The sun was hanging at the edge of the world threatening to slip and dip from view. Its orange rays bathed the sky in a beautiful glow of fire. Even as it set its rays remained useful to the crowd moving into the cleaved-out path of the border cliffs.
It didn't take much longer to finally have all five hundred across the starting point.
The entrance was like a huge cavernous mouth stretching wide to accept visitors. The first thing one would note was the walls of the cavern. Embedded deep in them and glowing softly was a blue metal that made all eyes lock on it.
A shiver passed through many mostly the older ones and more experienced ones. This was mithril.
'Here. How?. Why hadn't the other races come for it yet ?' Old man Kindo's thoughts fired off in his head. 'We have to get our hands on this mithril. This is too beautiful an opportunity to miss.' His body moved to shift itself from the center of the four hundred in a bid to get to the five.
The closest to him was Carla. As a battle medic, her position was behind the rest as support and healer for their injuries. Also to keep the people safe once they encountered something that would end them.
Old man Kindo getting to Carla barely wasted time telling her everything. It was so great an opportunity that even Carla had her eyes widening. Looking ahead she signaled to Humda who was more of the logical one here.
Humda found himself rubbing his jaw while keeping his excitement hidden. While they had each grown stronger in their own rights along the line their gears hadn't. Leaving out Carla who had her rewards from Erizos and Moira who only fought unarmed then Kendor, Sanda and he had worse gear. With this mithril though not only could they not make proper stuff for themselves but they could also forge better weapons for the town back in the Desolation of Anges.
"How do we mine it though? I doubt we have pickaxes amongst ourselves."
" We can just use our weapons. They might not be strong but against the soil, it's the best thing . Plus we have several good weapons from the different houses we raided along the way". Carla felt it imperative to get this mithril at all costs.
Calling out a name, Humda and Old man Kindo watched as a middle-aged man separated from the crowd. There was really nothing great about him except for the long scar that ran down his cheek and the double-handed axe that rested on his shoulders. The same axe wielded by the Orc chieftain slain by Moira.
Carla passed on her thoughts to the man called Joni before letting him pick out a group amongst the axe or hammer wielders to mine the mithril.
It was the best they could do since they couldn't exactly leave and then return with a group of miners. This wasn't their father's house. The fact that they hadn't met any danger yet didn't reduce their guard or make them complacent.
The group ended up spending even longer there while the first people mined the glowing blue metal. Moira had returned and after being briefed had simply nodded before fleeing saying something about scouting the area. Sanda was now animatedly talking with some of the crowd females asking several weird questions that made a few gaze at her like she lost a couple of nuts.
Then there was Kendor. The black-haired archer was nonstop sharpening his arrows while making several comments to himself. Words like my precious and my treasure could be heard from him once in a while.
Humda though was the only one of the five truly busy. In his arms was a leather parchment on which a few drawings had been made. The cartography was very well-detailed and offered next to no mistakes. Starting from a desolate forest and cutting through territories that were unknown to end in the unnamed forest where they had found the duo sisters. From there it began again along the eastern sides of the map before halting right at the cavernous mouth. A second map though lay on the floor most of it blank but the very tip.
While the others rested and the miners well mined the sub finally set retrieving its orange glow from the world.
It was like a door opened or command was given. Either way, the environment changed instantly. One must know that while the entrance seemed like a cave it wasn't. It was more of a clustered rocky section with more stones blocking overhead due to a rock slide. There were still some spaces for the sun to filter through.
But with the sun gone the air suddenly went chilly. The environment released some sort of white vapor that began floating about. The miners shivered as they halted their strikes. Those resting rose from either slumber or whatever. And people like Humda and Kendor focused on a task raised their heads.
Silence.
At first, no one saw anything. Just the vapor slowly passing through the cavern and spreading out. Then a flash of something by Kendor's right eye had him rolling back and halting on his knees. Right, where he had been stood a pointed 'needle'. Yes, needle. The stuff was about as long as a grown man's arm and wider than two finger widths. While only one end stuck out of the ground with a sharp point, Kendor didn't doubt the other side being just as sharp if not sharper.
