Fall of the Last Dragon Rider - 053 - Mining With Purpose (Patreon)

"I'm thinking you need to consider focusing on this shaft," Brumbledon said as he pointed at the crude map of the mines.  "I've studied the rocks we have been hauling out and I can see a few trace minerals that might point to what yer looking for."

Kaen nodded as he devoured the lunch they had for him. Rice, beans and some hard bread might not seem like much to most people, but after a morning of working, it was filling.

"If we focus on that section, your team can keep up?"

Shaking his head side to side, Brumbledon frowned.  "Honestly, I don't think anyone can keep up with you, but we'll do our best to limit yer downtime.  You can either rest or go back to the other shaft but truth be told, yer just too strong."

Laughing, Kaen nodded and pointed at the pickaxe near him.  "Part of it is that beast.  My dad used it, and I can see how it helped him be the man he is."

"I wouldn't wana wrestle either of you," Brumbledon said with a chuckle.  "That feat you did with the log about made half my team want to sign up to be a dragon rider."

Kaen shrugged, swallowed the last of his water, and grabbed his pickaxe. "Well, let me get to work on that tunnel then. I saw the support team come out a few minutes ago."

-----

Frustration began to set in as Kaen helped with every task possible so he could get back to the tunnel they were mining, helping with the supports and carting out rocks.

He stopped working only when he drank water or moved between jobs.

You need to realize that you may not find anything. Just because you desire to find something doesn't mean it will be.

Kaen grunted internally as he broke off another piece of rock broke free.

I’m trying… I really am.  Just for once, I wish something would go right.

Pammon began to laugh through their bond, and Kaen rested the shaft of his pickaxe on his shoulders.

Why are you laughing?  I’m serious!

Kaen, you are being an eggling.  Stop and think about everything that is going right. You can see, your wife is pregnant with twins, you have two new dragon riders who are growing, and there is far more than just those few things.  If your wife was here and heard you say those things, she would probably dunk you in a trough.

Sighing, Kaen realized Pammon was right.

I guess I am being an eggling.  Sometimes, I get so focused on what is before me.

Your problem is how you view the world. Unlike everyone else, you can see it in so many different ways, yet you often choose to look at it as a normal man. You aren’t one. You are a king, a husband, a dragon rider, a son, and more. You helped grow back a forest, convinced the dwarves to leave their mountain, and last night gave those men and women outside hope.

Scratching his neck, Kaen considered the words Pammon had just said.  His friend and dragon was right.

You’re right.  I forgot that I can look down from your neck almost every day and see the world beneath me.  I can also use your eyes to see the world in a whole different way, and now I can–

Kaen?

Pammon wondered why Kaen had gone silent as he tried to sift through the thoughts in his riders' heads.

I can see different! Kaen exclaimed, his internal shout ringing loudly inside Pammon’s head.

Pammon groaned, but Kaen ignored it, having been on the opposite side of that feeling before. Instead, he closed his eyes and willed his lifestone to burn. As power flooded through him, Kaen shifted his vision, letting the world of magic and things flow through his eyes. He turned, studying the mountain he was inside.

The stone wall had faint traces of magic, so tiny but enough to make out the walls and floors.  He could see the pieces on the ground and the dying light of power inside them.

Reaching out with his free hand, Kaen touched the walls and tried to peer past the outer stone.  He remembered what he had seen with his children inside Ava and looked beyond.

The end of the tunnel showed nothing, just an empty space stretching on as far as his vision would allow. There were tiny cracks in the stone, but nothing showed up as he hoped.

Grunting loud enough, it echoed in the area of the tunnel he stood. Kaen almost jumped when he heard a voice behind him.

“Are you ok, sir?”

Spinning around, Kaen saw the young boy with the water bucket, life energy outlining him in the tunnel.

As his eyes traveled toward the young boy and beyond, a bright light off on the right down the tunnel caught his eye.

“Excuse me, son,” Kaen said as he moved past the boy, dragging his right hand on the stone wall as he moved back down the tunnel and toward what he saw.

He walked for about five yards and stopped, facing the wall and peering at the glowing vein he saw deep within the rock.  It was brighter now that he was closer, but there was something different within the stone, at least a dozen yards before him.

“Boy!” Kaen shouted, turning quickly to see the young child running toward him with the water bucket.

“Yes, sir! Need a drink?”

Kaen laughed, nodded, and took the entire bucket from the child, drinking a few massive gulps before handing it back.

“I need you to do me a favor.  Go and get Foreman Brumbledon and tell him to hurry!”

The boy nodded, and Kaen could see a smile appear on his face before the boy took off.

Do you really see some?

Touching the wall with his hand once more, Kaen smiled.

I believe I do. Something other than rock is here.

Then, get to work.  And Kaen, it’s good to feel you like this.

Kaen realized he wasn’t just smiling; the way he felt was pouring through his bond. Hope, joy, and excitement—they all came because Pammon helped him realize how fortunate he really was.

Grabbing the shaft with both hands, Kaen planted his feet and began to attack the wall with a purpose.  His lifestone roared inside him, and his only focus was the glowing spiderweb of a vein he saw within the rock.

