I follow behind Dan, as our steps create a damp echo within the descending stone passageway. We follow the stairs down as they spiral down at right angles, every so often illuminated by a lone torchlight which hangs within an indent in the wall.
Just as I spot a larger floor at the bottom of yet another final flight of stairs, I notice that my breath is a little heavier than usual.
By Jeb, if I feel even a little tired just walking down this massive flight of stairs, then all the more tired I'll feel walking back up it.
As my feet step upon the floor where the stairs end and a room begins, I mention this to Dan, slightly annoyed.
"That was one serious flight of stairs."
Dan nods. "I know. I can't say I'm too fond of the location, either."
I look around the room we have just entered, inspecting our surroundings. It seems that no one else is here.
The room is long and narrow, its walls, floor, and ceiling all composed of stone. Display shelves take up the two side walls. The one on the left is tightly packed with baskets; one such basket is filled with potatoes, while another is filled with loaves of bread. The shelf on the right, closer to us, is more conservatively filled with books and papers, possibly records to keep track of store purchases. The back wall is barren stone, which strikes me as somewhat a waste of space.
About a meter away, there is an oak desk which partitions the shelf space from the entrance where we stand. Its surface contains many scratches and black stains, evidence that the desk has seen much use. On the oak desk sits a torch which dimly lights the room, an ink stand with a feather resting inside, and a piece of paper holding several words in black ink:
"Please wait for assistance."
I recall the sign posted at the entrance to the stairwell. So the shopkeeper's name is Mothy? What a weird name.
"Mothy isn't here..." I look at Dan in the eye with a hint of suspicion. "Are you sure we didn't come here too early?"
"Of course." Dan responds, placing the cloth-covered basket upon the oak desk. "The boy has always had early opening hours."
We stand waiting for a moment. The air is a deathly silence; our only close surroundings are the depths of stone.
I nearly jump as I hear a voice to my left. "Mr. Ti'Drannes? I wasn't expecting you."
As I turn to my left, my eyes fall upon a bizarre, humanoid creature. They are perhaps two heads shorter than me, with flaky silver skin, thick grey hair, black irises surrounded in grey, and a lopsided smirk. The creature wears a vest over a blue shirt and burlap pants. Their hands are thin, brown, and bony. I suspect the creature is a half-blood, but I don't recognize what monster the creature is related to.
The creature's grey eyes fall upon me. "I don't believe we've met before. My name is Mothy Cleftstone, and I am the owner of this f-fine establishment." Mothy's voice seems to tremble and stutter ever so slightly, and his inflection seems forced, as if the words do not come naturally to him.
"My name is Fristad. It's nice to meet you."
Mothy's grin balances out as it widens. "And you as well. It's always great to meet a new customer. How can I help you?"
"Well, um... I'm actually here with him." I pointed towards Dan.
Mothy lets out a long "Oooh" with an awkwardly high level of realization, as if he has discovered that the answer to an unsolved riddle is surprisingly obvious. "I see now. What can I get for you, Mr. Ti'Drannes?"
"I just need some more carrots, eggs, and bread." Dan responds.
"Certainly! Just let me g-get some eggs first. I left them in the back."
Somehow the way that Mothy phrases his plans sounds a bit odd for a room this size. I watch Mothy walk to the back, passing by each basket on the shelf without a single glance. Perhaps what he's looking for is near the very back of the shelf.
Mothy continues to walk forward until his body morphs to stone as he phases through the back wall. My jaw drops in surprise as Mothy disappears into the earth. "Wait, Mothy just... How did he do that?"
"He's part Silverfish," Dan replies. "He's well-attuned to the earth."
I try to wrap my head around Dan's explanation. I'm not quite sure what a Silverfish is, but the name sounds vaguely familiar. Still, what strange creature could walk through solid stone? Somehow it seems... wrong.
"What's a Silverfish?" I decide to ask.
"They're distant relatives of spiders, a meter long and half a meter thick all around. They live deep underground and near tall mountain ranges. Miners often disturb them when digging through the stone."
"So they live in the stone?"
Dan nods. His eyes have drifted away from me, looking at something behind me. I turn my head to see what it is.
A poster hangs against the wall, to the left of the stairwell. It appears to be some sort of recruitment poster for a mining union.
