak's face didn't reach six inches off the ground on all fours, almost resembling a crawling toddler with a tail. 3.5 9.20 2 |
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:14:30 GMT -6
Flare didn't know much about pachee besides what Jak had taught him, or what he'd seen. When he wasn't around females, the pollen cat didn't wave his pollinated tail about nearly as much. Must be an impression sort of instinct. He really didn't know. But what Flare did notice is the pause of the creature when the road changed to trodden dirt then a rock floor at the head of the cave. Purple eyes widened at the surprise in change of feel under his paws. All he knew was soft of play place and dirt of home. That was all Pak knew. He didn't understand look of cave, feel of cave, SMELL OF CAVE. Sound of cave. The brakes in his little body went into effect, leaving the pollen cat about six steps behind Flare. A questioning, worried 'cheeee' coming from the creature, although he had no visible (or present?) mouth.
4.5 10.20
3
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:18:56 GMT -6
The good thing in this whole encounters; let's think of the good things. Flare could see perfectly well in the darkness. A good portion of his gardening sometimes got done at night; the cold didn't bother him nearly as much as the past. Nowadays, the heat lasted from sun up all the way to sun down. The hot season he wasn't present for when he'd gotten into the city not terribly long ago. Time wasn't nearly as important to the ssashirk drake as the seasons were. Only certain seasons were important; but apparently months were important to when his garden went into certain types of fruiting, vegging or seeding. Now was a good time to work with Castor, according to the warden. Pachee were a year round creature who just needed to go to the 'breeding center'. Mjusi, he had yet to learn of when the lizard seemed to be happiest, and perhaps growing mushrooms. Weren't mushrooms valuable?
'Chee...' he looks back, Pak hasn't moved from the mouth of the cave.
5.5 5/9 11.20
4
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:22:52 GMT -6
Exhaling a sigh, Flare didn't completely think this through. He had to turn around, hobble back to the pollen cat, pick up said pollen cat, and bring the creature inside with him. Bringing a berry out to pacify the creature from being picked up initially. Purple eyes glanced at him in confusion, but happy at getting food to eat. Mushing the berry between his paws, the pachee smeared the snack on his mouthless face, where it seemed to just seep in. Like a carpet being spilled upon. Were they good to go into the cave now? There were red flags on this entrance to go inside and find whatever this person wanted. Couldn't help but wonder, what sort of item required such urgency to find? He had no information of what was good or bad for sarane, especially since he... actually. Wait. He'd had to keep certain types of plants far away from sarane, in case it gave the older drake indigestion?
1.5 12.20
5
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:31:46 GMT -6
Unsure of this new environment, Pak twined his catlike body around the drake's arm, crawling up to his shoulders for a higher vantage point. About as 'affectionate' as the creature had ever been, for his first time being picked up and fed to calm him. Wouldn't stop the creature from throwing himself off the high vantage point in a time of crisis and leave stupid tall food giver to his own doom.
No longer fully checking into Pak's interest or fear of the new enclosed space, Flare set himself into hobbling down the path. A well walked tunnel, it appeared. Seemed a number of folk were seeking out this person's lost items. He was no tracker, all these footprints look the same, except his own giant feet. And the tail. Can't forget the tail. It was cooler down here, out of the sun. Only warming with the torches in brackets, until the torches ended suddenly. Thank goodness for nightvision.
2.5 13.20
6
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:37:20 GMT -6
A stray thought crossed Flare's mind as he proceeded in, following the cave slightly at a downwards angle. Were there underground types of pachee? Ones who thrived on mushrooms? What happened if he gave a mushroom to Pak and a female while they were playing at the breeding center? That would be interesting, but he inwardly feared poisoning the pollen cat. Granted, he seemed to dig his paws into anything berry or fruit related, no matter what it appeared to be. On one curious occasion, he'd snagged the creature's paw and examined it, only to get slapped in the face with a pollinated tail in reaction. It was fuzzy and had nubby claws for digging. Perhaps they could actually eat mushrooms. He would ask Jak. Perhaps she had the answer he sought. First though, finding whatever was here in this cave, in a sarane nest of all rediculous places to lose an item.
3.5 14.20
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:46:38 GMT -6
The path ahead split into two directions. Flare had to pause here, his legs and back ached. Although this cave was tall enough for humanoid, he had to duck his head slightly, incline of his neck to avoid leaving horn gouges in the ceiling. He'd caught his horns only once in an unseen upwards bramble much. Talk about a headache, they were surprisingly sensitive horns! So much for learning about that; the bramble was fertilizer now and would remain that way. This is what hats are for, avoiding sneak brambles.
To the left seemed a bit more traveled, to the right less traveled. Which path to take. If they were good trackers, probably taking the more traveled path. But the right probably for some people who are seasoned and unwilling to go the more traveled path. By now, especially if constantly raided, the sarane hen who guarded this nest would be onto having things stolen...
