Our group would soon return back to the Forward Camp. It seems like within the handful of hours we had been gone, the main crew had now pitched tents and finished the basic defenses they had started when we had originally broken through. Joining the main force, our group decided to spread out and tell stories of what was further down the ruins. From the journey, to the quiet dark, to the glowing moss, to one of the rare true statues of Lady Enes. Most people would think we were lying or were simply delusional during the travel but many people stood by what they said and saw. Some even were curious enough to prove their point to bring them back down.
Our captain however held off from the travel stories and instead reported to Master Kithran. Telling him of the fact that we hadn't faced any monsters nor were there any sort of dangerous structures down further. The other unfortunate fact too was that during our travels, the only possible source of new ore was the flooded ravine from when we crossed over to the place our Captain soon dubbed as "The Island of Enes".
This placed the master in a state of deep thought as he let out a reluctant sigh and sat down.
"If what you both said is true, then this would only mean one thing an' I don't believe we have a choice." The Master speaks as he stands and gestures us to follow him. During so, he yelled at the crew to end the day for now, causing everyone else to simply follow through. While leading the crowd, the master speaks again.
"We have to surrender this place to the Arcanists." He speaks with a huff, a clear sign of frustration as we continued the climb out. This feeling was almost immediately understood by me but the captain was not having this end this way.
"No! Why? Those magician bastards can't take this away from us. Maybe if we-" and in a flash of orange energy, the Master immediately punches the Captain into the crowd, knocking a few people over like mere children's toys. Master Kithran flicks away the excess energy at his hands before pointing the pickaxe at the clearly hurt captain and huffs.
"We are not breaking the word of the king. We are going to surrender this place to Vael Arcanis and that is final." This loud booming voice echoes through the dimly lit mine, leaving everyone stunned and frozen in place. Like a spell had just been cast among the crowd, and honestly, a spell would've done less damage. Through all my years training under the master, I had never seen him this mad before.
"Torin." My spine chills to the core, forcing my body to stand at attention and turn towards the master. "With me" He adds as he starts walking once more. Following said instructions, I joined him.
We were both quiet. It was honestly more chilling hearing this quiet than any rumbling or clanking that echoes through this once busy mine not too long ago. That is until the master lets out a long and drawn out sigh before throwing his pickaxe to the ground and stopping. His hands rest at the thick leather belt that wraps around his waist while one raises up to press his index and thumb against his nose bridge.
"I'll apologize to the boy later." He turns to me, his hands now resting to his side as he stares up with a look of frustration. "First I'll have to apologize to you my boy."
Apologize? For what? I never really saw a fault in what the master said, so I never really bothered to say anything. Nevertheless, I raise my brow and voice my thoughts. "What do you need to apologize for Sir?"
"I promised yer pa that I'd take care of ye for another year, at least until your birthday but due to the sudden circumstances, I won't be able to do that." He turns to the railing to his side, seeing the pulleys and minecarts slow to a halt with the lights used to light up the place start to dim from the bottom up. My eyes wander to the same sight before my mind finally catches on to what he had said.
"So I guess I can finally graduate from your training?" I tease, turning over as I lean against the railing to enjoy the sudden solemn quiet.
The master couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Don't get it twisted kid, yer still soft and yer still got a lot to learn, but I guess so. So congrats big guy." He smiles as he turns to me, scratching the back of his head. "Guess that also means I gotta give you that goodbye gift I was holdin on fer ya." He adds before turning and walking off. His hand raising to gesture me to follow and so I do.
Walking out of the caves, we see the sky now turn into a solemn orange. The sun now resting behind the horizon as the clouds start to move in to blanket the sky in a grey hue. This sight was a clear indication that the day was about to end. Quite a poetic ending considering the circumstances. However, my sight seeing was cut short as I heard the swing of a noisy door. A familiar tone that traces back to the master's own makeshift office. It honestly was more like a storage space the master called his own and less of the grand and great rooms that nobles had in those stories father spoke about.
As he rummaged about and opened a few boxes, I could hear him muttering things like "Where was that blasted thing?" or "Damn fuckin boxes." as I stayed outside considering the fact that the doorway was unfortunately a little bit too small for me to walk through. After a few minutes go by, the sound of rummaging stops and the master would walk out with a cloth covered object that he's clutching with both hands. With a throw of his head, he and I make our way to the forge, more specifically at the anvil.
