The next day, Cedric woke up early to meditate. When he was done, he was able to provide the group with food and water. As the group exited the tent, they decided to meet with Vara before they went down into the mines.
"Whaddya need?" Vara asked.
"Two things. The initial payment, and a small description as to what we will find down there." Ara' Sei said.
"Ah. Ye see. What happened is when we were diggin', we came across somethin' underground. Buildings and masonry far underground. When we tried lookin' at it, the group that went in was attacked by monsters. The one who came back says they looked like fire come to life. Good luck!" Vara said. Vara then pointed to one of the entrances into the mountain and provided them a crude map, alongside the initial payment.
Then, the group entered the mountain. Using her magic, Ara' Sei caused the map to glow with pale light, illuminating the way forward. Cedric placed his hand on Ella and with a small incantation, she found it far easier to see in the darkness.
"Wow, thanks!" Ella said.
"That'll last most of the day." Cedric said. The tunnel curved ever downwards. From the map, Ara' Sei almost shuddered trying to comprehend the size of the mine. But, the map was good enough for them to continue moving downward. After about an hour of traveling, the group had made it to a mineshaft. A path spiraled downwards along the edge of the mineshaft.
"How far down does it go?" Cedric asked. Eris picked up a rock and tossed it off the edge into the massive pit. Eris quietly counted. Then, they heard the quietest echo. Their face went pale.
"Fifteen." They whispered.
"Fifteen?!" Cedric asked. Eris nodded.
"That's over half a mile deep, in other words, don't fall." Eris said.
Over the next hour and a half, the group carefully descended the mineshaft. Their legs began to hurt as they constantly had to be careful not to slip and fall on the stone surface. The path down was only around ten feet wide, so the fall to their doom was always nearby. When the descent was finally over, the group breathed a sigh of relief.
The bottom of the mineshaft had four exits, each going in a different direction. Ara' Sei looked at the map.
"Having trouble with the map?" Ella asked. Ara' Sei nodded. Ella looked at it.
"Oh, you can't read it. Not to worry, I can, and its telling us to go through that one." Ella said, pointing at one of the exits.
"Wait, you know dwarvish?" Ara' Sei asked. Ella nodded.
"How?" Ara' Sei asked.
"You kind of pick it up where I grew up." Ella said before heading towards the archway.
"You coming?" Ella asked. Then, the group followed her.
The tunnel gradually sloped downwards, Ara' Sei wondered how such long tunnels had been mined and carved so carefully.
"According to this map you lit up, we're getting rather close." Ella said.
"Get ready." Eris warned. Zerai manifested his glowing blade. After another fifteen minutes, the party came to the end. It was a doorway into darkness beyond.
"We're here." Ella confirmed.
YOU ARE READING
Converging Destinies: Part 1
خيال (فانتازيا)Ella has been a mercenary her whole life. All she's ever wanted is a little bit of fun and a lot of money. She's just looking for a job that'll land her some cash. Cedric has just recently begun to learn the magic of the wild, just as the other memb...
