Chapter 8
An Elf on the Road
~<(0)>~
The Mines were a source of life for the Dwarves. It wasn’t always this way, some dwarves chose to live on the surface and make do as blacksmiths and engineers, generally in the lands of other races. But Most dwarves lived under the surface in the massive Dwarven cities, famous for their subterranean size. Dwarves generally didn’t farm as an industry. There might be various plants and fungi that could be grown in the darkness or the unnatural light of torches or arcane lamps, but these were not great in number. Thus, Dwarves generally traded, importing most of the food they ate, processing some into various alcohols which they were known to practically subsist off of. And in return, they exported metals, stones, and various craftworks made from them. And the source for these goods, of course, was the Mine. Every city had one, most had more than one. If the Cities were vast, the Mines were even more so. Vast networks of minecart rails ran through tunnels, crossing chasms and spiralling down massive caverns. Magma powered the great forges, and dwarven industry practically lived and breathed down there.
Thus, it was completely unheard of that the Mines would ever close. To be more specific, one of the Mines of the Dwarven City of Val Dalrihm was shut down. City officials weren’t saying anything more than that there had been a massive collapse near one of the Wyrm Mining machines and that a Shaft Integrity Inspection Team was going to be investigating the collapse in the coming days. The Council was reassuring the workers of this Mine that they were doing everything in their power to get operations back to full speed as soon as possible, and that everyone affected would be compensated fairly for the downtime.
Still though, rumours abounded. The Wyrm Miner wasn’t a single shaft miner, it could tear through huge swaths of stone and earth at once. Normally this wasn’t used for mining at all, but excavation of large areas. It was a big beast, several shafts wide and tall, powered by a massive crystal based magical battery. It had a boiler heated by a special array of fire imbued rune carved crystals that move the pistons and allowed it to move. A Big wheel with toothlike buckets that could tear through rock like it was soft earth. It ran on reinforced, massive rails built specifically for it. The Wyrm had been piloted into the Mine, carving through old, emptied shafts all around. Magical reinforcement systems braced the tunnel, shoring up the integrity of the shafts around it. It had been days since it had been taken to the far end of the Mine, and there was talk of how it was being used to widen magma caverns that had recently been broken into. There was talk of having dug too deep, unleashing horrors of the deep upon Val Dalrihm, but those were simple rumours. Ones that grew stronger as the shaking started.
The Inspection team had travelled into the Mine, following the massive tunnel and inspected some of the surrounding shafts for structural instability, finding nothing that would indicate the kind of collapse that they had all felt. Nearing the end of the tunnel, however, as the heat rose and the air became hazy with sulphur and other gasses, massive cracks appeared in the walls and ceiling. Chunks of rock were scattered across the floor of the tunnel and more rained from high above with a pitter patter all around. The tunnel opened up into the magma cavern, lakes of molten rock all around, and they saw it. The Wyrm was glowing blue as it was covered in superheated flames. All around it huge chunks of the walls and roof had fallen down into the magma or onto the rails for the Wyrm. It was clear what had collapsed.
The blue flames flared up suddenly and the Wyrm began to move, its mining head spinning up as the machine rotated on its central point and started to tear into the ceiling. The already fragile structure of the magma cavern started to crumble as pieces of the ceiling the size of the Wyrm itself fell, making great splashes in the magma. The Dwarves fled, the only reasonable choice when the whole world was coming down on them. The chain reaction had begun, and cracks spread further along the tunnel. With a crash, the Magma caverns were sealed off once again, and the cave in continued, structural reinforcements doing nothing to stop tonnes of rock as the structural integrity of the tunnel and surrounding mine shafts completely failed.
The shaking continued for hours. Miners peered into the dust and gloom of the great tunnel continually, but the inspection team never returned.
~<(0)>~
A weary looking elf approached the walled town of Fairpost, covered in the dust of the trail. The gates were opened to her, as the residents of Fairpost were nothing if not welcoming to weary travellers. An elf was a rare enough sight as it was, very little traffic ever came from the border, though sometimes there would be a caravan that had gone that direction returning via the same route. One of the guards at the gate mentioned the town’s main inn and she nodded, awkwardly thanking the guard before walking off to where he had mentioned.
Ophelia was incredibly nervous, though Lyrei kept reassuring her and giving her advice and pointers. Lyrei had helped Ophelia conjure some gold and had shaped it into a close enough representation of the Elven currency. This close to the border, Lyrei imagined they would be more willing to take Elven coins, though even if they weren’t, the fact that they were gold would likely swing in their favour regardless. It’s not like they really cared about getting an especially good deal in regard to using the coins.
