Strena Quester Part Seven

 The Old Mine

They had been on the road for three months without anything happening. Yet Bash, Chashathrophogh and Cerpheres could sense that Dark Lord Gajellidor Darcrogh was still in Animéga. Yet they could not place as to why he had not left. The troubling thing was; they were all low on money and the pale trio had just finished the last of their sun protection potion. Fortunately, they were getting close to the Swamp Lands at the end of the Mideast continent. So they would have to hold on until then, however, as that third month drew to a close, it was all too clear that they could not.

So they saw the nearest Quest Board and looked at it.

Get Dwarf Treasure 

The Dwarf tribe of Shoraiah challenge all

Questers to take their treasure, with full

permission of the tribe, by passing their tests.

Emperor Eupharah

“Alright, let’s take it!” Strena moaned.

“Now until you perform the test I taught you.” 

“Fine!”

She pulled it off and showed it to the sun to find that there was no purple tint. 

“Well, it doesn’t have a purple tint, so it seems safe.”

“Then let’s make it as quick as we can.”

So they looked at the map on the back and followed it to the dwarven mines. The first thing that they noticed was just how big the entrance was.

“It was built by the ancestors of dwarfs. Who were ordinary humans, just like Leonardo here. Yet as the first tribe moved into the mines, all the tall ones were killed leaving only the shortest ones alive. Yet, as each generation went on, they became smaller and smaller. Yet, upon working long hours in the dark, their eyesight grew sharper and sharper, to a point that they could find a needle in a haystack in the dark! Yet, as they work with magic gemstones, this caused them all to develop magical properties and it is them that makes all our coins.”

“Did we really need to know that?”

“No. But the girl did.”

They all looked at her as she smiled, writing everything down.

“Well expert, what should we be expecting?”

“Challenges to the mind, art and strength.”

“‘Art’?”

“Yes. They love to paint, puzzles and riddles and poetry. Yet all seem to hate writing it all down, though.”

They nodded as they traveled further into the dark. Yet it was dimly lit by glowing mushrooms and crystals.

They soon came to the first dwarf.

“Pick one of you,

That poetry you do,

For that is the way,

To pass this day!”

Cerpheres went to speak, but Strena was faster.

“I will do it.”

“But-”

“Master Cerpheres,we don’t know all of these tests, so this way we will get an idea and this maybe the easiest.”

“Alright!” He purred as he shrugged.

So she walked to the dwarf.

“I’m ready.”

He nodded.

“Alright fight,

With ryme’s might,

About something that comes from the heart,

Any time and at any length you can start,

Pass or fail

You may be able to depart,

If you prevail!”

She nodded. She did not take long to think of a poem, which surprised her.

“A broken home,

Land to roam,

An empire built on blood,

Stand, it never ever should.

“Evil line will end with me,

Stopping the dark family tree,

Lonely but never alone,

Dark and light skills I honestly,

Doing all I can to hold onto the light,

Never letting go like a snake or parasite.”

Where did that come from? She thought as he nodded.

“You can pass,

You good lass,

Work do I go,

Deven use to know.”

So he left and the rest saw the door swing open and they walked on. They soon met with the second dwarf. Beside him were two axes and on the other two arts.

“I see you passed Shah’s test of poetry,

But I do with much as you can see,

Works is all that I do,

That is your way through!”

“Who should do this one?”

“Chashathrophogh?”

“No, Cerpheres. We are talking about heavy labour. Which means we need our most physically fit member of our group.”

“So Uncle Zaryb then?”

And why would you pick him?”

“Because he’s strong, and can run for miles and miles and very fast without getting tired.”

“Actually…that was Wolfox.”

“Then why don’t both of you beauties work together for this one?”

Zaryb looked aside I dread and nodded. He walked up to the dwarf and picked up the axe.

“Now for gems and jewels you will dig,

After all your work you get a seed of fig.”

He nodded as he looked at the rock. He saw the dwarf hit the rock behind him to see the green stone fall.

So that’s how it’s done!

So he hit the rock as hard as he could. Blue fell down beside him. He licked it up and put it in one of the carts then returned to his wall. So he put his in the other. Then he returned to his wall. He hit it again and again and again and put it in the carts. He retired to the wall. He did this again and again and again and again. Making sure to go as fast as he could and Wolfox would allow. Soon his cart was full and he looked at the dwarf.

“What now?”

“You can go on now,

Six dwarfs you will know!”

Soon they walked on. Soon they came to a dwarf with a stringed instrument. He looked at them with determination. Yet, upon taking a closer look they realized that the dwarf was a woman.

“Hold on, women dwarves also have beards?” Leonardo exclaimed in amazement.

“Yes. They used to have women that didn’t put too much emphasis on such things like that, in fact most male dwarves liked to marry women that had them.”

