16th day of Amberfall, 1369
Sunlight glinted off the edges of pickaxes, their rhythm making a song of labor as they struck earth and stone. The vast quarry of Ebonheim bustled with activity, as usual. Dozens of workers were hard at work, chipping away at the rock walls and clearing out the rubble, all while the sun beat down on them from above. It was hot and dusty, with the air thick with the smell of sweat and dust, but they didn't complain. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it, and they were happy to do their part in the progress of Ebonheim.
The villagers who worked the quarry came from all walks of life, with a mix of both men and women of various ages and skillsets. Some were miners with years of experience, while others were young and fresh-faced, eager to prove themselves in the toughest job in the village. Regardless of their backgrounds, they all shared a love for their work and a fierce commitment to their village.
The work itself was physically demanding, with the miners needing to haul large chunks of stone from the quarry to the carts and wagons that would transport them to the village. This process often involved the use of ropes, pulleys, and winches, all of which needed to be maintained regularly to ensure safety and efficiency.
At the edge of the quarry sat a large shack where the miners kept their equipment and tools. It was an essential part of the mining process, and without it, the work would grind to a halt. Here, they kept everything they needed to get the job done, from shovels and picks to sledgehammers and mattocks.
The inclusion of Artificers, with their Magitech tools and inventions, proved invaluable in the quarry, especially when it came to excavating the deepest and densest sections of the rock. The introduction of drills, powered by mana and guided by arcane enchantments, reduced the amount of labor and time needed to cut through the layers of stone.
Despite the improvements brought by the presence of the Artificers, the old method of chiseling away at the rock by hand remained popular, especially with the seasoned miners. It was slow and tedious work, but there was a certain satisfaction that came from taking a hammer to stone and shaping it with your own hands.
A group of miners gathered around a large chunk of granite, striking at it with various tools, while others hauled away the pieces that had been broken off. They worked in silence, their faces covered in dirt and grime, their muscles straining with each blow.
The heat from the midday sun made the work even more challenging, and the workers were constantly wiping the sweat from their brows and gulping down water from their flasks. Still, they continued their labors, driven by the knowledge that their efforts would help to build a better village for their families and friends.
In another corner of the quarry, a pair of workers argued over the distribution of the workload.
"That's not fair," Gorm grumbled, gesturing to the cart stacked high with rocks and dirt. "I've been out here since the crack o' dawn, and you just got here. The least you could do is pull yer own weight. 'Specially with these fancy tools of yours."
"There's no need ta get upset," the newcomer, named Sigurd, replied calmly. "I'm willing ta pitch in, but I'm no miner. I ain't gonna cut through as much rock as ya, but I can help with the lighter stuff."
Gorm huffed. "Fine. Let's get ta work. Grab a pickaxe and follow me."
The pair spent the next few hours swinging their picks and shovels, loading up carts with stones and soil. As the day went on, they fell into a steady rhythm, working together in relative harmony.
But then, Sigurd paused in his efforts and held up a hand. "Hold on. Didja hear that?"
"Hear what?" Gorm stopped as well, cocking his head to the side. A faint tremor ran through the ground, accompanied by a low rumbling noise. But just as quickly as it came, the odd sound disappeared, leaving only silence behind.
"Was that a cave-in?" Sigurd asked.
Gorm shrugged. "Nah. No one's sounded the alarm, and no one's yellin'. Probably a loose rock, or maybe an animal."
"Mm. You're prob'ly right."
"Right. Now, let's get back to work."
----------------------------------------
Amidst the symphony of clinks and clatters, a resonant hum interwove itself. Viviane, encased within her Aetherframe, guided the towering machine with a fluidity that made the construct seem like an extension of herself. The large mechanical fingers of her Aetherframe wrapped around a massive boulder. But despite its size and strength, the frame struggled to haul the hunk of granite from its resting place in the earth.
