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A Mythical Match Up IV - Futures Market Part VI
🕑 Added 2025-06-03 08:22:26 +0000 UTCThe ravine echoed with the cry of a solitary golden eagle soaring in the clear blue sky above. For a time the majestic creature did not seem to be as much flying as hovering, bobbing up and down against a powerful mountain headwind. Then with a flick of its wing it turned and flew away, gradually fading into the haze-shrouded horizon.
In the rock-strewn ravine below, a shimmering sapphire oval of light a bit taller than a person suddenly appeared. A dark figure emerged the oval. It took a few steps forward, looked around, and then turned back.
"Saelia, you coming?" called Daniel into the portal.
Seconds later a second figure - this one slightly shorter and far curvier - emerged. Like Daniel, the newcomer paused a moment to take in the surroundings.
"Hmph, how unsightly," harrumphed Saelia, crossing her pale bare arms. The blue portal vanished silently behind her.
"It's a mine in the sticks, Sal," laughed Daniel. He glanced up and surveyed the ravine walls, shielding his eyes from the glare of the early afternoon sun despite the fact he was wearing sunglasses. "Actually, it's pretty nice out here," he added. "Fresh mountain air and all that jazz."
"I have not been here longer than ten seconds and already my silks are flecked with dust and my shoes are smeared in mud," snapped Saelia imperiously, brushing her dress for emphasis.
"Hey, I told you it might get a little dirty, babe."
"Dirty? This is outright filthy - grimy, squalid!"
"Well, I don't like saying 'I told you so' but do you now see why I said you should've dressed a little more practically?"
"Out of the question. As a scion and representative of the Rheadosiel family I must present myself in the finest light when visiting other lands - even the pettiest demesne."
"Careful you don't call it that when we're talking with the natives," said Daniel. "This is my first time here but I heard the dragons can be pretty touchy."
Saelia replied by simply turning her head and scoffing. Daniel smirked. The blonde, porcelain-skinned golden elf did look somewhat out of place in the barren, rocky environment. For one, her long, flowing hair and nearly flawless skin glowed as though she had just stepped out of a salon or day spa. Her features had been enhanced with a tasteful application of eye-shade, pink blush and lipstick that emphasized her crystal blue eyes, prominent low cheekbones, long, pointed ears, petite nose, and narrow yet inviting lips. A bejeweled barrette had been affixed to the back of her head kept her shimmering yellow locks from spilling out. Her top was essentially just a single long strip of white silk wrapped around her neck and down across her very, very generous breasts. Her equally generous hips were wrapped in a long white skirt split from both sides such that both her legs were bare. Golden bangles adorned her wrists. She trod upon a pair of moccasin-like footwear. Indeed, her entire get up would have seemed extravagant and impractical for even the most rarified of situation. That is, unless you knew she wore a small silver ring with a minor enchantment that repaired small tears in her clothes, maintained and reapplied makeup and prevented dirt and dust from adhering to her skin. It couldn't prevent her clothing from getting dirty, oddly enough.
Daniel, for his part, wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a button-up short-sleeve shirt. He had augmented this ensemble with a heavy pair of brown hiking boots, thick black sunglasses and carried a worn yet solid-looking leather knapsack on one shoulder. His unkempt hair was as frizzy as ever, though it appeared as though he had shaved recently.
"Let's get going," said Daniel, pointing ahead.
The pair began walking. Daniel adopted a casual, ambling gait while Saelia moved with graceful, elegant confidence, hips swaying with every step. Daniel looked around as he walked, admiring the towering evergreens crowding the edges of ravine above, a cheerful grin never leaving his face. Saelia's gaze did not wander; she did not bother to take in the scenery but simply kept her eyes trained on the path with a placid, neutral expression.
Minutes passed.
Ahead the walls of the ravine turned sharply to the left. As they approached the bend a susurration of flowing water gradually filled the air.
Daniel started whistling merrily. Saelia brushed some dirt from her skirt.
Eventually, the ravine widened to double and then five times its original span, evolving into a small valley. A dark-blue lake fed by a miniature waterfall flowing down the cliffside to their right lay directly ahead. Beyond the lake stood a cluster of large wooden structures. Some appeared to be dwellings or warehouses; others were in fact machinery - enormous wheels, cranes, paddles, axles, levers, ropes, troughs and other components tightly interlocked to carry out some function. A good quarter mile ahead the valley narrowed back into a ravine while the lake narrowed into a stream that flowed along the former.
