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3idolon @
sylvain @
Antigen
My explorer is:
My map marker is:
I am searching for: Other
Optional for RPers:
I will be moving my map marker again today for the purpose of RP: No
My RP post:
Archer had not detected anything other than the specks of other dragons in the distance. It was at this moment that Archer noticed a slow and steady change in the moisture level. There was a chance a very minor rainfall would come. Making calculations from the data, it was unlikely that the rain would be like the rains in the Windswept Plateau. Regardless, any kind of rain would be bad for Archer, so they lowered the priority for valuables searching and opened a new task to find shelter.
Right as the first few drops of water came down, they had found a large imperial skull. Its jaw was wide open as if roaring at the sky in rage. Archer ran calculations as they crouched and huddled in the great maw of the skull. If it had been alive, it would've been the largest imperial Archer had ever encountered. Behind the skull following the spine was a large hole. On the surface of the bones were burnt markings that had been gouged in with much force and heat. The most recognizable markings were an altered symbol of the shadow flight and a sentence, "Ours is Ours."
Taking a closer look at the bones they realized much of it was covered in a layer of rough stone connecting it all together which forced it to stay in position. There were spots where the stone layer was thicker and had formed shapes that were more similar to hardened lava than the rough rock it looked like. Metal claws tapping against the ground showed that the entire floor was also made up of this rock, whole except for the cracks that ran through it like cracks on the shell of a boiled egg about to be eaten. From the limited data gathered from Archer's scanners from where they were standing it stretched for several meters around the skull and by their calculations had a high probability of being in a roughly circular shape.
Archer carefully tried to scratch at a piece of stone attached to a fang, avoiding the slightly red tinted rain running down the sides. When they successfully removed a small chunk, they brought it closer to their scanners. It appeared to made up of many smaller bits of gravel bound together by something. Old data popped up that Archer had not needed for a long time.
It was concrete.
Finally having the data on what the stone was, the task of finding out what was strange about the skeleton was complete and Archer moved on to the hole in the back. The spine ran to the outer edge of it and then further down into the dark depths. From the size and position of it, the probability that the hole was made by the imperial's body as the cement hardened around it was high.
Archer's gears whirred and their mind sparked. Many things can fall into holes. Potentially valuable things that the clan would like. Two warnings popped up in their mind as they processed available data and calculated how to get down in there. The first was that it was that the throat was a tight fit. The gears in Archer's chest spun rapidly and stopped in several quick short bursts, making sharp alternating whirs and clicks in the closest equivalent to irritation. Statistically, they would have an easier time in this scenario if they could temporarily remove their wings. They definitely would have to temporarily leave the chest of valuables they had already found so far behind in the skull.
The second warning was that it was still raining and the red water was likely pooling at the bottom of the hole, turning it into a well of damage. Unlike their wings, which was only partially metal and the most still organic part of their body, their legs were completely mechanical. There was nothing here that Archer could use to properly deal with any rust and the liquid could seep in through the joints and onto the metal gears and electric wires.
Archer sat crouched over the hole as they processed. The rain was only a light shower, in the time it started to now the chances the hole had turned into a well from this shower alone was unlikely, but there could be leftover water from an unknown amount of previous rainfalls.
After a few more minutes, Archer decided that waiting for the rain to end would do nothing but waste time since it would do little to change what water may already be in there. They untied their valuables chest and shoved it near the back of the jaw next to the hole, mostly hidden from outside view. Then they pressed their wings as close to their body as they could and carefully crawled in.
It was slightly awkward since they were crawling down headfirst and it was more like carefully controlling a fall one claw at a time than crawling. Halfway down there was water. The tunnel had flattened out a little and after an awkward moment of trying to turn their body around, Archer was now standing. The water was deep enough to reach the top of the large claw on their toes. A few steps further in and it became too dark to see and the tunnel was getting smaller. Archer could not feel it, but from the sound of the water and the fact that it was getting harder to walk also meant the water was getting deeper. They walked further and further in until they couldn't walk and had to crawl on their belly to continue, the water getting into their mouth and body and leaving a rotting taste that was thick like slime and sour. Archer turned off their taste sensors. Electrical sparks added to the noise as the electricity ran through their body, reaching places they shouldn't due to the water and occasionally causing Archer's limbs to twitch uncontrollably. Concrete pressed in on their scales from all sides and they were almost completely submerged in water when they detected a glint that was reflected from their eyes.
Something shiny was down here. Something valuable.
Archer cancelled the warning that popped up that said that if they went any further they may be stuck and stretched as far as they could to grab it with their teeth. Rotted water flooded into their mouth and a tooth hooked onto the edge of the object. With a few tugs Archer managed to drag it out and with this prize they hurried to climb back out.
The rainfall had stopped when Archer emerged from the hole clutching the golden valuable, infected red water running out of every opening it had opportunistically used to get in, giving off both the appearance of a dangerous and glorious victor and the appearance of a fool near death at the same time.
They took the moment to look and what they had found. It was a golden chest. Gears in Archer's chest spun as they looked at the shine of the box. Even if there was nothing in it, the clan would like this.
'This is valuable.'
It was then they noticed the note left behind with it.
'Clever plague who has discovered my treasure, would you leave me your name?'
Archer read the task given and started to write their name. Given the lack of items to write with though, Archer was not sure what to do until their scanner reminded them of what was around them.
Still wet and with an occasional twitch in their limbs, Archer flew north in hopes of finding more valuables to bring back to the clan. Behind them, the name "Archer" had been gouged into the snout of the imperial's skull.
((For anyone wondering, the shadow flight thing is cuz i wanted to make it look like this was the result of an imp getting into trouble with a mafia and tried to escape via being in a different territory.))