-----

“You’re certain?” Brumbledon asked for a second time.  “I don’t mean to disrespect you, but you’re telling me you can see the vein?”

Kaen nodded and watched as men brought timbers in to support the area he had just cleared.

“We still have about seven yards before I think I will be there, but yes. It looks like a bunched-up spider web, with some thick spots and lots of little trails that run off before ending.”

Brumbledon shook his head in disbelief. “If you really have that gift or ability, I’d love to keep you here longer, but what you just described sounds exactly what they look like. They're never as large as you wish those veins would be, either.”

“Well then, I’ve asked my dragon to gather some more deer for everyone tonight. It may take a bit, but I want to hit it by tonight.”

Nodding, Brumbledon whistled, and everyone in the mine stopped working or talking.

“Listen up! We’ll work till Dragon Rider Kaen says we’re done! It will be a few hours at least, but he’s promised you all some more meat!”

Cheers and whistles echoed through the tunnels and stopped after Brumbledon gave a long, sharp whistle.

“Now! Get to work and be smart! We got a mine to dig!”

The sounds of miners getting back to business sprang up immediately as Brumbledon turned to look at the supports that were almost done being installed.

“Lead on, sir.  We are your team!”

Kaen nodded, put a hand out, and gently squeezed Brumbledon’s shoulder. “I couldn’t ask for a better group to work with either.”

-----

Four hours had passed, and Kaen was practically bursting with excitement. He wanted to finish the last of the rock between him and the dazzling display of magical energy pulsing only about four feet away. The men were finishing up the last set of support beams and would soon be done.

“You sure you don’t want no more water?”

Kaen turned, noticing his faithful water hauler was back again.  “I’m good, but in a little bit, I might.  I think I’ve had to piss more times than I can remember and have sweated enough to start my own stream.”

The boy smiled as he nodded and moved to ask some of the other miners.

You must be close. It feels like you are about to come out of your own skin.

I haven’t been this excited in a while!  You should see what I see.

A few moments passed, and Kaen could feel Pammon’s mind as it took in what he saw.

That is… hard to describe.  I have seen this view before, but nothing like that.

Laughing, Kaen turned his head to let Pammon see the difference between the tunnel and the walls.  As he looked up slowly, he saw a faint glow off to the left and above him, almost out of the range of his vision.

Is that more?

It would appear that it is.  Had you not glanced through my eyes, I doubt I would have bothered looking so high.

As always, I am the bringer of good things.

Kaen groaned as Pammon laughed through their bond.

“It’s ready, sir!” one of the men on the support crew shouted.

Keeping his eye focused on the spot they had just located, Kaen held out a hand.  “Who has some chalk? I need to mark a wall.”

He felt someone put a small piece in his hand, unwilling to tear his eyes off the second vein it appeared they had found.  Drawing on the wall where it was, Kaen shifted a few steps and made another mark.  Once more, he repeated the process and marked the wall a few steps again.

Turning around, Kaen saw the man’s mouth open.  “Thank’s.  I marked another vein and gave you three points of reference.  It’s up in that direction, so after I’m gone, you all can have the honor of finding it.”

“Thank… thank you,” the man replied with a stutter.

Ready to finish what he had come for, Kaen gave a quick nod and moved to the stone that was between him and his prize.

Forgive me if I get a little bit excited.

Pammon was almost as excited as Kaen, their minds and emotions mixing.

-----

“Three!”

Kaen swung the pickaxe, grateful for all those years he had spent working with Hess in the quarry.  He had already gained seven points today, bringing his skill up to twenty-eight.

A chunk of rock fell, and the sound of men cheering slightly behind him urged him on.

“Two!”

As he gave everything he had in his body, Hess’s pickaxe slammed into the stone, digging deep, ignoring the fact that it shouldn’t be able to as it did.  Kaen’s strength was propelling it hard enough that he wondered if it would shatter a dragon scale.

Cheers erupted as Kaen wrenched the pickaxe free, taking a large chunk of stone with it and letting it fall away.

His eyes were fixed on the glow, which he saw was a fingertip away. He could read the vein, the crack between it and the rock. He had surgically attacked the stone, preparing everything for this one last blow. All those years had led to this moment, and he knew what the next swing would bring.

“One!” Kaen roared, his words filling the mine as he drove the tip of the pickaxe to the last joint that held the stone in place and prevented the world from seeing the treasure behind it.

The stone cracked, breaking free from its purchase, and a massive section fell toward the ground.

Jumping back quickly, Kaen dodged the falling stone and stared at the ore he could see.  Letting his lifestone fade, the light of the lightorbs filled the dark tunnel, and the men behind him were quiet.

A gleaming section of ore lay glistening in the rock, waiting to be freed from its prison of stone.

Smiling, Kaen turned around and looked at the men.

Raising the pickaxe over his head and almost hitting the low ceiling, he shouted, and everyone joined in with him.

In the sky, Pammon smiled, his entire body flooded with the joy his rider felt at this victory.

Well done! Now collect that ore, and let’s eat!

Pammon felt Kaen laugh but knew he was carried away by the moment's celebration.

Angling toward the ground, Pammon glanced at the three deer in his claws.

Perhaps I should celebrate as well…