Hey Vivshi! You take that side, and we will take this side," Lander called out from a distance.
His voice echoed through the dark mines, breaking the silence that enveloped us. Hearing Lander's reassuring voice calmed me down, alleviating some of the unease that had settled within me. The darkness in the mines made it nearly impossible to see, but we had a small oil lantern that Kenshi had crafted for us, providing a faint glimmer of light amidst the oppressive blackness. Even with the lantern, the claustrophobic mine felt terrifying to navigate alone. After our father's neglect and our mother's mysterious disappearance, we were determined to forge our own path and not rely on "his" money. Independence was our goal, and to achieve that, we needed cash. Although I had suggested stealing money from unsuspecting individuals on the streets, Ken and Lan adamantly rejected the idea, claiming it would be no better than accepting our father's money. I struggled to understand why they chose the harder path when an easier option was readily available.
One day, they stumbled upon a job opening for excavating carpinite in a newly discovered mine. After some convincing, they managed to persuade me to join them. With scraped-together funds, we acquired a glove and a pickaxe. Ken took the glove, and Lan wielded the pickaxe. As we explored the mines, we would call out to each other whenever someone discovered a carpinite vein. We took turns extracting the valuable mineral from the unforgiving walls, swinging our pickaxes until exhaustion set in, and then switching places.
Now walking around alone I heard Lan's voice echo throughout the mines. I hurried over, my breath ragged from the sprint. Lan stood proudly, his gaze fixed on a colossal carpinite lode embedded in the walls. With his arms on his hips, he smiled, proclaiming that we wouldn't have to worry about food and shelter for a while with this discovery. Excitement filled the air, and the three of us exchanged a joyful high-five before setting out to excavate the surrounding earth. The lode stretched as long as Lan's arm and was as wide as his head.
As Ken hacked away at the surrounding walls, I couldn't shake a growing sense of unease. The mine seemed unstable, and small creaks echoed through the tunnels. Pebbles and stones began to rain down from the ceiling, intensifying my worries. I voiced my concerns to Ken and Lan, but they reassured me that everything was safe. With the earth cleared, Ken held the carpinite in his gloved hand, and as I illuminated it with my dimly lit candle, its darkish hue gleamed.
While Ken and Lan marveled at the carpinite, uncertainty gnawed at me. Was it truly safe for us to remain here? Lan placed his arm around my shoulders, offering comfort, while Ken set down the ore. Suddenly, gloves flew through the air, and I caught them instinctively.
"Hey Vivshi, feel how heavy the carpinite feels! Don't break your back." Ken teased, smirking.
I put on the glove and braced myself into a squatting position to pick up the carpinite. I reached down and grabbed the ledge on the ore and slowly pulled it up.
"Heavy, isn't it?" Ken scoffed.
With this one, we could enjoy momentarily peace for a short period. But that all changed as I heard a deafening explosion deep within the mines. Ken and Lan's expressions turned into horrified panic as they screamed out to me:
" RUN VIVSHI, RUN YOU RETARD!" Ken's voice pierced through chaos.
"VIVSHI WHAT ARE YOU DOING, START MOVING" Lan's desperate plea joined the fray.
The walls started to crumble and the loud crashes reverberated through the tunnels, drawing closer with each passing moment. Fear gripped my heart as I sprinted, following in the footsteps of my brothers. Ken noticed my sluggishness and, with determination etched on his face, grabbed the carpinite ore and hoisted it onto his shoulder, with the glove still clutching it tightly. The three of us ran, driven by a primal instinct to survive, but the claustrophobic corridors seemed to close in around us, threatening to consume us whole.
Rocks and debris cascaded from above, and one unfortunate boulder struck Lan's leg, sending him sprawling to the ground. Blood mixed with dirt, covering his face and knee. Ken reacted swiftly, seizing Lan's arm and dragging him forward, refusing to abandon him. Ken's strength was immense, but even in this cruel world, there are limits. We caught a glimpse of the light filtering through the mine entrance, our only hope for escape. With sheer determination, we charged towards it, believing we could outrun the relentless collapse. Yet, fate had other plans.
As we neared the exit, the wall caught up with us, trapping us in its merciless grasp. Ken's instinctual protective nature kicked in, and without hesitation, he flung Lan forward, urging him to safety. Lan, with a bloodied smile on his face, kicked my back as I looked back at him, his expression satisfied. Ken, wearing a broad smile, pointed his middle finger at me defiantly before hurling the giant carpinite ore outside. And then, the rocks fell, engulfing them both.
I stumbled backward, my body overcome by exhaustion, and collapsed onto the grass, staring at the once familiar entrance now barricaded by boulders and swirling dust. Desperation fueled my actions as I frantically dug at the rocks and earth that entombed my brothers. My fingernails broke, blood staining my hands, but it was futile. The earth continued to pour into the pit, burying them deeper beneath its weight.