"Huh, so this is what a late medieval period mine looks like in person," remarked Daniel, rubbing his chin. "Or, close enough to one."
"I do not see a single living soul," said Saelia, frowning. "Perhaps this was simply some rude workers camp they abandoned when the mine closed."
The place did look abandoned. There wasn't a single sign of life - no fires, no smoke, no animals - and all of the machinery was still and silent. In fact, everything in the valley was still and silent save the waterfall, lake and stream. It was all a little eerie.
As Daniel inspected the camp he noted there were piles of loose rocks all over the place; some were nearly two stories high.
"Nah, this is it," said Daniel. He pointed ahead. "See all those rocks? I'm pretty sure they're tailings - waste, basically - stuff that's left over after they extract ore. And they said there's only, like, a few people left - just a caretaker and a few assistants and soldiers. Plus, look at all those machines."
"What is their purpose?"
"Not sure. If this were a modern mine - uh, a mine from my world - I might be able to tell you. If I had to guess, a lot of it is to haul rock and pump water out." He surveyed the site again. "I don't see anything that looks like a smelter...ah, there," he said, gesturing at the only stone building in the site. "I'm guessing that's where they separate metal from slag. See those high chimneys? Hell, is that a blast furnace? I wouldn't think you'd need one for copp-."
"Oh enough with your odd obsession with dirt and pebbles," sniffed Saelia. "You really should abandon your studies of such base things and focus on a more refined art, like alchemy or-"
"Sorry babe," said Daniel, shaking his head but still grinning. "I was born a rock hound and I'll die one. Besides, you sure weren't complaining when I gave you those opals I grew."
Saelia scowled but did not respond. She even blushed a little.
The pair crossed a small wooden bridge spanning the lake and entered the camp proper. Daniel bent down, scooped up a small, dust-coated rock and regarded it thoughtfully for a few seconds. He then reached into his knapsack and retrieved a miniature hammer with a narrow head. He gave the rock a smart tap and split it in two.
"Hmmm...definitely igneous intrusive," he muttered, examining the interior of one of the halves. "Coarse grain, but there are some really big crystals mixed in with the small ones," he added. "What is that again...ah, right, porphyritic. Huh."
"Perhaps we should first find and present ourselves to this caretaker," said Saelia impatiently. "We are guests."
"Uh, yeah, sure," said Daniel distractedly as he pocketed one of the halves and put his hammer away. He cupped his mouth with both hands and yelled.
"Yo! Anyone here? Nathan sent us! We come in peace!"
His cry echoed several times throughout the ravine. Behind him, Saelia sighed wearily and shook her head.
Several seconds passed. Then, the relative quiet of the compound was broken by the crunch of feet on gravel. Daniel and Saelia turned and saw four figures emerging from behind a corner of a building. One figure was tall and thin and wore a hoodless red robe. Another was squat - four feet tall at most - bulkier and wore a sort of loose grey tunic and faded black trousers. The remaining two figures were substantially larger and taller than either of the former and carried spears.
Saelia stepped in front of Daniel and clasped her hands together. Her expression instantly changed from irritation to serene benevolence. Daniel simply shrugged and waited for the group to approach.
"Greetingsss," intoned the figure in the red robe in a sibilant voice. "I am Zeszintha - ssservant of Melinanatha of the brood of Saskalisssundra and Girgnasharak, cassstellan of Northkeep and envoy of the dominatrix."
Behind Saelia, Daniel snorted as he stifled a giggle.
"Salutations to you and your subordinates, child of the Eastern Regent," said Saelia smoothly, performing a small yet elaborate gesture with her hands. "I am Saelia ile Rheadosiel. We beg your indulgence this day as guests in your mistress's domain."
Zeszintha bowed low, as did the other three figures.
"This is my...companion, Daniel Quinn," continued Saelia, turning and gesturing at Daniel.
"'Sup, my dudes?" said Daniel, issuing a friendly wave.
Saelia's left eye twitched but her expression did not otherwise change.
"Permit me to introdussse Eksutess, caretaker and former overseer of the mine," said Zeszintha, turning to the heavier fellow in a grey tunic.
