Following his travels in Frost Gale, Elrodan had decided to travelled back to the Moonglade via land, and looking out for forests along the way. However this are seemed to only have a forest of mountains than trees. It was still an impressive sight, and there were trees around, just none he wold think would be called home to other fairies. As he had gone through the area, there had been a most incredible noise that he couldn't understand where it came from. So long, loud and rumbling that it was, he half imagined there to be dragons at the root of it but he could see no other sign to say this or anything else.

Feeling a need for a proper meal, he decided to make for a small village he spied in hopes of a hearty meal. As he approached, there was a couple of women, one of whom with a baby who she cradled and rocked quite frantically despite the baby seeming very settled. When Elrodan was closer the woman called out loudly to him, "Excuse me! Fairy!".
Elrodan flew closer, "Hello. How are you? Beautiful and calm a baby you have there.".
"Thank you, but won't you do me an honour, I can't leave them but with the tremor and all I'm terrified. I worry for my husband, he's joined a mining crew out North he said but he never came back this lunch today and I'm scared he's become trapped somehow. Oh won't you try and find the mine and make sure they're ok? There's a few of them so I'm sure it will be easy to confirm they're ok if they are." her voice just holding on the edge of breaking. The other women about nodded and echoed parts as she spoke.
Elrodan felt a pull in his heart and it didn't seem a tricky task to put the women at ease "Of course I can! Please, just rest up and I'll go find them and you will see, they all just got carried away with some digging and will want a mighty dinner, just you wait and see!".

Frost Gale was so far his favourite place in Charon. Due to intense cold there weren't many travellers hier, all commerce was focused in Pale City, leaving the rest of region basically wild. Once "Bastion Remnant" is finished, he would move there. Maybe even start his own city?

That thought reminded him on what did he came hier for. He promised Blank to help with dimensional travel, but even if he for some reason gave it away for free, he still would need some power generator. Elementals seemed like the best alternative for what he achieved before and had to left behind.

The elemental hunt was taking much longer than expected. A waitress back in Pale City had a note from Blank, redirecting him to Dragons Cradle. "Curious if there are actual dragons there" Probably not many, after all they couldn't fraternize with elementals very well.

A longer while into Dragons Cradle, he stopped Cerber, seeing some glitter in front. The creature looked like a fairy, with those schmetterling wings and bright colors, which in this certain case seemed to fade. Hopefully it was not some kind of faceless, hunting curious travellers.

Cerber got closer and the fairy spotted him.

-Hey there, this doesn't seem like a proper place for a fairy. Unless I've mistaken your race, in that case sorry. May I help with something?

After setting off North, Elrodan had felt a little lost. North was rather vague. How far? Directly North? Big entrance or just a little hole? The questions each felt as though he were finding a needle in a haystack but then he heard a voice behind him. He turned to answer them and hovered in place watching their approach. The large red horse matched in size by an equally large rider. It was a sight that made Elrodan feel rather small as he hung in the air at their mid height.

"Hio! No... No mistake. I always hope for woodland but wish to seek them all out and so am travelling over all of Charon. As to your help though, actually yes. I have said I will help find a mine in these parts. There's a village back yonder that fear there has been some mishap and miners in trouble. Do you think you could help me find it, unfortunately I was rather quick in my offering of help to get any better location of where to go." giving a sigh at the end but watching cautiously the large stead and man atop. The horse didn't seem natural and the way the man looked, equally hard to place in terms of what race he was.

Seeking for a mine in those mountains could be hard, to say the least. Blank knew how to take care of herself, even if fight went wrong she could just teleport away. He could spend some time helping. "You are really trying to not be Veliky, aren't you"

-Sure thing, I can help. Names are Heian and Wood, Kind of long story, let's just say I'm two minded about everything

He guided Cerber north, gesturing on fairy to follow him. They soon entered a mountain range, from now on going upwards.

-None of us is a miner, so our best bet is common sense. If those miners are working in, let's say, iron mine, their ancestors probably picked a place easy to access. And if they are searching for gold, or other rare valuables, they probably had to choose a specific spot, which while can be hard to access, is probably better funded, hence the mine is much more visible due to rails, tents or similar helpful infrastructure

-You mentioned a village, which guides us in the direction of first option. I say we search for some route they could possibly use and search along the way for convenient places to dig in

Cerber could still carry him, while built different than normal horses, mountains still weren't his favourite place. While Heian had nothing against walking, riding a horse gave him an irrational joy, and Wood felt the same.

-I don't think you shared your name and, out of curiosity, how high can you fly without getting misplaced by the wind? Your wings may help a lot hier

Elrodan followed after and half stopped looking about while the two named one spoke, after they'd said about the mine options he finally unleashed the questions that had built up. "Eee? You have two names.. two people in one. I bet that can be fun. You're never alone are you? Though what if you want peace and quiet? Do you respect each other when you tell the other to be quiet? I guess finding friends is easy as there's two of you that can like them, but then again, if one of you doesn't... and what about food and drink, or any of your senses. Do you both share them?"

The final points on his name and going high struck like a slap in the face, a well needed one for the situation. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I'm Elrodan, just Elrodan. Only one of me, though... I guess there is two of me, well me and another in my head too. As to flying high, I can go a ways up. I'll do that now." And without any further comment, he was off up and away.

With the advantage of looking down and the pointers Heian... or was it Wood had given, he was soon able to spot the signs of an entrance off to their right and ahead a bit. He dropped back down, calling as he went "Over there! I think it's over there!"

Heian followed the fairy leading him to a potential mineshaft. Soon Elrodan joined him on the ground again and he could answer his questions.

-Well, it's often more annoying than helpful...

