SunRider

[03] A Quiet Friend

—Circa 5,599 E.E. (Economic Era-The 17th Era): King Tipidus the First takes 300 men up North to unmapped lands as part of a "holy quest" to bring knowledge of past historic events into light, hoping to shed truth on what has led to the extinction of ancient races whose existence is only recorded on the scrolls of Lyria's Grand Library. He does not return and his young eight-year-old son, Tipidus the Second takes the throne. Men search for the old High King for years but only three ever return, none of which sane enough to explain what has occurred to them, others, or their King.—

     The following morning, Finn awoke to the sound of deep clay horns bellowing a heavy tune. It was early and the hot sun was still to peak over the crags. Finn dressed and stepped outside. Other miners, ready for the day's work, yawned and looked to the barracks. Following their gaze, Finn made out shadowed forms stepping out of wagons and walking in lines to stand in front of a waiting supervisor. New workers.

     By their build, they were all male, meaning the women must have already been separated and taken to the Hub to become maids and servants. The Crust had ensnared more victims: fugitives, vagabonds, criminals, and debtors. Men and women with history. Yet Finn didn't fear them. They may have gotten away with crime wherever they'd come from, but in the Crust, if you got caught doing something you weren't supposed to, there was only one punishment: banishment into the Slaglands. No one was stupid enough to risk that.

     "Welcome to the edge of the world!" one of the miners shouted with a laugh. "You can't get any farther West than this! Hope you're ready to die under a rock!"

     Some of the miners snickered and Finn let out a smile. He'd seen this scene play out a thousand times. Some of the forms—difficult to define in the low light—shifted in discomfort, yet others stood straighter. Those were the ones that had come willingly. They were the ones with nothing left to lose or crazy enough to think the mines would provide safety.

     Finn looked forward to when new workers arrived. They always brought in word of the outside world. They described strange and magical locations, odd cultures, and fascinating people. Heart beating faster, Finn went to breakfast wishing for his two work-shifts to pass quickly. Hearing new stories was a treat. It was his only sweet taste of freedom.

     He spotted Goblin leaving his hut, a spot near the center of the limestone field. The boy looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept all night. Finn grimaced; Goblin had chosen the worst location to make residence. The miners lived miserable lives and many cried and wailed in their sleep. Goblin, with his hut in the middle of the field, would have to accustom to the sound. It was something that would take a long time.

     With the consistent amount of death in the mines, homes were often freed-up. Most surviving miners were ones who'd been raised by the Crust. It was rare for adult recruits to last long. They didn't move through the system like the orphan boys did, gaining experience from an early age. Unused to the dangerous labor, the new miners would get themselves killed. In contrast, the orphans would be trained in the Hub by veteran miners until they turned seven and could be promoted to cave-divers.

     Although they were coached thoroughly, seven-year-olds sometimes died on their first dive. It was no wonder trainers often committed suicide. They interacted with the young boys for years, finding fragile solace and joy. Out of all the jobs in the Crust, being a trainer was the task no one wanted. Finn's instructor—an elderly veteran by the name of Glob Sumtick—had died years ago. The man had suffered a heart attack in his hut. Whether the cause had been sadness or old age, Finn didn't know. The only memory he retained of the white-bearded man was one of him laughing as Finn crawled through a wooden tunnel made to represent a lava tube. He'd been practicing for his first dive and didn't know why the trainer hooted. Finn shook the nostalgia away. It wouldn't do him any good to focus on the past.