Submission (#3845) Approved

Act 4
Elnin: https://worldofeyre.com/character/MYO-ELN357
Region: Zevija ( not claiming AP )
Word count: 995
Mini-requirement: Depict your Elnin with an adventuring outfit. Complete an act of exploration.

Gold.
Silver.
Rubies.
Sapphires.
Diamonds.

Peach wasn’t a materialistic kittom, but she couldn’t help but perk up when she heard those words. The kitten was walking through her hometown in Faerindell when she crossed paths with two older elnin talking. Peach found herself slowing her pace, and then eventually stopping in her tracks to listen to the two elnin talking. They were talking about all the gems and precious metals that could be found in the gemstone mines deep within the caverns of Zevija. Zevija was close to Faerindell, wasn’t it? Practically a skip and a jump above Faerindell. While Peach wasn’t interested in getting rich quickly or collecting gems, she was curious to see if she could find gems on her own. Even seeing them in their natural form in the caverns would be worth the journey up there. Before the two older elnin could notice her eavesdropping on their conversation, the kitten turned and headed straight back home to begin planning out her journey.

She didn’t have any immediate plans or obligations here she had to tend to, so Peach could head out whenever she wanted to ( or at least, whenever the next ship to Zevija was ). That didn’t mean it’d be smart to rush out immediately. She had to plan and pack everything she needed for the trip. From what she knew about Zevja, it was rather hot. And if she was going to go underground, she’d need good shoes. Peach went around her house and scrounged up everything she thought she needed. When everything was set and done, Peach had gathered the following - several light and airy dresses ( perfect for warm weather, she thought! ), a pair of the most heavy duty shoes she had that would still look nice with her dresses, several days worth of rations, a blanket and pillow, and a lantern. She figured that since he certainly wasn’t the first one to try and go into the gemstone caverns that there'd be a vendor or two she could pick up more supplies from. With everything packed up neatly in her bag, Peach sat the bag next to the front door and headed to bed for the night. Her dreams were full of smooth travels and shiny gems.

The trip was far from the picture perfect trip she had in her dreams. Going from Faerindell to Zevija via boat made Peach realize that she easily got seasick. The kitten spent a majority of the trip either in bed or laying on the ship’s floor, hoping that they would reach their destination soon. When they finally reached Zevija she managed to step off the ship with shaky legs. Once on solid ground, she looked around and realized how barren Zevija was. Even close to the water the area was empty, with sand as far as she could see. The only things that cut across the empty sky above were rock formations that reminded her of bridges, and Zevija’s elder tree off in the distance. Despite the lack of interesting scenery above ground, she wasn’t here for that - she was here for what was sitting below.

It didn’t take Peach long to find some vendors for her to purchase the rest of the supplies she needed and to get directions to the gem mines she was looking for. At the same time she learned that she had not packed the proper attire to go down into the mines, as there was the occasional lava pool and dangers that a simple dress would not protect her from. In exchange for emptying her pockets of her money she became heavy with protective clothes that oddly didn’t make her overheat. They were a bit thick though, and it took her awhile to adjust walking around in a long sleeved shirt and pants. Peach quietly sulked to herself about how she definitely did not look cute at all as she headed towards the entrance of some gem mines.

Down, down, and down into the ground she went. At the start there were well carved stone stairs that she could easily walk down. The further she went, the more unrefined the stairs became, and eventually there were no stairs at all. When she had reached the bottom, Peach raised her lantern and looked around. There were several pathways made of stone, and with all of them looking the same the kitten picked a random path and ventured down into the tunnel.

Was it fate, or simply a lucky guess? Peach didn’t know, but after a while of walking the darkness was replaced by walls of glittering bright gems and crystals. As Peach raised her lantern, the gentle flames from inside the lantern made the gems and crystals that lined the walls sparkle and twinkle. Greens, purples, blues, reds - there was an entire rainbow shining on the walls. The sight of the gems made her entire trip worth it. This would be a scene that she would remember forever.

As Peach wasn’t here to mine any of the gems, she had planned on heading out once she was done looking at all the gems. However, as she was about to turn to head back down the tunnel towards the stone stairs something on the ground caught her eye. Did a crystal fallen off the wall? She curiously stepped over and kneeled down to see that a small chunk of crystal was laying on the ground. Upon closer inspection the crystal was the same color of her anima and her namesake - peach colored! She couldn’t not pick it up and take it with her. Clearly this crystal and her were meant to be together!

With pep in her step Peach made her way out of the gem mine. She was content with leaving behind all the ore and crystals for someone else to find and claim for their own. The memories and the small crystal she pictured up was enough treasure for her to take home with her!