• Tales of Xalthia

    Chapter 10: Mine Assault


    Two days without any updates have gone by. The wait was starting to irritate Tsuki. Since he hasn't heard a word from Frey since they got went their separate ways, he can only assume that Maxwell was still inside the mines. They were stuck because they had to meet with him in order to gain entry into the Cavern of Solace, which separates Basilwell with the rest of the continent. Wanting to press on with his mission as soon as possible, Tsuki has tried offering his assistance with Briswater's military but all of his offers were declined. They didn't want Eresseas to get involved in Briswater's internal affairs. Briswater takes secrecy very seriously so it's rare for them to accept any outside help, even if that help came from the royal family. They were undergoing affairs that not even the royal family were aware of which has raised some suspicion with the King and Queen.

    As the two waited on Frey to update them on the situation, they used the time they had to themselves to restock on their supplies. Since Tsuki was given plenty of Gald for traveling money when he left Eresseas, they didn't have to worry about running low on money. Then again, Tsuki didn't anticipate finding a traveling companion nor having to go to such extreme lengths just to gain access to Basilwell. He has found everything they could need for their next part of their journey except a replacement sword. As one of the Royal Eight, he tends to be very picky when it comes to swords. He doesn't just go out and buys a new sword from a weapon shop. He needs one that actually suits him. He's been to all of the weapon shops in the city, but hasn't found a decent sword yet. For now, he'll have to make do with a broken blade.

    Tsuki and Lynette were in their room of the hotel, going over their options about what they can do to speed the wait up since Briswater officials won't accept their offers for help. Tsuki was pacing back and forth around the living space, trying to think of something while Lynette decided to take a break and take a quick shower to clean herself up. They don't get a lot of chances to properly bathe while they are on the road so she decided to make the best of it. Tsuki was mumbling to himself, looking quite frustrated. He hates waiting for something to happen for this long. He's the type of person who gets impatient really fast when he has to wait.

    Tsuki stopped pacing around the room and stood facing the window with his arms crossed as he started to tap the floor with his foot. He tried to calm himself by looking outside the window at the scenic view of the city for several minutes. It wasn't working. "Agh, where is Frey!?" he shouted a bit out of frustration.

    Lynette came out of the showers in a bathrobe as Tsuki shouted with frustration. She felt relieved since she was able to properly clean herself up. "Tsuki, you need to calm down. Shouting won't make him appear any faster. Take deep breaths" she said, trying to calm him. She understands why he was so frustrated but she knew it wouldn't do any good if he tires himself out.

    Tsuki sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. He knows that he has to keep a cool head. "I know....I'm sorry. I'm just getting anxious. What could be taking him so long?" he asked. What problem could a mine have that keeps Maxwell unreachable? Something tells him that whatever is going on in the mines, it wasn't your typical mining accident. Maxwell is someone who handles situations well and manages to finish them pretty quick before they get out of hand. He doesn't understand what's making this particular situation different.

    Lynette sat down on the couch and picked up some of the recent news articles. Unfortunately, there was nothing that has been released to the public yet about the mine situation so everyone was left in the dark about what's happening. After she made sure they didn't miss anything in the news articles, she looked back at Tsuki. "I know this may seem like a lost cause but I think we should go down there ourselves and see what the problem is. The officials here aren't going to tell us anything" she suggested. It seems that going to the mines themselves is likely their only option they have left besides waiting for who knows how long.

    Tsuki continued to have his arms crossed. She did have a point, however. Going down to the mines themselves will prove to be more beneficial to them than just waiting in a room. Then, they could actually see what's going on. However, he wasn't sure because he didn't want to walk into something he wasn't suppose to see and cause a problem with Briswater's military. That would bring a lot of heat down onto the royal family and it wouldn't look good on his part. It was a risk but they had no other choice. They had to go see the mines themselves. Eventually, he turned around and nodded. "Alright, you got a point. Get dressed and let's get going." he said.