Beads of sweat dotted Viviane's brow as she wrestled with the boulder, her mental connection to the Aetherframe strained. She poured her energy into the arcane matrix, coaxing the gears and pistons within to shift and turn. The frame buckled slightly, the joints creaking with exertion.
But with a grunt and a heave, she finally lifted the boulder, sending a wave of relief rushing through her. The strain on the Aetherframe eased, and the matrix returned to a normal state. She carried the boulder over to a nearby metal cart, dropping it into the bed with a loud thud.
Another job well done.
She took a moment to catch her breath, enjoying the cool air within the Aetherframe. Then she straightened the frame, her vision returning to the bustling scene of the quarry. The workers in the area paid her no mind, used to the presence of the giant machines among them. They continued their work, chiseling away at the stone while guiding the horses pulling their carts along.
She strode back to the wall, positioning herself to take another swing at the rocky surface before her. But as she did so, the ground beneath her vibrated, a deep rumble echoing from below.
Viviane halted, turning to survey the area.
The other workers had also stopped, exchanging worried glances. Then, as quickly as the rumbling started, it ceased. Everyone relaxed, chalking up the strange event as a natural phenomenon.
Shrugging, Viviane returned her attention to the task at hand, raising her pickaxe to strike at the wall before her. The tool cleaved through the rock easily, its sharp point splitting the stone in two with one blow.
"Chère amie, Evelyne... What did I do to deserve this fate?" The words spilled from her mouth as she swung the axe again and again, the motion almost meditative as she lost herself in the simple pleasure of breaking rocks. The Aetherframe's speaker emitted the audio of Viviane's complaint.
"Deserve what?" Dimitri's voice responded. He must have been nearby, considering how clear his voice sounded through the mana communication relay.
"This," Viviane repeated. "This labor. This sweat and effort. This... This torment of mon pauvre bras!"
The last few words were spoken with such emphasis that the Aetherframe's articulated arm gave an involuntary jerk, nearly causing Viviane to drop her pickaxe. Luckily, the mechanical arm managed to hold onto its tool, but only just.
Dimitri chuckled softly, amusement evident in his tone. "It is not that bad, ma chère amie. Consider yourself fortunate that you get to stay inside a frame where the temperature is regulated, rather than be stuck out here like me in the direct sunlight, where we mere mortals melt away like wax under a candle flame."
Viviane could imagine the dramatic hand gestures that the senior Artificer must be making to accompany his speech. In truth, he did have a point, which only served to intensify the guilt she felt about complaining.
Inside the Aetherframe, she was blissfully insulated from the harsh elements. Unlike the other laborers, her body remained safe and dry within the padded interior of the metal exoskeleton, her arms and legs moving with minimal strain as she maneuvered the mechanical appendages.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Still, that didn't mean that she was immune to fatigue, and she could already feel the signs of exhaustion creeping upon her. The muscles in her back ached as she continued to heft her pickaxe, which was scaled to the Aetherframe's size, the strain of the repeated motions causing her shoulders to ache and her knees to tremble. She wasn't cut out for this kind of hard labor.
"I am a scholar, an Artificer, and most importantly...a jeune femme," she complained, pausing for effect. "I am not designed to do such intense physical activities like this. I should be inside a workshop, where it's safe and clean, surrounded by tools and machinery."
"If it makes you feel any better, the work that you and I are doing here contributes to building said workshops. It might not be the most glamorous work, but it is vital to the progress of the town nonetheless."
"I suppose that is true..." She trailed off, sighing with resignation as she resumed her work. "Even so, this is not exactly something I'd consider a priority, considering all the other tasks on our list. Mademoiselle Evelyne should have known all this, yet here we are, performing these backbreaking endeavors instead."
"True. I am equally surprised at the importance that Lady Evelyne puts on this. I wonder what changed her mind?"