"Milady, milord," grunted Eksutess, bowing again. His voice was more raspy than sibilant.
Daniel leaned a bit to the side to get a better look at their four hosts. Both Zeszintha and Eksutess resembled anthropomorphic lizards with short tails, very fine scales and two stubby black horns on their foreheads. Zeszintha had striking emerald-green scales while Eksutess had more subdued, grayish-olive ones. Neither wore shoes. Daniel recognized them as kobolds - he'd seen a few before, though they were supposed to be uncommon outside of Draco lands. The other two were full-fledged Draco - anthropomorphic dragons complete with wings. They wore simple tabards that were probably just for show and/or modesty given how thick their scaly hides appeared. Despite being a good three to four feet taller than even Zeszintha they seemed deferential to him. Or at least accommodating.
"I confessss, the lady hasss me at sssomething of a disssadvantage," said Zeszintha. "We were informed the gentleman would be inssspecting the minesss but not that he would arrive with a noble companion."
"Oh, don't worry about her," said Daniel cheerfully. "She's, uh...I'm teaching her geology and thought she could use a hands-on experience."
"Hmmm," said Zeszintha, looking meaningfully at Saelia.
"Peace, good child of the Eastern Regent," said the golden elf, raising a hand in a conciliatory gesture. "I swear by the gods above and below that nothing I learn this day will be used against this domain, its rulers or its peoples. I will be as a fawn in the garden."
Zeszintha stared at them for a few more seconds and then nodded.
"Eksutess will anssswer any quessstionsss the lady and the gentleman have regarding the minesss and its operation," he said. "I will remain to assssist in any capasssity I am able."
With that, Zeszintha gave a curt bow and stepped back. Eksutess stepped forward and regarded Daniel with a dour, almost suspicious look.
"So, you are human," said Eksutess eventually. "Thought you be bigger."
"Uh, sure, why not?" said Daniel with a chuckle.
"Why...not," said Eksutess, cocking his head.
"Forget it," said Daniel. "Come on, let's walk and talk."
He pointed at one of the enormous mounds of loose rocks piled against the cliffside. The group started walking towards it, Daniel, Eksutess and Saelie in the lead and Zeszintha and his soldiers following close behind.
"You are here to tell me how to run my mines," said Eksutess suddenly and accusingly.
"The lady and the gentleman ssshould disssregard the words of the ssservant Eksutess," snapped Zeszintha. "The minesss are property of dominatrix Melinanatha."
A few, awkward seconds of silence passed.
"Maybe you are here to replace Eksutess," muttered Eksutess. "You know more of mining."
"Dude, relax," said Daniel. "I'm no mining engineer. I'm sure you know a lot more than I do about tunneling, logistics, smelting and all that. I couldn't replace you if I wanted to. I'm just good with rocks."
"Then...why are you here?'
"Uh...just a sec," said Daniel, sounding uncharacteristically uncertain. He glanced back at Zenzintha.
"The gentleman may ssspeak freely. Eksutess' loyalty isss beyond quessstion."
"Oh, good," said Daniel. "Nathan said this needed to be done on the down low - something about spies." He cleared his throat. "Anyhoo, he asked me to run a quick mineral survey of the mine and maybe even the area around the mine. He thinks there's something special here. Something - and, uh, no disrespect meant, dude - the miners aren't even aware of."
"I know these mines like the back of my claws," snorted Eksutess indignantly.
"Awesome! Then you can tell me what you already mine here. Copper, right?"
"Yes, copper. Sometimes we find small veins of tin or gold. Haven't for years, though."
"Cool. Do you have some leftover ore I can look at?"
"Why?"
"Well, as you probably know there are lots of different kinds of ore. It might give me a better idea what the local geology is like."
Eksutess stared at Daniel for a few seconds and then nodded. The kobold scurried off. The rest of the group stopped and waited.
Zeszintha cleared his throat.
"...The gentleman may wisssh to forgive Eksutess's outburssst," he said carefully. "The caretaker wasss not pleasssed when the minesss were ssshuttered."
"Yeah, I get it," said Daniel, nodding. "The dude used to run this whole operation now he just sits around doing nothing. Describes my high school senior year to a tee."