4.5 15.20
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:50:07 GMT -6
Or on the other hand the nest could be abandoned, and just have an item left there by mistake during an expedition, as the flyer claimed. No, it did not claim to be abandoned. Flare knew very well he nor Pak were equipped to fight off a sarane mother if he came across the nest at a bad time. It would be a very bad time for him, for Pak, for them both. Which way which way... he would go to the right. Carefully, he scraped his claws into the edge of the wall to leave a mark for himself. Each point of division he would leave a mark to keep himself from getting desperately lost. For unlike Pak if they found mushrooms underground, he would need to eat eventually. Mushrooms weren't his favorite food, it was a texture thing. The gills tasted earthy, dirty and felt strange to the tongue.
5.5 6/11 16.20
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 4:58:38 GMT -6
Mushrooms cooked however lost some of their... water. Flare only remembered cooking mushrooms once. Adding some oil with them over the heat, and some fresh picked herbs. To clean them, slice them, sometimes pull out the stems and slice t hat alongside, and cook them down. Cooked mushrooms were ok. However with his current living arrangements of just over the fence beside his garden plot, there wasn't any real 'space' to set up a cooking spot. Almost working off what he caught or could buy on a very meager wage. Or eat what he found in the gardens.
Pak's eyes, if Flare could see them at his angle, were almost all pupil, barely any purple showing. The pupils so dilated as he tried to see into the dark. He could not see! No matter what he tried! And the food giver was still moving? How could he see anything in this dark?
1.5 17.20
10
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 5:06:17 GMT -6
For Flare, he could see clear as daylight in here. When he found this out initially, it unnerved him, but made life at night so much easier. Most creatures in his garden were diurnal creatures, and slept at night. As long as he wasn't crashing around like a sarane or something larger, he could do trimming and clearing without waking what was around him. Granted, most of whomever was in his garden presently (like Pak) had no set space of their own, so he had occasionally discovered them sleeping in the oddest of places. Like the composter. Yes some brambles are comfortable to sleep on (if you have armor). Even found that longneck plant eater in a nook of the old tree in the back. The walls weren't nearly as carved, as picked over as the initial opening of the cave from amateur miners and their guardian creatures. He wasn't a fan of the mines. Nope.
2.5 18.20
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 5:09:46 GMT -6
The mines were just a network of underground tunnels that either intersected or didn't, and you couldn't just waltz in and find rocks on the ground to make into shiny things. Or could you. Really, Flare didn't know, didn't care. He stopped. Crouched in the middle of the tunnel. Pak squeaked at the sudden (to him) drop of height. He couldn't see! Flare however, could. He had seen some dirt come up in the tunnel. Taking it through his rough scaled fingers, rubbing it through. Relatively packed down, and filled with minerals. If he had a way to bring back some cave dirt and try to cultivate something with it... perhaps he would shop for something like that. A bottle, a bag, something. His harvest box wouldn't work for this, it had to stay clean for all the garden finds he found for himself. And for his growing amount of creatures, of course.
3.5 19.20
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 5:16:29 GMT -6
Back on the thought of giving a mushroom to pachee while they were 'breeding', Flare wondered if a pachee with the ability to see in the dark was possible. It would be certainly a boon for the creature if they happened to either being nocturnal, cave dwelling or just plain insomniac. Rubbing the cave dirt, soil, yeah dirt, between his fingers again, the drake took some effort to stand back up. Feeling the moderate cracks in his spine as he straightened up. Ouch. He'd be sporting some stiff muscles after this venture. A good sunning would be in order. Carefully though.
Pak's massively pupiled eyes strained to see in the darkness, trying his darnedest to see in the dark. He wanted to see what was going on! He could hear his food giver moving around, making noises that sounded like rubbing. Cracking, moving upwards. Must be standing again. Food giver is very tall.
4.5 20.20 lv 29
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 5:22:27 GMT -6
Soon as he stood up, Flare heard something shift. It wasn't himself, he knew the sounds of his own bodily appendages moving about, like horns, wings and tail. It wasn't Pak, who was right close to his earflap. He froze, walking stick clutched in his clawed hand. Straining his hearing further, the drake waited. He knew from what Darkee told him that other creatures like her Mamowe lived in the mines. Gem creatures. Stone creatures. Tunnel makers. On the rumor only, black sarane. The reason he was down here in the first place. The drake waited still, holding very still.
Pak however, didn't understand or see what was going on. He heard it took, big cat ears doing the ear satellite thing of back and forth like a deer on alert. Chee? he squeaks in confusion and fear. He didn't want to be eaten! Not by something that ate pachee! Wait. Big food eater would be eaten first, right?
5.5 7/13 1.20
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2019 5:27:15 GMT -6
Quietly, Flare hissed a shushing motion to the pachee on his shoulder. On his arm. Someplace he wasn't paying much attention on where the creature clung on at this point. His scales were enough of a grip for small creatures, he'd assume. The were pretty fine, but there were notches for claws. Small claws.
It wasn't close. Scraping noises, like something searching for food? Perhaps someone else who had taken the path he had chosen, pausing to mine up materials? He didn't know. Just stand there calmly, and wait. No magical crystals to give him a headache either.
After a few minutes, the sounds fade. Whatever is out there, he can't see it for its not in front of him, must be in an adjacent tunnel. He should try to speed up if possible, but his bum leg won't let him. Never been one at the agility thing, Flare proceeded down the path. He could hear the heightened lifesigns of his pachee on his shoulder as it clung onto him.
1.5 2.20
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