Ark Of The Burning Embers

Seven Seasons Later in the Mines of Estros

The heavy crystal-tipped axes smashed the rocks in an endless vibrating sound that echoed through the whole mine. You can hear the grinding of the huge golden and red metal dwarf magical mechanics as they lift rubble out of the way so all the other races can work on the huge wall. They also fill the bucket trains that take everything to surface.

There, the talking Wyvern, who are the smallest dragons in our world, come down with their riders and pick them up, flying them to buyers in all eight regions. We are currently in Moss Tempest, which is filled with forests and mines and dungeons and is one of the smaller regions.

Everyone is trying to find the seams, but it means digging deep and having long days in the mine. They have not found anything in three days and we all need to find a new seam, as the blue Yetasine has been depleted in this section.

Keira hit her hammer against the rock, not seeing anything or sensing anything in the stone. She adjusted her tunic and trousers as she used her rope to traverse the stone ledge, digging her boots in.

Her friend Bastian, who was big a white furred rat man, moved opposite, eyeing the stone before using his huge front teeth to nibble at the rock, more out of annoyance than anything else. His yellow eyes flicked in the dark as he spoke. “Nothing is here. It’s just lime stone, iron and cobalt.” Keira breathed in, pushing her dark red hair back. “The minotaurs and the demons are convinced something is here, they said they could smell it.”

Bastian sneered slightly. “Then those assholes should dig this out! Why send us down here? We are miles off from the main group.” Keira adjusted her glove, which was letting out magical light. Her friend didn’t need it, he could see in the dark. The truth was neither did she, but she had never told him that. “It’s our turn…” Bastian moved along the wall using his claws to hook in. “It’s always our turn…”

Keira carried on, moving along the ledge. “If we find a seam we get a large cut of profit.” Bastian moved his white-clawed hand. “Two percent of hundred percent isn’t great. If we go work in the Rein Strand region we will get paid more.” Keira looked up, wishing she could tell him more, but she couldn’t. She already used magic potions every three days to hide her face and body scars and make her hair slightly lighter in shade so she wouldn’t be caught, since she had seen wanted posters of herself many years ago.

She looked up slightly. ”Rein Strand is terrible, trust me. I grew up there, it’s filled with egotistic Mages and Paladins.” Bastian moved across the wall, nibbling it again. Rat men and women did this a lot as they needed to grind their front teeth down. “You say that but they have huge markets, cities better than this off-beaten track mining village.” Keira breathed in deeply. “Great, more egotistic Mages to run into...”

Bastian eyed her. “What is it with you and Mages? Every time you speak about them, I sense your deep dislike. They’re not all bad, my people have great horned seers who are amazing with magic.” Keira raised her axe. “Where I came from they are not good people.” She slammed down her axe only for it to fly backwards as green light blasted though, causing instant pain as she instantly lost her footing.

She found herself falling over the edge, only for a long tail to come down, grabbing her as Bastian moved away as fast as could. The green crack got wider as crumbling stones fell. He pulled down his mask, heaving her up with tail pulling on her mask on as he pulled her back on to the ledge. “Bastards! It’s Soulcore… which is toxic as shit to you humans and my race!” Keira breathed in deeply as the pain left her face as her mask’s blue Yetasine started to work. “Well, that’s clearly a seam… just not the one I was hoping for.”

Keira shook her head. “We won’t even get a cut from this… no one but the lizard race and orcs can even use this stuff to channel magic… elder dragons sometimes want it as grindstone for their teeth, but it’s mostly worthless. It’s too weak, unlike the other magic gem stones.” Bastian watched as she adjusted her rope. “What a waste of trip...” Keira breathed in through her mask as she pulled out a blue gem Yetasine magic marker, shoving it into the rock, watching as it pulsed. “Well, they weren’t wrong there was a seam… just nothing of real value.”

Bastian snorted as they both started to move up the wall, quickly seeing a number of demons coming down, flying past them along with Orcs and lizard men who ignored them. “I still say we should go to Rein Strand. We might get rich there.” Keira breathed in deeply. “Rein Strand is awful. All you’ll find there are judgemental assholes who won’t like us being friends.” Bastian moved his whiskers forward as he pulled his mask off, since they were out of the danger zone, and he helped her keep hold of her rope. “You have no sense of adventure Keira…”

8

The dinner hall was busy as the miners got their food, which was mostly a hearty stew of vegetables and meats and bread. You couldn’t complain, they feed us well. We get three good square meals a day. Our shift is over and another set of miners are going down in the depths.

Keira breathed, in taking a slow bite, only to stop as she leaned down, seeing something moving. She breathed in, moving her spoon through, pulling out the live blue worm and tossing it into Bastian’s bowl.

