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 Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:07 pm
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Calixita rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:08 pm
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Iolani wandered deeper into the caverns, thrilled to have taken a job that fit her so perfectly. She and Tzipporah loved shiny things. They'd be great at this! Then, they could take their findings back to the Forgemaster and trade the gems in for more shiny things -- ones they could keep! Getting to explore some caverns was just icing on the cake -- and besides, the Forgemaster had only asked them to find him some gems. He didn't say he wanted to keep anything else they might stumble upon down here. "C'mon, Zip! Lets go this way!" While they hadn't been lucky yet, Iolani still had high hopes. With both she and her familiar on the case, they were sure to find something neat!
Tzipporah had been scratching at a rock, hoping maybe it was just a very dirty gem that needed to be cleaned -- but there was nothing but more rock underneath the grime. Disappointed, she scampered after Iolani, hoping that maybe she was close on the trail of something they could bring back. "Haven't found anything yet. Didn't that stallion say this cavern was full of gems? What gives?" she gumbled, growing impatient with their seemingly fruitless search. Ohh, fruit. She could really go for some fruit right about now.
"Well, the ones who came here before us probably grabbed all the easy stuff. If we want to find the best gems, we probably just have to go deeper! I bet the Forgemaster would even give us extra shinies if w--ahhhhh!" Iolani yelped as her claws pushed up some loose gravel, slipping down an incline in the cave. While she tumbled to the ground, she was relatively unharmed, apart from a bruise or two that might form later. Winded from the shock of the fall, Iolani took a moment to collect herself before trying to get back up to her feet.
"Lani!?" Tzipporah quickly ran to Iolani's side, his claws making it easier for him to avoid slipping and keep a good hold on the ground beneath them. "Are you okay?" she asked, patting at her legs, trying to check her over for any injuries. Nothing. Good. The little raccoon sat back on her haunches with a relieved sigh. "You could've got hurt. Be more careful!" she chided, but there was no real anger behind her words; just concern. |
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Calixita rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:09 pm
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"Sorry, sorry! It was just a little fall, that's all," Iolani assured Tzipporah, grateful for her concern. Maybe it was the mild adrenaline, but she felt perfectly fine. Certainly enough to keep going. She wasn't ready to give up the gem hunt yet. "I promise, I'll be more careful. Lets just keep going, yeah?" she asked, and when Zip nodded, Iolani began to lead the way again. Even she, despite her optimism, was starting to wonder if there really were any gems in here after all -- if the Forgemaster had led them astray. There had been several different paths along the way, though -- it could very well be that they picked the wrong one. And wouldn't that just be their luck, to have chosen the path without any shiny things, when that was exactly what they hoped to find? A loud shriek from behind her started her, her crest spreading out automatically as she whirled around to see what the fuss was about.
"A bat! A bat!" Tzipporah screamed as she ran towards Iolani, a dark, screeching shape close behind her. She leaped up onto her bonded's back, trying to hide between Iolani's wings, clinging to the back of her neck. The big soquili didn't seem to throw off the bat at all!
The bat continued its course toward Iolani, screaming and flapping its wings in her face. "Get away, get away!" Iolani cried as she backed away from the bat, squeezing her eyes shut to protect them as she shook her head. She spread out her wings, flapping them powerfully at the bat to try and scare it off -- or at least smack it around a few times to get it to leave them alone. Eventually, when she ducked her head down and hit the bat with a good whack from her wing, it seemed to have second thoughts, fleeing back down the way it came. "What was his deal? We didn't even do anything to him!"
"I dunno, Lani. I guess maybe he was mad we're in his home? Maybe we woke him up. In any case, at least he's gone now... this better be worth it!" |
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Calixita rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:10 pm
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A little shaken but generally unharmed after their encounter with the bat, Iolani and Tzipporah continue their trek through the seemingly empty caverns. She was starting to feel tired from the adrenaline crash, suddenly longing to be done with all this and go home. They had plenty of shiny things collected there. Not that they would part with any of it, even if they did have a gem or two -- those belonged to them. This was silly -- they didn't need any coins anyway. Maybe she'd just been lured in by the idea of a fun adventure, just for her and Tzipporah. Oh, well -- might as well keep going for just a little longer. The initial enthusiasm was gone, though; a shame, since she had been so excited before.
