Era1 Universe: The Global Appetizer Course

Your character finds a hidden mine. What's inside?

"This feels like sneaking," Dickens fretted. His gaze bounced from wall to wall in the dusty old basement under the farmhouse.

"This is sneakin'," Farra hissed back. She fumbled with the flashlight a bit and finally got the old junky thing to light. With a sigh of relief she shown the light up ahead.

An old mine entrance stood before the two. It looked like it hadn't seen anyone enter in decades.

Farra didn't waste a moment in moving forward. "Whatd'ya think is down here?" She asked, looking around with a curious smile.

"Could be anything," Dickens uttered under his breath. He stuck close to the cowgirl despite not liking to be anywhere near her for a number of reasons.

An old painted sign hung on the wall by the entrance cut into the rock. It read: CALICO MINE. There was some torn and faded paper that hung below it but it was too far destroyed to be legible anymore.

"Do... do you think anyone has died down here?" He trembled.

Farra shook her head. She didn't find any of this scary. How could this kid be the deputy of Durango and STILL be this scared of a mine under the sheriff's house? Sure... it was an abandoned mine... and Peta hadn't told either of them about it... but still. What a baby. "Probably. Most mines ain't safe for no one."

The two walked in silence with Farra boldly leading the way. The tunnels were filled with cobwebs and the occasional small rodent skeleton. But mostly, it seemed no one had been down here in ages. Finally the two came upon a mine cart. Farra glanced inside and gave the contents a curious look.

"What is it?" Dickens trembled, coming up behind her and somewhat hiding.

"A skeleton."

"A SKELETON!?" He shrieked like a little girl.

Farra howled with laughter. "Oh grow up. It ain't a skeleton, boy. It's..." she reached into the cart and ran her hand in the strange crystally dust.

"When we get back to the house I'm going to kill you," Dickens growled.

Farra looked back and smirked. "I'd like to see you try, scaredy boy. Do I need to remind you who used to be a bounty hunter? And who could shoot a flea off a dog at two hundred yards, blindfolded?"

Dickens huffed. "What's in the cart?"

Farra ran her fingers through the substance again, this time getting it to accumulate on her skin.

"You aren't going to-" Dickens watched in horror as Farra brought a finger to her mouth. "Don't! That could be poison!" Before he could go any further she licked whatever was on her finger off. "Farra!!!"

"Relax you big baby," Farra huffed. She looked around, following her gaze with the beam of light from the old metal flashlight. "It's salt."

"It could be-" Dickens paused and looked back in the cart. "Salt?"

"Yeah. Salt."

Dickens scratched the back of his head. "A salt mine? Under the sheriff's house? Why would Peta try keeping that a secret from both of us?"

Farra took a few more steps forward. The rocks making a crunching noise under her boots. The beam of light revealed a large cavern just ahead. "Because, Dickens..." She stepped into the massive room. "It's so much more than salt."

"Meaning?!" He yelped, chasing after her.

The beam of light hit a huge crystal that filled the entire cavern. The two stood in dumbfounded silence.

"It's so much bigger than salt," Dickens breathlessly whispered.

"Salt was a cover up for something bigger," Farra echoed in surprise.

"If it's not salt... then what is that thing? And why the secrets?"

"I don't know," Farra looked back where they'd come from, "but we need to get out of here and get some answers. C'mon!"