"Deep Shaft Mining Crew: Do you want to be a miner? Adventures and riches await you! Our crew explores the deepest caves and mines at magma levels. The danger is great and the reward is greater. Highest cut and best training are given to new recruits. Are you worthy? Visit our nearest mineshaft in Aridtown, and look for our seal."
To the right of the promotional passage is a blue banner with a pickaxe in the center, the foreground having an outline reminiscent of flames. Below the promotional passage is a heroic depiction of several miners in full diamond armor, holding their chins high and their diamond pickaxes aloft. Their artistically-depicted chiseled muscle is by no means an overestimation of a miner's strength, considering the miners that pass through Veridale. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine so many miners with diamond armor and tools, because of how rare diamond is. Plus, the miners in Veridale never carry diamond. They almost always carry iron, and the few that don't carry leather and stone.
As I hear footsteps coming from the stairs to the left of the poster, a brunette woman wearing a wool coat and carrying an empty basket steps down into the room. She walks forward to stand alongside me, waiting for the same shopkeeper that Dan and I came down to see.
We wait for about a minute. Mothy's stony form begins to stretch out from the wall, along with a strange mass of woven stone. As Mothy's flaked face returns to a lighter silver, the mass of stone comes to resemble a basket of eggs. The brunette meanwhile reaches into her coat pocket, pulling out a tiny pouch.
Mothy's head snaps toward the pouch with wide eyes. With visible effort, Mothy turns his head forward. He sprints to the desk and sets the basket on the table. "Amber, th-this really isn't a good..."
The brunette Amber tucks her finger underneath the string holding the pouch together, pulling the knot apart. She then tosses the pouch upon the floor, its hard, bead-like contents rolling out and bouncing along the floor. Mothy's posture takes on a feral crouch. His eyes glaze over as he lets out a slurping hiss. He dives onto his belly and rapidly claws at the beads, tossing them into his mouth. A harsh grinding sound causes my jaw to clench. Amber laughs hysterically at the ordeal. After all the beads are consumed, Mothy proceeds to roll over onto his back and lick and gnaw at his arms. As his sleeves are pushed back, I observe that his arms are thin and brown, just like his hands. Mothy then begins to rub and twist his arms together, as if applying a lotion.
I can't help but stare at him as he repeats the process... twice.
After starting to gnaw at his fingers for the fourth time, Mothy suddenly pauses, sanity returning to his widening eyes. "Nether..." He swears. He sits up and rocks back onto is feet. "Why did you have to do that?"
"Because I have a favor to ask of you." Amber replies, the smile of laughter now gone from her face. She reaches her hand into her coat pocket again and pulls out another pouch.
"Nonononono..." Mothy stutters, stepping back towards the desk. "Don't make me do that again."
Amber tugs at the knot of the pouch. "Then I want half price on groceries."
"What do you think this place is? I don't run a charity here."
"You WILL give me half price on groceries..." Amber insists, letting the pouch slip to the tips of her fingers, "... or you get to roll on the floor again like your slimy cousins."
Mothy lets out a deep sigh. "You know what? Fine." His eyes lock upon Amber. His face tightens into a scowl. "You can make me dance like a bug all you want... it doesn't matter anymore. I'm not giving you groceries for half price."
"Mothy, please..." A hint of desperation surfaces in Amber's voice. She looks at Mothy pleadingly. "I have a family. They're starving. We can hardly afford to feed ourselves."
"As if you're not the first person in Zomem to tell me that!" Mothy's voice rises in volume. "There are better ways to solving your food problems than p-putting it all on me. Besides, after all you've done to me, you don't deserve a discount."
"Look, Mothy... I have plenty more of these pouches, as you can see." She reaches her free hand into her coat pocket and brings out a handful of them briefly, before putting them back inside. "So, unless you want to be stuck in bug world for the next few hours, you'll give me the food that my family needs." Amber brings her hand back in preparation to throw the pouch.
"You know what? That's it! I've had enough!" Mothy slams his hand upon the desk. He reaches underneath the desk, and brings an iron sword out in front of him. "Either you pay f-full price for the food, or you leave with nothing."
"You'll drop that sword as soon as I throw this pouch..." Amber responds.
Mothy steps around the desk with the sword in hand. "You'll be s-sorry if you t-try to throw it."
"What, do you think you have the nerve to hit me? Nobody's going to buy from your shop any more if you start attacking your paying customers."
