This shipment was not as numerous as the last, yet was far richer in quality.

The large gems gleamed in their crates, shining like the literal treasures they were.

“Two crates short Vim. I apologize,” Orland said again.

“You had to dedicate time and resources to the mine itself. To protect it, and secure its future production. Stop apologizing for doing your job,” I said.

“All the same, Vim. I hope the Society will understand,” Orland said somberly.

I wanted to sigh, but kept myself from doing so. After all, he was being very genuine in his heartfelt apology. My sigh would just insult him.

Even if it was warranted.

Two crates fewer? Big deal. The Society didn’t need money. Not to the level it used to. Especially more so now that Lumen was about to become basically a money mint for us. Yet I wasn’t going to diminish this man’s, and thus his families, efforts and their dedication.

I mean really. Did he actually think I, or anyone in the Society would be upset with him just because they spent several years rebuilding certain tunnels and structures? To ensure they stayed safe? Ridiculous.

Yet I understood it. I really did.

These gems were their pride. Their accomplishments. Their worth. If I told him how little value these things had anymore… well…

“You’ve done a phenomenal job. Lilnik would be proud of you,” I said to him.

Orland perked up at my compliment, and smiled. His long eyebrows arched a little, thanks to the way he smirked. “You think so?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes. Definitely so,” I said.

Lilnik would have actually been rather upset. He hadn’t liked the idea of selling the gems to the Society. He had joined, and believed in the Society… but he had been something of a hoarder. A very selfish one. He had not given up the gems willingly. It took literal pleading to convince him, and his own children’s threat of deadly force. And even then he never gave in without a fuss.

But I’d never tell anyone that. Especially not the current generation of the armadillos, who revered their ancestor Lilnik almost akin to a god.

“Still Vim… I can’t understand it. What filled her heart with such hate? What happened? I’d blame the outside world, but she became like this long before she ever stepped foot out of these rocks,” Orland returned to the main topic. Herra, his granddaughter. His lost child. The only one who didn’t call him by name, or with affection.

“Every family has their…” I didn’t want to say failure, but had been about to. Which wasn’t right, and especially not fair to Herra. She wasn’t a failure. She was far from it.

“Disgrace?” Orland finished before I could think of a proper term.

“Troubled,” I finally found the best I could think of, and after saying it realized it was still wrong. But oh well, I had said it.

Orland sighed and shook his head. “Troubled…? Vim, our youngest dog is troubled. It gnaws its own tail. Brianci! She is troubled. That poor girl wants to marry her brother. That’s troubling, but a passing fancy. The foolishness of youth. Herra is far beyond that. Herra’s heart is corrupted in hate and furor, at her own blood of all things…!” Orland spoke quickly, and not quietly either.

Hopefully Herra wasn’t around. The door wasn’t closed, and we weren’t far from the main section of the underground living areas.

“Brianci wants to marry her brother…?” I asked, finding that the direst thing he listed.

He waved it away. “She’s already getting over it. It was a few years ago, while she was still young. You know what I mean,” Orland said.

Oh. Good. Just a childish passing fancy… hopefully.

Such a thing was actually a problem for our people. Thanks to the lack of population… and the very close-knit families, such a thing did happen occasionally. It usually never ended well, for many reasons. I’d hate for this family to break apart over such a thing, but honestly I’d not be surprised if it happened.

Them finally adjusting enough to let a human into their family lineage was a blessing. Far more than they obviously realized.

It would dilute their bloodline, and bring about their inevitable downfall… but it would likely keep them alive longer than the alternative.

“Still, Vim. What can be said? Do the other families also lose children in such ways?” he asked.

“More than you think,” I said. I was about to tell him that Renn had killed several of her family members, but I didn’t want to reveal something she seemed to think was very personal and private… and I also didn’t want to put the idea into Orland’s head that Herra might do such a thing. Who knows how he’d treat her if he thought she was actually dangerous.

She wasn’t, at least I didn’t think she was, but these people were touchy. One needed to be careful.

Orland sighed as he stepped away, as to lean against one of the crates for support. He was getting old, and not just in body. His mind was definitely starting to diminish too.

“I don’t even know what to say to her anymore. She either outright ignores everything I say, or bites back with words sharp enough to cut a diamond,” he said.

Her words had hurt him that deeply? He hadn’t acted as if they had.

