Mines
“Mines!” you said happily, as you shot the taur a friendly look. She looked a bit concerned, lowering her head and gesturing you forwards before bobbing her way through a thinly spaced walkway, opening the door from the inside. With a loud creak of the hinges, the heavy metal doors swung open and you could feel the wind of their rotation hitting your face in a hot blast of musty air. You thought to yourself about how this smell was almost as bad as your spray, and a worrying feeling clutched your stomach as you gazed deep into the tunnel, as if it were a ravenous mouth of some monster.
The hot blasts of air continued as you followed the woman showing you around inside, the collective footsteps of your feet rang out endlessly into a deep dark cavernous mine. You heard some voices in the depths, though you couldn’t make out exactly what the mysterious voices were saying. Looking around you only saw the deep cuts in the dark mine walls where rocks were scraped away by millions of pickaxe scrapes throughout the years.
You wondered how long it even took for these walls to be carved throughout the mountain; its sprawling pathways were way too much for your mind to comprehend as the path branched off about thirty times before you were finally able to see the lights at the end of the tunnel. To your surprise, when you both move past the bright light, as your eyes adjust, you finally begin to take in the elements of your surroundings.
You find yourself in a large room with walls of rock and furnished with what seems like luxury pieces with intricacy, as if every piece was picked by a seasoned interior designer. Your eyes opened widely in surprise as you discovered what was before you.
The taur gestured for you to take in the 'drawing room' which was filled with a hand full of other taurs, sitting around as they chatted about the political state of the kingdom. You were utterly taken aback by the stark contrast of jagged, rough, and angularly carved stone walls, along with the smooth curvature of the upholstery; fluffy and smooth to the touch. It took a moment of adjustments before you started to comprehend what the furs around you were saying.
Moments after you had entered the room, they all stopped to turn and look in your direction. Just as bewildered as you were, the room fell silent before the young taur who led you in began to give her introductions. After a quick verbal exchange between the taur and the four or five other taurs seated and scattered about the room, one of them began to speak to you, describing briefly how the kingdom's system worked, how great it was, and how the history of this kingdom was what made it so great. It was pretty convincing!
Written by Driftingdragon on 12 August 2020
