The no-name mining camp, called Mining Camp, was definitely more developed than how I had been picturing it in my head. There was even a ‘Welcome To Mining Camp’ sign that was in good repair. The buildings were made of stone, though I saw only the first story was for most. The dark gray stone was mottled with lichens of green, blue, and yellow, adding a nice counterpoint. Though this was still a town of miners, many of the people going about their business were obviously not. An entire community had grown here of artisans, traders, businesses, and culture. I saw what looked like temples and I think a theater.

  And there were multiple inns, as well. We stopped at one called the Nugget and Nail. It was nice, simple, and clean.

  Harper approached the innkeeper. “You have bathing facilities, yes?”

  The man jumped, startled. “I, uh, yes, mistress. We do. A bath house out back, or we can place a tub in your room, if you like.”

  “Good. I’m going to need a couple of rooms, a tub in one, and then dinner,” Harper stated. The man looked at Jerseil and I then back to Harper.

  “If that is what you wish, mistress. I have two rooms available right next to each other. I’ll have a tub in your room and hot water hauled up in less than 15 minutes,” he said and flagged a waitress’s attention and quickly gave her some orders. She ran off to get things taken care of and he turned back to us. “Now, would you like something to drink while you wait?”

  The bathhouse air was heavy with moisture. Water gently lapped as Jerseil and I soaked in a large tub, letting the dirt and sweat ease off the skin. I let out a sigh of contentment as my muscles relaxed. The knots melted in the heat, and I really did not want to move.

  “This is the best way to end this day,” Jerseil said. He had a soaked washcloth on his face and held it in place with one hand as he sipped a glass of wine. The glass clinked as he touched the bottle with it, setting it down.

  The wine had been complimentary, and with its quality, I thought we had stopped at the expensive inn. But it was tasty, and the alcohol helped my muscles relax further. “Yeah. I could stay in here for hours. Might just sleep in here.”

  Jerseil laughed softly. “Then you’ll look like an old man, all wrinkled and shit. Besides, dinner should be decent, if this wine is any sign!”

  “You are probably right, bud. I could go for some proper food,” I said and finished my wine. “Whelp, where’s the soap? Wanna look good for dinner.”

  The main room of the inn was a large, open space that included the dining area, bar/front desk, front entrance, doors to the kitchen area, and the stairs up to the second floor. Opposite the bar, there was a massive stone fireplace with an energetic fire blazing, easing the surprising chill of the massive stone room. Between the bar and the fireplace, there were a variety of tables. From trestle type tables with benches, to small two person tables positioned off to the sides.

  The waitress, Anya I think, sat us at a medium-sized table, with spots for 5 or six people. Unlike some inns I’d stayed in over the course of my time on this world, this one did not have options for dinner. Which may have explained why the room was not full of customers. Yet the only option for dinner was a stir-fry like dish that was served over rice. The sauce was thick and tangy, with a delightful kick of heat that went well with the chunks of meat that may have been pork and the mix of vegetables that I still didn’t know what they all were.

  After the filling dinner, we sat at our table drinking the last of the wine from dinner. “So what do we know about this area or the caverns?” I asked. “I don’t know too much about it from the quest description.”

  “We’ll need light, for one thing, and other cave delving supplies. I would assume that those things should be relatively easy to come by in a mining town,” Jerseil mused.

  “That’s stuff a local should know,” Harper said. “When that waitress makes it back to us, we can see what she knows. Speaking of, here she comes.”

  “Can I get you folks anything else, maybe another bottle of wine?”

  Harper nodded to the woman. “Please, and we were also hoping for some information about the area, specifically the mines and the caverns.”

  “There’s not much to tell, hon. The mines are closed because of a cave in a couple months back, and that was the only way into the caverns I was aware of. But you might ask Old Marken about it. He used to be the mine foreman, but he’s retired now,” the waitress said.

  “Where can we find him this time of day?” I asked. This was interesting, as the mine collapse was not too much earlier than when I arrived.

