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Post by Koa Leilani on Feb 14, 2021 16:56:10 GMT -6
Using everything available to you at any given moment...that was an important step to being a Ranger as well. The environment held many secrets and treasures just waiting to be uncovered, and Koa wanted to learn how to spot them and retrieve them for his own use or for others. He enlisted the help of a mining instructor to take him to a small mineshaft along the Route 5 mountains so that he could learn some tricks to mining for ores and treasures hidden within the world.
The area was already well lit and there were spots for newcomers to try their hand at excavation. Koa put a hard hat on for protection and got to work at one of the walls. He chipped away at it with swing after swing, occasionally examining some rock chunks that fell to dust them off and see if anything was hidden within. This sort of hard work was nothing new to him. In fact he found it therapeutic in a way. For now, he would continue his digging under his instructor's watch.
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Post by RaikouRider on Feb 15, 2021 21:51:22 GMT -6
Koa LeilaniNothing happened!All rolls were failed.It was evident after digging for a while that the area to practice digging in had been thoroughly mined. Not surprising, given the number of people that likely practiced here. Still, it was good practice; maybe Koa had to go a little farther down the main shaft to find a vein that was still rich with minerals. Persistence would be key!
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Post by Koa Leilani on Mar 2, 2021 10:56:13 GMT -6
It figured that this part had been mostly mined out, so after training his arm a bit and learning good methods to chip away at the earth without damaging valuables, he moved on to the main shaft of the mine. He admitted it was a little claustrophobic. Stories of collapses always freaked him out, but he trusted in the professionals to prevent that from happening.
He rolled his shoulders as he walked deeper into the mines and found the current dig site. He took a few deep breaths and gripped his pickaxe before he went back to work. The rhythmic clangs against the stone, the tenseness in his muscles with each impact. This was a pretty good workout, unsurprisingly. Koa couldn't help but wondered about the first thing he would find. It would be a good thing to note down just as a good memento. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got about the dig, and continued onwards under the supervision of the experts.
IrSWTP01p_
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Post by RaikouRider on Mar 3, 2021 12:39:34 GMT -6
Koa Leilani Koa's persistence and willingness to listen to expert advice paid off. Not only did they keep him safe, but they directed him to a promising-looking tunnel. It didn't take too many strokes of the pick to hear the sound of striking a foreign object. It was a bright-colored, translucent Flying Gem! The supervisors seemed excited Koa was learning so quickly. One of them even offered him help extracting the gem if he didn't feel comfortable doing so on his own.
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Post by Koa Leilani on Mar 13, 2021 0:19:12 GMT -6
Koa smiled brightly as he found something. He started carefully chipping away at the wall around the gem before chiseling it out. He wiped the remaining dirt and rocks by hand and inspected it closely "This gem's really pretty...I heard they had some interesting uses...lucky find." He said to himself. Well if there was this gem it stood to reason that more finds could await him further in this direction, so back at it he went.
All this work gave him a deeper understanding and respect for career miners. This was laborious, dangerous work they had to do every day with and without heavy machinery. This was to provide precious metals and gems to the world at large, and there were lots of significant risks. He continued to pick away at the wall the best he could, making sure the keep the pathway broad for navigation purposes and to ensure he was covering the most ground each step forward.
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Post by RaikouRider on Mar 14, 2021 12:41:39 GMT -6
Koa LeilaniIn his excitement of extracting his first treasure, Koa continued picking away at the wall. The moment he heard the sound of his pick striking what seemed to be another gem, the wall suddenly collapsed! While he wasn't in imminent danger, it would take a lot more work to get at whatever it was he found. It might be better to look elsewhere, though his supervisor seemed content whether he stayed or went elsewhere.
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Post by Koa Leilani on Mar 17, 2021 21:29:49 GMT -6
He sighed a bit at his hubris, but decided to commit to searching for what he thought he found. He rolled up his sleeves and kneeled down to sift through the dirt and rubble of the collapsed wall. Needle in a haystack that's for sure. That was a flaw of his. He tended to focus hard on a goal and accidentally ignore all other factors of a situation. Still, at least this was salvageable. He would just have to be careful from here on before he caused an actual accident.
Something shiny...something shiny...even if it was it would be hard to find while it was all covered in rubble. He doubled and triple checked every handful of dirt and stone before tossing it all aside in his search. If not, there was no shame in standing up and taking his search elsewhere. There was still plenty of cave to explore and expose.
