Deep Into the Mythril Mines

[Larsa Gott]

Although Larsa had been on sabbatical for several months, now, he had easily secured a Silvanus vehicle, and now drove the gleaming red convertible past the tiny village of Kalm, and south into rougher territory towards the Mythril Mines. Those mines had been abandoned years ago with the advent of Mako energy, and remained unoccupied except for the occasional adventurer and the poor travelers who could not afford an Airship from Midgar to Junon, or other southern towns and villages.Larsa knew he was getting close to the closest entrance, and he would have to walk some distance from his vehicle down to the opening. He could have entered several miles east, where most people entered the mine, but he need to go deep into the untouched part of the cavern, where he could find an untapped mythril vein.

He would need pure mythril for what he was about to do.

The car eased to a stop alongside a cliff and Larsa stood and hopped out. He pulled his laptop from the backseat and opened it, typing briefly and studying a map of the area. He was about as close to the opening as he was going to get. He pulled a PDA from his pocket and connected it to the laptop with a wire. He touched the screen a few times and set it down, leaving it to download the intel he had gathered on the Mine.

He reached past the busy technology and picked up his backpack. He tugged it open and checked his canteens, food and tools. He had already checked them twice, but he had to be certain. He might not have gotten a Silvanus pick-up if he became trapped in the Mine. He took out a small pickax, set it aside, then set the bag down, and picked up the thin pack with the long handle protruding from its top. It was his weapon, the crystalline gunblade, and the reason for his upcoming expedition.

He slipped the silvery pack over his shoulder, then the pack, and checked that his reach to the blade was unimpeded. He slipped the sunglasses from his face and tossed them into the car. He looked down at his clothes. They were warm, easy to move in and generally unfashionable. The PDA beeped its success, and Larsa was ready. He entered a command to wipe the laptop’s data, and then crushed it nearly to dust under his boots. He kicked the pieces away, pulled up the car’s top, let up the windows, then took up his pickax. He walked until he was several feet from the cliff-side, then turned and ran towards it. His feet ran up the rock a few paces before the sound of the pickax striking it echoed throughout the deserted expanse.

Larsa’s face was of cold determination as he sped up the nearly sheer face, feet, hand and pickax alternating movement as the ground and car shrank away. He never lost his footing; his great strength and speed kept him in constant, yet sure and careful movement. Larsa’s breath was even as he pulled himself up onto rocky ground. He slipped the pickax into loop on his belt, and withdrew the PDA from his pocket. He tapped the screen, looking at the digitised terrain and notes attached to it, then started forward, studying the screen. He turned and started southeast for somewhere near an hour before he put the PDA away. He looked up at the large rocky outcropping, and then moved around it, smiling triumphantly at the ramp of dirt leading to a narrow hole.

Larsa turned, pulling the pickax from his belt, and carefully lowered himself onto his side. He eased himself over the edge and began to slide towards the hole. He was soon gaining speed, and slammed the pickax into the ground, slowing his descent. The hole was coming closer and Larsa was not going slowly enough to stop before falling into it. He turned a little and dug in his heels, also digging his gloved hand into the soft dirt. He slowed, and slowed more and finally stopped only a few feet from the hole. Larsa released a little sigh, and looked up at the slope. He had slid almost twice as far down as he had climbed, from what he could see.

He eased himself to his feet and peered down into the hole. His seismic readout had said the drop was only ten feet or so, but Larsa could not see the floor of the cavern. He could only hope he wouldn’t break his leg. He jumped. He fell far less than he expected and his feet hit the ground. Larsa bent his knees and he hit the ground, and easily absorbed the shock of the landing. He raised his head and looked around into total darkness. Larsa took off his pack, and fumbled blindly in it for a heavy flashlight. He zipped up the pack, threw it back on, and slid the switch to the on position. The great beam of light lit up the rocky corridor, which Larsa could see led down into the cave. Larsa knew that if he turned around he could follow that path and eventually reach one of the many branches off the main mine.

He checked his footing in the moist earth, and began forward, moving his flashlight across his path as he went.

----
Word Count: 901

[Silver Sylph]

As Larsa fell down and hit the earth, a small shake could be felt, although it didn't seem to do much but shake some dust off the walls of the cave. The cave was dark, just as Larsa couldn't see ten feet down, the same goes for whatever lies ahead of him. Although the fall didn't seem to hurt Larsa, continuing to take jumps like that may prove to be dangerous and risky. The walls lined with shiny stones of various colors and sizes, yet none of it was mythril. The only trace of mythril that seemed to be in place were small shiny speckles of it on the floor, but those could have been any shiny material. As Larsa continued down the path, the air seemed to get colder and thinner, as the mine slowly ascended and seemed to have been untouched. Many of the crystals on the walls have been harvested, however, as expeditions to mine such have been made many years ago, but the amount harvested seemed to thin drastically as he continued down the path.

After a good half of a mile, the cave's crystals were gleaming and bright, the light upon them shining like diamonds. Upon reaching the end of this long cave, there were three paths: one was lined with beautiful blue crystals, one lined with yellow glittering ones, and one with a vibrant red. The paths seemed to go deeper into the cavern, but which way was the one with the mythril deposit?