Heart, Body, and Mined: Euclase the Hungry Hewer

*by Jorlaxl*

The light in Euclase’s eyes danced with hypnotic rhythm. The otherwise dark cabin was illuminated only by the muted glimmer his lantern’s flame provided, refracted sharply through the gem in the Rokari’s gloved hands. It seemed though the glow was enhanced when passed through the crystal’s many facets, providing him ample vision. Reclined in a wooden chair, Euclase shined his newly reclaimed prize with a soft cloth in broad but efficient swaths. *The latest of many gifts. Rokar is as generous as our people are wise to seek such boons.* The mining captain’s helmet was placed at his side on the oaken table, blackened and tarnished, yet to be cleaned for many an excursion now. Uncharacteristic of Euclase, his aging drinking companions back home would be the first to say. “The brighter the helmet, the more magnetic your pick-axe!”

“They haven’t been pushed to the bone and back like I have,” he muttered to himself. “Even I was too untested to know how dull my gleam was, then.” Indeed, it seems that the other company miners that Euclase was tasked to lead into the unexplored were cut from a different, much stouter cloth than the hobby foragers he was used to consorting with closer to the city.  Finishing the polish, he stood from the chair, which creaked a sigh of relief, and approached the ashen gray shelf by the cabin’s lone doorway. *Another focusing crystal for the Arcanists, and whatever plots they tangle above our heads.* Taking a worn key from the fob at his belt, Euclase opened the strongbox the Rokar Reclamation provided and placed the lustrous crystal into the linen-swaddled case. *Whatever it is they’re hoping we find, they should show more gratitude for the many resources we have successfully dug up.*

Not that the industrious miner wasn’t compensated well, in fact he’s never been wealthier. Locking the box again and sitting on the roughly spun cot he’s now spent 3 straight weeks resting in, Euclase began strapping into his mining equipment, once more tasked with searching for valuable minerals and resources in the earth.  Reaching next for the crimson fur-lined cloak and throwing it over his shoulders, he considered the circumstances he was born from. Nearly abandoned by his parents and saved only by his talent for mining and forging, it’s natural for him to be most comfortable proving his worth to defend his value. What better way to do that and further his people than to provide the very materials for them to forge their own destinies? Their own greatness?

Euclase donned his mining helmet before finally reaching above his head onto the rack on the wall, grasping a large axe with both hands and attaching it to his belt at his side. *For whatever beasts we may face today.* Despite the heft of the weapon, he was never disappointed with the penchant it has for finding his opponent’s vitals, saving him many times with its brutal ripping potential.

Checking to ensure the lantern’s oil was topped off, Euclase left the cabin and began trudging further into the woods his temporary home faced, ready once again to hew Rokar’s rugged face and wrench free its many riches for its deserving populace.

//////

The night’s chill was no stranger to Euclase, but he dreaded its icy invitation all the same. The darkness that otherwise swallowed both the horizon and the jagged trees above him were kept at bay by only his lantern’s flame, gently ebbing along with the breeze. The temperature’s harsh sting was present both above ground and, to Euclase’s repeated dismay, far below, where he and the Rokar Reclamation’s mining efforts have been focused of late. Unfortunately for the miners that provide the upper crust of society their lavish riches, the arcanists haven’t deemed it necessary to outfit their mining operation with any enkindling crystals. They considered the preternatural cold in the area to be a sign that a major unearthing was quick at hand.

“I hope they’re right,” Euclase grunted between frosty breaths. “The high council of Rokar has their flaws, but they’ve always kept the people in their hearts.” The miner’s precious gems, after having been refined and polished by Euclase himself, have been carried by cart to the high council for enchantment and redistribution among the citizens of Rokar, for their various needs. As he cleared his path through a thick brush of damp foliage, he covered the lantern instinctually to keep its fire safe. Past the treeline, too late, Euclase turned his head in front to see the tragic scene before him. The ravaged, torn remains of who he immediately recognized as a fellow miner by the familiar, now mangled helmet was strewn across the blood-soaked grass underfoot.

Standing above the corpse was the imposing form of a Rokari runebear, named not for any link to the discipline of magic but instead indicative of the wisping curls and mazelike pattern of its valuable coat.