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Post by RaikouRider on Mar 17, 2021 21:38:43 GMT -6
Koa LeilaniNot long after Koa began sifting through the dirt and rock that formed the collapsed wall, a strong, floral aroma wafted into his nostrils. His persistence paid off; while it was chipped in multiple locations from the stress of the collapse, both the scent and color of the hard object he had unearthed were the telltale signs of a Leaf Stone! It appeared to be fully functional for now, but needed to be handled with care.
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Post by Koa Leilani on Mar 19, 2021 1:50:36 GMT -6
A Leaf Stone! This was a very lucky find. He currently didn't have any Pokemon that would benefit from this, but perhaps one day he would. If not he could always give it as a gift to someone who needed it. He carefully put the stone aside to keep it from being crushed or shattered.
At this point, Koa decided it would be best to avoid this particular wall. Its collapse could lead to more problems if he continued onward without proper support. He walked along the tunnels, looking for a marked location where he could continue his digging. Soon he would call it a day but he wanted to at least find one more thing before he left. The sense of discovery was honestly thrilling to him. To look at something and say that he found it with his own two hands was a rather empowering one.
Once he settled on an approved location he hefted his pickaxe once more and swung it against the earth, only stopping to wipe the sweat from his brow.
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Post by RaikouRider on Mar 19, 2021 21:39:57 GMT -6
Koa LeilaniThe tunnel he sunk his pickaxe into seemed promising, but didn't immediately yield any results. Persistence would likely pay off, though; the supervisor's probing device confirmed there were treasures to be extracted beyond the wall he was currently working on. It was just a matter of striking the balance between using enough force to get them out, yet not so much to cause another collapse.
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Post by Koa Leilani on Mar 20, 2021 1:28:07 GMT -6
Koa brushed his chin slightly, wondering how to proceed from here. He decided to try chipping away at the sides instead of creating more instability. It was a matter of balance as usual. He was extra cautious with how he dug through since there definitely was something to be found here. How long had he been at this, he wondered? Must have been a few hours at this point. Time just seemed to escape him as he continued his arduous work.
He had to admit he was getting a little winded. If he kept this up, chances were he wouldn't even be able to move tomorrow, or worse work himself to sickness. Did that say he was working especially hard today, or that he still had a lot of endurance training to put himself through? If he let himself get too tired or too overworked, he wouldn't be of much help to anyone.
He paused for a moment to stretch and catch his breath. Get the blood circulating, and let his heartrate slow down...there, now he could continue.
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Post by RaikouRider on Mar 21, 2021 1:08:37 GMT -6
Koa LeilaniKoa's pick seemed to be getting heavier with every few strokes; perhaps he needed to take a break? Whether he was running out of energy to pick with enough force to knock a significant amount of rock loose or he had overcompensated for the collapse, the amount of force he was using wasn't getting him anywhere. A happy medium between the two would surely yield something special!
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Post by Koa Leilani on Mar 25, 2021 22:58:17 GMT -6
With a deep sigh, Koa leaned against a nearby wall, leaving the pick for a little while. He did some stretches to loosen up his muscles and let his arms rest. He was putting too much force, perhaps. He was tiring himself out too quickly and perhaps damaging anything that could be dug up. He'd have to manage his swings better.
Once he took a moment to catch his breath and drink some water, he resumed his work, though at a more leisure pace. There wasn't a rush or anything, the mines would be open for some time still. He carefully chipped away at the surface, taking care to slow down at the slightest hint of something looking out of place before he continued.
Surely he had to be getting close to something now. Then again, mountains and caves were vast and complex. There was no telling when he would actually find something in these tunnels again, though he'd just have to believe something would turn up eventually.
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Post by RaikouRider on Mar 28, 2021 12:17:13 GMT -6
Koa LeilaniThe ranger's rest had paid off; not only were his strokes more powerful afterward, but they were more true. After digging just a few more inches into the wall, he had struck something hard and yellow. Further excavation allowed him to unearth not gold, but a Yellow Shard. His bag was starting to get a little heavier from all he was unearthing. How much deeper would he continue?
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Post by Koa Leilani on Mar 28, 2021 20:02:55 GMT -6
He took the small shard and inspected it from a few angles. He smiled contently and put away his find. This was more than enough of a haul for his first go at this, so he figured it was time to retire for the day. He was hungry, sore, but satisfied.
Koa walked through the mine and waved farewell to the other workers before he returned the pick and gear to the boss. It was pretty backbreaking work and he had a newfound respect for those who do this for a living as a result. A lot of people likely don't think about where these sorts of relics and gems come from, but it certainly put things into perspective for him. Everyone had an important job to do, as did he. While he still felt a little uncertain about what awaited him in the future, he did his best to face it with his head held high.
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