She breathed in deeply. “Why do they always add live food to my plate? I want dead food…” Bastian eyed the worm, tossing it into a Lizard woman’s plate opposite, though she hardly noticed as she was too busy talking with a minotaur. “Glow worms don’t taste of anything. Now, coral sea worms, they have real taste and flavour.” Keira eyed her bowl. “I’ll eat them if they’re dead…”

She felt a hard slap to the back, causing her to turn. She saw a big Orc behind her who was grinning. “Yes Tiberius?” The Orc’s smile widened. “Congrats on you both finding a seam of things we like, for a change! It’s such a huge seam it will take months to dig out...” He paused. “Big boss though wants to see you both tomorrow morning, to talk cuts.” Keira breathed in deeply. “No offence but there’s hardly any cut in that seam.”

Bastian shrugged. “Coin is coin…” Tiberius laughed as he patted her shoulder again. “Your friend, you see, he gets it. You need to lighten up, little human. Find is a find.” Keira eyed her bowl. “When they find a way to not put glow worms alive in this stew, I’ll be happy.” Tiberius eyed her bowl. “They add flavour.” Keira eyed him. “How do they add flavour? They don’t taste of anything!”

Tiberius eyed Bastian. “Your friend has dulled taste or something.” Bastian eased up a clawed hand. “No, I don’t taste anything ether, I think it’s just our races.” Keira took a drink from her wooden tankard which was mostly watered down wine. “They taste of nothing.” Tiberius shook his head. “All the other humans here taste them; you must just be a special case. Plus, you never hang around with them, it’s weird. They ask about you from time to time.”

Keira eyed Bastian. “I just like him more… it’s complicated.” Bastian raised his tail. “We’ve known each other many seasons.” He took a drink of his weak mead. “Like she said, it’s complicated.” Keira eyed her best friend. “He makes for a great warm blanket at night, if you’re stuck out in the cold.” Bastian laughed as he started to eat his soup. “Well, nice to know I am a furry rug for you to keep out the cold.” They both watched as the orc put his huge axe over his shoulder and he shook his head, walking away.

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Bastian carried on eating. “Guess we are going to get that cut, then. Not that it will be worth much.” He paused. “He does bring up a point, though. You don’t hang out with your own race much.” Keira started eating. “I grew up in a small town filled with plenty of other races. I used to play with Minotaurs, Lizard people and a few off your race growing up. There weren’t that many humans in that town so I never really made friends with them long term.”

Bastian eyed her. “Oh, okay. I was just checking that it’s not like your weird thing with Mages.” Keira eased up her spoon. “The world would be a much better place without Mages and Paladins…” Bastian raised a clawed finger. “You know, we are really going to have to talk about this one day, because those two you really seem to hate and it’s weird.”

Keira stood up, putting her bowl neatly to one side as she finished her tankard. “We’ll talk tomorrow. I need to sleep.” Bastian looked up, stroking his white long fur on his chin. “I’ll hold you to that…” Keira shook her head. “Yeah well, remind me tomorrow.” Bastian eyed the Minotaur and Orcs who were starting to set up the game table. “You’re not going to play cards tonight with us?” Keira eyed the others, including Tiberius, who were waving to her to come over. “No, not tonight. I’m really tired, I need to sleep.”

8

The miners are all given little homes. They’re not much but they are enough, and Bastian’s is not far up from mine. I don’t need much, I never did, I just feel bad every day that I have to hide my true appearance from people, and hide my scars and never tell the full truth about my where I came from. Even who I am. I’m terrified they will just turn me in, the price on my head is too high. It has been since I fled.

I know the Mages and Paladins want my head, I’ve seen in on posters and it’s a huge reward, so I live this very semi poor life to avoid it as no one would ever bother looking for an ex-Paladin in the mines. After all, they are picked by Mages along with clerics and barbarians to guard their castles and government, made up of the most powerful Mages who run the country and its eight regions, though there are other countries over the seas, even other races.

Keira opened her door only to close it behind her, as she walked over the small room, which had a place to wash and dress and a small cooking area, not that he used it. Also, a bed and some shelves and cupboards. She breathed in, feeling the pain in her chest. The potion that changed her looks was about to wear off and so was the one that suppressed her power. She had to take it, though. It was the only thing that stopped her turning in that awful fucking abomination some nights, and it got worse close to blood moons, which were twice a month.

The potions though were an awful combo together and they made her feel ill. They also only lasted three days tops, then she had to take them again. She locked her door, sitting on the bed, eyeing an old sword which was hanging on the wall. It was nothing special, she’d found it in the mines and it was better than nothing. Her once glorious shield and magically gemstone-infused sword had broken after her transformation in to that abomination.

She still had her armour, but that looked like some black awful nightmare and whenever she used it she had to splash the same potion on it to turn it back in dull silver, so it didn’t draw attention. She breathed in, filling the pot with water and herbs as she pulled out her note book, which was for her recipes. She eased out her hand, watching as the blue and red light came out, lighting the fire instantly on the stove.