The memory of Viviane's brief conversation with Evelyne, shortly before being assigned to the quarry, floated back to the forefront of her thoughts. Les Artisanats d'Éclair's Director had mentioned how the sudden surge in demand for raw materials from the quarry prompted the village's goddess, Ebonheim, to assign higher priority to the operation.
"Non, cher ami... That is not correct. Ebonheim has been the one pushing for this. Not Evelyne," Viviane corrected him.
Dimitri paused, his curiosity piqued. "Did she say why?"
"As far as I can tell, she said the village needs the materials from the quarry more urgently than previously thought."
"And somehow, the goddess managed to convince Evelyne to lend two Aetherframes to this cause? That's a feat worthy of a miracle. I wonder if Orin's behind this somehow."
"Well, this is mostly so that his Conduit Chamber can be completed. Or at least, that's what he told me," she offered, hoping that such knowledge would satisfy Dimitri's curiosity.
However, Dimitri only snorted dismissively. "Typical Orin. Always putting his own needs ahead of everyone else's. How typical of him. He always manages to land on his feet, regardless of how many times he falls on his arse."
Viviane considered Dimitri's words. The older Artificer didn't mince his opinion, and his views mirrored her own. However, she couldn't bring herself to judge the man too harshly, given his history.
"You know he is not a bad person, though," she pointed out.
"Oh, I agree. But that doesn't change the fact that he's an annoying bastard," Dimitri quipped with a laugh. "Ah, I jest. The lad means well. It's just that he's quite... Impetuous, to put it lightly."
"He is enthusiastic, that much is certain," Viviane agreed. "I admire his drive. But unlike him, I find myself getting exhausted faster than he does. At this rate, I won't make it to the end of the day without collapsing into a heap. I already have a sore back and a cramp in my arm from picking up these huge, heavy rocks, and I still have the entire afternoon left to go."
"Careful, Viviane," Dimitri chided gently. "You'll break the Aetherframe if you keep working with that attitude. I'm sure that wouldn't be good for your health either."
"Touché. You have a point." She sighed and shook her head, the frame mimicking her movements.
"On the bright side, the work is simple enough. Once you find a good rhythm, it becomes rather easy to fall into a sort of trance as you continue the repetitive motions. Like a dance, if you will," Dimitri offered.
"I don't think I can even begin to appreciate such poetic descriptions when I'm feeling this terrible," Viviane retorted. She moved into a wide stance, using her Aetherframe to drag the pickaxe through the air, letting gravity do most of the work for her as the pick sank into the stone, separating a large chunk of granite from the rest of the wall.
She added the large slab of rock to the nearby cart, a loud crash resounding through the air as the heavy piece of stone landed on top of the other similarly shaped rocks.
She grimaced inwardly at the sound, remembering to be gentler with the load.
"At least let us take turns so that the strain can be divided," she suggested. "It'll be a lot less taxing if we share the load."
Dimitri shook his head, laughing wryly. "No can do, ma chère. You're the operator, so you're the one who gets to use the pickaxe. My task here is to maintain the other equipment and drive our carts, remember? I'm merely a support, not a primary contributor to the work."
"Fine," she muttered. "I shall play the role of the beast of burden."
"That's the spirit!"
----------------------------------------
Gorm and Sigurd worked alongside each other in companionable silence, neither one really having much to say to the other. The two men focused on their tasks, keeping their heads down and their hands busy. Occasionally, one or the other would break the silence by offering a word or two about their work, but other than that, they rarely spoke.
This suited Gorm just fine; he liked a little peace and quiet while he worked, and he found that the presence of another person helped soothe his nerves. After all, there was something comforting about being able to rely on someone else in case anything went wrong.
As he dug his shovel into the pile of earth and stone, he noticed an odd-colored stone buried within the layers of rock. Intrigued, he pushed aside some of the dirt to reveal more of the strange stone.