  “Marken? That old gnome should be here soon. Lives by himself, and he fancies the cooking here,” she said. “Why don’t I get you that bottle while you wait?”

  “This mine closure seems pretty convenient,” muttered Jerseil, as he leaned back in his chair. “The timing couldn’t be worse.”

  “If I remember what my brother used to say, quests sometimes give multiple challenges and multiple routes to completion. I bet if we hadn’t asked, we would have been stopped at the mine entrance or something and be required to do someone else a favor in return for information,” I mused. “Sean also said those were the best quests. Just sounds like a pain to me.”

  I turned inward for a moment after I realized that I had remembered most of that conversation with Sean. Usually, all that now priceless information was not available to me. Just scraps of conversation and the odd, interesting thing that caught my attention. Why did I remember this conversation when I couldn’t remember much before? Maybe, this is some sort of side effect of all the exercise and clean air. It occurred to me that this also could be, as the Voice had explained on my first day here, an improved memory from the increased intelligence stat. Harper pulled me out of my reverie.

  “Yeah, sometimes that happens with quests,” agreed Harper. “I remember a couple of quests I had to complete that went differently than I was told they would based on my choices and class.”

  The waitress placed the full bottle on the table and opened it for us. “Here you go, hons! Now don’t you worry about Old Marken. Buy him dinner and a few drinks and he’ll tell you everything you want to know. He loves talking about the mines, and anything underground. Think he was a dwarf for the way he talks about mineral composition and fluid stresses.” She wandered off to talk to some other tables.

  Is the Voice doing this? If it’s trying to force us in a certain direction, to what end? Success or epic failure? I had so many questions. “This is normal? It’s really like something is trying really hard to help us.”

  The corners of Harper’s mouth twitched upwards. “And you have a problem with that? Gift horses and all that.”

  “God no. I just don’t like being led around by the nose. I don’t care if it’s the Voice or a god.”

  Jerseil put his hands up. “Whoa, careful! I don’t know if the Voice would care, but gods have feelings, too. Can’t just go around telling them to stick their help where the sun shines least.”

  Jerseil was right, but I would not admit it just yet. The idea of gods being offended by my words was an alien concept to me. It wasn’t like I was flipping them off and saying nasty things about their sexual proclivities. Did gods have sex? I don’t think I really wanted to know.

  Before I could respond, the front door of the inn opened and a wizened, yet spry, old gnome walked into the main room. The innkeeper greeted the gnome with a great deal of respect.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Master Marken, how pleased I am that you would brighten our inn tonight! Would you like your usual table?”

  “Eh? Yes, of course. How could I not show up? I’m hungry, and your kitchen is the best in the camp,” Marken replied. The innkeeper led the old gnome to a table in the corner near the fireplace. Anya the waitress brought him his dinner and whispered something in his ear. He looked at us and raised his glass before drinking it down and digging into his food.

  We drank another bottle, making small talk while he ate. When he was done, he came over with his glass. “Mighty generous of you to buy an old gnome’s meal. You’re strangers here in Mining Camp.”

  Jerseil gestured to an open seat. “Please, join us. We heard you know more about the mines and caverns than anyone else. And with the mine collapsed, we were hoping you could help us.”

  “We need to get into the caverns,” I added. “Do you know another way, other than the mines?”

  The old gnome sat down slowly, eyeing us critically. “The caverns are not the most welcoming of environs. Why, in the name of Criminon, would you want to go there?”

  “We have a quest in there,” Harper said bluntly.

  “A quest, eh? Hmm. I might be able to help. But it’s going to cost you. Not much, just a bit of your time and effort,” Marken said.

  “And what do you need us to do?” I asked. If he could get us into those caverns, I’d do anything. Well, not just anything. I have my limits.

  “So there is a question as to how the mine collapsed. I helped build the mine, you see, and I know how stable it is. I’m an engineer by trade, and I am very much aware of the pressures different soils can put on rock and stone. Things like moisture and temperature can affect the stability of any wall or ceiling, no matter how well you brace it.”

