Roy, Tyler, Verdandi, Nola, and Burt
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I heard the edge of the ladder click against the wall outside. Cole is really about to break in. Bold.
I am also realizing how right Tyler was about cover and concealment in this place. From the top of the wall you can see almost everything not directly opposite you and behind the flower. Tyler was hiding there.
Verdandi chose to hide inside his shed. Door slightly cracked with the barrel of the pistol peaking out.
I had to extend my mind to find Burt, but he was in position too. Hiding tucked against the wall below the dirt.
Leaving just me hanging out. Not a lot nearby.
I can help with that.
Under the ground?
Yup.
eugh.
I'll leave you some air holes. Maybe.
ha ha you are soooo funny.
Now you know how I feel when you talk. ;)
Did you just... send a winking emoji... to my brain?
Wait till I figure out pictures.
That is ominous.
Whiner.
She said to me as I sunk into the ground. That was weird. There was still dirt around me, but I could pass through it. So could the air. Thanks for the air holes Nola. I'm gonna throw that one in the magic pile and stop thinking about it. I can just practice expanding my mind for a little bit.
I saw Burt moving back and forth through the dirt. Fast. He was also passing through it rather and digging. That is interesting. I guess digging would be more difficult for speed, and within the dungeon the laws of physics are more of a list of suggestions than hard and fast rules. The real dirt still felt solid and real. I was standing on some since Nola only expanded our territory down 6 more feet. While I could move effortlessly through the dirt of the dungeon the real stuff was just as hard and compact as the dirt should be. I tried picking at it with my fingers. It was hard packed clay, and why wouldn't it be, it probably was before. But I was able to get a nail on the edge of a rock or slightly harder clump and pulled it loose. It was small, maybe a little smaller than palm sized and thin. But I had it. It came loose.
It was almost impossible to move.
I forced it anyway. The magic dirt of the dungeon parted with some effort on my part and I lifted my non dungeon rock up to eye level. I had my phone in my pocket. I pulled it out of my pocket and could move it through the dungeon dirt just like I could move my body through it. I want to play with this a bit. Time to do the hammer and feather experiment.
I struggled to get the stone even with the phone out in front of me. When they were both in position I turned my wrist over and dropped both at the same time. Expanding my mind to see both. The stone was a void. Like the truck Tyler had been driving was. But wait a second. I looked down. I could 'see' the dirt below me.
I know you weren't focusing on it, but the stone turned all void-y after you claimed it. Before that it was just a normal stone.
I could feel the edge of the ladder against the wall, but I couldn't feel Cole yet. I'm gonna get the experiment done and the two of us can analyze the data later. If we ever catch a moment to take a break.
I focused on the void/stone more than the phone. That one just felt like a part of the dungeon, similar to how I was. My aura pressing back against the dungeon and interacting with it cooperatively. I guess that's the linkage, with Tyler and and Verdandi the dungeon was fighting against them and their auras, and getting energy from it.
I'm not trying to fight them. I'm not acting against them at all. They just seem to be acted upon, and act upon me, as long as they are here. Everything not part of me does.
Weird
I dropped the stone and the phone. The phone fell like it was falling through the air and clattered against the hardened dirt at the bottom. The stone stayed where it was. Still a void. At least for a second. As I moved my hand away I started to feel it change. It wasn't foreign anymore. It was delver garbage. Abandoned equipment.
Nola, can you absorb this now?
I can.
My awareness was still focused on the stone so I got to see what it looks like when Nola absorbs something from inside. The dungeon energy attacked the stone like like white blood cells, or fire ants. Surrounding it on all sides and tearing off little pieces. The microscopic sheds moved slightly away from the stone and then were enveloped by dungeon energy, flashing briefly as they were converted, and then they were gone.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
All that may sound like it was a slow process, but it was not. Near instant actually. If I hadn't been focusing my awareness the stone would have just 'poofed' away in front of me.
Then Cole's hand hit the top of the wall.
That.. That felt different from a normal delve aura from the junk men and scrappers.
It tasted red, if that makes any sense.
Nope. But I understand completely.
Do you think it's because of his intentions?
It's the only thing that makes sense
Have you ever felt anything like it
Not in here, but I feel it all the time on the highway.
We will have to do some more experiments.
I still wish some idiot hadn't skipped the tutorial. That would make these questions so much easier
Yea, but then you'd be a non thinking tool if Buddy was right. And that wouldn't be as fun for either of us.
