The room was an atrium unlike any I had seen before. In stark contrast to the narrow halls and passageways that comprised the rest of the mine, the natural structure was mesmerizing in size. Stalagmites and stalactites protruded from the floor and ceiling, embedded with crystals that shone an impressive spectrum of colors. The gemstones lit the room up like a christmas tree, our torch light paling in comparison. The place was as rich in metals as it was gemstones, a true treasure trove to be sure.
"Amazing, I've never seen so much mithril in my life before; add in the mana gems and this place would be worth a king's ransom." John stared in amazement, unable to blink for a moment. "Well I hate to burst your bubble, but I'd like to get out of this place as fast as possible. I feel like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar." I told John. The place wasn't sitting right with me. In all my 2 lives, I had become certain of one thing: nothing was free, and this place was certainly not cheap.
We shuffled our way to the closest node and John dropped his bag to the floor. He rummaged through his bag for a moment before pulling out a pic with a smile on his face. "Scratch, you keep watch, if so much as a needle drops, I want to know about it." I turned and ordered the kobold. "Yes yes, Scratch observes." Scratch responded. I still didn't fully trust the creature, but he hadn't lied to us yet, and I intended to keep an eye out myself while John worked.
When I was sure Scratch understood my order, I turned my head to see John mid swing of his pic. "Wait! Let me erect a sound barrier before every damn monster in the cave hears us." I stopped John just in time. "Sorry, I was just so excited" John apologized insincerely. I exhaled in disappointment and began to cast true silence around John and the mithril node. The spell was perfect for the job since the earth element would capture any vibrations through the ground while the air element would do the same for the sound. When the spell was activated, I signaled John with a nod and he began to mine.
Strike after strike, the nodes would weaken until they popped out as mithril nuggets. When one node was finished, we moved to the next, then the next. Before I knew it, we had mined as much as we could carry. "I think that's enough John, you're going to have to carry it all out you know?" I said. "I may never get another opportunity like this, just one more node, please?" John pleaded with me. "Fine, but we should eat lunch first. If you don't take a break, you'll hurt yourself." I compromised with John.
John retrieved the lunch we packed from his bag and we sat down to eat. I was starving as well, and the fatigue from holding a 4th grade spell was starting to get to me. As we ate the dried meat and bread we had packed for lunch, Scratch stared on with envy. Drool slipped out of his mouth from time to time, and eventually John felt bad for him. He offered the lizard a scrap of meat, which Scratch spared no time in scarfing down.
"So, how soon do you think you can have my sword ready?" I asked John curiously. He had agreed to work on it as soon as he could, but I didn't have all month to wait around. "Well, it will take me at least a week to purify enough of the mithril to forge your blade. From there another few days ought to do the trick. Why? Are you in a rush? Winter has just started, you know." John replied. "Of course, I just don't intend to rot the winter away in Travelm the whole time" I explained. "A wise choice. You might just die of boredom if you stick around." John chuckled
We finished our meal and returned to work. Just as I went to cast my spell, something stopped me. The air in the cave grew heavy. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time, like the atmosphere itself was trying to crush me. John and Scratch fell to their knees, struggling to stand. It was then that I realized what it was. An oppressive mana that exuded through the cave marked the presence of a powerful creature. Just as a being could suppress their mana, it also stood to reason that they could amplify it to intimidate. The aura wasn't quite as strong as master Korbyn's, but it was impressive all the same.
"We need to leave, NOW!" I screamed at John who hurried to his feet, recovering from the shock. He grabbed his bag, leaving the pic behind. We sprinted towards the exit as a low rumbling echoed throughout the atrium. "King returns, Scratch's debt paid, bye bye." The kobold yelped and sprinted off ahead of us. "Damn it!" I cursed at the cowardly lizard's betrayal. John ran as fast as he could, but the weight of his pack slowed him down significantly. Soon, the creature came into view, and it was evident that we were not going to outrun it. A large mana beast resembling a panther only in form, reared its head around a corner locking eyes with my own. Its body was accompanied by a shroud of darkness, magical in nature. "I'll slow it down. When you reach the hallway, let me know." I declared to John.
My plan was simple: If I could buy enough time for John to reach the entrance, I could cause a controlled cave in behind us, cutting the creature off. The plan was simple enough, but its execution was less so. I broke into a nervous sweat for the first time in years. A nervousness sparked by a sense of preservation, one of the last senses I retained—an instinct for survival. I drew my blade and readied a spell I was confident I could muster in time. After the beast had finished sizing up its prey, it bolted forth like a cheetah, using its speed and momentum as a weapon. In an effort to slow its approach, I released one of my spells, 'quick sand'. 'Quick sand' was a 3rd grade earth spell residing on a 2 dimensional matrix. It softened the ground at the caster's will, quickly turning rock to a deep and thick mud.
At my command, a vast stretch of the cave floor turned into a sinking quagmire. When the creature made first contact, it quickly found its claws stuck in the thick mud. Its charge ground to a halt, and the beast roared with a great fury. The spell worked like a charm, but it was too early to celebrate. The king of shadows was no stranger to magic, and was certainly not stupid. It was only a matter of time before it found a way to counter my spell. I used what little time I had to inch closer to the exit and begin casting my next spell. John had made steady progress, but it wasn't quite time for me to retreat. When I finished my second spell, I turned my head to a horrific sight. The creature had freed itself from my swamp, hardening the mud with every step it took. Seeing as the spell was no longer effective, I released 'quick sand' to preserve my mana.
