“Well, my story starts many years ago when my parents got rather frisky one evening...” I started in on an old classic of missing the point. ‘Does this dress make my butt look big?’ ‘So what were you doing out last night?’ No, princess, I’m not going to hang myself for you... Wonder how long she’ll let me carry on like this? If she wanted specifics of something relevant, she could ask. I wasn’t going to sit here and help her fish for info however.
“Okay, stop.” The Princess of Love rolled her eyes before taking a breath and trying again. “Officially, we learned you existed eight months ago when Princess Luna followed the nightmares of several hundred ponies to Cyrex’s mountain. Where you thwarted her attempt to rescue said ponies.” She continued before I can interject. “Look, our military ponies don’t have a very high opinion of you. ‘An uncontrolled thug on a rampage through our fair nation.’ But I don’t care what those blow hards have to say. You clearly have intelligence and skill or you would not have been beating us at every turn.
“So why don’t you tell me how we actually got into this mess? What happened to put you and Luna at violent odds? What happened in that mountain? Before any of that, what is your name?”
“Friends call me Chad. You call me Silver Legate. For the rest of your questions, we’re going to have to go back a few days before Luna attacked….”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Collaborator, they call me.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Overhand, from the side
Swing the pick till we die
Break the rocks
Free the gems
Silver, they call me.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Mine the ores
Melt them down
Pull the riches from the ground
Enrich the dragon pound by pound
Dragon’s Tail, they call me.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
Overhead, from the side
Imagine it was dragonhide
The Dragon’s Tail keeps us here
Mining for our lives.
Swing (chink). Dig (thunk). Swing (chink). Again.
It was the mindlessness of it more than anything else that got to me. Swinging a pick in time with the chant, waiting for the shift to end. At least it was shift with an end instead of work till collapse.
Finally, the horn was blown. Picks stopped swinging. Loose rock was added to carts. Carts were pushed along their tracks for the last time. Heaving a sigh, I carried my pick over to the rack, only to notice the ore cart had been left for me to haul. I took a moment to stare at the cursed thing. Loaded with iron ore and fitted with a hitch that didn’t fit my build, it promised at least another 20 minutes of hard, back breaking work. And I had been on a pony team today. The flighty things weren’t willing to challenge me directly, but passive-aggressive? They were all over that.
No help for it then. Putting myself in the hitch as best I could, I began to pull.
By the time I got the cart to the drop and unloaded, the meal was well under way. I headed for the bath. I didn’t eat with the others. Safer that way. Weekly bathing was mandatory and more often was allowed. I was one of the few who bathed daily.
It was another of the features I’d convinced Cyrex to add. It was almost funny, really. The big evil dragon was more or less one of those idiot kids right out of school with an MBA convinced the best way to help the company was to cut the pay of everyone actually doing the work. Fortunately his greed both overrode his pride, and was tempered by patience. It meant if I could show positive returns on a feature or request, it would be implemented. Limited shifts, sick days, proper meals, and most importantly bathing.
I entered the bath house hoping that he wasn’t there wanting to run some new ‘bright idea’ past me. His bright ideas at the best were terrible. ‘How bout we feed everyone a carnivorous diet? We should go back to using revolters as food.’ I couldn’t keep the disgust off my face at the various remembered conversations. And the implications many of them came with.
I threw my loincloth over the pile of clothes to be laundered and turned to the heated tub. I focused on my amulet for a moment and ended the frost spell that helped keep me cool during the work hours, I wanted the heat. The hot water felt wonderful after a full 10 hours swinging a pick and I allowed myself to slowly sink into the warmth. Just floating there, no work, letting stress and fatigue seep out and float away. I couldn’t just stay there forever, though. There were still things to do.
Directing my will into the amulet had taken some getting used to but by this point I was as capable as any unicorn. I slowly sank to the bottom of the tub and began to freeze the entire thing. Soon a layer of ice inches thick covered the surface. Hidden from view I opened a hidden panel on the side and swam through a channel that run under the closest wall. I froze the water as I went to keep the illusion I was still in the tub. At the end of the channel was another pool that I swam to the surface of.
Surfacing in this natural cave was always a bit dramatic, as I tended to be low on air. A few breaths and a stroke or two and I was climbing out of the water into the dimly lit cave. A towel held in brown magic was floated over to me by the ever helpful Hopeful Dawn. As I dried off, she also took a moment to lay out a proper set of clothes for me, the ones I always wore when attending these clandestine meetings. When I got to be me instead of the object everyone hated.
“Everyone, now is our chance to kill him!” chirped a voice I deeply regretted ever learning.
The griffon came diving at me with little more warning than that shout, but it was all I needed. Spawning my spear in my hands, I did my best impression of a Louisville Slugger and sent the living mass of claws and beak into the wall. A quick inspection of the now dazed bird revealed exactly who I didn’t want it to be.
Geralt.
“My name is Chad. You will use it here.” I said it calmly, which was difficult. Seriously, these moronic bird brains couldn’t figure out a plan if you spelled it out for them. Waiting for the opportune moment, going for a mass attack, not having everyone be half dead and starved just did not compute. If you weren’t doing a full out rebellion at all times, you were a traitor.
I mean, I could respect not giving in, not bowing to fear, not giving up; but this inability get a freaking clue had cost me several times, and almost derailed the current plan to kill Cyrex. What is he doing here? I swear I said no outsiders.
I looked across my fellow conspirators as I dressed, all standing around the table we had scrounged from somewhere: Hopeful Dawn, princess of the ponies; Steely Grasp and his mentor Ol’ Ironsides, Lords of the minotaurs; Duke, Rufus, and Fido alphas of the Diamond Dogs; Gertrude the one random hen I had thought was willing to listen to reason; and now seemingly Geralt, the self-titled emperor of the Griffons.
