2408 Tull 24, Briss

The main bunker was darker than what Ariden had counted on. Torches barely did their work from their perch along the walls of the cavern. The ceiling was higher than the one covering their hideout, making him wonder how in Xyndall's name was this whole thing under the ground. Then again, the fact that no one had sniffed Herven Fulmer out all these centuries was proof that the man was capable of impossible things.

Ariden hooked a finger against the collar digging against his neck. He shouldn't have asked his attendants to help him get dressed in the formal coat. Then again, no one would believe him if he sauntered in with his usual garb and suddenly claimed to be the Crown Prince. He's gotta look the part, as Ralei had suggested.

Stone walls towered over him as he ducked inside one of the entrances carved straight into the mountain surrounding Otralo. It took him a few days to travel here by a covert carriage he pilfered from the royal stables. Now, he tackled the entrance Herven directed him to during one of their correspondences over the past few weeks.

The tunnel led straight into a small cavern, dropping Ariden in the middle of a bustle to rival the trade routes in Otralo. Everywhere he turned his head to, crates of different kinds of ores decorated the space in stacks of various heights. Bultouine, sheets of hammered jirkeith, the colorful faces of pergan, and the crystalline chunks of romerine. This bunker got it all.

Ariden walked further, eying the black-clad miners and workers streaming past him. Most of them flocked to the mountains of rocks dumped into the room near the western wall. He watched them wipe the ores' surface with the dirty cloth they had before turning them here and there to ascertain their type. Then, without a care, they would call out the name of the ore they identified and toss it to the worker they knew to be in charge of that specific ore.

He watched this exchange happen for a whole while. Stargold, stavertine, erulite—all of it common to the mining joints in Akaron. Avalora was a paradise of ores, after all. Then, one of the workers called out, "Terznite!"

A worker farther down the lane, a woman with slender arms and hair tucked inside the hood of her cloak, raised her hand. "Here!"

The sorter chucked the stone into the air and the woman caught it with a single hand. Then, she began to polish it more before dropping it into the single crate in front of her. That's how she was able to sit on the floor while she worked while all the others who got the common ores were already standing up to reach the two or three crates stacked high.

The other wall held another story. When his gaze landed on the crates and the workers sorting through it, he found they weren't really sorting at all. Rather, they brought in sack upon sack of these ores and deposited their contents into the crates. The purplish sheen on lesium flashed in Ariden's periphery as well as yakhite's blue sheen. Both were from the mines of Helinfirth. What were they doing all the way to Avalora?

Stadian, one of the blackest ores found in the island, was from Alkara yet Ariden was watching two workers unload two sacks of it into a single crate. Soft ores like sylrite and margest from Carleon have their separate set of sorters, each taking care to not turn them into powder or bend them beyond recognition. Sentzite, a type of metallic ore mined in Zalgend for its ability to conduct magic in mechanisms, were among the plentiest sacks in the stronghold.

When Ariden got tired of seeing the smuggling happening before him, he walked forward, towards the stack of crates that trumped the others in terms of height and number. The stacks resembled the stairs, starting from a height of at least seven crates going down to where it only had one. The lid on the lowest rung was propped open, giving Ariden a perfect view of the fine dark powder inside. What was this?

He was about to reach out and dip his hand into the powder when a voice rasped behind him. "Your Highness! I was expecting you."

Ariden whipped to find a woman wearing tinted spectacles to cover her eyes, grinning at him with yellowing teeth. He blinked. Who was this? All around them, the workers raised their heads from their tasks to see what the commotion was about.

The woman read his expression and slapped her forehead. "Ah, what am I thinking," she muttered to herself. "He doesn't know who you are because you never show yourself!"

Turning to him, she extended a hand. "Herven Fulmer," she said. "Humbly at your service."

Herven Fulmer, the cartel leader, was a woman? Well, it's not like it was possible but...what about Tria's information saying Herven was male? What other details about The Black Blades have they gotten wrong?

Ariden forced himself to smile despite the growing anxiety in his gut. He took Herven's extended hand, noting how callous it was against his, and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Herven," he said, praying with all his might to Ouros that his tone or face didn't betray his thoughts and fears. "I hope we can have a pleasurable transaction."

The cartel leader nodded, the short strands of mauve hair shielding her forehead bouncing with the motion. Her long face, accented by her high cheekbones, morphed into pure interest as she jerked her pointed chin at the crate of powder. "Are you interested in odian?" she said. "Is that why you went through such lengths to contact me?"

Herven clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "Tell you what, this is my best sale in a long while," she said, waving her hands in the air. "There are too many territories ordering from me so it's not too late for Avalora to join in on the craze."

Ariden knitted his eyebrows. "What does it do?" he asked out of genuine curiosity. It did succeed in piquing his interest. "I've never heard of it before."