The door to the inn swung open and the heads of several people within turned to look at the newcomer. Murmurs of excitement and interest floated around the room as they saw she was an elf. Ophelia did her best to appear as someone who had been travelling through the wilderness for days, trying to restrain her urge to examine everything and everyone around her in extreme detail. At her mother’s urging, she went up to the counter and was greeted warmly by the innkeeper and reserved a room for the night. At FURTHER prompting, she ordered something to eat as “Appearances are important”. The Disguised slime sat at a table nervously waiting for her food, an argument arcing between her and Lyrei as the latter attempted to console and assure her that she would do fine.
The food arrived and she thanked the Innkeeper for it while staring a thousand yards into the food placed before her. “{Take a deep breath and remember what we practiced and take a bite.}”
“(What good will taking a breath do? This is all just a construct of myself.)”
“{It will release hormones and help to relax the construct that is your body. While you may not be restricted to this form, it’s the form you’re in right now, and that is one of the things that will help to settle it.}”
Ophelia conceded and took in a deep breath, inhaling the wonderful looking stew before her. The citizens of Fairpost were familiar enough with the elves to know about their vegetarian lifestyle, not that this mattered to Ophelia in the slightest. The breath helped a little and she gripped the spoon in her hand, dipping it in the stew and raising it up to her mouth before… completely missing her mouth as she shoved it into where her nose was. It sank into her faux flesh silently and came out after a moment. This miscalculation spawned a fresh bout of panic as she brought her (now clean) spoon down and set it on the table, frantically glancing around to see if anyone had noticed her colossal screw up. A couple of people were looking at her a little oddly, and she looked down. Steeling her nerves, she brought up another spoonful of the wonderfully aromatic stew and successfully got it into her mouth properly. She froze as the flavour hit her tongue, “{Well, I can confirm you got the tastebuds right. That tastes simply wonderful. I’m surprised they get enough elves this way to actually adopt some of their cooking flavours.}” Ophelia eventually removed the spoon from her mouth, worries forgotten as she quickly brought another spoonful to her lips. And another, and another. It was just as well, those who had caught a glimpse of their earlier mishap either blamed the ale or thought nothing more of it.
~<(0)>~
Ophelia lay in the bed in her room as she watched the sun dip below the horizon outside. It was a sight she had seen many times before, though this was the first time she had seen it quite like this. “(Is this what it’s like to be… an elf or a human? Everyone has been pretty nice to me so far.)”
“{I think on the whole people are like that. It might help that you’re an elf, and they are used to dealing with the standard elven racism. I suppose it doesn’t matter, just keep things up and you’ll do fine. You’ve done a great job so far. Likely better than I would have, and I was born an elf. I was a jerk though.}” she laughed inside Ophelia’s head. “{I can keep teaching you magical theory if you wish, it’ll be several hours before you’re likely to ‘wake up’}”
They hadn’t tested it outside of the town as the idea simply hadn’t occurred to Lyrei, but she wasn’t sure that Ophelia could put her elven body to sleep and still maintain the form. It would have been easy enough for Lyrei to monitor things while Ophelia actually managed to get some proper rest. As it was, Lyrei wasn’t sure what would happen and wasn’t willing to let Ophelia risk it. It meant a long night ahead of the pair, but there were things they could discuss.
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~<(0)>~
The morning came with the sun peeking over the mountains and through the window of the room. Ophelia was restless; Truth be told she hadn’t really stopped doing things since the day she first understood that she existed. Not that she and Lyrei hadn’t continued to talk during the night, even going so far as to practice further in her new body, but not being able to leave the room was tantamount to torture for her. Lyrei promised her that when they moved on from this town they could figure out if she could sleep without losing her form or having any other ill effects. She got up and went downstairs, ordering some breakfast from the innkeeper. Lyrei laughed a little at her doing this unprompted, to which Ophelia responded internally that she had really enjoyed the food last night. There were no mishaps with the meal this time, though Lyrei had to tell the slime girl to pace herself multiple times.
The morning air was crisp and cool, fog rising from the forest off in the distance as the sun swept across the valley. Ophelia didn’t really know what to do, though Lyrei had insisted that she stick around the town for a few days to help get accustomed to being around people. Thus, Ophelia inquired about the whereabouts of the general goods store and was presently perusing over the wares.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Miss…?”