A half-minute later Eksutess reappeared carrying a grayish-green stone speckled with slightly lustrous yellow streaks. He presented it to Daniel.
"Oh yeah, that's definitely chalcopyrite," said Daniel, rotating the chunk of ore in his hand. "It's the most economically important copper ore on Earth, so no difference between us there. Bit of a bitch to process, but it looks like you have a decent set up."
"And...what does this tell you, Daniel?" inquired Saelia.
"Not too much if I'm being honest," said Daniel, shrugging. "Mind if I hang onto this?" he asked, waving the ore in the air.
Eksutess grumbled under his breath but nodded.
"You mentioned tin and gold," continued Daniel, slipping the rock into his knapsack. "There's really only one kind of tin ore - cassiterite - and gold is almost always found as a native element. Unless the geochemistry here is really weird or, I dunno, being messed with by magic. Those elements do tend to coincide with copper at lower concentrations." He glanced around the mine. "I need to take a look at more specimens but I'm seeing a lot of igneous intrusive around. I'm thinking there used to be a ton of volcanic activity."
"There are no volcanoesss in Valt," said Zeszintha.
"Well, duh, not right now," said Daniel. "Like, a long, long time ago. Are there any...ancient legends of times when fire spewed from the earth?"
"Well, yesss," said Zeszintha, bemused. "When the Eastern Regent breathed life into the landsss with Their-"
"Well, there you go," said Daniel. He turned back to Eksutess. "Do you have a map of the area? Best if it had contour lines showing altitude relative to sea level."
"I have no need of map," snorted Eksutess, folding his arms. "I know the mine and mountains as well as my tail."
Zeszintha coughed.
"I sssussspected the gentleman might find thisss ussseful," he said, reaching into the folds of his robe.
He handed Daniel a large scroll.
"Awesome," said Daniel happily, accepting the document.
He led the group to a faded wooden workbench propped against the side of one of the buildings. He untied the leather strip binding the scroll's two rollers and opened it. Removing his sunglasses, he peered down and saw an intricate yet somewhat fanciful depiction of the mine and immediate region drawn on its coarse, yellowish-brown surface.
"Okay," he said as he read the map. "Not exactly GeMS but it'll work." He took his phone out and snapped a picture of it. Eksutess stared curiously the device. Daniel rolled up the scroll, retied the bindings and handed it back to Zeszintha.
"Thanks," he said, nodding cheerfully. "Alright, so, next step is to do some more surface inspection." He gestured at one of the piles of rocks heaped against the face of the cliff. "Those are mine tailing, right?" he asked Eksutess.
Eksutess nodded curtly.
"Do you know from how far down?"
Eksutess turned and regarded the pile for a few seconds.
"That? About nine-hundred lachter," he said.
"...Lachter?"
"Yes. Nine-hundred."
"Sorry, dude, what's a lachter?" said Daniel, chuckling.
Eksutess rolled his yellow eyes. He looked around and then gestured at the workbench.
"That. That is about half-a-lachter tall," he said.
"Oh, okay," said Daniel, rubbing his chin. "So, call it a couple thousand feet...definitely over a kilometer. That's pretty deep considering you don't have any modern mining stuff. Did you have much trouble with ventilation or water seepage?"
"No," said Eksutess, a touch proudly. "Water seepage slow because of hard rock, low aquifer. Piston pumps powered by beasts more than enough to keep dry. We use...used bellows, magically powered, to keep the sour air out."
"Cool," said Daniel. He turned and addressed the group as a whole. "I'll start by going through the tailings for specimens. You guys can hang back. I'll let you know if I need anything."
Zeszintha and his two Draco escorts bowed slightly, as did Eksutess a second or so later. Daniel nodded and started heading towards the pile. Then, he stopped suddenly and glanced back.
"Hey, babe, aren't you coming?" he called.
Saelia looked at him in mild surprise. She and the others had been walking towards one of the buildings - presumably Eksutess's home.
"Eh? What do you mean?" she asked, cocking her head.
"You wanted to learn more about geology, right?" said Daniel, sporting his best shit-eating grin.
Saelia's lips tightened into an irritated pout.
"Ugh. So be it."
The elven princess marched haughtily to his side. Daniel extended a hand but she ignored it and simply walked past him. Daniel shook his head, and, still grinning, followed her to the tailings.