"T'was supposed to be a gift fer when ya's done with work a year from now." He says as he throws it on to the anvil, dust flying off the surface of the cloth as Master Kithran coughs and fans the dust away. His hand reaches over and opens the flaps of the cloth slowly, revealing quite the sight.
It was a pickaxe, but not a similar ones as we had been using during our work times. The metal was as black as coal with some of the edges fading into a gradient of grey or perhaps silver due to the shine. The handle seemed to be hammered into this octagonal shape with the corners flattened for better grip. The length itself was as long as my arm, fingers to armpit, the perfect length. At the lower end of the handle was leather, tanned to a darker brown and wrapped tightly around the metallic base with what seems to be a heavy iron, or perhaps steel or silver pommel sitting to lock it in place. The pickaxe head was a strange shape. Instead of a sharp head on both sides, only one side had been carved into the sharp piercing head of a pickaxe and the other seemed to be more akin to an axe, but due to its size and lack of a significant curve, it was just merely a rectangular end with an outward curve, sharpened to a blade.
The more noticeable attribute to this head, apart from the unique shape it had was the strange material used to craft it. It seemed to be like metal at the core, but as it stretches out into the edges, it looked more and more like glass, but more crude. Even from where I stood, I could see the jagged edges of the cut. Like it refused to be formed into the shape Master Kithran wanted it.
The Master would then smile and chuckle quietly as he saw me admire the piece of artistic metalwork laying in front of me. "That is not all boy" He speaks in a hush tone before turning it over and revealing more of the head. On this side held what seemed to be a refined gem. Glowing and polished to a smooth surface. Sitting almost flush against the cradle it sat on, the gem had this soft glow about it. A familiar energy. An energy deep within the mines and myself. Primal Enesial.
"Started makin this thing when I saw ye workin yer butt off in the mines. Back then yer were just a wee pebble. Right at the size of a normal man! Ahahahaha!" He jokes before reaching over for the pickaxe and hovering his hand over it. As he does so, I couldn't help but notice the difference in size between this behemoth of a tool in comparison to Master Kithran's dwarven build and stature. "Was supposed to be your parting gift. But since we ain't got that extra time, might as well give it here." He picks up the tool into his arms, having slight trouble carrying it by the handle but nothing he couldn't carry.
"She's now yours. Congratulations, Torin Valen." He adds, offering the Pickaxe in my hands as I curl the fingers around the leather. The handle fitting almost perfectly against my grip as I let out a soft satisfied sigh and a smile before nodding to Master Kithran, as if to promise him that I would not let him down and with a proud smile, he'd pat my shoulders and throw up a thumbs up.
However, this solemn moment came to an abrupt end as bells begin to toll in town. Our heads immediately turn towards the source of the sound, staring at the bell tower as it continued to ring. As it does, almost everybody from the mines dropped what they did and started running back home. Even going as far as dropping any fragile material and breakable crate into the ground.
I stood up and turned towards the bell as my body turns cold. My mind immediately remembers the forgotten dream from this morning. The cold that broke off the shale shell of my body as I ran through the woods. The dark now expanding and the faint sound of the very same bell ringing across my mind. The hands, still grasping, reaching out for me. My hearing starts to fade, my vision tunnelling to a blur as all I can feel now is my heart beating out from my chest and my breathing as it gets faster, and faster and faster and-
"TORIN!" I snap out of it as I let out a quick sharp breath before Master Kithran brings me back to reality. My hands still shaking from the aftermath of the strange attack but I shake my mind off it. "I can't believe I forgot, the eclipse is upon us boy. Go, and keep both of yourselves safe!" He added as the master started to run towards the mine to guide everyone out.
I nod to myself before I start bolting it back home, pickaxe still in my hand as I pushed through the muddy paths and dirt roads filled with people panicking to reach their homes. I turn corner after corner before finally heading home. My breath becoming heavy as I feel the weight of my stamina lowering as I finally stopped at the door. I rush inside to see my father, already preparing everything.
"Dad-"
"No time Tor. No time. They're here. It's here. We need to-" My father continues to speak, mutter, and whisper as he picks up some tools, arrows, and other weaponry. His eyes, seemingly bounding towards everything yet nothing in front of him. I drop my pickaxe before going to grab his shoulders. "DAD!" I try to snap him out of it as I stare at him. Eyes that speak as if I understood what he is going through but to no avail.
His own expression was that of fear, anger, and even frustration. He lets out one last push against my grip before he turns towards the night sky.
"The Eclipse is coming, and so are they..."