The crowd stirred due to the movement, many widening their eyes at the speed of what transpired. One minute Kendor was seated the next he was not and an oversized needle was stabbing where he sat.
Before anyone could understand what had happened or where the needle came from a scream shattered the silence once more.
All heads turned to land on a morbid sight. One of the miners hung with his eyes wide open his lips quivering even as a needle held him to the mithril wall behind him blood pooling beneath him.
Before anyone thought about making a move to try any lifesaving act he breathed his last head slumping. The trickle of blood and pattering it made as it fell to the floor was the only noise most could hear.
Humda moved with speed. His body melded into the drawing darkness that the setting sun had allowed to plague the world. Instantly the boy appeared from behind an individual who was still watching the dead body. His form looked like it had been spat from the darkness of the walls. His arm moved like a blurred line drawing his sword and striking out instantly.
Clang.
The sound brought the attention of the rest to his direction. Simultaneously setting their sights on something weird vanishing into the white vapor that was everywhere. Their eyes went back to Humda seeing his arms vibrating while at his feet lay a needle. The same type of needle that tried to end Kendor earlier, the same kind that just killed a miner. Finally, it clicked.
"We're under attack!"
"It's too fast what was it".
'Finally. Their brains awakened' Humda couldn't help but attempt a sneer. Attempt because at that moment just like earlier when he moved he noted the movement of the vapor. Yet before he could react a twang and swish echoed as an arrow flew straight into the white clouds. Behind him, Kendor notched another arrow to his bow while his face the epitome of seriousness scanned the vapor.
"You noticed it too?". Humda asked. Kendor gave him a look then went back to scanning. His reply was unneeded as everyone knew he had the highest perception here. He was a hunter for Erlezos sake.
"Move." his sharp shout drilled out into the heads of the other camp members as the vapor around the man surged. Yet there were five hundred people here and everyone couldn't know who was being referred to. As such everyone moved. The man fast enough dashed to the side. Yet his neighbor wasn't.
Another needle appearing even faster than the last two skewered the female behind the man who barely reacted in time. An arrow flew and Humda dematerialized only to reappear above from the ceiling falling into the vapor.
A loud crash echoed and the vapor from that spot faded away. Humda was crouched sword dug into the ground his eyes flashing about. It was obvious he missed the target.
'Shit. How fast is this thing.' Kendor pondered. It was one thing to fight a hidden enemy, but one that was both hidden and fast was a nightmare. Kendor was already beginning to doubt the sense of entering here.
His thoughts weren't relevant though as the thing cared not of it. Another needle appeared stunning everyone as it took another man's head. They could barely note it flying to see where it came from. The needles always striking like as if spawned from nothing.
The white smoke doing a good job to hide its path.
"Wait. That's it. Carla can you get rid of this white stuff" Kendor asked an arrow already notched.
The said girl who was attempting to keep the skewered female alive paused for only a moment before instantly retrieving two beautiful hand fans from out of nowhere.
Standing she exhaled before her eyes shut. Below her, the female tried her best to stay awake while others attempted to keep her from losing much blood.
Carla shutting her mind from the outside events and focused on the feeling flowing within her. Dragging the connection that brewed in her body she let it flow till it connected to the two hand fans then with a flap she made a mental comment.
'Seawind, Arc one'.
A cold wind with Carla as its point spread all over the room. Like a broom, it swept the vapor with it instantly carrying everything to the edges of the walls where darkness spread. Then without waiting she made a dance rolling her arms inwards and over the other simultaneously. The breeze surged into a ball with the vapor contained within it then dispersed into nothing taking the vapor with it.
As beautiful as the scene was nobody forgot the real show master. All eyes locked on the grotesque form of their needle friend lying right in the center of the room and looking back at them with its two bulging compound eyes. If the creature could speak then everyone would be hearing it screaming curses from the high heavens at Carla.