The warm breeze carried the smell of grass and damp earth as Yoshiya and Omina stepped out of Orleaf. Their gear clinked lightly, still unfamiliar to their bodies. Ahead lay the northern path, winding into hills where stone and soil met.
Not far from the gate, a familiar voice called out.
"Leaving already?"
It was Mako, carrying a small basket of herbs.
"Master Mako!" Yoshiya bowed slightly. "We're heading to the mines near Reflynne. The guild gave us a mining request."
Mako's eyes lingered on him, calm and thoughtful. "Don't just use your mana," he advised, "but understand its flow."
The words struck Yoshiya like a stone to water. He nodded earnestly, committing them to memory. With a polite farewell, the two adventurers set off, carrying only a few rations of dried bread, water skins, and the guild-issued pickaxes strapped to their backs.
---
The road was long, the air gradually shifting from the freshness of farmland to the dryness of stone. Along the way, fewer horned rabbits crossed their path. Instead, lumbering insects began to appear—creatures the size of fruit barrels, their carapaces layered with slabs of rock.
"That must be a stone beetle," Omina whispered.
They exchanged a look. Their weapons were modest, their armor freshly adjusted by Brenn. The beetles looked sturdy, dangerous even. But Yoshiya's eyes sharpened.
"If we're too afraid to fight, we'll never improve," he muttered, planting his feet. "Let's test ourselves."
Omina raised her pickaxe in reply.
---
The clash was awkward at first. The beetle's rocky shell deflected most of Omina's sword strikes. Yoshiya held the monster at bay with his shield, gritting his teeth as its mandibles scraped against the metal.
"Use the pickaxe!" he shouted.
With a grunt, Omina swung the mining tool downward. The sharp head of the pick bit into the beetle's back, chipping off fragments of stone. Beneath the cracked shell, Yoshiya glimpsed something different—an inner layer glimmering faintly, almost like colored crystal.
"Again! Hit the side!" Yoshiya yelled, his arms burning as he forced mana into his muscles to hold the creature still.
Omina struck once more, knocking loose another piece of armor. At last, the soft flesh was exposed. One final blow ended the fight. The beetle twitched, then stilled.
Breathing hard, Yoshiya knelt and picked up the shards. In the fractured stone, faint streaks of green shimmered. His eyes lit up with curiosity.
"These might be valuable…" he murmured, slipping them into his pouch.
---
They pressed on until the landscape shifted into rocky hills dotted with shallow caves. Other miners were at work, their pickaxes ringing against stone. Dust hung in the air.
"Let's start here," Yoshiya suggested, pointing to an empty clearing.
Omina shook her head. "This area's been picked clean." She gestured instead to a patch of softer soil on the edge of the rocks.
Yoshiya raised a brow. "You want to mine in the dirt? What could we possibly find there?"
"Watch." Omina lifted the pickaxe, driving the flat end into the soil. With a few strikes, she unearthed chunks of buried stone. The next blow split one open, revealing colorful veins of ore within.
"How did you—" Yoshiya began.
"My father was a farmer," Omina explained, brushing dust from her cheek. "We often played near the river. He showed me where the best stones hid and how to dig for them."
Impressed, Yoshiya pulled open his pouch, already half-filled with mineral fragments from the beetle. "See? Stones and ores."
He turned to Omina. She proudly displayed her pouch—stuffed not with stones, but with herbs and wildflowers.
"…We're supposed to be mining, not gardening," Yoshiya deadpanned.
"You can't eat rocks," Omina replied smugly.
"Maybe not, but stones can strengthen our weapons and armor. Herbs won't fix your blade when it chips in battle."
"And ores won't stop you from bleeding," she shot back.
For a moment they glared at each other. Then, almost at the same time, they laughed softly, realizing how ridiculous they sounded.
---
Higher up the hills, Omina suddenly froze. She motioned for silence, her eyes fixed on a peculiar boulder with faint cracks glowing under the sun.
"Something's inside," she whispered.
Without hesitation, she raised her pickaxe and slammed it down. *CRACK!* A huge stone beetle erupted from the shattered rock, larger than a dining table. This one's shell shimmered faintly with streaks of blue.
The fight was harder than before.
Yoshiya planted his shield into the ground, straining to hold the beetle back. Mana surged from his core to his arms, a flowing warmth that made his grip stronger, steadier.
Omina swung relentlessly, each strike shattering more of the rock plating. Shards flew like blades, scratching Yoshiya's skin and drawing blood. He hissed, quickly chanting:
"Gentle magic, healing wind hear my song—Heal!"
Warm light pulsed through him, sealing the worst of the cuts even as he held the beetle down.
Piece by piece, Omina broke the armor away, until at last the blue crystals embedded in its shell shone in full. With a final mighty swing, she shattered the last layer. The beetle collapsed, its body finally exposed.
Breathing hard, Omina wiped her brow. "That… was tougher."
But Yoshiya was already gathering the scattered crystals. They sparkled in his hands, deep azure like frozen rivers. Some were large, others no bigger than pebbles, but all hummed faintly with energy.
He stuffed them into his pouch, now heavy with stones and minerals.
---
By contrast, Omina's pouch still bulged with herbs and flowers.
They continued until Yoshiya's pouch was nearly full, weighed down with glittering stones. The climb gave way to a ridge, and from the top they saw the horizon ahead. Beyond the jagged hills lay rivers glinting under the afternoon sun, their waters winding toward the distant spires of Reflynne.
"The City of Water," Omina whispered, awe softening her features.
Yoshiya adjusted his pouch, heavy but satisfying. "Let's head there next. Brenn will want these ores, and who knows—maybe we'll find answers about mana in Reflynne too."
Omina nodded, holding her pouch of herbs like treasure. "And maybe we'll find a good meal."
Together, they started down the rocky path, the sun warm at their backs and the promise of the city ahead.