Storm Island Expedition

An Art of War

In the morning, I went to visit the healer's hut.  Sienna and the sailors were still unconscious when the locals showed them to me.  The trio didn't appear to have any serious injuries, which was my biggest relief.  Also, I no longer felt any guilt about the possibility of being the only survivor.

The healer told me that it was going to be at least a little while longer before they would be up and about.

Another local brought some other good news, other small boats had landed on the island.  Most were spotted to the east or west of the port.  Seems the tide was still too strong and carried them off course.  Most would be at most a day's walk away.

Suddenly hit me that nearly four days on the island had passed, and thus the next groups would be arriving.  The only progress I had made so far was just along a beach and the port.

One of the small boats did arrive in port.  A trader and his apprentice with a few crates of goods and supplies; evidently they planned to set up a trading post here in the port.

Han spoke up "Well Mei, seems the first real outsiders have come.  There goes the neighborhood."

"Now now Han, it will be nice to seem so young fresh faces around here again.  Plus some strong backs to get this place fixed up.  You're not getting any younger yourself."

Han grumbled, as he started to turn away. "Well ... if that's the case, we're going to need this place spruced up some before the rest arrive.   No sense having the newcomers charging US to use what WE already had."

"And what did you have in mind?"

Han looked at me, "think you could get that workshop up and running again?  Furnace, spinning and pottery wheels, fix the anvil, the whole she-bang."

I started to think "uhm ,maybe.  Are there any supplies?   Ores?  Wood?"

"Pfft. All the wood about is in the trees. You know how to cut a tree right?"

"Yes."

"Good, a few of us around here still know a thing or two about making a plank out of the wood.   As for ores, search the hills just outside of town.  Plenty out there for bronze and iron.  Just find a few veins and dig them out.  You know how to use a pickaxe right?

"Again, yes."

"Perfect, now hop to it."

I sighed as I headed off to the hillside.  About the only advantage I could see to this was I would get a chance to scout and map the hills and do a slight survey.  No doubt the locals knew where the good ore veins would be after all these years, but looking about, I doubted most of them would be able to do any serious work.  Plus I didn't happen to see any maps to give a clue of where to start.

Finding a few trees for logs was easy.   It took me several hours of scouting before I found a few scant copper and tin rocks.  I located a vein with iron and silver, but it was depleted fairly quickly.

A nearly full load of ores and logs does make for a fairly heavy bag, and it was getting near mid-day.  I barely took a few steps before I felt the ground give out beneath me. 

I woke up, slightly bruised, a few feet underground.  A quick glance around showed me to be in a mining tunnel junction, the rotting reinforcing beams gave that much away.  But I didn't see any tracks, just some hollowed out veins along the walls. 

I looked about for an easy way out, but there was no way I was going to climb out through the hole I fell through, it was too high up to just climb out.  Especially since I didn't have a rope or grapple.  My only option was to travel down the tunnel.