Where pickaxes rang with a tone.
But the caves filled with spray,
So they’d grumble and say,
"Leave water to fish—let’s go home!"
- Goldie Honorhide.
“How much time do you think we have?” I asked.
Makara shrugged, “Who knows?”
“The problem with mining,” said Yoboc, “is that it is not quiet. You will hear this for kilometres, potentially tens of kilometres, depending on your level of Hearing Aid.”
“Most Mer have at least a Journeyman level of Hearing Aid,” Makara said.
“Are there a lot of Mer in these waters?” Yoboc asked.
“Not really. There is a small number permanently living at Worlds End, but that is it,” Makara replied.
“However, this is a key shipping channel in summer,” Yoboc said. “Mining is safer than the tunnel, except for the attention it might bring.” He thought for a bit. “Summer shipping is weeks away. I think it is worth the risk.”
He looked around at us. I nodded. Makara nodded. Goldie shrugged her shoulders. Felix wagged his tail.
“OK, Felix and I are on overwatch, Goldie is on camp and backup, and you two are on mining. Daylight is wasting.”
Now that the task is to happen, the faster it happens, the better. Yoboc spent some time with us, showing us what to look for in the rock to make our strikes more effective. Yoboc and Felix went back up the hill, and Makara and I went out to the rocks with what mining gear we had.
I marked out where we would mine by overlaying my Map, and we got to work. Makara was more effective than I was. I would surface every few minutes to get air, although with Breath Control levelling, this was getting longer and longer. I started with Yoboc’s pick, and Makara used a chisel and hammer.
It was getting dark when we were deep enough that only one person could get to the work face at a time. We stopped for a bite to eat. Goldie had been cooking. We then got back to it. The night didn’t stop Yoboc as his Farsight synced with his Darksight, but it did reduce it a bit.
Makara had Darksight and was fine with continuing to work. I had retrieved our lost ore, and I had some small gems from the Lightsteel that I used to use in the mine for my Nightsight. I used that here, and we kept chipping away at the rock.
It was after midnight when we finally stopped to get some sleep. Goldie took the watch from Yoboc. We were not planning to start again until dawn.
Dawn was overcast again, but it was not so choppy. I was certainly getting a workout doing this. Mining is almost at Journeyman, and Breath Control will probably be the same by the time this is finished.
Yoboc was up on the bluff at dawn and carefully examined the area before giving us the go-ahead. The chisels were newly sharpened, and we took turns deepening the tunnel. I was getting the hang of where and at what angle to strike based on the layers of different rock. It was enough to push my mining to Journeyman level by lunchtime.
My Void Sensing was keeping the tunnel in the right direction. When I took over from Makara, she would swim a wide circuit, looking for anything we might attract. Makara is doing the bulk of the work here, but this is her natural environment. I find her fins fascinating. I think they are much more versatile than a normal shark, and she has a lot more control over them. Every time I went for a breath, I checked with Yoboc and Goldie, even though Felix was calm.
The hole was continuously dark now, and I always had to have a gem with me. It wasn’t a lot of light, but it was enough. By midnight, both Makara and I were exhausted. The dark pushed my Nightsight to become my first Master Level Skill, and I earned a point in Physical Perception for that. A perception ability is almost always someone's first Master level skill.
By midnight, there was only about a meter of stone left before breaking through to the cave.
We had breakfast before dawn. “This is the last day, and then we leave,” Yoboc said, “What’s to bet this is the day we get disturbed?”
“I am not taking that bet,” Goldie grumped. She started to pack everything up for a speedy escape.
Yoboc looked at Makara, “You still ready to run if we say?”
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“It would be a shame, but I will follow your lead,” she replied.
“Ivan?” Yoboc asked.
“If we need to,” I said. “Shame, though. What about the Spiritual points in the main cave? They have to be last-ditch traps.”
Makara nodded. “Burying everything to protect it is a time-honoured method. You can always dig out the goods and then loot the bodies as well.”
“Are you going to trigger the collapse, and then we have to dig it out again?” I asked.
“That is the last resort if everything goes wrong,” Makara said. “There will be a key enchantment near the entrance that should turn off the others. It should be the one just above the tunnel entrance you showed us. A Mer wants access to his cache without having to disable all the enchantments. The ones in the tunnels will be keyed to his touch and Spiritual signature. I had some of his scales, but they were not enough. This should be easier. It should be configured to his Mercenary Guild ID token.”