    Lynette nodded and stood up from the couch, stretching a bit. She then walked back into one of the bedrooms and changed out of her bath robe and into some fresh clothes. When she was ready to go, she walked out of the room. "Okay, let's go." She then picked up her staff, which was leaning up against the wall and strapped it onto her back then headed for the door.

    Before they could leave, they heard a distant explosion. Since the city was incased in a forest, sound travels and echos all throughout the city. Following the explosion, the ground started to shake violently. Picture frames and vases fell off the tables and dressers, furniture was pushed around and the window that overlooked the city had a huge crack in it. The shaking subsided a few moments later. Once they regained their composure, they looked out the window and saw thick, black smoke and fire to the east. If they had to guess, the explosion came from the mines because that's where most of the city's explosives were stored. They didn't know for sure though because they weren't shown where the mines were during their tour.

    Lynette was a bit shaken when the explosion came out of nowhere. "W-what happened!?" she asked. She was now worried for Frey and Maxwell as well as everyone else who may have been near that explosion.

    Tsuki stared out the window in shock. He couldn't believe what just happened. Not only that, there was something about the explosion that wasn't right. "This isn't good. That was no ordinary explosion. Briswater doesn't have any major explosives like that and C4s and detonators wouldn't of caused such a huge explosion and aftershock" he said. He then grabbed his broken sword and strapped it to his waist and then headed to the door. "Come on, we have to go investigate!" he said.

    Lynette looked back at Tsuki and nodded. They then rushed out of their room and headed down to ground level. Several minutes later, they were outside of the hotel. They could see people screaming and ran in panic. Some were even hurt and killed by falling debris that was caused by the aftershock. They could see officials trying to calm everyone down and tend to the injured. If they were going to get to the mines, they were going to need a speed boat and someone to drive the boat. Luckily, they saw a guard that they recognized from the outpost they were at before. Since the guard knew who they were, he agreed to take them to the mines. Moments later, they got on the speed boat and they took off and headed towards the east.

    After about a ten minute ride, they made it to the mines. Outside of the mines, people who appeared to be miners and military officials were scattered everywhere. Some people were being treated on the spot while others were being carried out from the mines due to severe injuries or because they were dead. There was a mass commotion going around and the military was doing their best to calm people down here as well. They could see a cloud of smoke and dust coming out from the entrance as well as the same thick black smoke they saw from the hotel further back which indicates that the explosion came from deep in the mines.

    Tsuki and Lynette got off the boat, thanked the guard who took them to the mines and then made their way into the chaos. People were covered in dust and rock. It was almost like they rolled in sand. Some couldn't even open their eyes because of it. Whether the explosion was an accident or not was a mystery for everyone at this point. Due to the intensity of the explosion, some think it was a terrorist attack which could explain the mass gathering of military officials. As they walked through the chaos, they came up to what appears to be a small command center inside a tent. When they tried to approach it to see what was going on, they were stopped by a soldier who was standing guard.

    The soldier saw Tsuki and Lynette approach the command center and stepped in front of them, blocking their path. Due to the circumstances, it was only natural to be suspicious about people especially people who weren't from around the area. "Halt. Civilians aren't allowed past this point" the soldier said.

    Tsuki shook his head then reached into his bag and took out Maxwell's seal. He wasn't sure if this would work but this was the only thing he could think of to gain access to the command center. "We're not civilians. We came here to speak with General Maxwell. My name is Tsuki Himura, representative of the royal family and Basilwell's Overseer. This is my traveling companion, Lynette Suzaki" he said. Hopefully, showing them Maxwell's seal will clear up any misunderstandings on who they were.

    The soldier examined the seal carefully to make sure it wasn't a fake. He's seen a lot of fake Maxwell seals in his day. Once he confirmed that it wasn't a fake by comparing it to a preexisting photo of Maxwell's seal, he nodded. "Alright, you're clear. Go on through" he said. The soldier then stepped aside to allow them into the command center.