  “But the thing is, we didn’t dig the mine in soil. We cut into the rock, creating stable lateral and vertical shafts that needed little added support. We chiseled out the weak areas in the stone, following factures to reduce the stresses. And yet, it collapsed.”

  Harper cut into the gnome’s explanation. “And what does that have to do with us or what you need done?”

  “Well, young lady, it’s simple, really simple. I believe the mine was sabotaged with explosives. And I think I know who did it. But I need proof. And despite my knowledge and expertise, those bastards won’t let me near the mines to find it!” The gnome slammed a fist onto the table. “So much so that they got the constabulary involved. If I go near the mines again, they will place me in shackles. Me!”

  The gnome’s face had flushed, and he took a moment to calm down. He finished his wine and Jerseil refilled his glass from our latest bottle without saying a word. Marken thanked him with a nod and took a sip before continuing.

  “Find and bring me the proof, and I’ll get you into those caverns. Though why anyone would want to go down there is beyond me.”

  *******************************

  The town of Mining Camp was built around and out from the mine itself, in an arc. What I had first taken for straight streets was really curved boulevards, each longer than the ones closer to the mine. The closer we came to the mine, the shorter the arced streets, and the less nice the town became. I actually saw my first canvas tent right outside the walled-off entrance to the mines. There were guards, or constables, all over the area, and they looked armed for bear.

  “We are not getting past all of them,” I said. “Not without a fight.”

  Harper snorted. “You have no idea how right you are, Finn. ‘We’ are not going in there. I am going in there. And they will never notice. Why don’t you two go sit at that tea shop and wait for me?” she asked.

  “Wait for you? I don’t—” Jerseil said before noticing that our rogue friend was nowhere to be seen. “Never mind, I guess. Want some tea, Finn?”

  I shrugged and walked over to the indicated tea shop, which was just a wooden stand with a built-in bar for the mugs and attached stools. I was actually relieved to see the mugs were ceramic and not wood or tarred leather jacks attached to the stand by chains or rope.

  “You two want tea?” a gruff voice asked as we sat. The man behind the bar looked more suited to a rough biker bar that served toilet wine.

  “Yes?” I asked uncertainly.

  “You like it bitter or fresh.”

  “Fresh?” I answered.

  “Good, this pot has been steeping too long.” He emptied the pot onto the street and poured some loose tea into it. The grizzled man poured some hot water into the pot that he had on what looked like a hot pad, boiling. “Give it a minute.”

  We had finished our first pot of unexpectedly fine tea when Harper strolled up, burlap bag in hand. “Sorry that took so long. I wanted to make sure I had conclusive proof for our friend.”

  We met the gnome back at the Nugget and Nail, and watched him cry over the evidence collected from the collapsed mine. It took some time for him to calm down and talk with us.

  “This is much more than I expected. You cannot imagine how good it is to know I was right. Now, I can save the mine from those monsters that want to turn it into a resort,” he said.

  “I’m glad we could help, master Marken. Now, as to our reward?” asked Jerseil.

  “Yes, of course! The caverns,” he said quietly and slipped the evidence carefully back into the burlap sack. “So. Most people only know about the entrance through the mines. It’s safer, yes, but no longer useful. Years ago, when we first found the caverns by accident, those of us that were young and foolish enough to enter did a little exploring.”

  “We were attacked, of course, and I was separated from the rest of the group. I lost my lamp and pack in the tussle and found myself with nothing. After 3 days of wandering in the dark, I found a spot with a light breeze and the smell of trees and grass. I followed my nose to an entrance, having to sneak past camps of kobolds and mole people, the smell of food bringing me to the point of distraction.”

  “But I survived, when none of the others did.” He stopped for a moment and drank a full glass of wine. There was a look of regret on his face. “That entrance is outside of town to the southeast. There is a rocky hill with a small opening. Thank you again for your help. Please excuse me.”