“So the trick to getting through the tunnel is something on his body, skin, blood, etc. Once you have proved that you are him, then the Guild ID work?” Yoboc asked.
Makara nodded. “That is the way I was taught, and it is very common to do it that way. Those are some of the first runes we learn.”
“And if he did it differently?” Goldie asked.
“Then, hopefully, I make it out, and we dig through the rubble,” Makara said. “However, the Guild ID is more reliable and usually used in the final chamber.”
“You have some rope, Yoboc?” I asked. He nodded. “I can tie it to your feet, Makara, and if the trap is triggered, then I can pull you out faster.”
Makara nodded as the tunnel we dug was not big enough for her to turn around, and I doubted she would have time to enter the cave, turn and then swim out. She obviously doubted that, too.
Yoboc nodded. “Take every precaution. I don’t want to lose another person.”
Makara looked puzzled, but I knew he was referring to Sheila's loss in the troll fight. It was hard for him, and although he was very cautious, he was still moving forward.
Yoboc and Felix soon left for the bluff. We helped pack everything up while we waited.
Yoboc was being extra cautious today. Today, there was only a thin layer of high clouds. There may be sun later, even though it basically only circles the horizon.
At Yoboc’s wave, Makara went out to do her search of the area. I prepared to head to the tunnel. I swam around the whole rock shelf, first checking for changes. All quiet, no changes.
We are so close. Everybody is waiting for something to go wrong.
I surfaced and saw the clear signal from Yoboc and Makara.
I dove to the entrance of our tunnel. The debris from out mining littered the seabed. My Breath Control was upper apprentice now and gave me close to 30% more air and over 25% more efficiency in using it. I was able to be underwater for about 5 minutes before I had Breath Control so I am pushing 8 minutes now and that is actively mining.
I swam up the narrow tunnel with my chisel and a small hammer. There was not a lot of room to maneuver. I picked up where we had left off and looked at the layers of rock, choosing where to place my chisel and bringing the hammer to bear. My Mining skills helped guide my actions, and a larger plate-sized slab came loose. I let it fall behind me and placed the chisel for the next strike. My actions stirred up small particles from our mining, but my Clearsight was more than up to the task, even with the dim light from the light gem. The small particles affect Makara more than me, as they get in her gills.
When I judged my air was low enough, I backed myself out of the tunnel. I swept the debris with me as I went and watched the cloud settle onto the seabed. Makara was there circling, fins out, looking like a deadly shark. I nodded to her and pushed for the surface. Keeping my Cosmic Aura away from her was an annoyance, but it was easier for me than for her.
I surface and watch Yoboc and Goldie. There were no emergency signals. Makara will be about ten to fifteen minutes. I slowly circle the area, sweeping my aura out in different directions, sniffing the water, and listening for strange sounds.
The steady strike of hammer on chisel was muffled now that we were in the rock, so it would not travel as far.
The sound of debris hitting the seabed told me Makara was backing out of the tunnel. I checked with Yoboc and Goldie, and no warning signals were in evidence, so I took several deep, even breaths and dove down to take my turn.
Ten minutes later, I surfaced. I left that one a bit long. Makara was not back from her scouting yet, but there were no warning signs from the shore. I took several deep, even breaths and dove down to take another turn.
Makara was back when I came out again, and I looked at her. She gave no sign there was anything wrong, so I kicked for the surface as she moved to the tunnel. Still all quiet on the shore. I could see Goldie going through her forms with her axe. I couldn’t see Yoboc, but Felix was quiet.
I am waiting for something to go wrong.
The sun is above the horizon, and it looks to be a nice day. I judge it will only be between one and two hours before we break into the main chamber. Something is going to happen.
Makara was longer this time and then it was my turn again. All calm. The hour went by and we were so close.
Everything was still calm. No warnings from Yoboc or Felix and Makara’s scouting had revealed nothing.
I take another turn and make the first breakthrough into the chamber. The seawater starts to mix with the water trapped in the chamber from the collapsed entryway. I pause and back out a bit in case something is triggered.
Nothing happened. I was all calm.
I backed out all the way. It will be safer if Makara finishes this, and we have the rope tied for a fast exit.
I came out in a cloud of silt and sand. There is no sign of Makara, but I am early so I didn’t expect there to be. I concentrate on Hearing Aid and here is nothing out of the ordinary. I will never hear Makara swimming with Ocean Stealth anyway.
Then I am reminded I would not hear anyone swimming with Ocean Stealth higher than my Hearing Aid. I swim to the surface to check on things.