004: Descent into the depths

“Eisenwerk Iron is held in high regard by blacksmiths from all over Eshore, it’s something we take pride in knowing. If you look at any piece of armour in the capital, 9 times out of 10. It would’ve been made from our iron.” Konrad said as he led the way for us through the entrance tunnel. This section of the tunnel was well lit, making it easy to navigate.

Even though we had barely ventured into the mine, the air was already becoming stagnant. It had this earthy musk to it, worsened by how heavy it felt to breathe in. Konrad had me on his shoulders, so I had no reason to get tired. Amelie however was having the most joyous time of her life. She was barely able to match Konrad’s pace.

Knowing that I’d have to listen to Amelie’s rants about how tiring today was, I whispered to Konrad, telling him to slow down. Which he complied with, giving no hesitation, he seemed pleased in fact.

“So. What made you want to volunteer for this excursion?” Konrad asked, looking at Amelie.

Amelie looked away, and answered saying “Oh. Um. Alber. He- He’s wanted to come down here for so long, and I wanted to make sure he had a good time.”

“Is that so?” Konrad sounded a little disappointed. He looked disappointed actually.

Amelie seemed to pickup on this and responded saying “Of course I was excited to see you too. I just- I- no nevermind.”

“Oh come on now, you can’t leave me hanging like that. There’s something else you want to tell me.”

“- I. Okay fine. I wish that you showed up at the manor more often. Alber doesn’t get to see his family enough and it breaks my heart. Especially because you all are wonderful people and it would be a shame for Alber to not get to know you.”

Konrad looked up at me and asked “Is that true?”

“It wouldn’t hurt. But I have Amelie.”

“Amelie is great isn’t she?” Konrad asked, smirking at her.

Amelie was now staring at the ground, Beet red.

We were now about 100 meters deep into the tunnel, Konrad stopped and kept me back on the ground. “The tunnel walls get smaller from this point onward,” he said as he pulled out a pair of candles from his pocket. “Can you light these using the torch over here?” Konrad asked, handing Amelie the candles.

She did as she was instructed and handed one of the lit candles to Konrad.

“From this point onwards, I want the two of you to be extremely careful. The tunnel walls may seem stable but don’t mess with them.

The walls of the tunnel were solid stone now. You could hear the sound of pickaxes clinking against the stone in the distance. The three of us made our way through the cramped tunnel, which eventually led us to a large cavern. It was well lit, though the air was dense, but breathable

It was lunch time, and the miners were gathered around a series of tables carved from stone. They were having their lunch.

Seeing this display, I remembered the people I worked with when I first started my career. I was assigned to the maintenance department to ensure that all the machines in our factory were running smoothly. My supervisor would have me handle various jobs throughout the massive garment factory. I was assigned a small group of technicians who’d know everything about the machines we worked with. I knew nothing yet they trusted me to allocate their talents in just the right places. I loved those guys.

I couldn’t help but smile.

Konrad, noticing me grinning from ear to ear, knelt down to my level, “Listen kiddo. You see these folk? These are our folk. The county would die if it weren’t for them. I’m not a miner, I’m just a guy who was handed his position because his daddy owns the place. We owe our lives to these people and don’t you ever forget it.”

The foreman from earlier noticed our presence and came over to us. “Hey Bossman!” He looked down at me and nodded his head saying “Little Bossman.” He turned back to Konrad and continued, “Phillipe and his group made a good 25 meters into their tunnel. It’s looking real promising.”

“Did those guys eat?”

“Not yet Boss.”

“Did you eat, Boss?”

“Ha. Not yet.”

“Then how about you, little bossman and your lady friend join us? There’s a few extra lunch packs.”

Konrad gestured for us to join his team for lunch, which Amelie and I obliged without a second thought.

“Hey aren’t you Gerald’s kid?” the foreman asked Amelie, to which she nodded. “Ha ha, I knew it. You have his eyes! How’s the old man doing these days?”

“He’s doing more or less the same as when he stopped working here.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. Send him my regards.”

“I will. Hopefully he gets better.”

“The Eisenwerks have been very kind to us ever since the accident.”

Konrad entered the conversation at this point to avoid an awkward pause, “Think nothing of it. Your father is very dear to me, and I’d do anything to see him walk again.”

Amelie and Konrad made eye contact briefly before looking away and finishing off their meals. It wasn’t long before the rest of the crew finished their lunches and got back to work.

“Hey, you two. Stay put while I go and look into the new tunnel Phillipe is digging. This is good stuff and you’ll love it.” Konrad said before he walked off in some random direction.

While he was sorting out whatever he was softing out, I decided to take a look around. The cavern had a surprisingly high ceiling. The clink of the pickaxes echoed all around me.

Not too far from the table we were at, I found a set of worker’s tools. The miner’s helmets were a fairly standard semi-circular design, with an appropriate amount of padding and a strap to hold it in place on the miner’s head. Not the most elegant design, but it served its purpose well.

I did however have a gripe with the pickaxe, especially given how it looked new. You could very easily tell that it was made of Iron.

Iron is a brittle material and can break easily, making it not so ideal for striking stone. Then we have the issue of density. Since we were mining Iron ore, the pickaxe would most likely get damaged easily. You can’t mine a material with tools made with the same material. Another issue I had with the design was that the handle of the pickaxe was, in theory, sufficiently sized to withstand daily usage, however it wasn’t very ergonomic. It required a few bumps and ridges to make it easier to hold. This was something I had to discuss with Konrad.

As I was inspecting the pickaxe Konrad came over. “Right, so I’m taking you into the new tunnel. Wear these,” he said as he handed me a small helmet and a pair of cotton gloves. It's almost as if he’d been waiting for the day Elera let me come down here.

The tunnel was very cramped, the walls allowed for enough movement, you could easily move a wheel barrow past us without causing any of us to stop. The tunnel was not dark, in fact it was very well lit using oil lamps.

Not too long into us walking into the tunnel, Konrad stopped and pointed towards a section of the tunnel wall. "See that crack?" he asked, "That wasn't there yesterday. These mines, they shift and groan all the time."

“That doesn’t sound good.” I said.

“Don’t worry, We know the signs. We've learned to listen to the mine. And anyway the guys should be done with their reinforcements up ahead.”

Despite Konrad trying to reassure me, I felt a sense of unease. Call it an engineer’s intuition, but something was wrong.

The unease grew with every step. The rhythmic hammering of picks, which had been a constant background noise, continued. Then, a tremor shook the ground. Dust rained down from the ceiling, stinging my eyes, Amelie immediately rushed in and pulled me close to her. A deafening roar echoed through the tunnel.

Konrad grabbed me and Amelie, pulling us back away from the tunnel walls. "Stay down!" he yelled, his voice strained.

The ground shook violently. Dust filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. I could hear the screams of the miners, muffled by the dust and the roar of the collapsing rock. Then, silence. A heavy silence, broken only by the sound of our own ragged breaths.

The silence was deafening, punctuated only by the frantic beating of my own heart against my ribs. Coughing, I stood up, my eyes stinging. The air was thick with the smell of dust and something metallic.

Amelie, her face pale, frantically hugged me. "Alberich," she whispered, her voice trembling, "Are you alright?"

I could only nod, my throat too tight to speak. A section of the tunnel had collapsed.

Konrad didn’t let me stay in the tunnel, and practically dragged the two of us outside, immediately running back in to check on his men.

Amelie took me back to the carriage and had the driver take us back to the manor. Neither of us said anything on the ride back.

The mines were a dangerous place for a seven year old.