“Well this is, positively, lovely...” Starlight mumbles as we finally step off the ship. I get why she’s as unimpressed as she is. It’s not exactly what you wish to see first time after weeks of being locked inside a box.
“I don’t know – it kinda fits my character rather nicely, I say.” Crile says.
“Of course! Dark, dead and unbearable. The resemblance is uncanny.” Star answers and I can’t help but smile once more.
“I meant dark and mysterious.” Crile pouts. Star sticks her tongue out to him. Crile answer with the same. I roll my eyes.
“Enough.” I tell the two brats. Though I can say that both of them are right. The so-called docks are inside a gigantic cavern. Lit by huge fire pits, carved into the stone, as far as I can tell. Though from this distance and space, they look like candles on the ceiling. The enormous, empty and dark space really does give off mixed feelings. You can’t help but feel amazed and frightened at the same time. Not to mention that the water below is pitch black. That really adds to the entire horror effect.
There are only two other ships here. Supplies of both: workers and items.
“Well, that’s just great!” A coarse voice echoes nearby.
“What’s wrong?” I ask one of the sailors.
“Trouble. What else.” He says walking away. Fine. I approach the two Balli men.
“Something the matter, gents?” I ask with a smile.
“One of our Robos broke a leg and the next shipment isn’t due for another six months!”
“Robos?”
“A Robustant, I’m guessing.” Crile fills me in. Right, the bull-horse mixture.
“Yeah, one of those.” One of the men wave us off.
“We already have a few sick ones, but they won’t be of any use for another week. Then there’s the ones that are due for retirement, basically we’re short on power.” The other one answers. I look at Emerald.
“As you wish.” She nods to me.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to ask too much of you.”
“Some exercise will do me good. It’s fine.” She comes over.
“We’ll stop the second you feel anything’s wrong, promise me.”
“Of course, Child.”
“I’m no expert, but I'm pretty sure that a Saber is able to pull about the same as a healthy Robustant.”
“Ha! Good one. Where in the heck ya gonn’ find a Saber around in these parts!” The men laugh me off.
“Right here.” I tell them and Emerald growls. Loud. The entire cavern echoes for a long minute that lasts forever. Everything and everyone stop to halt.
“Woah.”
“Blimey...”
“We’d be more than happy to offer our assistance till you’re able to get back to full power.”
“Provided you allow us to work alongside.” Crile drags Starlight to us, by the elbow.
“Wha, why, oh. Fine. If you want her – you’ll need to take all of us too.”
“Exactly.” I add proudly. “We’re a full package.”
“I get the muscle.” The leaner Balli answers. “But what the rest of you can do?”
“I’m a healer. And a damn good one too.” Starlight shakes Crile off herself and stands tall. That was the one thing she never compromised on.
“I’ll do whatever you ask. Not to brag, but, I’m a bit of muscle myself.” Crile flexes subtly, like a goof. I crack a smile.
“And you?” The men look me over.
“I can dig.” I shift and flex my claws. “Or carry.” I switch gears and show my talons and wings.
“Sold.” The fatter Balli says and gets elbowed by the leaner one. Hope he didn’t hurt himself there.
“Not that it’s any of my business, but they are quite an addition to have around.” The Cap approach us too. “They carry their weight.”
“Don’t seem like you’ve got much to lose.” Crile says.
“And everything to gain.” Star adds.
“Well? Take it or leave it.” I shrug. “Going once.” I begin.
“Going twice.” Crile takes over.
“Going ---”
“Done, sold, fine, whatever. Just don’t expect to get paid much.”
“Food and shelter will do fine. For now.” I answer.
“Thank you for having us.” Crile bows and we follow his lead.
“We look forward to working with you.” Starlight adds.
“Save the fancies for someone who gives a damn.” The men scuff. “Pack up and wait here. We’ll be back to get ya in a few.”
“Done.” Crile kicks our bags. The men don’t say anything more and leave us.
“A few what – minutes, hours, days?” Starlight nitpicks. Though fully justified. Emerald lays down. Crile slumps down next to her.
“Gotta say. I’m kinda disappointed by how easy that was.” He says stretching out.
“From what I understand – easy ain’t the word here. They dig the Mountain up for ores. This is the largest dig site found anywhere across Terra. People don’t just get hired to work here, they basically are bred here for this type of work. At best – Araneum sends in back up, but that’s it.” I explain.
“Ugh, that just doesn’t sound right.” Star shrugs.
“That’s how it is.” The Cap approaches us for the last time, I figure. “Good luck. You’ll need lots of it not to die here.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.” I nod. The Captain doesn’t answer. Didn’t expect him to anyways. To our surprise the two Bali come back for us rather quickly.