  We reconvened up in the room that Jerseil and I were ostensibly sharing. “Well, that got awkward there at the end,” I said wryly. Looking at my map, I saw it updated with the location of the alternate entrance to the caverns.

  “Live long enough and sad, horrible things happen,” replied Jerseil. His tone was rather matter of fact, but I wondered at what had happened to him in the past.

  And I wasn’t the only one. Harper reached her arm around him and gave him a side hug in sympathy. He smiled sadly at her.

  “What all will we need to go down there? Lamps and stuff?” I asked. I was feeling like a third wheel and I just had to interject to avoid any further discomfort.

  “And maybe some rope, I would think,” Jerseil said, grateful for the distraction.

  “Don’t forget the extra rations and water,” Harper added. She looked thoughtful. “Maybe some more knives. I’m getting low on good ones.”

  “Okay, so I think we have a plan. We’ll get the shopping done after breakfast, and then head out to the caverns?” I asked, to keep my two friends focused on our task. I knew it was a lost cause, but as long as we had some sort of strategy for the next day, then they could go do whatever they wanted tonight.

  “That sounds good, Finn,” Harper said. She yawned and stood up. “I think going to bed would be an excellent addition to that. Jerseil?”

  “Yes, Harper?”

  “Are you coming?”

  “Of course I am. Good night, Finn!”

  ********************************

  The woods to the southeast of town were thick with overgrowth, revealing a lack of travel in the area. Deeper into the forest, ancient oaks and maples replaced the multiple faster-growing trees. At least I think they’re oaks and maples.

  Our path meandered all over the place to get through the undergrowth at first, but the towering ancient trees blocked much of the direct sunlight needed by much of the undergrowth and it had thinned out. Mostly just creeping vines and low light ground cover plants fought for every stray sunbeam.

  Jerseil had almost bought a donkey, one used to the mines, for our supplies. But Harper had gently reminded him that both she and I had significant inventory systems, allowing us to carry more than the usual person. We loaded up with the supplies, splitting the stack, Jerseil looking wistfully at the donkey.

  And then he didn’t shut up about it.

  “You know, we could have hung the lamps from the donkey. And if we found more gear and treasure than we could carry, well, the donkey could have carried it,” he said. For the tenth time.

  “Jesus, Jerseil! Okay! You have made it very clear you wanted a donkey. I don’t really get it,” Harper said, putting up a hand to stop him talking, “but I don’t need to. Tell you what. Next time, we’ll get your fucking donkey.”

  “Really? I’ve always wanted one. We could name it Jeffrey. After one of my uncles. And Jeffrey could—” Jerseil went on excitedly.

  “God damn it, Jerseil!” interrupted Harper. “No more! I don’t want to hear anything, fucking anything else, about dealing with your future donkey. Please. Can we just walk in silence?” An exasperated Harper asked.

  A quiet donkey-talk-free hour later, we reached the rocky hillock Marken directed us to. It pushed up through the forest with small, stunted trees growing in the less rocky areas of it. Like a beacon, the sun shone brighter on the mound of dirt and rock. The small opening to the cavern was not visible from the direction we came from.

  “When he said it was small, he didn’t mean small for a gnome, right?” I asked, squinting around the base of the hill.

  “Hopefully not,” Jerseil replied. “I’m a little too big and muscular!”

  Harper snorted and walked toward the rocky hill. “Well, if that’s the case, you can just dig the entrance out bigger.”

  “Ouch,” he replied.

  I rooted through my backpack. “I think I have a burn salve in here somewhere, bud. Maybe.”

  “Hey!” Harper shouted. “The opening is over here. We are going to need to clear it.”

  Decades of tree and bush growth criss-crossed the opening, blocking our path. It was bigger than expected, but the top would brush my hair. “It looks like you get to use your big muscles, Jerseil,” I teased.

  “Yeah, okay,” he replied and pushed back his sleeves. “You’re helping, right?”

  Within fifteen minutes we, covered with sweat, dirt, and plant matter, entered the fabled Caverns Of The Beast. Yay fucking us!