“‘More hair on the chin,

Stronger her offspring!’”

“So they became hairier every generation until only the women that were left were the ones with beards.”

“Thank you for the history lesson.” Bash and Chashathrophogh said sarcastically then they heard the scribbling.

Then they all looked at Strena that was writing it down.

“Girl, you don’t need to write it down!”

“But it’s so interesting!”

They shook their heads before returning their attention to the lady dwarf.

“I see you have passed Gurrah’s labour,

And did this lady dwarf a great favour,

Bring me some music beautiful,

Making the opponent tearful!”

“Hmmm!” Cerpheres sang. “Then I guess this is my one!”

He pulled out his violin and touched it to his chin and smiled lazily.

“Ready, my lady?”

She nodded. Then they started playing. She played something melancholic and filled with sorrow. Soon all but Cerpheres and the lady dwarf were crying. But then Cerpheres started playing a happy and childish tune that seemed extremely beautiful but also extremely silly that made everyone burst out laughing. Even the lady dwarf. They laughed and laughed and then he stopped and then led it into a warm and calming tune that filled everyone with warmth. Then he stopped.

“Seems, I win!” He sang.

Then the dwarf lady stopped and wiped away her tears. She smiled.

“Seems so,

You may go,

And please my dear,

Spread your cheer!”

“I plan to.” He said as they soon walked on. Then they walked up to another dwarf. They looked closely at the dwarf. They made sure to take a lower look at the dwarf before they could tell that it was a guy. He had a canvas next to him. In one hand was a pallet.

“You have passed Ahkra’s symphony,

But I deal in painting as you can see!”

He gestured to the many paintings of the mines and others were of nursing their bearded young.

“My challenge to you is to paint something that takes my breath away,

Fail and here with me you will work, paint and sing and forever say.”

Leonardo walked on and walked to the canvas. He pulled out the paints and pallets the dwarf had provided. He looked at the dwarf and smiled. He looked at the canvas and started painting. They stood there for over three hours as he carefully crafted each stroke of the brush and mixed each colour and mixed some of them, making it look as if the picture had depth.Then he started to paint a white temple which, at first, looked mundane, but as he worked up that, it became unimaginably beautiful. Yet he still was not done! Soon he was painting the background, revealing that it was a temple in the sky. Yet as he came to an end, he had painted a temple in the sky on a floating island with several magnificent dragons in the sky of all colours.

The dwarf looked at it after painting a chamber of dwarves working in a volcano, where there was a waterfall of lava. Yet it was the dwarf that was the first to stop breathing as he held it, looking at the painting’s magnificent beautiful painting.

“That is a breath of fresh air,

I see it is crafted with care,

Go on it seems to be fair,”

He looked up at the painting.

“But be warned,

If you journey on this path,

You will be mourned,

As death comes to your bath!”

He nodded as he became pale.

“I’d pay attention to that if I were you!” Sang Cerpheres.

Then the dwarf walked up to him.

“The sun shines now,

Death comes to bow,

And for five hundred years it will be night,

Yet death brings to the lady will bring light,

It will bring a long sunny day,

And lead you to a new way!”

He kissed the dwarf on the cheek.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Then he walked up to Bash.

“You will face death twice,

You will live now thrice,

Exposing the secret of the false divinity,

Fulfilling the Philosopher’s prophecy.”

She nodded and walked up to Zaryb.

“Your time of fleeting freedom is at dawn,

A royal girl to kill Wolfox will be born,

At the time of your tormentors death,

When her body takes it’s final breath,

However your day is very short,

For you shall be in death’s court!”

He nodded as he became misty eyed and he came to Strena.

“You shall never take up your crown,

After you take the false heir down,

Forever you will wonder and roam,

Never to truly ever settle down, 

Never to have a home,

Life will never let you drown.”

She frowned as he walked over to Chashathrophogh.

“You will learn in your depressed strife,

You will be trapped in your endless life,

But upon the second life of one,

You will no longer want to die,

It will lead you to a bright sun,

Yet the truth will make you cry.”

He nodded as they left the dwarf behind. Then they were greeted by a dwarf with a quiver and bow with a full set of arrows, strapped to his back. They walked up to him.

“I see you have passed Pherahh, 

The Dwarf Prophet I see,

But I am the dwarf archer,

Only beat my archery,

Then you can pass me!”

Bash walked on and pulled out her bow. That was when five dwarves walked in with ten apples. They all walked in a line. Then they put one on their heads. Bash, realizing what was going on, took out eleven arrows and put them in her quiver. That was when they put the apples on their heads and other dwarves blew something into the faces of the rest of her group and pulled them to the wall in front and put apples above their heads.

“First to finish moves onto the next room,

Fail and you will all meet your doom.”

