Once home to the Crystal Cities of the Hunter clans, Craiss Caverns is now a hollow empty shell of its former glory due to a strange misfortune in the past. Man-made tunnels now lead to this place, but tales tell of some never returning. (+3 Defense, +2 Offense)

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Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/07/2015 5:23 AM

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The rumbling of a truck disturbed the eerie silence that always surrounded the Craiss Caverns. A girl jumped out of the truck bed while it was rolling to a stop. She stood in the road looking around with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. "Thanks, mate!" She called over her shoulder as the driver pushed the gas to keep going. A heavily muscled hand waved in acknowledgement before the vehicle disappeared behind the rocky terrain.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/08/2015 6:16 PM

Before her, and honestly everywhere around here, were cave openings. Some were small, some were giant, most were anywhere in between. She dropped her heavy bag behind some rocks away from the road and pulled out a water bottle. First thing was first, she needed to find a camping spot since she didn't intend to get lost in the Caverns this late in the day. She started her search behind a ridgeline where she couldn't be observed from the road. The search proved easier than expected since someone had left a fire pit behind next to a level patch of ground. Perfect to pitch a tent on.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/08/2015 6:20 PM

It took her the better part of an hour to get the tent up. The ground was hard here and the rubber mallet wasn't the best tool to force a metal peg through rock. Once the tent was sturdy, she stood up and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "Phew." She took a drink of water and sat down to examine the fruits of her labor. The fire ring had been remade, she'd made a spit to roast her food on, and the tent was up. All she needed now was water. While she relaxed, she examined the terrain, looking for patches of green that would tell her where water flowed.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/08/2015 6:49 PM

She soon spotted what she was looking for next to a cave opening. It wasn't very big, so she felt confident she would't be attacked by an akail lurking just inside. She shook her head as she picked up the pot by it's hanging handle. She had come here to find a lost pet, hopefully an akail, but she certainly didn't want to be attacked by one. She had no idea if they existed, but she hoped this trip wasn't for nothing. So much was riding on her finding one.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/08/2015 7:19 PM

As she neared the cave opening, she slowed down, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness inside. Once certain nothing was waiting to ambush her, she made her way down the incline toward the stream that flowed out of a smaller opening. The incline was steep, and she had to go slow so she wouldn't fall and break a leg. She made a mental note to never come down here at night, too easy to be ambushed. Once she was on the sandy 'beach' of the stream, she sat down and took off her boots. She was sweating and figured dipping her feet into the cooler water would help.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/08/2015 8:11 PM

Refreshed from the cool water, she let her feet dry in the warm air which only took a few minutes. Once dry, she replaced her socks and boots. She dipped the pot into the water and then refilled her water bottle as well before making her way back up the incline. "Yep, definitely not going down there at night." She grumbled to herself. She set the pot to boil and threw in some supplies she'd brought with her to make a veggie soup. Tomorrow she'd have to find some more edibles before she went cave diving.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/12/2015 4:21 AM

She spent the rest of the afternoon touching up her camp site. There were thorn bushes that grew in the area so she had the entertaining task of building a safety fence around her camp site. It struck her again how amusing it was to her that she was here trying to find a creature she was obviously afraid of. But with the discovery of the Lost creatures, she was certain there had to be an akail version. Nobody else believed her, but if she could prove they existed, she'd be taken seriously. Then, perhaps, she could get funded trying to find urban legends.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/12/2015 5:36 AM

After the exhausting work of securing her camp against prowling Akail, she flopped down into the chair she'd set up. With a sigh, she stirred the stew that was bubbling by this point. Hungrily, she poured the stew into a tin soup mug before sitting back and chowing down. Despite her petite frame, Anita knew how to put down some food. When the pot was empty of food, she sat back to relax and digest.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 12/12/2015 5:48 AM

The next morning, she woke up to the light of dawn shining on her face. She sat up groggily in her chair, her muscles creaking and joints popping from the awkward angle she'd slept last night. The fire had long since died out. Realizing where she was and that she'd fallen asleep in her chair in front of her fire, she jumped up in shock. She quickly ascertained that she hadn't been injured, her tent was intact, and there wasn't any sign of akail hunting outside the caverns. In fact, the only tracks she saw were her own. She sighed in relief, stepping up to the impromptu zarreba she'd built. Moving it was going to be an even bigger pain in her ass than building it.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 02/16/2016 8:33 PM

She spent several weeks in the field, studying the few signs of the akail in the area. Tracks, spoor, prey carcasses stripped of flesh. But she had quickly come to the conclusion that only a few ventured from the safety of the caverns. It was apparent she was going to have to move her search into the caverns. But maps of them showed the tunnels went on seemingly forever; definitely for miles in any direction.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 02/16/2016 8:39 PM

She had spent the previous night packing the essentials and mentally preparing herself to venture forth. The sun was on it's western descent when she finally hefted her pack onto her shoulder. With a steadying breath, she strode purposefully toward one of the caverns; one she had noticed a significant lack of Akail activity in. In the cool darkness of the cave, she shivered nervously but kept going until she was stumbling in the darkness. Once far enough in where she couldn't see, she paused long enough to let her eyes adjust.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 02/16/2016 8:43 PM

In a moment, she saw she was at a fork in the path, the two tunnels branching off in opposite directions. Glad she had come prepared, she withdrew a piece of chalk from her pocket and made a symbol that would point her back in the direction of the entrance. Now that she would recognize this spot, she replaced the chalk and removed a coin to flip. When it landed on tails, she took the right fork and kept going. Anytime she reached a fork in the path, she would mark which direction she'd come from so she'd know which paths had been explored.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 02/16/2016 8:49 PM

After what felt like several hours, she was back at the original fork having arrived out of the left tunnel. Taking out the chalk, she began to make a diagram on the wall of the tunnels she'd explored. After determining there were three additional tunnels she hadn't explored, she dove back down the right path to go explore the first of them. Another hour revealed that two of the three were false paths like the circle she'd made earlier. Now that she knew which path would lead deeper in, she removed her map to check it's accuracy. Unsurprisingly, it was inaccurate so she stuffed it back in her pack and continued her method of exploration, picking up any more chalk she found on the ground.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 02/16/2016 8:52 PM

The first akail she spotted was it's tail disappearing down a branch from the tunnel she was now in. She remained perfectly still for quite some time before she had the nerve to move again. She quickly scraped a drawing of an akail on the tunnel it had disappeared down and kept going. She wasn't ready to follow one into a whole pack. She just hoped they weren't smart enough or worse, mean enough, to tamper with her symbols.
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Re: Just A Theory [HUNT]

Postby Mojave » 02/16/2016 8:55 PM

Before she could resume her explorations, her stomach rumbled loudly. With a nervous squeak, she whirled around to make sure nothing had heard her. Relieved that she was alone still, she moved to sit down on a rock and eat a power bar. As she munched on the filling but cardboard tasting snack, she wondered if she'd be able to make a fire to cook on. She doubted it, she hadn't seen any wood inside the tunnels and it would probably summon a hoard of hungry Akail on her. Good thing she had brought rations that could be eaten hot or cold.
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