Defender of Mirago

Chapter 5

The next day Rayble got up early in the morning to gather some items. He grabbed an old clunky telescope his grandfather gave him as a child, a dusty red umbrella he never used, a handful of coins, and put them in his satchel. He then ran off before his early rising grandfather was awake. The Marians populated the streets. They conversed amongst themselves, some sitting, some standing.

Last night as he lay in bed he heard them talking and moving around. Rayble had remembered Kessa telling him they didn't need any sleep, that rest and everything else was provided by their cubes. The talking through the night may have irritated others in Mirago, but it didn't bother Rayble. Rayble was so curious about them, he tried to listen in on their conversations, but most of their words melted into mumbles through the walls.

Now Rayble hummed to himself, thinking of Kessa as he weaved through Marians on the streets of Mirago in the cool morning. He hoped he wouldn't bump into her, not yet. It was an hour's walk to the Caves of Aspar. If he didn't dally, he'd be there and back with time to see Kessa before his training with mentor Moreth. Of course, he was skipping morning prayer and his chores, but perhaps no one would notice, other than Baygus.

Lost in his thoughts, it felt the time had passed quickly when Rayble arrived at the Caves of Aspar. Miners had already begun their work. Sweat dripped down their long scratchy chins as they pulled out carts of Asparite, a strong heavy metal used for building nearly everything in Mirago. The High Defenders had their swords made of Asparite. They were the only ones allowed to have swords. All other defenders had to rely on the barriers from their seeds, and most importantly their faith in God. Even Rayble's mentor Moreth didn't have a sword.

Rayble knew a few of the miners so he felt comfortable around them. He asked for Grozzy specifically, one of the older miners and friend of his grandfather. Ever since Rayble was little, Grozzy would often come by their house and surprise him with interesting findings from the caves. A miner replied that Grozzy was homesick. The same unknown sickness that had been spreading throughout the town.

So instead Rayble went around asking the others if any of them had mined a diamond that morning. They all shook their head. One of them gave Rayble a pickax and invited him to go and look for himself.

So he journeyed into the Caves, careful not to get in the other miners' way. Rayble was worried how much time this would add to his excursion, he hoped that a diamond would have been already found for him and he would have paid coins for it. Nonetheless, he carried on without pause, swinging at the hard cave walls in the dark. Dim dancing lights from candles were scattered about on the cave floor. Rayble positioned them to help him see where he was swinging, but they didn't help much. Did these miners live their whole lives in this darkness? Rayble wondered as he searched on. He held a candle up to the wall every time he thought he saw a sparkle. After working one spot for what felt like a long time, he'd switch spots, going deeper into the cave. Hours passed until he finally found a rock that radiated. "A diamond!" Rayble exclaimed. "Finally!" He finished plucking the diamond out, put it in his satchel, and made his way out the cave.

However, Rayble soon realized he was lost. He had slowly slipped farther into the cave where miners weren't present. There were terrible creatures deep within, unfamiliar creatures far more sinister than the Korugals. These creatures would stay away from groups of loud people, which is why miners would stick together. There's no telling what the predators would do to a lone living thing. Rayble fumbled in his pockets, playing with a couple of seeds he had saved up. Thankfully he always had some with him, just in case he was needed to defend. Except in this moment, Rayble wouldn't be defending the town, he'd be protecting himself. He warily walked, candlelight lifted in front of him, hoping he wasn't walking deeper into the cave.

A low growl rumbled through the cave walls. Rayble froze in his place, clutching on tightly to a single seed. "God help me out of here. I need your protection. I need your guidance. Keep my enemies far from me and bring me to safety." The growl grew louder. The earth shuddered beneath Rayble's feet. Rayble turned to discover a large scaley four-legged animal. It had a long snout, with lips curled back to reveal sharp teeth and small round ears on top of its head. An Ukbir.