"Grimy and austere as that little creature's dwelling may have been, it would have been preferable to rooting about the dirt like a boar for mushrooms," muttered Saelia not quite under her breath.
"Easy, babe, I'll take care of all the rooting," said Daniel, wagging his eyebrows.
Saelia rolled her eyes but her cheeks reddened slightly.
Upon reaching the rock pile Daniel knelt and set his knapsack down. He opened it and started placing its contents and the ground before him - a set of small plastic bottles filled with clear liquids, an eye dropper, set of small, rectangular rock slabs, a magnifying glass, a notepad, a pen, a thick metal nail, a small but solid looking hammer with a narrow head, a larger hammer and a worn geology textbook. Saelia kept her distance but leaned slightly to the side to get a better look at what he had brought.
Daniel rose, walked over to the rocks and began digging through them by hand.
"What exactly does your friend expect to find here?" sighed Saelia, folding her arms. "The children of the Eastern Regent are almost as adapt at stonecraft as the cursed dwarves. Surely they would have already found anything of value."
"Ever hear of aluminum, babe?" asked Daniel as he set some rocks on the ground.
"Alu-Aluminum? No, I have not. Though perhaps my kin have a different word for it - did you mean alovo?"
"Dunno," said Daniel as he began breaking rocks with his hammers. "What's alovo?"
"A marriage of tin and...something else, I believe. Like silver but nowhere near as radiant. Popular among some commoners for statuettes, vessels and tools."
"Nah, that sounds like pewter."
"Then what is aluminum?"
"A soft non-transition metal and one of the commonest elements in rocks," said Daniel as he scratched the surface of one of the rocks with the nail. "But it was worth more than gold back on Earth back in the day 'cause it was really tricky and expensive to purify." He made a note on his pad. "Not anymore, of course. We're swimming in it now."
"Is there...aluminum in the Realms of Shaltae?" inquired Saelia, her voice acquiring a timbre of genuine curiosity.
"I'm 99% sure there is," said Daniel. "Otherwise rocks here, well, they'd look a lot different." He opened one of the plastic bottles and used the eye dropper to draw a small volume of the liquid inside. "Point is, they could be sitting on one of the biggest goddamn deposits of bauxite on the planet but wouldn't know what to do with it even if they knew it existed. I forget the name of the process to make aluminum metal, but it involves electrolyzing molten salts." He squirted a few drops on the rock and watched as the liquid fizzed on its surface. "I don't think you guys have the tech for that."
"Do you suspect this aluminum is here?"
"Nah. Well, I mean, yeah, it's everywhere, but not enough to be worth mining." He scribbled another entry on his note pad. "But there are a lot of other metals like aluminum - valuable and useful if you know about them and you got the know-how to purify 'em."
"Which of these...special metals do you suspect are present?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," said Daniel, glancing back at Saelia. "Nathan thinks it might have something to do with electronics but Mr. Pre-Law doesn't know jack about mineralogy or geology, so he called in a favor."
Several minutes passed. Daniel continued working on the rocks he'd selected - cracking them open, examining them, scratching them, weighing them, and applying drops of one or more of the liquids from the bottles - pausing every so often to scribble a note. Saelia watched him work for a time. Then, she edged closer. Engrossed in his survey, Daniel didn't seem to notice.
She slowly bent down and whispered in his ear.
"You know...if we slunk over to one of those buildings, we could make love then return to work without those lizards ever being the wiser."
Daniel froze, glanced over his shoulder at his golden elf girlfriend and then chuckled.
"They all look pretty dusty, Saelia," he said, putting down the rock he'd been looking at.
"Oh Goddess yes, they look positively filthy," she said huskily.
Daniel's expression rapidly fluctuated between that of a mischievous grin and uncertain frown. He looked around the camp for a few seconds.
"I dunno, not even sure a lot of those places are open," he murmured.
Then, his gaze drifted over to the entrance to the mine - a ten foot diameter hole in the side of the cliff framed by an arch of solid-looking wooden support beams.
"I got a better idea," he said, grinning evilly.
He stood.
"Hey!" he called in the direction Zeszintha and the others had gone. "I'm going to, uh, take a look at the rocks around the mineshaft! Don't worry! We won't go too far inside!"