"It's used in artillery," Herven scratched the back of her pointed ear. "Some militaries are using it to upgrade their weaponry."

"What kind of weaponry are we talking about?" he said.

The woman curled her lip in a passive frown. "You know, the usual," she said with a shrug. "Flintlocks, rifles, cannons. If you don't know what those were, think crossbows and catapults but deadlier and certainly faster. Plus, they look classy."

"Do you have some in here?" he asked.

Herven threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, sure, I have some," she said, giving his arm a playful smack. Her grin turned conspiratorial. "Want to see?"

Ariden's head felt like it's filling up with air. Perhaps, it was due to the lack of it in this place or something else entirely. "I would like a tour of this place," he said, changing the topic to his real goal. The conversation was going there, anyway. "I am quite interested in how well you've kept it tidy. I would certainly love to see the weapons but a tour along the way sounds good as well."

Herven ran her tongue over her mouth. Her expression was guarded but she smiled and bowed nonetheless. "Of course, Your Highness," she said. "Follow me."

They began walking, Ariden a few paces behind the cartel leader. It was a foolish move in Herven's side but maybe it was a test. She showed her back to him to test him if his aim of dropping by was to stab her in there or execute some other motive he might have. He did neither.

Instead, he followed her past the crates of odian powder and towards the set of dual doors made of wood separating this cavern and the next one. Along the way, Ariden stopped by the crate of terznite ores and pocketed one. The woman working on it wouldn't notice. Probably.

"Please forgive the buzz around," Herven waved a lazy hand in the air as she walked. Her voice echoed in and out of the tunnel beyond the doors. "There's this upstart company who got my attention. What's their name? Ah, Karmer United."

Ariden raised an eyebrow. "Do they really have the grena to buy all of that?" he turned to the direction of the cavern they just left. "That's quite a lot."

Herven snorted. "I'm not planning on giving them all of that even though they requested it," she said. "I was beginning to think I'm quite lucky, having all kinds of customers including the Crown Prince, himself. Tell me, did the Potentate send you?"

"I came on my own accord," Ariden said. He didn't bother shaking his head knowing Herven wouldn't even be able to see it or even care. "I guess I'm in a mood for reckless spending."

A vile snicker erupted from the cartel leader. "I already like you, Your Highness," she said. "You wouldn't have anything to do with Karmer United, would you? You both reached out around the same time. I was wondering if I'm still not over the qasmele shots I took a while ago."

Ariden scoffed. "I am my own entity, Frin Fulmer," he said. "Whoever this company was clearly didn't expect me for a competition."

Herven hummed. "Intriguing," was all she said about it.

"I don't suppose you could give me everything in that cavern if Karmer United failed to comply?" he asked and was met with silence from Herven's end.

They emerged out of the tunnel into yet another cavern, this one bigger than the last one they left. Herven spread her arms at the humongous amounts of crates, sacks, and metallic sheets peppering the entire expanse.

"This is what I plan on giving you, Your Highness," she said. "I might have thrown a little extra grace in there. Consider it as gratitude for keeping your mouth shut in the Potentate's presence about our dealings here. I can add more if you swear by Daexis's name to work closely with me in future transactions."

Herven sighed—a relaxed sound against the tightness creeping in Ariden's muscles. Judging from how the number of crates and types of ores multiplied compared to the cavern they just left, Herven Fulmer had tons of wealth under her name—all because she was in control of The Black Blades.

"If you ever get to be the Potentate," Herven continued, tucking her mauve hair behind her ears. The legs of her spectacles clicked together as she removed them from her face and folded them up, revealing striking amber eyes underneath. "I can make you more powerful in both the ground up and the ground below. What do you say, Crown Prince?"

Ariden eyed the workers flocking this current cavern. Like in the one he had just left behind, they were clad in dark, long-sleeved tunics, loose, black trousers, stumpy leather boots, and hooded cloaks thrown over their faces. Masks covered the lower half of their heads, showing only the eyes and a bit of the forehead. One particular worker wheeled a cart filled to the brim with crates of criene. The meager light from the torches lining the cavern's walls made their surfaces gleam red.

Before Ariden could open his mouth to reply, a worker slammed straight into him, sending him stumbling a few steps back. He clicked his tongue and dusted the sleeve of his thick coat. A single ore leaped out of the crate behind the worker as the consequence of their impact, rolling to a stop by Ariden's feet.

The worker bent down, muttering an apology with an awfully familiar, feminine voice. Her fingers closed around the ore and a single lock of luscious blond hair slipped from the clutches of her cloak's hood. Before she drew up, she flicked her hazel gaze towards Ariden and winked.

The time he bought had been used. Quite efficiently, he hoped.

Thick smoke erupted in huge, orange clouds, making the air smell like the newly-cleaned foyer of the Temple of Earth. Then, chaos ensued.