-Mutually

-Mutually. ...Like I said before, we are two minded about everything. Yes, we share senses, which leads to a weird feeling when we hae separate opinions on smell or taste of something. Wood has nothing against burned flesh for example

-About respect and keeping quiet... that's a "no" from me

-Exactly. However, when with someone he doesn't like, Wood actually behaves

-I'm far more unpredictable. Don't understimate me

Heian could feel his lips smiling. Not sure if it was him or Wood, maybe them both.

-Basically one of us controls the body, while other can give tips, warnings and take control if something knocks me unconcious

-But the worst of all is Heian has a weak head. It's been ages since I had a proper drinking session

He heard a thunder. The sky above them turned dark in a matter of minutes.

-I think we should hurry. Can your wings handle rain?

Right as he said that first droplets started to bounce off his coat. Heian quickly recalled Cerber into his pocket, only sign of horse's presence being scorched ground where it dissapeared. The rain soon covered them, reducing visibility significantly.

The interaction provided was wonderful for Elrodan to witness. "That must be tricky! Your like a married couple stuck into one person. Is it a fun story of how you came to be like that?" he laughed as asked. There was quite a bit more he would have asked, but for a change, it felt like much would be explained just through being around them and observing.

Then with Cerber disappearing and the rain falling he came to walk at the side of his lowered companion. "A gentle drizzle I can be alright with but, it can soon become heavy. Maybe if that place just ahead is the mind then I'll be grateful. I like sitting in the rain in a tree, feeling the drops fall on me and the gentle sound as it hits the leaves. So refreshing and rejuvenating." and with that, he wiggles his feet in a mossy section.

The entrance to the mine was just visible through the mud which had slid down from the higher reaches. The couple of huts and sheds around it were in a mixed state, some further away still stood unaffected. Closer to the slide had a couple that had fallen, some in the process of being buried by the mud. On approaching the disaster area, a body can be seen buried to their waist.

Elrodan didn't see them at first, but as soon as he did, he started to run to them. 

-You don't need much to be happy, eh?
But his companion was gone. Elrodan zipped forward and looked at something covered in mud.
They barely reached a mine and there already was a body. Not a good sign.
While the fairy was busy with the body, Heian examined the entrance

After removing vast ammounts of mud he found that the entrance was sealed. The stones couldn't fall in such way naturally, the miners themselves had to put this barrier against something. It complicated their job slightly.
-Let me move that man. Could you please check what's inside?
Elrodan flew by one of bigger holes and came back with an information about an open, empty room.
Great, no need for crowbar games.

He told the fairy to back out and released a wave of power, that pushed the stones inside, the mud upwards the hill and water droplets in all directions. Then he carefully pulled the moaning body in and placed down under one of walls.
-Can you heal him by any chance?
He examined the cave. Lots of equipment like pickaxes, crates and helmets, no new bodies. There were two corridors opposite direction to the entrance, going down almost perpendicularly to each other.
-Answering your question, I don't consider it fun, but can tell it anyway if you want. We are going to spend quite a bit of time down there



<Death Wave>

Elrodan scrambled and dug out the trapped man but as Heian came to assist, he checked into the hole as requested. The 'blast' was impressive, Elrodan hadn't expected it and his mind hadn't even thought how they would have cleared the mess so he was very glad to have the other with their skills and quick mind for such a task. As he passed, he jumped in the air and patted Heian on the back, "Nice work! I'm glad you asked me to move back."

When the entrance had been cleared and the injured man was laid before him, he carefully ran a hand over their body, finding the injured areas of which there were many. "I can, I'm just glad he's not dead as that really takes its toll on me but this is mostly the soft tissue and a couple of broken bones." he said as he began to focus his green healing magic in his hands and let it flow into the man's body.

Sitting back as the man came to, he caught his own breath but continued the conversation. "You don't consider it fun? Oh dear! But I do always enjoy hearing a story if you will tell me it."

So the man will survive, and hopefully lead them to his coworkers, making their job easier.
-I would say it's difficult to call something fun when you lost an arm
-Or was burned alive
The storm outside their dry spot grew in strengh. Flashes from lightnings were illuminating the cave frequently.
They would have had a hard time sea0rching for the mine now.

-I probably begin with a statement that Charon is the most recent stop in a chain of worlds I've visited. From what I've discovered, all worlds have their hell... from a lack of a correct word let's call them dimensions. Sometimes these worlds can gather in a group, making travel between them as easy as sailing to the Solcity. But it's not relevant to the story.
The hell at my homeworld was far more civilized than others I've visited. It had its government and society, that managed to harness demons. Those people looked like two legged boars, with tusks, snouts and floppy ears

-They also tasted like pork. Overall, while civilized for nether standards, they were considered barbarians and not without a reason. Theit king was actively trying to take over the second... dimension, and I was helping him for a longer while. When I finally rebeled and tried to subtly reform his domain, he executed me by throwing alive into a pit burning with soulfire. Even Heian, who I share the brain with, cannot really imagine the pain I suffered, both from flames and trials of leaving my body before my very soul could burn. And if I have anything to say is that I will never hurt anyone's soul, even for the sake of my own survival

-But you too are getting far from the storyline. When Wood escaped, he left the nether and found me, who was in need of help. I was a well known architect, that messed with wrong people and got attacked by their goons. I lost my arm and everything I had, my whole documentary was burned. Then Wood showed up and stopped the bleeding, giving me another chance...
Before he could finish, they heard a lightning strike dangerously close to their position. Then an avalanche, which made ceiling shake, and which soon covered the entrance under tons and tons of stone, soil and trees.
-I... don't think I can clear that as easily. Let's search for those miners