With that, he took Saelia by the arm and hurried over to the mine adit, leaving the equipment behind. Giggling, the couple stepped into the mine and ventured a couple dozen feet into its murky depths. Daniel took out his phone and turned on its flashlight.
"No, leave it off," purred Saelia as she pressed her body - and buoyant, cantaloupe-sized breasts - against him.
"Whoa! Hang on," he laughed. "I just want to make sure it's safe around here - no nails, no rusty pickax-"
Saelia kissed him. He hesitated for a fraction of a second but then embraced her and returned the kiss, running his free hand along her silky smooth skin. Soft moans of pleasure filled the dark mineshaft. Any would-be voyeur would not have been able to make out much detail as the only light beyond the faint glow of the sun from the tunnel mouth was Daniel's phone, which was currently pointing downward. However, part of Saelia's white sling-like top was clearly dangling from her hips.
Suddenly, Saelia took a step back and stumbled as her heel collided with an unseen obstacle. Daniel quickly tightened his grip on her and managed to prevent her from falling.
"Tyche that was close," laughed Saelia nervously as she steadied herself.
"Yeah, um, maybe I better take a look around after all," said Daniel awkwardly, releasing her.
"Fine. Do hurry."
Daniel scanned the floor of the shaft with his phone's light. Initially he saw no obvious hazards. Then, the narrow but surprisingly bright beam of light happened upon a rock about the size and general shape of a small football. It had a substantial crack in it and, more to the point, flecks of material on its craggy surface were reflecting brightly. His curiosity piqued, Daniel knelt and examined it more closely.
"What? What is it?" said Saelia impatiently.
Part of the stone was actually a conglomeration of small, dirty, reddish-brown crystals. The rest of it appeared to be a typical grey rock, albeit one with a few small yellow streaks.
"What? What have you found?" said Saelie, now sounding concerned. Daniel hadn't moved.
"That's interesting," said Daniel under his breath.
He grabbed the stone, tucked it one arm and rose.
"Daniel!"
"Sorry, babe," cried Daniel over his shoulder, already hurrying towards the mine exit. "I gotta...I gotta check this out.
"By the Goddess!" groaned Saelia as she slid her top back over her shoulders and breasts.
Daniel emerged from the tunnel and rushed over to his equipment. He sat down and began performing some tests. By the time Saelia joined him he was in the middle of scratching one of the crystals with a nail.
"What could have possibly been so urgent as to delay lovemaking with a Rheadosielian princess?" she growled.
"That's about...a five or five-point-five on the Mohs scale," muttered Daniel to himself. He dropped the nail, turned to his geology textbook and began rapidly flipping through the pages.
"Have you taken leave of your senses? Answer me?" cried Saelia.
"Isss sssomething amisss?"
Saelia yelped and whirled around. Zeszintha, Eksutess and the two Draco guards were standing around twenty feet away staring curiously at them. The golden elf blushed, brushed back her hair and cleared her throat.
"Er, my companion has..." she hesitated and glared back at Daniel, who was running a finger along a page in his book "Found something."
"Truly?" said Zeszintha. "What?"
"I'm not hundred percent," said Daniel, finally acknowledging that there were others around him. "But I think...ah!" Daniel tapped a glossy photograph in the book. He glanced over at the rock he had hauled from the mine. It very much resembled what was depicted on the page.
"I'll need to take a chunk back to do some more tests," he said, rising to face the group. He wiped his hands of the dust. "Might even be able to get Professor Luo to take a look. But I have a really good feeling about this."
"Feeling about what?" sighed Saelia, exasperated.
Daniel opened his mouth but then shut it. He glanced over at the kobolds and Draco, picked up the rock and hurried over to them.
"Eksutess," he said eagerly, addressing the kobold overseer. "Do you see a lot of this in the mine?" He held out the stone and gestured at the mass of tiny reddish-brown crystals embedded on its surface.
Eksutess examined it and then snorted dismissively.
"That? Just mud crystal. Common down there - nearly worthless. Sometimes we find a large gem and sell to jewelers - they pay a modest sum. Colors vary - some redder, some browner, some tan. Messy."
"Mud crystal, huh?" said Daniel, his excited smile now bordering on manic. "Do you know what my people call this?"
"What?"
"Monazite."
Comments
Cha11engerD
Had to look up what monazite is, but it clicked!