Ophelia was about to answer when Lyrei interrupted her thoughts, “{Lyrei. Say My name. I don’t know if it holds weight here, but at the very least I’m who you look like.}” The slime was a little confused, as she hadn’t actually understood what the owner of the store was asking at the end. “U-um. Lyrei. Lyrei Araphine. I’m um, just looking right now. I know I’m going to need some stuff to keep on my journey, but I really don’t know what all I need to get.”
The shop owner, an aging but fit man with spectacles nodded and smiled. “Well, I’ve got good stuff for travelling. Bedrolls, backpacks, tinderboxes, lanterns, mess kits, tents. I suppose the only things I don’t really have here that might be useful for a journey are good steel and food for the road. Come to think of it, if you want a bow, you’re better off going to one of our local hunters. I don’t know if that’s something you’d want though.”
That was… honestly a lot. Ophelia didn’t know what most of that all actually meant, though she could search through Lyrei’s vast memories to figure it out. Lyrei though, was more than willing to help out.
About an hour later, Ophelia walked out of the General goods store with everything she had purchased neatly stored on her person, either in or attached to her pack, or strapped to her somehow. Next, again at Lyrei’s prompting, was the blacksmith, whom the shop owner had been happy to help point her towards. It was hot, and overall, Ophelia wasn’t too fond of it. Spears, axes, and swords lined the wall, as well as a couple rows of horseshoes on hooks. The blacksmith was working a piece of heated metal on his anvil, sparks flying with each hammer blow.
“Ay, you’re that newcomer, aren’t you? What can I help you with today? I’m gonna be up front and tell you that Commissions are at least a few days wait time, payment in advance. No, I can’t do yours faster or bump others out of my queue ahead of you. No, I don’t care how much you’re willing to pay me, or whatever you threaten to do to me.”
Ophelia was stunned “I, uh… didn’t want any of that. I’m not going to threaten you. I’m just coming here to see if you have something made that might fit me.”
The smith sighed and set his workpiece to the side. He approached and Ophelia took a step backwards, uncertain. He brought his hand up in an offer to shake, which, after Lyrei’s explanation, she took, and he shook. “Sorry about that. You have no idea how many of you knife ears in here all snooty and demanding I get their custom replacement sword done tomorrow, to elven quality standards no less. Eh… sorry about the Knife Ear comment…” Ophelia shook her head, assuring him that it was fine. She’d have to have Lyrei explain that to her later. “So, you’re looking for a weapon?”
Ophelia nodded, “Yes. I’m not really sure what will work for me, but I ought to have something.” She paused, thinking a moment, and added, “I’ve never really used a weapon like these before. Do you have anything that will work well for… a beginner?”
The smith laughed and scratched the back of his head, “Let me guess, your kind are normally big into magic and whatsit, right? Well, I think what would work best for beginners is this.” He walked over to the wall and took down one of the spears, handing it to Ophelia who took it uncertainly. “Spears are pretty beginner friendly. You stab at things wanting to attack you, use it to keep things at range. It can even double as a walking staff, and you can throw it in a pinch, though if you do that you’re out of a weapon until you get it back. Now, I know that it won’t be able to cut through underbrush like a proper blade will, but swords are finicky things anyways. I can give you a blade that’ll work well for that purpose, but it wouldn’t be a fighting blade. Here, you hold it like this, thrust like this, and wave it around like this.” He helped to position Ophelia in the different ways she would need to be able to use the spear.
She spent an hour in the smith’s forge as well, coming out with four new implements. The spear she had been recommended currently functioned as a walking staff. She had a machete of sorts at her waist for plants and wood, a hatchet, and a knife for general purpose use. Nothing was fancy, inscribed with runes, or anything of the sort. But it all seemed very solid, and the blacksmith assured her of its quality.
The next stop was the market at the center of the town, where Lyrei helped Ophelia pick out some good travel foods. In the open, amongst the other townspeople, Ophelia drew the stares of both the people running the stalls and those shopping at said stalls. It was unnerving for the slime, but she did her best to ignore it. Overall, people were helpful and kind to her, though she did get a few who, like the blacksmith, bristled against her. Prejudice against the elves ran deep in some people it seemed, and this wasn’t something she could simply solve by being polite. However, once she presented the gold, they were at least willing to do business with her. It took a while, stopping at most every stall and stand in the marketplace, but Ophelia had a collection of things that would travel well and be ideal foodstuffs for the trip.