    Tsuki and Lynette walked into the tent-covered command center where people were discussing strategy and giving out orders. They seem to be organizing a search-and-rescue team for the mines, which wasn't surprising given the situation. Unfortunately, Maxwell or Frey were not among the people in the command center. They were then approached by someone who appeared to be in charge of this whole operation due to his uniform. By examining his uniform, he appeared to be another one of Generals.

    The man walked up to Tsuki and Lynette with a more friendly attitude than the soldier outside. He seemed to know who they were already. "Ah, you must be our royal visitors. I apologize that we had to meet under these conditions. I am Kurama Wolfe, a General of Briswater's military. I would like to welcome you to our city but given our situation right now, I feel like that's inappropriate" he said.

    Tsuki shook his head. "It couldn't be helped. You clearly have a situation on your hands, after all. My name is Tsuki Himura and this is Lynette Suzaki" he said. He then took the time to look around the command center a bit more. Everyone was in a state of panic and distress. "Speaking of situations, what's going on here? What was that huge explosion?" he asked, wanting to get to the point.

    Kurama examined Tsuki and Lynette carefully as he introduced them. "It's an honor to meet someone of the Royal Eight" he said. When Tsuki asked his question, he sighed heavily. "As you know, there was an explosion deep within our mines. We do not know if the explosion was caused by a mining accident or if it was intentional. We're working on getting as many people out of the mines as possible so we can go investigate" he said.

    Lynette tilted her head a bit. Frey and Maxwell were suppose to be here at the mines but they haven't seen them at all. Were they part of the rescue team too and that they just happened to miss them? "What about Maxwell and Frey? We haven't seen them yet" she said. The explosion made her concerned for their safety.

    Kurama fell silent for a minute before letting out another heavy sigh. "About that...we lost contact with Maxwell two days ago. When Frey came back to report in after showing you two around the city, he was informed that Maxwell went MIA inside the mines. He then rushed off into the mines to search for him. In the end, we also lost contact with him. We were forming a search party for them when that explosion went off" he explained with a heavy heart. He didn't want to think of the negative outcome. He tried to have hope.

    Tsuki listened to was Kurama had to say and was a bit in shock. Maxwell wasn't someone who would just go missing out of the blue. He was not only concerned about Maxwell and Frey but what was also lying dormant in the mines as well. There was still unexploded ordinance scattered throughout Briswater's underground tunnels. Explosives that were left behind during the War of Mana. Back then, explosives were much more powerful than the modern day ones they have now. Over the past one-hundred years, explosives downgraded in power and intensity. If those explosives were to go off at once, Briswater could suffer heavy losses with half its city wiped out.

    Tsuki was silent for several minutes, trying to grasp the situation. There was no easy way around it. Something had to be done about those explosives and finding Maxwell and Frey in the mines. There was only one option. He then looked up at Kurama with a serious look. "Allow me to search the mines for Maxwell and Frey. There may be a way for me to disable those explosives as well" he said.

    Lynette looked at Tsuki, not even the least bit surprised. She knew he would ask something like this. However, she still couldn't help but worry about his decision. "Tsuki, are you sure about this? she asked.

    Kurama was surprised when Tsuki was actually willing to go down into the mines. "Are you mad? Those mines are a ticking time bomb. There are left over explosives from the War of Mana that lay dormant and could go off anytime. Not only that, monsters infest the unexplored regions of the mine" he said.

    Tsuki nodded without hesitation. Despite the huge risk, he had to help. Hundreds of lives were at risk and he couldn't ignore that. There had to be a way to diffuse the explosives. If he could accomplish just that, he would feel a lot better. "I can't just sit by and pretend nothing is happening. Please, allow me to enter the mines" he insisted.

    Kurama thought about his dangerous request. After several minutes of thinking, he agreed to let him help. "Alright. I'll inform the guards by the mines. We lost contact with them on Sublevel Three. Use the lifts inside the mines to reach there" he said.

