Minoc’s forge smoke hung thick in the air tonight, that familiar tang of coal and scorched metal clinging to my beard as I sat on the lopsided stool across from the hearth. I’d just come in from the western mine near the old clay pits, pack dragging like it had a will of its own. Nearly fifty ingots in there—iron mostly, a few tin mixed in from a stubborn blue-veined seam I’d chipped at until my arms shook. My hands still throbbed from the pick’s recoil, knuckles raw, but it was the weight in my shoulders that felt honest. Not just the load, but the day’s work settling into my bones like cooling slag.
I remember one strike near sundown—the pickaxe hitting that stubborn rock face just right. A clean crack, not the dull thud I’d been cursing for hours. Sparks flew, not from metal, but from flint hidden deep in the seam. For a second, the tunnel lit up like a forge flash, shadows leaping up the walls, and I swear I heard something shift beneath the stone. Probably rats. Probably. But in that breath, I felt it—the old thrill, the miner’s gamble. Will this strike yield? Will the next collapse on me? My breath fogged in the sudden chill, pick raised for another blow, heart drumming against my ribs like a hammer on steel.
Back at the mine forge, I stacked the ingots near the anvil, the pile catching the last amber glow of the coals. I ran a thumb over one—still warm from the smelt, rough as dragon hide. That small stack represented three trips, a broken pair of tongs I’d had to repair with wire, and the patience of a man who’s learned that iron won’t be rushed. When I finally hauled them into town and traded with old Brenna at the blacksmith’s stall, she didn’t haggle. Just nodded, counted out the coins with chapped fingers, and said, “You’ve got the miner’s rhythm now.” Felt like praise.
Tomorrow, I’m heading north toward the mountain pass. Heard whispers of silver in the deeper tunnels near the orc caves. Might be fools’ gold. But after today? I’ll take the risk. I like the way the pick sings when it finds the truth in stone.
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