The Fe'gan Mountains are the highest, coldest mountains Lambastia has to offer, with the highest peak recorded at 8589 m (28,179 ft). Only the toughest creatures survive here, and the trek to get to the Basantha Shrine lays through these harsh conditions. (+3 Endurance)

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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 10:54 PM

Could never be careful enough about things like this. When he was satisfied that it was sufficient, John said, “You’re good.”

“Here I come, Mr John!” said Bucky, approaching the ladder. John kept a firm and careful grip on the rope, and was immediately glad he did. Bucky was always a bit reckless about things like this, and today was no exception. He didn’t so much climb down the ladder as rappel down, the strain on poor John be damned. It got him down faster, but it sure wasn’t doing John’s limbs any favors.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 10:55 PM

“Gods’ breath,” said John, none too pleased. “What’d you do all that jumping around for? The ladder was there for a reason, kid!”

Bucky looked completely unabashed, fresh-faced and smiling, his cheeks bright with color and with the dew of the caverns. “What are you talking about?” he said, the picture of innocence and confusion.

John didn’t buy it. “Climb,” he said insistently, jabbing one finger at Bucky’s face. “That means one rung at a time, you little punk.”
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 10:55 PM

“Oh,” said Bucky, finally looking as if he comprehended a little what John was talking about, and possibly, possibly as if he might have felt guilty about it. Laid out like that though, John supposed there was no way for him to avoid acknowledging what he had done. Which was just as well.

“I’m not getting any younger,” he said. “If my back gives out during one of your stunts, we’ll both be dead. Take it easy, damn you.” With that, he began taking in the rope, grumbling and muttering all the while.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 10:55 PM

Bucky didn’t have a quip or a smart comeback for that, so John assumed his message had gotten through... for the moment, anyway. There was no telling whether he would remember it the next time it was relevant, but at least he’d had the satisfaction of successfully chastising the kid. That was its own reward, if he couldn’t have anything else.

And there was still one more ladder to go--- at least one more, if his memory served him. If Bucky tried any funny business again so soon, he’d get more than jut an earful.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:01 PM

His hands wound the rope with the speed and deftness of familiarity, and before long he had it in a tidy coil again. He didn’t even bother putting it away, since they would need it again soon anyhow. It wasn’t immediately ahead of them, but the going was still uncomfortably steep, and they had to pick their way carefully.

Whether it was the recent admonishment or the fact that he was concentrating on keeping his footing, Bucky didn’t carry on with his usual chatter now.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:19 PM

Eventually they did reach the second ladder, and this time Bucky went first. Keeping his hold on the rope from up top, John couldn’t see what Bucky was doing, but from the tension in the rope, he knew his advice had been heeded this time. Good. Maybe Bucky would remember it next time.

Still, it was probably a good idea to check the rope again before they went on a new job. These things always wore out faster than you expected them to, and if you didn’t replace them in good time, well...
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:19 PM

That was just an accident waiting to happen, and John hadn’t survived this long on the job without going fairly well out of his way to avoid just that sort of thing.

“Mr John, I’ve tied it!” said Bucky. That was John’s cue to loop the rope through his harness and go down himself. When he was sure Bucky was ready, he picked his own way down the ladder; gripping the rungs, though a bit awkward, proved to be better than relying on the side rails.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:19 PM

“Boy, you sure do take your time, don’t you, Mr John?” said Bucky, by way of greeting, when John finally made his way to the bottom. John eyed him. That definitely sounded sarcastic, in phrasing if not in tone.

“I’m old. You want a speed demon, you find a contract with someone else,” he said. He didn’t have the patience for something like this.

Bucky just kept smiling, so after a last distrustful look, John rolled up the rope again. This time he put it back in the pack.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:20 PM

There were probably no more ladders after this... And if there was, he’d just dig it out again, it wasn’t a big deal. A hassle, yes, but not a big deal. There was no rush, excepting that he didn’t want to stay down here any longer than was necessary, but that was still never an excuse to get all worked up about it. That was how you put yourself on the road to slipping and dying.

Thankfully the path had levelled out somewhat too, though there was still a definite slope present.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:20 PM

At least now they could walk without thinking about it too much, which was the good part. The bad part about it was that now that he wasn’t thinking about his footing, Bucky had gotten chatty again. John heard his intake of breath before he began, and braced himself for the opening salvos.

“Say, did you hear about that scientist trying to organize an expedition into these caves?” Bucky said.

“Not a word,” said John, who wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying anyway.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:31 PM

But then Bucky’s words sunk in, and John did a double-take--- which probably gratified Bucky, didn’t it? Yep, there it was, that bright look on his face. John hadn’t wanted to give him the satisfaction, but the news was odd indeed. An expedition? Down in these parts?

“Who the hell is ordering something like that?” he said. His tone was derisive, but he was genuinely curious, and Bucky seemed to sense that too.

Glancing up and tapping his chin with a finger, Bucky said, “Well, it’s a scientist... A Professor King, if I remember correctly.”
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:31 PM

Trust him to come out with the useless details first. What did John care whether it was a King or a Queen or what? “What does a professor want with a place like this?” he said. He understood full well what miners and contractors were looking for, but scientists? Was everyone and their mother trying to poke around underground these days?

“I hear they’re interested in samples of the... ‘unique flora and fauna’ in these caves,” said Bucky.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:31 PM

John snorted at that. “Flora and fauna, huh? Damned cave moss and cave bats, you mean.” He had never thought of them as good for much, but here was some stuffy academic trying to make a big deal out of the stuff he dug out of his shoes after a job. It just goes to show that there were all sorts of folks out in the world. “What a quack. Like anyone is going to come down here for science.”

“I dunno, it sounded like they were offering pretty good money,” said Bucky.
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:31 PM

He spoke it as if he was considering it. John narrowed his eyes at the kid. “You didn’t apply, did you?” he said.

“No,” said Bucky. “I have this job with you, Mr John. The timing just didn’t work out.” Which was to say, he would have done it if he hadn’t had the prior obligation.

“They pay better than Zachariah?” John said.

Bucky shook his head. “Not quite, no. Though they said you were welcome to anything you found down there so long as it wasn’t the samples they were looking for. Some people got pretty excited about that.”
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Re: Miles Beneath the Rock [self; L]

Postby crow » 09/30/2017 11:32 PM

“They’re fools then,” said John. “They think they can find something down here and strike it rich, as if it was all just laying about... They probably wouldn’t even know a vein if they saw it.” He’d heard more than enough stories of foolhardy idiots coming down into the caves to ‘make their fortunes’ and finding broken limbs instead, if not worse. This was just a recipe for disaster, really.

“Maybe they’ve got people on hand to teach them,” said Bucky, ever the optimist.

"Maybe," said John, but he doubted it.
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