“Try not to get lost.” The thin one says. “This place is a Maze inside. Your best bet would be to find your wait outside. There are plenty of exists. Well, you’ll see what I’m talking about in a minute.” The men lead us away from the ships. I try to memorize the layout of the Docks, but everything is... So same looking, there are barely any markers or anything.
“What a pain.” I mumble.
“Agree. It’s impossible to know what is what.” Crile whispers too. We walk through a dimly lit tunnel till the light finally blinds us. The evening sun seems brighter than usual after walking out of a cave.
“Wow.” Amana sighs and I look to where she’s staring at.
“Yeah...” Crile sighs too.
“Captivating.” I join them in a daze from the breathtaking scenery in front of us. “Feels like we’re at the top of the world.”
The Mountain range weaves across the sky like the waves of an ocean with the clouds resembling their foamy tops. Somewhere in the distance there is a carpet of forest-green shades, braiding its way through the land. With the golden dusk light illuminating it all. All it takes is a single step to the side and everything disappears. Leaving nothing but an endless, boundless and borderless sea. Like a blank, yet dark, canvas. The contrast is too great. Almost feels like standing next to a painting.
“At this height – top of the universe...” Star whispers. I smile.
"That's a long way down..." Crile adds.
“Now that yer’all acquainted with the view – mind if we take this along?” A voice tells us.
“Pardon us.” I answer out of habit. “You were saying?”
“Right. If lost – go outside first and remember this: The waters should be behind you and follow the smoke.” The man points.
“Those blacksmith flames?” Crile asks.
“Indeed.”
“Wait, that’s it? What about the position of the sun or something?” Starlight protests.
“You don’t always see the sun, lassy. But you do see that.” The fat one points behind us. Star mumbles something in response. We continue down the path, crossing tunnel after tunnel. Each time we emerge closer to the smoke. And before long – the village comes into our view. Though it does look like an entire city more. Ohlrick and Rotard take us straight to the barracks for the newly established miners. Luckily for us, the settlement isn't Balli only sized. There was a slight disagreement regarding Emerald’s bedroom, but we managed to negotiate an old, rundown and empty supply shed for the time being, till we can manage to move out of the barrack territory.
Of course, to do so we need to have enough money to buy or rent, what they called a hut-ish. It’s not as roomy as a house or a cabin, but not as small as a single bedroom either. We could do that right now, we had the coins from that failed Beastian assault, but for simplicity purposes we quickly decided to stay closer to the site. Least till we learn the ropes. We can’t be sure how long we’ll be needed here either. So this arrangement seemed reasonable enough. For now...
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Days go by looking exactly the same: dark and dirty. We mostly never get to see daylight again. As a Healer I am appalled by the lack of hygiene amongst these ore-moles. Sure, I could have stayed behind in the clinic, but that would have been too cozy. Cozy does not suit my goal of getting stronger right now. Although, I am most disappointed about getting separated from Zarri. But considering she has Emerald to look after, so she doesn’t get abused or stolen – I will bear it.
Of course, that means I get chaperoned by Crile. Now that – I'll never get used to. It has been a few months now since we’ve been holed up underground. That would make it a little over a year since we left Astri... So far this was the first time since when we’ve been living with people again...
“Not what you hoped for?” A voice asks me from the murk.
“What do you mean?” I move the light away from me.
“You had a look on you, again.” Crile’s back answers.
“There you are!” Huh? Za...
“Breeze!” I run over to her.
“You didn’t tell her we were meeting up here?” She says.
“Nope. It was more fun watching her pout.” Crile says. Normally I’d have an answer for him, but right now I didn’t care about it at all.
“Why are you here? Is Emerald with you?” I push myself off her.
“Of course.” Zarri points over her shoulder. A pair of green lights shine in the black.
“Your services are needed, Starlight, there was a cave in up ahead and–”
“Say no more. Lead the way!” I wave my Light Torch. Regular fire would burn away the breathable air, so they use Light Stones down here. It uses fire still, but the thick glass cage enhances the light of the small flame enough for a single bubble to shine around the person holding it, to see about a step ahead. This way it is safer too, as the glass is enchanted not to break easily. A boulder would do the trick, or a fall from high up.
Zarri takes Emerald and a couple of the injured men and carry them out of the Drop Zone, was it that our guide called it? Where the Earth drops from the ceiling – the miners said – back to the Camp Site. She’s been down here for the last 3 Days at least. Guess the situation is worse than anticipated if in three days they haven’t managed to recover all of the injured or the dead.
Every level has a Camp Site where the miners live with their families in rotation with the families from above ground. They change up a family at a time. Commuting back and forth daily would take too long. Considering there isn’t much space in these corridors - it is a long trip. And narrow. The tunnels are only big enough for two carts to fit, if pushed side by side.