Euclase quickly exhaled and reached for his most stalwart defense, his axe. “You’ll pay for this, monster!” the shaken miner bellowed, dropping his lantern, weak flame snuffed meekly by the mildewed thrush at his feet. Raising his weapon above his shoulders, he watched as the bear scoffed a warning growl before charging, fanged maw bared. Euclase deftly sidestepped and swung his axe in retaliation, bringing it down with brutal force. The edge connected into flesh and sank, a crimson spiral steaming forth, further staining the already bloodied pelt. The bear moaned a low protest as it quickly turned and snapped at his exposed arm.

Grimacing, he yanked his axe backward and freed it from his attacker’s body as sharp teeth ripped into what morsel of flesh was there. The Rokari gasped and leaped back, creating distance between the two and allowing him to inspect his wound briefly. Retrieving a patch of quick sealing bandage from his belt and pressing quickly on the pooling, blooded bite on his arm, he felt the immediate relief of the binding charm already weaving to his skin. *This darkness is too tough to fight in,* Euclase realized. *It’s dangerous when I can’t see it clearly.* The bear stood up on its hind legs, serving to protect the fresh gash on its rear. Bristling, it started a short roar with frenzied rage, stopped by sharp pain. Foamed ichor flecked off of its hide, and he wasn’t sure if it was his impaired sight or the adrenaline pumping through his veins, but he heard the telltale sound of liquid dripping on rock.

Essential for determining sources of water in the cavernous areas below, Euclase’s ears were trained to listen for such indicators, keeping his party safe from possible cave collapse. Sensing the opportunity in its position along with the cragged stone behind it, Euclase charged, his shoulder forward, head held low and to the side, eying his target as closely as possible through the shrouded darkness. The bear widely swiped with a set of keen claws, forcing him to duck to the right, slamming it at center mass, toppling the creature backward onto the marbled rock behind it. Not wasting a moment, The Rokari gripped his axe with both hands and raised it above his head, stopping his arc’s momentum just long enough to sling it downward, thundering a booming howl as he cleaved through both flesh and bone. The miner’s shout was accompanied by an echoing *CRACK!*

With a fresh spray of lifeblood, the axe’s edge sliced the bear’s chest through, splitting even further than that, hewing the votive stone under the decreasingly twitching beast. As blood seeped further into the rock, Euclase was able to see a glowing turquoise shimmer swell from inside. Dropping his weapon and huffing a moment, the stout miner grabbed the corpse by both legs and dragged it off of the boulder, so he could get a closer look inside. Lantern unnecessary now, the light was almost blinding. “What manner of crystal is this?” he exclaimed. He has never seen a gem like this in all of his life! Nearly shaking, he extended a gloved hand and grasped a small chunk of the precious discovery nestled within the rock. As his fingers curled around the mysterious jewel, Euclase felt a jolt of electricity surge throughout his body. He watched as his axe, still on the ground, began shining an identical blue as the stone in his grip.

“This… This is what the arcanists are searching for.”

//////

By the time the other miners found Euclase and his chest, it was nearly full to the brim with the sparkling, never-before-seen mineral. The captain swore it was to make everyone’s job easier, but the crew joked it was the gruff foreman trying to get a higher payout than the rest of them for the discovery. The Rokari scribes began their report immediately, destined for the high council’s chambers. Other operations have stopped, as per their orders, awaiting their new instructions.  Aside from the small vein that was discovered after the attack, there has been no other pockets found, to everyone’s dismay. Everyone, of course, but Euclase.

Sitting on the cot back in his cabin, he reflected on his findings. He has felt a nauseating combination of relief and dread in knowing that he will now be a notable name in the annals of history. *For defending myself against a bear and getting lucky? Or for being the one unlucky enough to stumble upon something too fragile to hold?* Lighting his pipe and taking a deep draw, he exhaled smoke. Once getting home, he’ll never face another worry. The successful take care of their own. *Why the fear, then?* His mind drifted, and he pictured the scarlet blood dripping through the shattered rock.

Nobody else knows that blood is necessary to find the inner gem within. It’s something too dangerous to become common knowledge until Euclase can tell the Council himself. *Such a high price to pay for progress.* For the first time in his life, he was unsure if he should share what he found with his people. Is it worth the amount of blood that needs to be spilled? He considered the now discarded bear corpse, forgotten about in the excitement with his unearthing, hidden some distance away. Completely drained of blood.

*Will we lacerate ourselves with countless shards of our own potential?*