She pulled out her bags of ingredients as she started to mix the bases of the potion slowly, watching as the liquid turned to an ugly blood red. She eased it out, pouring it in to a cheap wooden tankard as she carried on mixing and adding herbs to the other potion. When it turned green, she poured it into another wooden tankard. She moved over, putting the final herbs in both concoctions. In the guild she’d never been so great with magic but her potion craft had been good, or so she’d been told.

She waited for the first tankard to cool. She hated this part; it was to keep her scars and glowing Paladin markings from ever showing and it kept her hair a lighter shade; but it hurt so much to take it. It was, however, the only thing that had kept her safe for seven seasons, along with dirtying up her armour so it had less shine and no one would catch that she was a former Paladin. She took hold of the mug, drinking it as fast as possible as it tasted worse that Goblin beer, it was bitter and horrible.

She put the wooden tankard down only to feel the searing pain in her stomach and chest, which was keeping her form stable. She eyed the other tankard, knowing this one would hurt worse, but this kept the abomination under control. Otherwise, she’d transform at night, remember nothing, go out and end up eating live stock or other horrible things like huge bugs or huge insects. It would make her so ill the next day and she never remembered any of it.

She eased up the tankard with a shaking hand. Magic suppression did not suppress fully, it was why she could keep up her appearance, but it felt forever like something was trying to burst out of her. The good thing was that it made it really hard for magic users to tell she was magic. She slowly drank, trying to resist the urge to throw up and ignoring the pain that made her body sting and burn.

She pulled the empty mug away, coughing painfully as she pulled herself onto the bed, trying to ignore how much her head was now spinning. She lay on the bed painfully, knowing it would finally stop and she’d probably pass out and go to sleep. She moved, putting the note book away. She hated that she was dishonest with everyone including Bastian who had saved her life to start with, but telling him the truth would probably end their long four-season friendship. Plus, the gods had cursed her to be something horrible.

She closed her eyes slowly. Furthermore, if anyone knew who she was they’d hand her in as the coin on her head was massive. It had been rising year on year, she had no idea why they wanted her so badly, all they’d ever told her was that she was a liar and a cursed monster. Life was never fair and if they ever found her she would run rather than cause Bastian pain, she owed him that much as he’d always been kind to her. She breathed in, trying to think more only to move her hand, putting out the flames of the stove before she passed out in to an almost blissful darkness.

8

Keira felt a hand shaking her hard. She opened an eye followed by the other, groaning painfully. “What?!” Bastian’s voice cut through her thoughts. “We are late for work and the big boss wants to chat to us, you need to get up…” Keira turned over, trying to ignore the sensation in her mind which felt like a bad hangover. “How did you get into my house… I locked the door…” Bastian eyed his friend. “I have your spare key, remember? You gave it to me for emergencies.”

He paused, sniffing the air. “Smells like potion brewing in here.” Keira sat up painfully. “Hardly, just my bad cooking” Bastian shook his head. “You know, you need to get out more, maybe get laid.” Keira looked up sharply. “Look, I’ve slept with plenty of men and women from other races… including humans, it just never goes anywhere. I don’t need a lecture from you on my love life.”

She eyed him. “Plus, you’re one to talk. It’s not like you’re getting your end away.” Bastian adjusted his decorative pants. “Yes, I’m reserving all this for the right person.” He pulled on his open tunic. “Are Minotaurs good in bed?” Keira looked at him. It was way too early for this. “They’re an experience.” Bastian gave her an annoyed look. “That tells me everything and nothing about your sexual history.”

Keira pushed her hair back, hoping the throbbing pain in her head would end. “I need a vacation… from life….” Bastian looked at her. “Well, today is pick up day for the wyvern riders and we can see how pathetic our cut is. Then maybe we can take the week off.” He eyed her, poking her with his tail. “So come on, get up and get washed. You still smell of yesterday’s mine.” Keira eyed him. “Fine, then please get out of my house so I can do so.”

Bastian laughed. “You know, I’ve seen you naked before and you’ve seen all of me.” Keira breathed in deeply. Gods give her strength. “Yes, we’ve used the public baths together, like everyone else in the mine countless times; but I want privacy right now. I need to drink something to stop this headache.” Bastian laughed as he moved towards the door. “As you wish. Don’t take too long.”

Keira watched him close the door. She moved over to the sink, painfully, only to cough painfully, spitting up blood. Clearly it was from her teeth playing up again, as in her true form both sets of canines were slightly longer than usual; but this forced them back to normal. However, it always caused her gums to bleed in the morning after. She poured the fresh water into a glass, taking a long drink. She really needed to have a slow day today, she just wasn’t feeling her best.

End of part 2

Silvermoonlight.