I tend to the injured as best I can with limited resources and lighting, not to mention cleanliness. Crile holds my items and my Light for me. All I was told that a Healer was needed to replace the one that got injured, down in the deeper levels. I imagined I’d be on standby or something. But by the looks of things – it was a pretty nasty quake. Piles of broken bones. Well. Least the ones that managed to get out... A body after body is carried passed us from the darkness ahead of us.
“Just how long is this thing?” Crile walks with me over to the next patient.
“Endless. By the looks of things.” I answer quietly. “Shouldn’t we be close to a Site? I’m running out of Potions.”
“Should. It’s the other way back. I think we passed the tunnel leading to it a while ago.”
“Well, someone is going to have to go see what they have there, because I can’t work like this much longer.”
“Can’t. We sent for a Healer because we have no more of anything down here.” A voice answers behind me. I look up. “They are gathering supplies to bring here, but it will take time.”
“I’m a Water Shaman – not a Cleanser! I can’t heal with thin air!” I stand up, mortified.
“Better think of something quick then. You’re all they’ve got right now.”
“How can you only have a single Healer for all of these people living down here to begin with!”
“We managed before.”
“Before when, exactly!”
“Star. Enough.” Crile’s fingers squeeze my shoulder. “Tell me what you need. Maybe we can round something up.”
“Water.” I tell him. “I have these.” I show him the pouch, about the size of my palm, I carry around my neck for emergencies. “These are the strongest stuff I have. I made them highly concentrated on purpose, that way I need less of them to dilute with the same amount of water.”
“Ok. How much water? I have this.” He hands me his water bag.
“This would be enough for about 3, no, 2 people at best. I use the Potions to infuse the patient’s body with Mana and their Blood and use their own bodies to set the broken bones in place. It helps them settle better and speed up initial recovery. I can put the bones back by hand, but the pain will be insane. If I chant the Spells to ease or numb the pain – my mana will drain faster.”
“Ok. So, to use all of that right now – how much water do you need?”
“A bucket. Maybe two. That should still be enough to ease the pain. It won’t last long, but it should be enough for about 10 or 12 people. With severe injuries.” I don’t dare to hope for scrapped knees and scratched elbows.
“Ok. Good. That much we can manage. I’m sure they can spare a bucket of water back at the camp. Shall we go then?”
“Might as well.” I answer, hiding the pouch again. This is frustrating me. As a Healer I never imagined I’d have to prioritize patients or injuries. I assumed I’d always be able to heal everyone... Ok. The upside is – this is not a battlefield. The number of injured should not increase. If the quake happened 3 days ago – we need to assume that anyone who will be found from now on will be dead. Can’t do anything more there. So, my only problem at hand is – how many of the currently injured are there left and will my concoction be enough?
Worse case I can dilute this in about 3 or 4 buckets. No. Then it won’t be any better than colored water. 2 bucket fulls. 1 would be concentrated enough, but I can’t thin the water out too much. The Heals won’t last long enough to fix the wounds and bones... I count the vials in the bag on my hip. I won’t last a day at this rate if I need to keep going through the night...
“Fancy meeting you here.”
“Are you done?” Zarri’s eyes ask me.
“No. Not yet. Just need some water. Hopefully the Camp will share some with us. What about you two?”
“Working as transport, still. We’re carrying the ones you’ve tended to already. I advised not to move anyone before they have their skeletons reset.”
“That’s good. Thank you.” I tell her.
“Don’t wear yourself too thin, alright?” Zarri pats my head.
“No promises.” I smile.
“What, no concerning and loving words for me?” Crile cuts in.
“What for? You’re the walking candle stick right now.” Zarri teases him.
“And a damn good one too!” Crile puffs his chest out.
“MOVE IT, TWATS!” A voice echoes. All of us step aside and bow.
“Sorry.”
“We’ll be going now. Catch you later.” Zarri walks away with Emerald in toll and Crile and I continue on too.
“Did you feel that?” Crile asks me.
“Not funny.”
“I’m serious.” He stops and I knock myself into his back. A rumble. My body vibrates from the feet up. Uh oh. This can’t be good. Crile pushes me against the wall, covering me. If a quake happens now, we’ll be buried! Zarri too! There isn’t enough room in these damned tunnels! Distant thuds reach us. I knew it! It’s caving in somewhere! Thuds get louder.
“Run!” Crile grabs my hand and pulls me. I stagger after him. Wrong! We’re running away from the Site! We should go to open grounds! I tumble and fall to my knees. Crile instantly turns around and scoops me up. I look back. Dark shadows cave down – blocking the way to the Camp. No...
“Damn it!” I hear Crile bark and fly into the open nothing in front of me. Wait. What. Piles of earth cover Crile’s arms. No. No. NO! I land on my side with the glass lamp rolling around next to me. The tremors last for another minute and stop.