As much as I sympathize with Amber's family hunger, it seems wrong for Amber to humiliate and dehumanize Mothy in response. I decide to prevent her from throwing the pouch again. I reach for the sword at my belt... but find nothing. I clench my fist in frustration as I realize I forgot my sword again. I decide I can make my point just as clear by walking directly in front of her. By the time Amber and I have locked eyes, our chests are nearly touching.
I try to speak as firmly as possible. "Mothy's being serious. I think it's about time that you leave him alone."
Amber's eyes sink downward. A shade of pink leaves her face. "I suppose you're right."
She walks around me, reaches into another pocket, and sets coins upon the desk. She then pulls off the basket hanging on her arm, and sets it on the table next to the coins. "I'll take however many carrots and potatoes this money will buy."
I step back.
Mothy nods in acknowledgement. He brings her basket back to the shelf, placing carrots and potatoes inside of it. He then walks back to the desk. He takes the change before setting the basket down.
Amber picks up the basket, and carries it up the stairs without a word.
Mothy pulls a stool out from underneath the desk, sits down, and plants his face against the desk.
"I hate myself," he says in a muffled voice. "I always h-have to be the bad guy... on top of being this half-blood freak. Hardly anybody gives me respect..." He lifts his head up from the desk with his arm as he leans against it. "Someday I'll be a miner, and I won't have to make the choice of who gets to eat, and how much..."
"But if you're a miner, who's going to sell them the food?" I ask, perplexed.
"Oh, d-don't worry, there still will be plenty of merchants selling food throughout town. It's just that I have the lowest p-prices. It's the only way I can scrape by."
"Perhaps it might help for you to sell in a different location?" I suggest.
"Yea, but... it's not just the location; it's me. I can't stand being near the surface for too long."
I nod my head in acknowledgement.
Dan points on the poster on the wall. "I notice you have that poster up on the wall. Are you going to apply?"
"Sure am!" Mothy responds, a lightness returning to his voice. "I put the poster up as a reminder. I hope to gather up enough extra c-cash by the end of the month to afford the trip. With Stephen's blessing, I hope they see what I'm worth."
Mothy's hope makes me smile. A part of me even feels a little jealous. Here's this half-blood, working as a merchant and aspiring to be a miner, and here I am, a human, having worked as a shepherd my whole life, without a second thought.
"Mining is quite a demanding job, isn't it?" I ask.
"It is," Mothy replies, "but I know I can handle it." He turns to face Dan. "What can I get for you?"
"Could I have a loaf of bread, six eggs, and four carrots?" Dan requests, as he places his basket upon the desk.
"Will do!" Says Mothy, as he brings Dan's basket to the shelf on the left. He returns with the bread and the carrots beneath the cloth. He opens up the cloth again to place the six eggs inside.
"Hmm," Dan remarks as he reaches within his cloak. "I just remembered that one of my clients is late on their payment, so I guess I'll just take four eggs for now."
"Four eggs it is." Mothy puts two eggs back into the larger basket. "Sometimes I worry about you, Dan, with your p-profession and all. Some of the people you work with, I honestly hope they don't know I exist."
Dan chuckles. "I assure you that I don't pick clients just for the sake of making your life more difficult."
"Oh no, I don't mean it THAT way. I mean, I d-don't think most people would want some your clients to know that they exist, either. They're just those sorts of p-people..." Mothy glances at me for a moment. "... but I think I've said too much."
Dan hands Mothy the coins for the groceries.
"Thank you, Mr. Ti'Drannes."
Dan smiles. "Thank you for the food. I'll be seeing you."
As Dan turns around, I take the queue to walk towards the stairs.
"Also, mister-what's-his-name. Tristam, was it?"
I turn around towards Mothy. "Fristad."
"Right, of course. Fristad!" Mothy spreads his hands in annoyance of forgetting. "Thanks for sticking up for me when that girl was here. That really meant a lot to me."
"No problem."
As I start to ascend the stairs again in earnest, the Book's presence enters my mind. Its female voice fills my thoughts.
"I have a feeling that getting to know that man could be of benefit to us. If he does end up becoming a miner, he will have access to quite valuable resources. Even if he doesn't, I think there is a lot to learn from him."
For once, I think I actually agree with you. Well, at least partially.
Yet a small part of me is hesitant, for a reason that I cannot retrieve.