I returned to the house with a few flares from the equipment crates, and decided that I needed to take my mind off what was going on. I was probably over-reacting as usual. They may have gone exploring and made a small base camp... It's inexplicable as to why they hadn't made contact with me yet, but I'll know soon enough when I get a reply from HoN Co. about the message I sent them yesterday. Instead of worrying, I was going to do some mining: explosive style! I carefully removed the last of the powder from the bucket and poured it into pre-made latrines. I then took each one down to the forest and planted each one a sizeable distance from each other in an open space. Connecting the correct wires to the fuse and the lever, I blew seven rather large holes in the ground. Today, I started my open-cast mine!
After waiting for the dust and smoke to settle, I retrieved my shovel and began digging away the outline of the mine. This would allow me to determine the real size of it, and to place boundary fences around it to stop animals wandering into the mine and killing themselves. I knew that the last of the TNT had been blown up, and I needed to have more, but I didn't know how to really get any. I could fashion some basic gunpowder from saltpeter... but that would take months to refine! I needed access to the stuff now! For the first time in a very long time, my adventuring streak returned, and I felt like exploring mysterious caverns again, like I had done back in the MiNES! I might even find a natural combustible!
I went back up to the house to retrieve the wood... a lot of wood! I was going to need it for the fences and tools! To prevent the need to keep rushing back and forth to the house, I crafted a simple chest to hold mining tools, and another to store ore and miscellaneous items in, until the end of the day when I could take them back in one big load! As it was an open-cast mine - almost like a quarry - there wasn't any need for torches, except maybe at night! But it meant that I couldn't get caught up in mining too much to miss the end of the day; I'd see it get dark, collect whatever I had mined and head back. If I left it too late, I could always go to the forge. It was considerably closer!
By midday I had the entire area mapped out, and surrounded by wooden fences. I had attracted the attention of a few pigs, which stood there watching, but otherwise didn't interfere. Actually reminded me to get some more meat later on...
After a bit more digging, I broke my shovel, and it reminded me why most miners preferred standard shaft mining. Open-cast mines were hard on the tools and provided a lot of waste material that had little use elsewhere. By late into the afternoon - after making a new shovel - I had already amassed a huge pile of dirt, and with no way to get rid of it... until it hit me the forge... There was a pit of lava there I wasn't even using... until now! I took a small bucket load to the forge and poured the dirt in; it simply vanished, presumably vapourised instantly on contact. There we go: waste desposal system up and running! After a few more hours of digging, I noticed it was getting dark, and decided to head back. On the way I stopped off at the gate - which I had left open - and noticed a small piece of black cloth flapping in the breeze. It was caught in one of the pistons of the gate! I looked around, both inside and outisde of the gate and called out. But there was no reply! Remembering the flares, I took one out and fired it high into the air. This time it sparkled bright red, whereas last night it had been white. I don't know what the colours meant... to be honest, I didn't really care, as long as I got the attention of whoever this scrap of black cloth belonged to. Closing the gate, I stared at it in disbelief; someone had passed through the gate and got caught on one of the pistons... It wasn't me... I always wore green! Then it occurred to me; what if they were within the walls? What if there were in the house? With caution, I climbed the stairs back up to the house... ready for anything!
As I neared the porch, I noticed that Chiron was lying close to the ground, ears flat, growling at the door. Someone was in there! Chiron saw me, ran to my side and began panting. I took him by the collar and lead him into the house. Carefully edging round the doorway, I noticed something white in the kitchen. Peering round again, it moved and made a loud banging noise as it fell against the chest. I rushed them! Yelling at the top of my voice and letting go of Chiron's collar, I attempted to scare the intruder, but in turn was frightened, when a chicken flew into my face. It knocked me to the floor and ran out of the room and out of the house! Chiron just sat there barking. A chicken... You scaredy dog, Chiron!
Syeonyx signing off
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