Chapter 141 – A City Beneath the Mountain
The Hollow moved like an anthill stirred by the hand of a god.
Word of the great cavern spread like fire through dry grass, and by dawn the next day, Kael stood at its mouth with nearly half the village behind him. Miners, farmers, smiths, builders, and curious children all crowded to see the hollow earth that had been uncovered. Torches lined the tunnel, guiding them into the cavern where the stream sang softly through the silence.
It was still raw stone and shadow, but to Kael's eyes, it was already a place of promise.
"Quiet," he called, raising his hand. His voice echoed off the stone, filling the cavern. "This place is a gift—but only if we use it wisely. Today, we begin its transformation."
He gestured to the stream. "Farmers, I want test plots here. Medicinal herbs first—feverfew, peppermint, willow bark. See how they grow in the damp and shadow. If they thrive, this cavern becomes our lifeline for healing."
The farmers nodded eagerly, already murmuring among themselves about soil beds, lightstones, and irrigation channels.
Kael turned to the smiths. "There are veins of ore along these walls—iron, silver, and more. Mark the richest veins, and begin extraction. But carefully. This place is not just a mine—it is a sanctuary. Do not weaken its bones."
The smiths saluted, their eyes gleaming at the thought of new metal for their forges.
Then Kael's gaze swept to the builders, men and women with saws and chisels slung across their backs. "We will need structures. Shelves and racks for herbs. Storage pits for ore. Barricades along the walls in case this place must serve as a fortress. And I want a path smoothed along the stream—so even the elderly and children can walk it in safety."
The builders bowed their heads, already eyeing the cavern's shape, seeing in their minds what could be made of it.
Finally, Kael faced the crowd as a whole. "And this place will be our refuge if the Hollow is ever threatened. We will prepare it as such. Food, water, shelter—it will all be here. So work not just for yourselves, but for your children, and their children after them."
The people erupted into murmurs of agreement, determination etched across their faces.
The first days were chaos.
Stone cracked beneath picks as miners carved out veins of ore. The stream's banks were lined with wooden stakes and earth beds, filled with soil carried in from the surface. Children trotted back and forth with baskets of dirt, laughing despite the work, while farmers bent to plant the first herbs in neat rows.
Kael walked among them, cloak brushing against stone, offering encouragement and correction alike. He helped carry beams with the builders, his muscles straining beside theirs, his chaos soldiers hauling great timbers as though they were twigs.
When one of the children slipped and nearly fell into the stream, Kael caught him by the scruff of his tunic, setting him gently on his feet. The boy blinked up at him nervously, but Kael only ruffled his hair. "Be careful. This water will save lives one day."
At night, when torches burned low and sweat turned the miners' faces to streaked masks of grit, Kael remained. He lifted pick and hammer, striking the stone beside them. His blows landed harder, faster, shattering through rock in bursts that sent sparks flying.
Fenrik muttered at one point, shaking his head. "Not often you see a leader break stone with his own hands."
"Not often a leader has to," Thalos rumbled. But even he worked harder when Kael's shadow loomed beside him.
By the fifth day, the cavern was transformed.
Timber supports lined the main paths, giving the place the beginnings of structure. Small wooden platforms had been raised along the stream, each one lined with shallow soil beds where green shoots had already begun to push through the earth. Farmers knelt in the torchlight, their hands brushing tender leaves, eyes bright with wonder.
One woman looked up at Kael as he passed. "They're taking, Lord Kael. Even better than in the fields above."
Kael crouched beside her, brushing the damp soil with his fingers. The herbs did seem stronger here, their roots drinking deep of the mineral-rich water. He smiled faintly. "Good. Then this place will be a garden of healing."
Further along, the miners had carved out storage pits, neatly filled with sacks of ore. The smiths spoke excitedly of blades and armor stronger than anything they had forged before. The builders had raised barricades along the far walls, stout enough to repel an assault should the need arise.
And the stream—it glittered in the torchlight, a ribbon of silver weaving through the cavern's heart. Already, children played along its edges, dipping their fingers in and splashing one another, laughter echoing against stone.
That evening, the council gathered within the cavern itself, seated on benches hastily built from timber. Torches lined the walls, their flames casting long shadows.
Lyria stood beside Kael, her hand brushing his briefly in quiet reassurance. Her eyes swept the cavern, taking in its transformation. "It feels… alive," she murmured.
Kael nodded. "It will be more than that. It will be a part of us."
Saekaros, the lizardkin, rose to his feet, staff tapping against stone. "I have wandered many roads," he said, his voice echoing. "I have seen kingdoms rise and fall. But never have I seen a people carve life from the bones of the earth so quickly. You are building not just a refuge—but a future."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the council.
Kael's gaze swept them all, his voice steady. "We have seen too much death, too much loss. But here—" he gestured to the rows of herbs, the glittering veins of ore, the rushing stream—"here we build for life. This cavern is not the end of our journey. It is the root that will anchor us."
The council nodded, and for once, no arguments rose. Only quiet determination.
That night, Kael lingered after the others had gone, standing at the stream's edge with only the soft rush of water for company. He could still feel the hum of hidden power deep in the stone—the echo of those old doors deeper in the mine, the mystery still unanswered.
But for now, he pushed it aside.
The Hollow had grown. The Hollow had hope.
And for the first time in months, Kael felt a flicker of peace.