Bash guarded her feelings as she nodded. Soon they began. She loaded three other arrows at once and fired. One hit the apples above Chashathrophogh, Cerpheres and the last Leonardo. Then she tilted her bow diagonally and fired. One hit the apples above Strena’s and the other Zaryb’s. There was nothing but ice in her eyes the whole time. She then turned and hit the remaining two on the dwarf’s head. She then looked at the dwarf with an ice cold look in her eye.

“I see you have finished your own,

Great archery you have shown,

Took two of mine I sed,

But is one of those for me?”

“Yes and if one of those caused the death of my friends and my dear Uncle, I would not have hesitated to shoot one at you.”

He shrugged.

“You are a fair lass,

For that you all pass!”

They soon met the next dwarf. He looked up at them. He was dressed in robes. He looked at Chashathrophogh. He walked up to them as he clutched his staff.

“I see that you have passed Archerrah of the bow,

I deal with magic and I am the magi,

If you can present your magic user and show,

If you are better and stronger than I,

Then on you will go,

One who will never die,

The reward you will know.”

That was when he walked forward. He looked at him with a frown.

“What do I do?”

“Levitate the rock,

Keep it in the air,

Get it to stay and lock,

Play it steady and fair,

First to make it fall and break,

The loss they will have to take.”

He nodded as he looked at the large rock. Soon they focused all their magic on the rock and used their will to make the rock rise. They kept it in the air for over an hour. Yet, despite his hunger the kept it in the air. Yet as time went on he started to sweat, however he continued. Soon he felt a strain but he continued. Then he felt it build and build and build. He felt his hunger and strain become painful but he continued. Then, after ten minutes, he became on the verge of passing out, but he kept it up for another five before he could feel his eyes starting to roll up when the dwarf fell over and his rock fell. Then he fainted. Yet out of pride he continued for five more minutes before he too passed out.

✴️

When he woke, he felt a cold towel on his head.

“You won our duel,

Pass on rare jewel.”

Then once Chashathrophogh had rested well and they moved onto the next one. Only to be met with a table with thirteen charged.

“I see that you passed Mahjued,

Answer each my riddle for food.”

They saw another woman dwarf and they nodded as they took their seats.

“Strena.”

She looked at her.

“Yes Mrs?”

She looked at the ring on her finger and smiled, bowing her head a tad.

“Duwellilope Mellirope.”

She nodded as she took out her journal.

“I have many colours,

Although my main is black,

I mark the forest,

With my track!”

She looked down as she could feel her hunger becoming slightly painful. Yet she had to push past this and think.

What is the main colour black?

What marks the forest?

A rainbow? No. Blood? No, that’s just red or blue on occasions and yellow and white. Not black.

Then she jotted the riddle down and then looked at the ink. Then she looked at the paper and then the ink.

Hold on, ink! Ink comes in many colours but ink is usually black! But it doesn’t mark the forest. No, but it does mark paper. Which is made of trees and trees make up forests!

“Ink!”

She nodded and soon a plate of meat and several local vegetables was placed in front of her. Then a Cristal knife and spoons.

“Zaryb.”

He nodded.

“I have teeth,

But I do not bite,

I am small,

But without me you can not enter your home,

Forced to feel the heat of the sun or the cold bite,

Until I am found,

You must roam!”

“A key.”

She nodded. Soon he was given his food.

“Cerpheres.”

“Hummmm?”

“I rule your heart,

I drive your life,

From the end and start,

Get me with strife!”

“Treasure.” He purred as he eyed up everyone in the room and licked his lips as he was given his food.

“Leonardo.”

“Sí?”

“I capture your face,

Hold it in place,

Forever in that time still,

Only spoiled by liquid spill!”

He narrowed his eyes as he played with his hair, absentmindedly toying with his paint brush. He looked down.

“A portrait.”

She nodded.

“Gratsí.” He spoke as his food was placed in front of him as the dwarf nodded.

“Bash.”

“I have a sharp head,

A bird’s tail,

I strike you dead,

Hit without fail.”

“Arrow.”

She nodded as she nodded and her food was placed in front of her.

“Chashathrophogh.”

He nodded, still feeling weak.

“My blade stabs the back,

The closer to the heart it hurts,

Trust is broken from my attack,

Marking my victim in the dirts.”

He rubbed his chest as his eyes narrowed.

“Betrayal.”

She nodded. Soon they were all eating. After they had figgy pudding with cream. Soon they all finished and that was when Mahjued walked in and gave his staff to Chashathrophogh.

“This whole quest,

Was the find the best,

To inherent this staff,

As here magic is chaff,

I am the last,

When I am past,

Magic will be gone,

To you I pass it on!”

He nodded and after they all soon were given a chest each of gemstone coins. Then they all left the mines.