I got a suppressed twinge of sadness through the bond before Nola cut it off. Struck a nerve there. Sorry
If I wasn't thinking you'd be all alone with your problems, and you'd be so doomed by now. So clearly it is a better deal for you than me, stuck cleaning up your messes
There was a pause
:)
I'm glad we can see the humor in this
You should greet our new invader
Can you make me rise out silently when his back is turned?
Easy. One dramatic entrance coming up.
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Cole
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The sound of the camera hitting the ground sounded expensive. And normally that would be the worst thing that happened in a day.
But I had just been caught trespassing by the property owner who had appeared out of thin air when I turned around.
"Exactly how did you plan on getting out of here?"
Oh no.
I'm about to be the main character of a true crime podcast.
"I.. Um... I...Hi I'm Cole" I jumbled that pretty bad
"We've met. Why are you breaking into my place?" Yeah, I know we've met. I'm just hoping I didn't get remembered. Curse my memorable made for fame personality.
"I'm not breaking in" I said. Maybe I can gaslight him.
The owner looked up at my ladder, back to me, and then the gate. My powers of gaslighting are not that strong. I could tell from his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose before mumbling something I couldn't hear.
"Back when we met you said you'd do anything for the story. I guess you weren't kidding." He signed before continuing. "I never checked out your channel, but I am going to assume people liked your video if you are back."
"Most popular I've ever had. You went viral. Almost a million hits. But A lot of people are calling it fake. I was hoping to get more footage to counteract the haters. For you. I want to defend your business. Do you have a press liaison?"
"Yeah, I think we just got one. And he is going to come back tomorrow to meet the team. Camera off until after. Then we can help you make the best video about this place you can. We've needed a media person for a while, and you are here, so congrats."
"YEs! You won't be disappointed. But why not now, area is clear and I won't be in the way...." He cut me off
"We aren't ready for visitors right now. The machine is broken and we need to do some repairs. The language we'll be using probably won't be 'TV G' for your program. We'd hate to give you a strike."
That seems like bullshit. IF it is broken where are the workers, where are the tools? Why did he sneak up on me. Ah, who cares. He's giving me my break. But something smells like a story.
"What time should I be back? I'm free all day." I'll explore more tomorrow, just seal the deal for the exclusive.
"I might just need you for all of it. 6AM. Get here and come in the gate this time. We'll have breakfast for everyone. We'll go over.. how everything works. Take your ladder with you when you go."
"I'll see you then, and of course I'll be getting that." I have my secret birds eye camera on it, I want to see how you snuck up on me.
"I'll see you then Cole" The owner said as he extended a guiding arm and lead me to the gate.
"Don't forget your bag." Wait, what? When did he pick that up. It was behind me.
"Thanks. I can't wait for tomorrow, you won't be disappointed." I said
He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. I get that look a lot as a reporter. Who cares, exclusive.
I grabbed my ladder off the wall and headed back to my car. I can't wait to see what it saw back at home.
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Nola
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Why was that delve so profitable for Cole? He didn't do anything. He just left.
He'll be back tomorrow. Roy can talk to him about it then. No need to stir up dram now. Roy has enough on his mind already.
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Cole - hours later, back at home
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That's not possible. None of this is possible
Holy cow, I was in a lot of danger there. My first thought about the true crime podcast was spot freaking on.
So far I had found 2 gun barrels in the video, one of them looked like a military grade fully semi automatic machine gun! Normal people don't have those. And he was pointing at me. Me! I'm press. Don't they know the rules? That's gotta be in the Geneva conventions somewhere.
And!
And.
That isn't even the weirdest part. The owner popped up out of the ground like a daisy. I couldn't see the trap door, even going frame by frame. So it had to be hidden well. Or something else
I was leaning to something else.
Because of the bug.
If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a thing from the movie Tremors. But it was real. It grabbed my camera and put it in the owners hands while my back was turned.
I loaded the full video to a dead man's drive. I titled it "If I go missing investigate the recycling center near Larton". If I am not back by tomorrow night this goes live. Hell, maybe it goes live anyway.
We will see what kind of offer they make me.
I should protect myself though.
I've got it.
I can come in livestreaming the outside. Camera will be off for the team meeting, but it will let them know that people know where I am. That can work.
I am gonna get so famous for breaking this story.