Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 39: Teacher and Student

The following morning, Merida made breakfast again. This time, simple over easy eggs with a side of bacon. Aym gave her a bit of assistance by telling her when to flip said dishes. It turned out well. In her opinion, it was better than the previous day's breakfast. Once the two had eaten their fill, Aym left the temple to take care of the more pressing matters on his schedule. He promised Merida they could spar in the afternoon, and suggested she spend the morning with Cassius.

The sun was shining brightly over the grounds that morning, warming up an otherwise brisk spring day. As always, the grounds were swarming with followers, working, talking, trading. A few of them paused to give Merida their greeting, but she did not stop other than to give a polite word in return. Aside from that, Merida made her way directly to the stone mines, sure that she'd find the ox working there

The stone mines were at the edge of the grounds, reaching deep into the side of a tall, jagged hill. As she drew nearer, she could hear the sound of men's voices and the repeated strikes of pickaxes against stone coming from within the mines. Merida reached the mouth of the mine and peered into the black abyss beyond. It had become incredibly deep over the years. The main tunnel branched out, then branched again, and again, like the roots of a tree. It would be so easy to get lost in there if one was alone. Thankfully, that wasn't something she needed to worry about during the day. There were dozens of creatures within who knew all the paths like the back of their hands. None more so than the Task Leads designated to the area.

Despite the sporadically hung lanterns, the tunnel was still incredibly dark. The light from these lanterns was a cool blue in color, and offered little to relieve the darkness. The unnaturally cold, cursed flame was safer to use though as it could not catch like a real fire. Mining had a list of dangers attached to it. For one, it could lead to a leak of natural gas. Incorporating a typical flame might result in a catastrophic explosion. So, despite their lower quality of light, the cursed flames were a much safer choice.

Merida continued along the main tunnel until she came across a rhino by the name of Thasus. Thasus was a lot like Attiscesus. Meaning, he was a big, muscular teddy bear. Also like Atti, his thick skin was riddled with deep scars, though his were of an unknown origin. The large man was sitting upon a boulder, reading notes that Caxton had left for him. He looked up when Merida's echoing footsteps caught his ear.

"Need something, Merida?"

"Could you help me find Cassius? I need to pull him out for training." Thasus nodded and stood up, setting his notes down on the rock he'd been sitting on.

"Yes, Aym came by and mentioned something like that. Follow me." He picked up a blue lantern and waved her along as he started down one of the branching tunnels. Merida followed him in the downward sloping tunnel. She soon began to feel a bit claustrophobic.

"I don't know how you guys can work down here all day." She commented, rubbing her arms against the chill. The way their voices reverberated off the hard stone walls caused her a bit more unease. Had Nykka not removed her trauma, she might have had flashbacks and a panic attack in those mines. Between the cold, the stone, and the eerie blue light, they were so much like that evil room beneath the cottage. As it was, Merida only suffered heightened discomfort.

"It takes some getting used to." Thasus chuckled. "Followers who are just starting out have shorter shifts and longer breaks so they can get more fresh air. Over time, they work up to the usual hours."

"That's a nice way of going about it... What about Cassius? How do you feel about his work ethic?" She knew the answer already, she'd seen Cassius working in the past. Really, she just wanted to keep talking to avoid the sense of doom the place was filling her with.