She returned to her room in the inn and set everything down, flopping down in the bed. She felt tired from everything, a bit of an odd feeling, since it was a bunch of chemicals telling her to feel that way. She savoured the hormonal cocktail and let herself rest on the soft surface. She didn’t REALLY need all the stuff she had picked up today, but it was all part of the illusion. She was a travelling elf, so she needed to look the part. It didn’t matter that she didn’t need a weapon for defence or any of the supplies, the bag, or the food. Her tastebuds told her things tasted good though, and like the feeling of being exhausted, Ophelia was savouring the experience. Besides, though her energy was practically limitless, the sheer amount stored within her very being, being able to maintain this form in a lossless manner like this, by eating food, was nice.
As if to emphasize things, her stomach growled. During the previous night, Lyrei had helped Ophelia to activate that portion of her body. While it wasn’t strictly necessary while she was in this form, it helped to remind her to eat. The feeling of being hungry had startled Ophelia when it had happened that morning, but Lyrei had talked her through it. Now, she wanted to go get food. She hopped to her feet and went downstairs, greeting the innkeeper who laughed and said that there really were better places that she could get food than the inn. Ophelia truthfully replied that she had quite enjoyed both meals she’d had there, and besides, it was far easier than trying to find somewhere else in the town to get some food.
With another bowl of stew in front of her, Ophelia savoured each spoonful letting out soft sounds of enjoyment as she did so. All too soon, the stew as gone, and Ophelia leaned back a bit in her seat, just enjoying the moment. The Innkeeper came over and sat across from her. “How long are you staying here, if I might ask?”
Ophelia opened her eyes, a bit confused at the question, unsure of how to answer. Lyrei prompted her with an answer, “A few more days. Why, did I not pay you enough? I can pay more if that’s the case.”
The Innkeeper shook her head, “No, no… that’s not it. I suppose I was just curious. Normally you lot, elves I mean, tend to stay here at most a night, and then move on. This isn’t the place you want to be, so you stay here as little time as you can, that sort of thing. I suppose I understand it, this is a bit of a backwater town, last stop before the border. You don’t really seem to be in much of a rush though. If you don’t mind telling me, where is your destination?”
This question too, confused Ophelia. She didn’t really have much of a destination. Lyrei offered a suggestion, and she decided to go with it, “I don’t really have anywhere specific I’m heading to. When I am done here, I’ll move on to wherever I decide to go next. I’ve been exiled from the Elven lands and… I don’t really have a destination. I’ll just move around until I find someplace I belong, or keep moving if I never find somewhere I belong.”
The Innkeeper responded with a soft gasp, “Oh my. I’m terribly sorry to hear that, I apologize if I pried too much.”
Ophelia shook her head. It felt weird to lie, though… it wasn’t exactly a lie, just a weird twist on the truth. “It’s alright, I assure you. Just the truth of my situation is all. I have nowhere to go, and no reason to not stick around here. The room has been quite comfortable. I dare say, probably the most comfortable I’ve ever been in,” an amusing truth if she didn’t count Lyrei’s memories as her own, “the food has been delightful, and I’m overall content here. There is prejudice against my kind, I can tell. But I can imagine it is well earned and reciprocated.”
The Innkeeper suddenly looked a bit ashamed, and then stood up quickly, excusing herself from the table. She returned a bit later with a coin pouch, which she set down in front of Ophelia and sat back in the chair across from the apparent elf. Intrigued, Ophelia opened the purse and looked inside to see copper and silver coins gleaming back in the lamplight. “Your coinage is… considerably more valuable even in sheer weight of gold than anything we normally work with. I was more than comfortable initially taking what you gave me and keeping it for having to deal with another stuck-up elf, but… well… that’s about what I owe you for what you paid in this Kingdom’s currency. If you’re planning to continue further into the Kingdom, it’ll be best to have some more of our coinage, and it’s probably best to not decrease your funds too quickly. Besides, you aren’t some stuck up elf… or at least if you are you’re very good at pretending.” She laughed softly and smiled at Ophelia. “Look, Miss Elf, I don’t know where you’re going to go, but if you end up here again, you’ll be welcome in my Inn, free of charge, for as long as you need. I think that, given enough time, the townsfolk will warm up to you, as long as you continue being considerate and polite like you are.”
Ophelia had tears in her eyes, an unconscious reaction, “Thank you, Ma’am. And it’s Lyrei. Lyrei Araphine. I don’t know if I’ll be coming back here after I move on, but if I do, I will be more than happy to stay here.” She tried to blink back her tears, but some fell anyways. She didn’t care in the slightest.