Tzipporah was feeling equally drained, but she didn't want to mention it to Iolani in case she wanted to keep searching. It didn't feel like they were going to find anything, though -- except a very loud and very rude bat. If it didn't want them in here, it could have just said so instead of screeching at them. Maybe it wasn't spirit-touched like she was, and had been trying to communicate the only way it knew how. Still. Annoying. It could have hurt them! Those claws had looked very sharp. Tzipporah shivered, glad she hadn't had to feel them. She hoped that it wouldn't bother them on the way back -- and there were many different tunnels, so there was a good chance they could avoid it. And... wait. What was that? In the distance? Her ears perked up and she stood on her hind legs to get a better look. Was that..?
Yes. It was!
"Lani! Look! Quick -- over here!" She quickly scurried over to the shiny thing, pawing at the dirt surrounding it to try and pull it free.
Iolani's crest spread out with excitement, running over to join the raccoon at trying to pull the crystal free. "Oh, it's so pretty! I can't believe we won't get to keep it," she mourned, regretting the deal with the Forgemaster already. Oh well. They probably had one just like it at home, anyway. She pulled at the dirt with her claws until it came loose in two pieces, and watched as Tzipporah picked them up and cleaned them off as best she could. "I think we should take it back. We haven't had much luck so far, so I don't think we'll find more. I'm sure he'll still give us a few coins for it."
Tzipporah nodded her head in agreement, stowing the crystals away in a pouch. "Yeah. And I'm tired! Lets just take these to the Forgemaster and go home." As if to reiterate her point, she crawled up onto Iolani's back and settled down. She was big enough to do the walking for both of them. Her little legs had to do so much more work to keep up! |
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Calixita rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:11 pm
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Luck hadn't been with them for the duration of this trip -- and, quite frankly, it wasn't about to change either. While she and Tzipporah had found the crystals, their victory was to be short lived as they encountered the very same bat again. Tzipporah screamed, Iolani screamed -- the bat screamed, too, angrily clawing and flapping its wings at the duo to try and chase them away.
"Why won't it leave us alone!?" Tzipporah cried, swatting at the bat with her tail whenever it came near and trying to keep a tight hold on the satchel. She squeezed her eyes shut and held onto Iolani's back as she reared up and began to gallop away -- but neither of them noticed the crystals slipping out of the bag as they escaped.
"I don't know! We're leaving, we're leaving!" Iolani yelled at the bat as she began to run, winding this way and that through the tunnels, desperate to get out of the caverns and back out into the open. She lost the bat eventually, and slowed down to a walk until she stopped altogether, panting and out of breath. "I think it's gone now..."
At least, she hoped so. That's what they thought last time, too.
"Lani..." Tzipporah's voice came out small and wobbly, like she was on the verge of tears. She didn't cry, though; she just held the satchel open when Iolani turned her head to look at her. "The crystals... I don't know when they fell out... we lost them!" she wailed; it wouldn't have been so disappointing if they hadn't spent such a long time in these caves and had been harassed by a furious bat -- not just once, but twice -- and Tzipporah just wanted them to get a break already! Haven't they gone through enough!?
"Oh, no..." Iolani hadn't even heard them fall; all she'd been focusing on was running from the bat! Now what did they have to show for it? Nothing! She wasn't upset with Tzipporah; just at their situation. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed, defeated. "It's okay, Zip. Lets just go tell the Forgemaster and then we can go home, okay? We did our best," she assured, although she was just as disappointed as her familiar was. |
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Calixita rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:11 pm
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They journey back out of the cave was more somber, quieter. They walked leisurely, but every now and then Iolani couldn't help but glance around, a small glimmer of hope that she might spot a gem. Nothing. Their unlucky adventure wasn't over yet, though. It started with an echo of a rumbling sound from behind them, causing them both to freeze in their tracks. As the sound got louder, they looked to each other with concerned expressions on their faces before the pair of them looked back down the path that they had come from. "What's that sound..?" Iolani asked aloud, not really expecting Tzipporah to have the answer. She was filled with dread as the ground began to shake; she didn't want to wait to find out what was coming.
The ground shook, the rumbling became louder and louder -- it came to Tzipporah in a sudden realization. "A cave in!" she yelled, kicking her heels into Iolani's sides as she gripped onto the feathers of her mane tighter. "We have to get out of here!"
The pair of them were off like a shot, Tzipporah clinging to her back, both of them keeping their eyes forward, too afraid to look. She leaped over dips in the floor, darted though tunnels that squeezed in close to their bodies, ducked through low ceilings, not stopping for anything. And just like that they were bursting out of the entrance of the cave, the mouth of it crumbling down and crashing closed behind them. Tzipporah climbed down from her back, but neither of them said a word, exchanging shocked glances.
After a disaster like this, maybe the Forgemaster would at least take pity on them. |
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