    Tsuki nodded and turned to face Lynette. "Lyn, you stay here. You'll be safer here" he said. He didn't want to expose Lynette to a dangerous situation. Prophet Castle was one thing but the mines were different.

    Lynette shook her head. She refused to sit and wait. "No way. I'm going with you. We're a team, remember? Besides, you'll be needing my help if someone gets injured" she said. She knew that Tsuki means well but he gets involved with things that are over hie head. If his assault on Prophet Castle wasn't over his head, then this search in an explosive mine definitely counts.

    Tsuki was hesitant to let her come with but he had no time to debate with her. "Alright. We better get a move on then. The longer we wait, the longer we risk those explosives going off" he said. Without further delay, he took off running out of the command center and headed towards the mines.

    Lynette followed Tsuki out towards the minds. People were still coming out of the mines. Just how many people were left and who else was trapped? They would find out soon enough though. As they approached the mines, they were stopped by Kurama, who had followed them from the command center.

    Kurama ran up to Tsuki and Lynette, stopping them at the entrance. "Wait a minute!" he shouted. He stopped several steps behind them, carrying a blue sheet of paper. "Here, take this with you. It's the map of the mines. I'll help you find your way around" he said. He handed Tsuki the blue paper.

    Tsuki turned and took the map. "Thanks. We'll find them and find a way to stop those explosives from going off" he said. The longer they waited, the more concerned he got. No one knows what lies in the unexplored regions of the mines so everything in those areas are unpredictable.

    Kurama nodded. "Come back to us safely. If something were to happen to you, we'll get a lot of heat from the royal family" he said. He didn't want to be the one to tell the royal family that Tsuki became a casualty in Briswater's affairs.

    Tsuki nodded at him. "Don't you worry. We'll be fine. Just keep your healers ready, just in case. We'll help out anyone who's still trapped in the mines" he said. He then turned around and ran into the mines.

    Lynette followed Tsuki into the mines. Inside the mines were many different types of ores and minerals that were yet to be mined. There were colored crystals throughout the walls. There was also a rail system for carts to transport materials mined throughout the explored regions. There were multiple paths they could take so they had to be careful to not get lost.

    They eventually made it to their first lift which took them down to Sublevel One. They used the map that was given to them to find where the next lift was. Once they figured out where it was on the map, they followed the path that led to the lift. Even in the explored regions of the mines, there were still monsters roaming around but there weren't a lot of them. Since there weren't many monsters, they didn't have many problems wiping them out as they made their way into the depths of the mine.

    After following the designated path to the lift , they eventually came up to the second lift. They called up the lift but just as the lift came up the shaft and came to a stop, the shaft that the lift was in caved in, destroying the lift. The cave-in was probably due to the aftershock that happened before. Ever since the aftershock, the mine has been becoming increasingly unstable.

    Once the lift crashed into the ground at the bottom of the shaft, Tsuki took another look at the map. Unfortunately, there was no other lift on the level they were on besides the one they came down on. "Damn, looks like we're gonna have to take the long way around" he said.

    Lynette sighed. "This is just great. What else can go wrong?" she asked. She took a look at the map Tsuki was holding to see what path he was referring too. She looked at the path he was pointing to. They really had no other choice.

    Tsuki looked at the map once more. There was another way down but they would have to walk to Sublevel Three from here. "Well, we're not going to get anywhere by standing around. Let's get moving" he said.

    Tsuki and Lynette started their walk through the mine shaft. After about thirty minutes, they came up to a warning sign that was drilled into the cave walls. The sign said that there was no entry permitted beyond this point. That means that they have reached the unexplored regions of the mine. They didn't know what to expect so they had to be careful. One thing's for sure though. They had to take out the explosives before another explosion goes off. Even if they find Maxwell and Frey, they couldn't leave until they were sure that all the explosives were disabled.

    To be continued...