The creature didn't look as though I could scratch it with anything lower than a fourth grade spell, so I didn't bother with any direct attacks. I only had a few fourth grade spells in my repertoire, and none of them could be cast quick enough to be used without cover. Although it was sooner than I had originally intended, I opted to accelerate my plan. Only by borrowing the power of nature, would I ever stand a chance at victory. The cave in would need to happen sooner rather than later. I aimed my spell to the ceiling, and released the 3rd grade spell 'tremor'. It was an earth spell similar in composition to 'quick sand', only the spell would rattle the earth as opposed to softening it. The spell was intended to put an enemy off balance, but I intended to use it to disturb the delicate balance that kept the atrium from collapsing.
The ceiling shook with a mild violence that grew stronger by the second. It wasn't long before stalactites and loose stones came raining down from above. The delicate balance of the cave's structure was slowly worsening by the second. Even without the rest of my spell, a full blown collapse was imminent. I bolted for the entrance, turning my back to the king of shadows. It was no longer a battle between us, now it was a battle for survival. I weaved left and right, back and forth, dodging as many rocks as I could. John's pace seemed to increase, but he still refused to drop his bag. Soon the volume of debris became too much to handle. It was impossible to dodge everything, so I evaded the largest chunks as I became pelted by several smaller rocks. I erected a small air barrier with first magic to deflect as many rocks as I could, but it was a losing effort.
The number and size of rocks pelting my body increased, my head shielded only by my hands. Despite the increasing danger, my efforts were not for naught. I was fast approaching the exit and John was not far in front of me. When we had almost reached the entrance. A massive surge of debris began to collapse right on top of us. In a desperate final move, I mustered all the strength I could with infusion magic and leapt into John. I slammed with great force against his back, sending both of our bodies hurling forward like a projectile. With Mara's own luck, we managed to clear the corridor and land safely within the passageway that we had arrived from. The large mass of debris plugged the entrance to the atrium, accompanied by a wave of dust and wind squeezed out of the collapsing room.
The dust washed over us and we both began to cough. Once the dust had settled, I breathed a sigh of relief. Not only had we managed to escape, but we had done so with our stolen treasure. "This better be one hell of a sword." I remarked, trying to lighten the mood. "Ha..Hah, you're one crazy son of a bitch, Brutus. But by the gods, you actually pulled it off. Don't worry, I'll craft you the best damn sword you've ever seen." John laughed in disbelief. We soon headed toward the exit, but within minutes, the adrenalin wore off and the delayed pain came flooding in. We were both bruised from head to toe. I treated both our wounds with what little healing magic I knew. The spells mostly served to ease the pain so that we could continue our walk. The pain was likely to return the following morning, but that was a problem for future me.
When the pain subsided, we resumed our journey to the exit. We trudged our way back up the winding sloped tunnels of the mine. Switching the backpack between each other when the other was too tired to continue. After our brush with death, we didn't even consider staying the night. John filled the silence with the story of his upbringing. Having narrowly escaped death together, I guessed he felt close enough to open up to me. Being the first time I had explored the outside world, I was eager to hear about anything he had to tell me. While I was well read on the history of the empire, the history was often sanitized for the masses, so John's genuine life story was a breath of fresh air to me.
John had been born into a prominent blacksmith family in Korn, a major city near the empire's northern border. Like many northern cities, Korn faced harsh winters. Not suitable for farming, the city was forced to rely on grain shipments from the empire's central government to survive. He served as an apprentice blacksmith to his father, who mainly worked contracts with the imperial legions. He spent his younger years chasing after his father, ambitious to succeed him. Unfortunately before he could surpass his father, the empire was hit with famine. The central government was forced to cut aid to the northern region, in favor of the eastern and western fronts which remained at constant war. Without grain, it wasn't long before the city was reduced to anarchy. In the face of starvation, friends turned to wolves, and soon food was the only currency that had any value. What little food shipments that reached the city from private vendors, soon found their caravans assaulted by starving beggars. Struggling to maintain order, The empire ordered a withdrawal of all forces in the region. With no one to keep order, the citizens turned to savagery. Theft was an afterthought, and the most extreme turned to cannibalism.
John's parents had given what little food they could scrounge together to their son. In time they both grew weak and fell ill. His mother died first and the grief soon after took his father. Determined to survive, John took what little possessions he could carry and hiked south. Doing whatever it took to survive, working odd jobs, hiding from danger, they all became normal routine to him. It wasn't until he had reached the small town of Travelm, that he had found a home. A small village, insignificant when compared to Korn, but a place that welcomed him with open arms. A village in need of a blacksmith, and a wanderer in need of a home, it was a match made in heaven. John blamed the empire and the emperor for his misfortune, and rightfully so. They had prioritized the war effort over the lives of their citizens, wiping a vibrant city off the map. He channeled his frustration into his work as he continued to chase the ghost of his father, the best blacksmith he had ever known.
It was quite the story, but it did not seem to be embellished. It was a story that I felt resonated with my own. Perhaps it was fate that two lost souls like us had found each other, but I never believed in fate. There are circumstances in one's control and those without. Under the guise of fate, only the weak surrendered to the circumstances outside of their control. John's story was a tragedy to be sure, but it still left me with a sense of hope. That for those who struggle, there is always a better place to arrive at.