The site was a cliff face rising from the ground, with a crack running down it. The crack was just big enough that a thin man could wedge himself inside. Apparently it grew larger once past the entrance. The explorer who had found it was fond of caves and explored them any chance he got. Which was how he found many of his most important finds. Once he found signs of precious stones, he lost no time in returning to the capital and reporting the location.

The soldiers began to sort out the wagons, and the equipment. The miners pitched in, and began moving their equipment to a special tent near the crevice.The soldiers began working on the fortifications. Some of the soldiers and miners formed groups to log the forest around them. Dray joined in, digging holes for the trimmed logs to sit in the ground. They didn’t know if or when an attack would come, so they proceeded to hurry to assemble a basic wall around the cave entrance. The next day they would get to work on the outer fortifications. The plan was to create larger semicircles at certain distances from each other.

At this point, the soldiers took over and the miners were directed to start exploring the mine. Finy was the skinniest so he went in to take a look around. When he returned the miners formed a plan on how to go about moving in. They requisitioned the soldiers to bring logs from which to make braces. Dray was tasked with brace making. As he sawed, a few of the older miners stood together and made markings around the outside of the cave entrance.

The work continued on over the course of several weeks. They began to slowly enlarge the cave’s entrance, bracing up as they went. There were a great many trees so they were unstinting with the braces. The miners started to make discoveries, it was a good mine, and some Level 3 Blacks were near the surface. A good sign. Onward they went, into the mine, while the soldiers who had finished a secondary wall outside the first wall, started a third wall, twice the distance out. They even began to make platforms along the walls, for sentries to watch from. There were also plans to make a primitive gatehouse.

The work came along over the weeks, Dray took up many roles, carpenter, lumberer, watch, and of course, miner. The miners began to push further inside, identifying several spots that seemed likely to hold more precious stones. Branches began to be made. Paths argued over and decided. The soldiers watched on as the miners would shout and gesture at each other, occasionally shaking their heads.

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A month had passed since their arrival, before trouble found them. One of the soldiers walking his post observed the top half of a scout of a foreign power. He kept a close watch, and when the man backed away, he went to report in. That night a meeting was called, between the upper ranks of the soldiers and a few of the more senior miners. When the miners returned, they explained the situation.

Apparently a scout was seen. This close to the border was dangerous, but the potential value of the mine made it worth holding. Nulbuzin, the neighboring country, was eyeing the mine. Their kingdom, Londe, was barely their match. What they had to do was make it too expensive to take the mine.

Commander Gials was making plans. He began to send out scouts to make maps of the area the next day. One of them slipped away and didn’t return. He had his soldiers fell more trees to prevent the enemy from getting close without being seen. More patrols were ordered, and finally, he ordered the miners to begin assembling level bars. Some of the men weren’t ready, but they’d need them, nonetheless.

Dray was one of the men set to sorting the finds, cleaning them off and sorting them by color, and then luster. The best way to tell Level stones apart off-hand. Blacks, Browns, and even some Blues. A good haul for a fresh mine. Dray set up trays on a sturdy wooden table, and sorted by color. Then he washed and rinsed the stones, after which, he could sort by hue.

Every so often, he’d notice a stone that seemed to have an inner glow. Some stones were like that. Some stones seemed to have a quality higher than the rest. Some swore they made better Level bars, and made you just that little bit stronger. Dray didn't know if it was true. He only knew that his father thought so. He left some of the higher quality low Level stones in the muddy water. And when he went to empty the bucket, and refill it with fresh water, he put the stones into his pocket.

He had his own Level to look after. He had no doubt the Senior Soldier would allow him to increase himself with a Level bar, but only after the soldiers had had their pick. So he cheated, and selected for himself the choicest bits, before handing the rest off to the soldiers.

Plenty of miners did this. There was even a system of bribing a guard in order to take home a choice piece of stone. Then you’d put together your Level bar and absorb it. Some took a bit more of a chance, and secreted their best stones in a secret place in the mine. Then they’d form their bar, and pull it into their body. But not absorb it. Holding on, until they passed through the guarded gate and could run home to absorb their new level in peace. But there was a secret, to increase the worth of a Level bar, beyond even a high quality Level bar.