Submission (#6342) Approved

Zevija’s underground cities make Lufei feel trapped. He’s of the Fae; to be taken from the freedom of the skies and nature is inherently wrong. Lufei, however, is treating the experience as part of his own personal growth. He’ll have to deal with all sorts of tense situations when he’s officially part of the Solstice Court, and travel to the various regions is probably seen as mandatory for lower caste members.

There are all walks of life down in these dreary halls. Elnin who’ve gone pale without access to the light, children who play hop scotch over fumarole vents, crystals of all colors changing hands like candy—

The guide he’d hired is upfront about warning Lufei away from dubious interactions, as Zevija seems to be rife with them. Not just tucked away from the sunlight, the community here seems to attract those looking to get away from polite company, too.

That’s not to say that everyone in the underground cities are terrible; in fact, Lufei’s met some of the sweetest Elnin since he left his forest.

“We provide a safe place for Elnin who need to get away,” Kairoh, his hired help, says. “Nothing wrong with most of the folks here, you just need to watch out as a newcomer.”

Today’s itinerary is to take a walk through the gemstone mines. Lufei has always been particularly interested in them, both for the beautiful luster and the potential spiritual properties of the stones. To visit Zevija and not take at least a peek at them would be practically criminal!

Lufei follows Kairoh at a moderate pace, taking in the various volcanic vents that litter the ground at random intervals. They spit hot, smelly air and debris out at unsuspecting victims. As the pair delve deeper into the mineshaft, Kairoh starts orating about various tidbits of history.

“I haven’t been here as long as many others, but Zevija’s got a pretty neat history,” Kairoh says. “The mine shafts especially are a heated topic debate amongst locals.”

“You wouldn’t consider yourself a local?” Lufei inquires, glancing at the kittom. “You seem knowledgeable enough.”

Kairoh laughs, and waves his paw at Lufei. “I may know a thing or two, but locals of Zevija—true locals—are something else. They have a certain… charisma, you could say.”

And perhaps Lufei did know; most of the Elnin he had interacted with so far had a certain atmosphere to them. Maybe it was from the sustained exposure to sulfur, or being trapped underground; whatever it was, Zevijan residents have quite the character.

“Ah!”

Lufei looks towards Kairoh. The kittom has stopped in front of a patch of the wall, and after closer inspection, Lufei sees a purple crystal poking out of the rocky wall.

“Now that we’ve come across some shards, we’ll start seeing more and more as we descend deeper,” Kairoh explains. “The pressure of the rock and heat from the volcanoes is what has led to the foundation of the gemstones. We’ll have to turn around at a certain point because it’ll get too hot for us to travel further, but we can head in a bit more.”

“What’s the general practice for harvesting the gemstones?” Lufei asks, curious how the mineshaft hasn’t been picked clean yet.

“Beyond it being extremely difficult to pry anything out at the higher levels, the local government has strict policies in place to protect the natural state of the mines.”

“So almost like a protected endangered species?”

Kairoh nods, “Exactly. Those caught smuggling gems in or out of the mines are usually sentenced to some time in prison.”

Lufei hums, eyes locked on the walls as they travel deeper into the shaft. The amount of crystals covering the walls grows as the heat level rises. Eventually the two venture deep enough to reach a small room, filled with beautiful, precious stones and a bubbling pool of water.

Kairoh claps his paws together. “Now! For the fun part,” the kittom begins, stepping over the edge of the pool. “I get to teach you how to fish for some local specialties!”

It would probably be a social faux pas to mention he’s vegetarian, but Lufei figures it wouldn’t hurt to release what they catch back to the waters.
Kairoh drags his bag down from over his shoulder, drawing out two small poles with fishing line already pre-spooled. Dragging out a tackle kit and placing it on a large, chunky gemstone, Kairoh picks out two brightly colored and fluffy bait lures.

“These work best to attract the swimmers in these pools; anything that looks enough like a gemstone—their main diet—works like a charm.”

Lufei peers over Kairoh’s shoulder and into the murky waters. Who knows how deep the pool actually was, or what was truly lurking in there.

“The line and bait are specifically tailored to withstand higher temperatures,” Kairoh continues. The kittom seems genuinely excited to show Lufei how to fish, and the Faenin finds it endearing. “The best thing to catch is a particular slug; it produces gems directly on its back, which are legally harvestable in moderation.”

“Sounds interesting,” Lufei says with a smile, taking the offered fishing pole. He watches Kairoh cast a line, then follows to mimic him. Despite the pitiful attempt, Kairoh doesn’t laugh; instead, he demonstrates for Lufei again.

There’s a certain grace to the action; almost like a flick and a swish, throwing the line out enough to fall near the center of the pool, but not too much to lose tension. His second attempt isn’t great, but it gets the line in the correct position; Lufei considers this an absolute win.

As they wait for wildlife to take notice of their bait, the two continue talking. Lufei learns of Kairoh’s recent adventures to Enmir, while Lufei speaks on his current pilgrimage. They’re from extremely different walks of life, but it’s nice to hear tales of no consequence; simple anecdotes that don’t mean much beyond being a pleasantry to continue conversation.

Lufei’s line tugs abruptly.

“Ah,” the Faenin murmurs. His brain stops working for a breath, before his mind catches up to his body and he grabs the pole and tugs. “Do I just reel it in?”

Kairoh leans over, holding Lufei’s pole and doing a test tug. “Feels like a decent size, so tug on it while you’re reeling.”

The kittom talks Lufei through the process, the line reeling back into the spool in increments. Soon enough, they can both make out a splash of red just below the surface of the water.

With one last tug, the fish surfaces. It’s a beautiful ruby red color, with flecks of pulsating light running along cracks in the fish’s tough looking scales. Lufei finds himself intrigued by the claws on it, almost like the digits on a bat’s wings.

It’s a decent size; about the same width as a watermelon. Kairoh congratulates him on the catch while reaching over to grab the line a couple inches away from where the hook is caught on the fish’s upper lip.

“We’ll have to let this one go,” Kairoh begins, which immediately sets Lufei’s mind at ease. “This species of fish isn’t really useful, especially because it’s tainted by miasma. Definitely super pretty, though!”

And with a quick motion, Kairoh unhooks the fish, and tosses it back into the pool of water.

“Want to go again?” Kairoh asks with a smile.

Lufei grins back, and nods.