It appeared to be made of dark cobalt, with veins of glowing blue running throughout its surface. The peculiarities didn't stop there, however. Gorm swore he saw the object pulse, as if it were alive, an unsettling sight to witness from what should otherwise resemble any other ordinary chunk of ore.
"Hey Sigurd. Can ya come over here fer a sec?" Gorm called out, gesturing to the mysterious find.
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Sigurd approached, abandoning his task to join Gorm in examining the mysterious stone.
"What is it, friend? Spotted a shiny new gemstone ya wanna keep fer yerself?" Sigurd chuckled, giving Gorm a playful nudge with his elbow.
"Very funny," Gorm grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Look at this. Have ya ever seen anythin' like it before?"
The two men gazed at the pulsing stone in bewilderment, neither one having a clue as to what they were looking at. Suddenly, Sigurd tapped it with his pickaxe, and the moment it made contact with the stone, the ground murmured its dissent.
It began as a soft vibration, almost indistinguishable from the general movements of the quarry. But it grew, amplifying, until it became an undeniable tremor that reverberated through the air, shaking the ground and rattling their teeth.
"Wha—"
The shockwave rippled outward, knocking both men to their knees. The sound of splitting rock echoed throughout the quarry, accompanied by an unnatural groan, as if the earth itself was protesting against their intrusion.
From the cracks in the ground emerged a massive hand, made of hardened clay and stone, its knuckles protruding like spikes as it slammed into the earth. The ground trembled, buckling under the pressure, as the hand dragged itself forward, revealing the rest of the creature's body.
It was a towering entity, standing at least four meters tall, with a hunched back and long, spindly limbs. The cobalt stone was embedded in its forehead, pulsing wildly as if fueling the creature's movements. Its eyes, formed from glistening crystals, flickered with light, a thousand tiny flashes of blue and green illuminating the air around it.
Gorm and Sigurd backed away, their blood running cold as they realized the danger they were in.
"Run!" Gorm shouted, grabbing Sigurd by the sleeve and dragging him away from the scene. The two men fled as fast as their legs could carry them, leaving behind the bizarre, terrifying monster in their wake.
----------------------------------------
Viviane stared at the earth elemental that suddenly sprang from the depths of the quarry, the Aetherframe's optical receptors conveying an enhanced view of the creature's appearance.
It looked like a misshapen golem, built from dirt and stone, with rough, irregular edges and bulging eyes made of shining crystals. Each movement from the elemental caused the earth beneath her to tremble, making her glad that she was inside the protective armor of her Aetherframe.
Her attention shifted to the crystal embedded on the elemental's forehead, its dull blue glow reminiscent of the core that powered the Aetherframe's magitech systems. This particular crystal, however, lacked the uniform lines and patterns that distinguished most Magitech crystals.
An earth elemental... She didn't expect to see one outside of conflux regions, but then again, she had heard that the Eldergove Valley had a history of elemental confluxes throughout history.
A tremor from the ground shook her from her musings, bringing her attention back to the current situation. Her gaze shifted to the elemental as it stomped closer towards her and the nearby workers, the ground quaking with each heavy footfall.
Calm down, Vivi. One elemental isn't going to overwhelm you.
Between her, Dimitri, and the other Artificers spread across the quarry, she estimated that they defeat the elemental relatively easily.
Another tremor jolted through the ground, throwing off her balance for a split second, eliciting a curse from her lips. She regained her footing, shifting the Aetherframe's weight to better distribute the impact, allowing her to stabilize herself.
She turned to see another earth elemental rising from the ground, the dirt and stone cascading off its shoulders in rivulets as it stretched to its full height.
Two elementals...still manageable, but two at the same time is still concerning.
A third tremor rattled the air as a cliff face ruptured, crumbling as a third, much larger earth elemental clawed its way free. Its colossal frame dwarfed the other two, looming over the others as it rose to its feet. Its maw opened, revealing a furnace-like chamber, the orange flames flickering within its throat.
She inhaled sharply.
"Sacré bleu."