Considering I’d been debating assassinating him myself, this was not going to be fun.
“Gertrude.” All the menace.
“...uh… He caught on to the meeting and demanded to be part of the plan.” Translation, I am incapable of keeping my beak shut and started bragging to gain status.
“How dare you ignore me, Silver! And all of you, this is our chance. If we get him then Cyrex will know that we will not quietly allow him rule.” I ignored the rest of the squawking. Everyone else here was capable of understanding the situation. Just because I was ‘in charge’ of the mine itself didn’t mean I favored Cyrex. Honestly, I probably hated him more than most did. I let him rant till it became clear Gertrude wasn’t going to shut him up, then froze his beak shut. A gesture to Dawn had the griffon floating back to the table where he was dropped next to the hen.
I walked over to my usual place between Dawn and Ironsides. My two closest confidants and friends down here. Dawn had been willing to trust me from the get go, I was never quite sure on why. But she liked to talk about some idyllic country called Equestria, and since I seemed lost she had offered to help present me to something call Princess Celestia. Which might be a way home, if it really was some kind of all powerful sun god. Ironsides had been far more recalcitrant even though he had come to me. He had forced me to prove my intentions and willingness to listen. Daily meditation, specific challenges, weeks of just observing me whenever he could eventually led to his decision to offer me trust. Later I would learn just how pivotal he was to the minotaurs; I would never of gotten their support without him.
“Alright, Dawn, I believe you have something for us?” Time to get the meeting started since we were on a bit of a time crunch. Cyrex liked to look me up from time to time. Fortunately, he wouldn’t bother trying to get through the ice in the bath tub. Unfortunately, he would wait for me to come out.
Lighting up her horn again, Dawn brought a scroll out from her pack and laid it out. A light spell to help those of who couldn’t see in the dark was also cast.
“It seems the next outbound shipment of gems goes with a caravan in three days.” You could hear the smile in that line.
That is what we had been waiting for. The caravans necessitated bringing a lot of slaves up to haul the goods. And that meant a lot of angry beings ready to launch an attack from close range.
“That’s it, then. Duke, we’ll need the soldiers. All of them. Dawn, I want unicorns brought up as well. Gert..alt. Griffons will be joining me and the minotaurs on the main attack.” Time to lay it out as simply as possible or the birds would end up staring stupidly and then declaring my death again. “The plan goes like this: I will engage Cyrex with Griffons flanking. The goal is not to beat him one on one but rather force him onto the ground or into a wall. Once that happens, we just need to hold him there till the dogs can dig to his location. And then through him.” It was a simple plan.
“As promised. We’s will gets soldiers as hauler instead of females. You sure Cyrex no notice?” Came Duke’s full bodied baritone. Getting the dogs on board had been difficult, but not overly challenging. This mountain had been their home from before Cyrex took over, and they were more than interested in reclaiming their mountain. It had taken time and following their culture to earn their trust. The improvements in living quality that I had gotten in also helped bring everyone around.
“Certain.”
“I assume you want the unicorns for counter spelling. I’ll get the best ones up and ready.” Dawn, ever hopeful and ever on board. The only times she raised complaints was when I overlooked something. Considering she had grown up in here, her parents had made sure she was educated.
The two minotaurs looked at the scroll, glanced to me then Steely Grasp spoke up, “There is no food being delivered on this shipment. And the supplies won’t last another month.” The young lord brought himself up to full stature before giving me a half bow. “When you begin, we shall be there to ensure success. You have earned that much at least.”
And that just leaves them, I sneered as turned to the griffons and released Geralt’s beak.
“I propose we just kill the Dragon’s Tail here and now! Without him Cyrex won’t be able to do the trade. Can’t you all see how he is leading you to your dooms?! Once he gets all of you killed, Cyrex will reward him amazingly.” The sheer smugness in that tone was infuriating. It was however, rather amusing to watch his conviction slowly drain away as none of the others took his side or even acknowledged his outburst. “Have you all been so thoroughly deceived? He is the betrayer. He is the one helping the dragon keep up.” And slowly the tone changed to almost panic. “Well no matter. I will lead the griffons to the death of the Silver and the salvation of all your races after you are all dead. We will have no part in your purge, Silver.” With that, Geralt took wing, heading off, with Gertrude following close behind.
So long as that means you stay out of the way, fine.
I glanced over to Ironsides, “Make sure those birds don’t cause us grief.”
Turning back the table, I found Dawn rubbing her face… cheek… muzzle… whatever against my hand.
“You knew they weren’t likely to help, even before Gertrude gave it away. Geralt would never bow to someone he sees as competition, and the rest are too cowed by this point to tell him off. But enough about them. We also have something else for you,” with that Dawn returned to her original spot, and pulled a large sack from shadows that clanked and chinked before dumping the contents out.
A patchwork suit of armor made of silver. The design was fairly crude but we had to work with what we had. Since my main advantages were flexibility and reach, the armor had been designed to accommodate that. The under suit was fabric with chainmail at the joints. The armor plates that went over the chest and back were hollow with ceramic tiles inside. On the legs and arms, solid bars of silver a quarter inch thick. Combine all of that with defensive ice magic and it really could make the difference. The helmet was a special piece. Solid silver with a tinted glass faceplate. With it on, my face was invisible while not inhibiting my ability to see. It probably wouldn’t last more than one battle but that should be all I needed. I couldn’t resist the smile that grew across my face.
I looked up to the others, “For Freedom!”
“FOR FREEDOM!” they responded.
Three days, and then we are free.