I stopped in exhaustion and fell back. Lan, Ken, why did you guys not take the pickpocketing job as I suggested? I lay there covering my eyes with my arm. The wind blew softly and the dust settled. The sun began to set and insects started to buzz. The birds stopped chirping and I just lay there. Tears flow like time, never ending.
Waiting for Ken to carry my ass back home but Ken never came.
I suddenly felt something wet and sandpaper-like rubbing against my face, I open my eyes to see Oslovi on my face licking tears off my face. Oh right, I was back. Why brothers? As I sighed, Oslovi climbed on top of my head and pointed against the brick wall. I looked at Emovi that was sleeping soundly and smiled as I phased through the walls.
I walked out to the dark alleyways and Oslovi pointed in a direction and I followed the instructions. I came across a wall and the cat tapped my head. I started to scale the wall by grabbing onto ledges and metal railings. On top of the building, I looked down the streets. Seeing people and shops. Their mundane lives continued and shops released attracting aromas and a wide array of dishes that were served to the passing people.
Oslovi tapped my head again and we got to an alleyway where two men had cornered a helpless girl with striking long blue hair and white ends. She didn't fight back, talk or do anything. She stood resolute, unaffected by the threats of the two men. Silently complying as they demanded money. She gave them her money and then asked if she could leave. Just observing her looks, she looks around the same age as me.
"But she is still kinda cute tho, isn't that right Meow Meow?"
Oslovi nimbly leapt off my head onto the roof, its orange fur that radiated, now turned into snow-like fur. Oslovi's cheek was illuminated in green and the flower of rejuvenation sprouted. But this time the flower didn't heal, it rooted the two men and swallowed them in a cocoon of wood. That shrunk, Turning into a wooden ball.
It's white fur turned back into orange and it leaped down to the girl.
I climbed down safe and slow and met up with Oslovi and the girl. The girl had crouched down petting Oslovi. Rubbing its fur and head. I watched as she continued to pet and have fun with the cat. Okay, this girl is super cuteeee. Just look at her being so passionate about animals.
She stood up hastily, clutching her hands while standing. Then she blurted out a thank that was barely audible. Her face was completely neutral as if what just happened didn't happen. After her thank you, she started to walk the other way into the dark alleys.
I went up to Oslovi and put it on my head and started to go back to Oslovi's room. That is when I heard footsteps behind me. I swiftly turn around to see the blue-haired run slowly running towards me. I didn't sense malice, it was instead a desperate plea for help. She stopped a few meters behind me.
"Are you the Rice collector?" She asked worriedly.
"Rice collector? Who is that? Never heard of a rice collector before. Who goes around collecting rice?" I asked while holding my sides.
The girl seeing me laughing like a maniac looked at me confused and started to back up. She continued to pester me with questions like: What did I do yesterday, what clothing I was wearing and stuff. After answering all her questions she became quiet.
Her long blue hair swayed in the air as the silence grew. She seemed really hesitant, seeing this Oslovi got close and started to rub her leg. She jumped as she got caught off guard amidst her thoughts by Oslovi.
I stood there watching her lose focus again and start petting Oslovi.
One last time she stood up and looked at me and asked me one final question.
"Can you save my sister?" She asked while looking at me intensely, waiting for a response.
"What is it in for me? Save her yourself. You are strong enough to do that right? C'mon, no wasting time." I said in a sarcastic way.
Her not picking up my sarcastic remarks, stood there, looking sad and depressed. Oslovi walked over to me and started to nib on my leg as if it wanted me to help her.
"Okay, blue Lockie, why do you want my help?" I asked curiously.
This time she didn't hesitate as she told me everything she knew. She was at that noble gathering yesterday due to her family forcing her to attend. She witnessed Emovi's sacrifice, Viego's fight and Oslovi's powers. She was scared and tried to find her parents but when Oslovi arrived, she saw my arm getting regenerated. She saw a glimpse of hope but as she neared the fighting grounds to get a closer look, Viego's sword came ricocheting off the walls, cutting her hair.
Her sister was very ill and had been through many doctors but to no avail. None of the physicians could diagnose nor ease her symptoms.
Every day it grew worse and worse. She watched her sister slowly die and decided to take matters into her own hands.
She sneaked off after the banquet to find the mysterious cat and woman that escaped the mansion in a hurry. She had bought some cheap clothing on her way to this banquet and decided to wear peasant clothes to make her stand out less.
Not only did this woman call me a rice collector but she also called me a woman. The nerve on this girl. She seemed happy to get everything off her chest. But I wondered why she called me a rice collector. She answered my question without me asking by pulling out a piece of paper sent out and printed by the prince, declaring us criminals of the state.
As me and Oslovi looked at the piece of paper she said that we could stay at her mansion secretly if we would help her. I and Oslovi looked at each other and asked her a question.
"Is there gonna be food there?" Both our eyes lit up as we looked at her.
She nodded and I told her to follow us to our hideout. She hesitated for a moment but Oslovi hopped onto her head and she was smitten by its cuteness. Following us to our hideout to pick up Emovi.