“Crile...” I crawl over. “Crile.” I stick my hands into the dirt. “CRILE!” I scream and tear into the ground. I flay my arms around frantically clawing at the dirt in front of me. No use! It’s too soft! No matter how much I throw off, it barely makes a dent! No! I can’t!
“STARLIGHT!”
I turn around. “ZA...” No. “BREEZE!!” I call out and continue to dig.
“Are you alright!”
“No! Crile is! He’s!” I keep digging.
“Star! Look at me!” Zarri’s face stares at me. “What did he say! Before the cave in! What did he say to you!”
“Nothing...” I answer confused.
“Think hard!” Zarri presses on.
“I don’t think now’s the time to ask for his last words! We’re wasting time! Dig!” I shove Zarri off and stick my hands back in.
“That’s not what I mean! Amana! Think! What did he say to you!” Zarri shakes me by the shoulders. Emerald’s gaze stares into the pile of fresh dirt.
“I, I don’t know! He said Damn it and threw me! And!” Wait! Just before he got buried... He... His lips moved... Just before he got covered... “Shine for me. He said shine for me!” I look at Zarri. She stands up, pulling me up too.
“Stand here and don't move.” She tells me, grabs the dimmed light and holds it over her head.
“You’re not a Fire Mage! You can’t do anything!”
“I don’t have to. All I need to do is let the Mana flow out. The flame will do the rest.” Zarri says. Slowly the light picks up. A few seconds more and it blinds me. Another second later something brushes my foot. The light falls to the ground and Zarri’s Cat Skin reaches down between my legs. A black puddle swallows Zarri’s claw. She pulls back and ears appear.
“Crile!” I gasp.
“Don’t move!” Zarri barks. I freeze. She drags half of him out of my shadow. “Breathe! Come on, Crile!” She pulls all of him out and cradles his head in her arms. I snap out of it and crouch down too. I look for his pulse.
“Potion! He needs a Potion!” I rustle for mine, but Zarri has me beat to it. She pops a vial open, guzzles it down and kisses Crile. His eyes pop open. Zarri pulls away and Crile coughs.
“What... took you... so... long...” He wheezes.
“Sorry.” Zarri answers for me.
“How... How did you...”
“When I saw you dig, I figured he must’ve jumped into the Shadows. I just needed to know how far he went.”
“Then why didn’t you take me into the Shadows with you! Why throw me away! I thought you were buried by all that!” I point back.
“You were working hard, Starlight. You exhausted your Mana, don’t deny it. It would have taken Crile twice as much Mana to keep the both of you alive in the Shadow Realm. This way he could have lasted long enough for you to shine a light to make a shadow defined enough for Crile to crawl out.” Zarri explains.
“Shadow Walk isn’t teleportation. It’s simply a shortcut. You can go wherever you want to – as long as you have a clear image of the place inside your mind. There are limitations, of course, you can’t hop across continents, but if it is within visible walking distance – then the only way you burn through Mana is based on how far away you are trying to go. It’s like a long-distance sprint. It’s quick, but exhausting. In theory – Crile could have gone back to the shed. But...” Zarri quiets down.
“But I’d never leave you three behind...” Crile intersects. “It would have taken me forever to get back here...”
“Assassins can use their shadows freely because they are always in physical contact with them with their feet. That’s why the Shadow Walk works even in dimmed light. But to exit the Realm–”
“He needs a brighter light...” I mumble. I didn’t know that...
“Yes.”
“But I! I didn’t figure it out! By the time I would have, no! He would have suffocated! Why trust me like that!” I smack my fists into the ground.
“Because you are My Star, remember?” Crile’s hand reaches mine. I choke. I forgot...
“All I had to do was focus on your feet touching the ground... That way...” He whispers again...
“That way you had an exit no matter where I was...” I finish his sentence. Guess I’ll need to add Assassins to my study topics now too... I look up. That’s why they fit... I look at them. The way she holds him to her. The way he savors every second of it... He knows her and she knows him. All I know is me... That is why I can never have her... They are too high up for me to reach them...
A rescue brigade was sent down to carry the rest of the injured back to the surface and a ton of Earth Mages and Shamans were gathered to reinforce the tunnels once more. And do a final sweep... Apparently, this has to be done every so often because the Earth is Alive. Unlike the glass or metal that gets enchanted – living items need regular re-chants. That was also something I didn’t know... I was offered to go back too, but I chose to stay. The Camp is closer than the surface. I can do more if I stay. Supplies were quickly replenished, thanks to all of the people getting send down here in a hurry. Each one carried half of their weight worth of Herbs, Potions and food down here. Needless to say, Crile Zarri and Emerald stayed behind with me too.
A year went by when we finally decided to move on from the Eastern Mines.