Chapter 9: The Underground Queen

On one bright day, after getting done with her usual chores, Claire suddenly developed a certain hunger. It was a kind of hunger usually denied by the meek and humble, but thoroughly embraced the brave and curious. It was an uncanny hunger that afflicted many great figures both historical and fictional: it was the thirst for adventure.

On that day, Claire packed plenty of spare grasses along with a big jar of Bodigizer to accompany her trusty tool: the iron hoe. With everything prepared, she head out towards the Blacksmith to meet with an old cap-wearing friend of hers.

"Er… Good Morning, Mr. Saibara." Claire greeted.

"Ah, Good Morning, Claire! Have you finally decided to embrace destiny and accept the tutelage and power of Hokuto Shinken? Or do you have plans to upgrade a tool today?" Saibara asked.

"…N-neither." Claire gulped, "I was just wondering if Gray was available today for an adventure? I'm going mining today!"

"Sadly, no. He is not." Saibara answered. "You see, I see today as an excellent opportunity to really test his mettle, so he shall be quite busy this time."

"Oh… that bites." Claire sighed. "Well, if he happens to find the time anyway, can you tell him where I'm heading? This time I'm going to try and make it big: I'm aiming for the bottom floor!"

"The bottom floor, eh? You're quite brave… and with minimal tools, as well. I at least hope you're well-stocked."

"Oh, I'm well-stocked alright! I got plenty of grasses and stuff to keep me going for the day! And if I happen to run out of short supply, I just use my trusty instincts and dig up a mine grass! After a few short outings alone, I found out that the mine is full of the black stuff!"

"Ah, a resourceful girl as well, eh? Amazing. Still, I shall respect your wishes and let him know." Saibara replied.

"Good! Maybe he can catch me before I make it! It would be cool to have somebody else with me when I make my big triumph! Well, see ya later, Mr. Saibiara!" Claire cried.

She then rushed out full steam ahead towards the local mine, leaving a curious Saibara to ponder to himself once more.

"Stubborn girl," he scoffed, "Eventually she WILL become my apprentice. The spirit of Hokuto Shinken is Immortal, and always finds its way towards a worthy successor."

Right outside the mine, a very eager Claire anticipated her upcoming adventure with a hard hat on.

"Ooh… this is going to be so cool!" she squealed. "Finally, after getting to understand the mine in my own time, I shall explore all 255 floors of the mine and reach the bottom!"

--

After bouncing up and down like a restless puppy for a few minutes, an image of a familiar "UMA" hat filled her mind.

"Man… I still kinda wish Gray were here to join me on my greatest endeavor in Mineral Town." She sighed.

However, her considerably shortened attention span at the time had removed this deep regret of hers in an instant.

"Oh well… I'm off to get some ores and reach the bottom of the mine! He'll just have to catch up by himself!" she simply said.

"Bottom of the mine… HERE I COME!!"

--

Hours later, Gray had finally finished his project for the day, but the town has yet to hear any word of Claire.

"Say, Grandpa." Gray asked in the store, "Did Claire happen to come by today? She told me she would be inviting me to a big surprise for the afternoon."

"Why yes, my Grandson. She did." Patient Saibara stated.

"Well? Out with it old man, what did she ask?" Gray demanded.

"Patience, Grandson." Saibara stated solemnly. "Your companion Claire had come by, wanting me to tell you that she'd be going to the mines today to reach the bottom floor."

"WHAT?!" Gray cried.

The young apprentices' hands clenched into cold, hard fists.

"Did she even have you upgrade her hoe and hammer before she decided to try that kind of thing?"

Saibara shook his head.

"No she did not. However, what this shows me is that her uncanny tenacity far outmatches your own. Clearly she would be a far more worthy heir to me than you have been to me."

The disgruntled apprentice gave a deep snarl.

"Don't give me that crap, Grandpa! I don't have time to be fed an Inferiority Complex right now!" he cried as he headed straight out the door.

"You shouldn't be in so much of a panic. The girl prepared well, and she clearly posses a far greater sense of survival than your own."

"AAAUGGHHH!!"

Gray didn't even bother saying his farewells to this Grandpa as he slammed the door out of rage.

"That poor whelp could never recognize greatness when it's staring him in the face…" Saibara uttered in disgust.

In a matter of moments, the desperate apprentice made it into the mines, only to spot a hole leading deeper.

:"I hope she hasn't made it too far in…" Gray said aloud.

--

150 floors deeper into the cave, Gray still saw no sign of her energetic gal pal.

"No way… just how much stamina does that girl have, anyway?"

--

Meanwhile, on the floor that she just so happened to be on, the work-weary Claire was still digging away with the last of her strength.

"254…floors…just…one…more…to go." She spoke aloud in exasperation.

The determined miner had already used up all of her supplies at this point, so there was little room for error on her part. She had already dug so much ground around her, yet there was still no sign of an opening that finally led to the bottom. Her chances of success looked slim.

"Just…one…more…spot."

Claire chose one of the very few clean spots remaining and began to dig away with her hoe. After a few digs, the ground started to give way, revealing a small opening.

"Ah, this is… it! Just a little more… just a little more and… finally, I can reach… the bottom!"

The excited young girl lift her hoe above her head, and stroke the ground one more time… just before passing out with a silly smile on her face.

--

Later that night, Gray had managed to climb up all 254 floors to deliver the unconscious farmer in the hospital.

"Please take good care of her, Doctor. This crazy really wore herself out trying to reach the mine's final floor." He requested.

"Will do." Doctor Trent replied with a nod.

Gray then laid the patient carefully on the bed, and gave a long sigh.

"Night, folks." He said as he tipped his hat and departed from the hospital.

This left the patient in question in the eyes of the reliable doctor and his trusted nurse.

"Before we leave her alone for the night, we might as well check for any external and internal injuries." Doctor Trent suggested.

Nurse Elli nodded.

"Good idea. But first thing's first."

She then held out a hand while giving the doctor a very suggestive look.

"Alright, Fine…" Doctor Trent groaned.

The irritated doctor took out a small sack of gold in his pocket and placed it straight onto the nurse's hand.

"See, I just knew Claire's first case of exhaustion would be from overexerting herself in the mines." She said proudly.

"Darn… and all this time, I'd swear she'd first pass out from farm work for being a rookie. I may have underestimated Miss Kafka… and overestimated my luck."

Coming up, Claire's finally absent for a Chapter!? Yup, it's just Doctor and Elli alone at the office after a hard day's work. Just what could be going on? And why does the nurse keep pushing Claire on the Doctor? Find out next time, and I hope you really like it. It's my most favorite chapter to write!