Their meeting had not been… pleasant. Once Renn had left, to be guided around the house by Brianci, he and Herra had finally greeted one another and spoke. It had only lasted a few moments, and only a few words were exchanged.

His had not been kind, honestly, but they hadn’t been that bad. A snarky greeting, yet Herra had only heard the contempt in his voice.

She had responded harshly, but not to the point that I thought Orland would actually be bothered. She had only said she was here to do her duty, nothing more.

It was a difficult situation. Herra hated them. They couldn’t comprehend why she did, and most of them were long past trying to understand. Now they simply viewed her as a troublemaker, an annoyance. A family member, yes, but one they didn’t care much about.

Yet it wasn’t as if I could do anything about it. This was a family matter. And I barely got involved in things as it was, let alone something so personal.

“She might one day return to you, Orland. Just give her time,” I said carefully.

“You said that the last three visits, Vim. Thirty years,” he said.

“But grains of sand in an hourglass,” I countered, and shuffled my feet a little as to further emphasize my words. The ground here was littered with dirt and sand. Not a surprise, since the storeroom was in a giant dirt room.

“If only that was true. At least she’ll not be here long. We plan to lift the crates in a few weeks, and send them down the river,” Orland said.

I nodded. Yes. A good thing. The faster they went, so too would Herra… before anything drastic happened.

A sad truth, but one that needed to simply be accepted.

After all, eventually someone would say or do something that went far beyond their typical family drama.

I’ve had enough of people being banished lately. I was in no mood for any more.

“Where are you taking Herra’s friend, by the way?” Orland asked, changing the topic.

“Renn? For now she’s simply traveling with me. She’s not found a place to call home yet,” I said.

“Would you like her to stay here? She seems gentle enough. Brianci likes her, and there are a few sons who could use a wife,” Orland proposed.

Since I was turned away from him, to stare at the crates and their contents… I allowed myself a tiny smirk.

“You can offer it to her. If you’d like to,” I said.

“Mhm,” he made a sound that told me he had nodded, and decided to do just that.

It’ll be interesting to hear Renn’s response. Especially after all the drama lately. And even more so, when she hears his true reason for offering such a kindness.

Sons needing wives. Funny. Especially since most of those here were women…

“Which sons are you speaking of?” I asked Orland, after I realized that I couldn’t remember any of their sons being unmarried. There were only four men of age in this family, and as far as I was aware all mated and with children already.

“Hm? Arm, of course for one. And both Plondi and Birva are pregnant, either could be carrying sons,” he said simply.

I frowned, and turned as to look at him.

Arm? The half-human child? He couldn’t be serious.

Yet he was.

Senile old coot.

“Well, go ahead and ask her. Let me know what she says,” I said.

“Mhm,” he nodded, content.

At least someone was.

Patting the crate, I nodded. “Alright. All looks good, Orland. Anything you’d like to ask of me before I leave? If not I’ll be gone in the morning,” I said.

He shook his head, and his long eyebrows danced as I stepped out of the storeroom. He followed quickly, and I shut the door behind him.

“All has been well, Vim. Other than Herra, and the pumps needing to be fixed. But one has been handled, the other likely cannot be,” he said.

“Right,” I nodded, but wasn’t in the mood to get back into the conversation concerning Herra. Really, why couldn’t they just let her be?

Maybe if they didn’t pester her so often, she’d not feel so pressured and bothered. But who was I to know anything about family dynamics?

“I’ll go ahead and check around then,” I said to Orland.

He nodded. “If I don’t see you before you set out, fair travels Vim. May your feet always find solid rock,” he said.

“You as well,” I said as I turned away.

It wasn’t likely I wouldn’t run into him again before I left, but it’s happened. The house was big enough, after all.

Stepping away from Orland… I steadily walked around as to check the place. I checked the mines. Their entrances. The pipes and the pumping mechanisms that pulled water through them, pulling the stuff up from an aquifer below. I checked their handiwork over the last few years, as they fixed and modified if to their needs.

I checked the new floor they had added, and the stairs they had built to reach it. I checked the hallways, and the parts of the house that I knew were on softer ground than the other parts. To make sure none of the rocks below had shifted, or a sinkhole could cause problems down the road.

As I checked the armadillo home, I ran into a few of them every so often. Most simply greeted me, while others asked a few questions. Either about my journey, the world beyond, or my companion.

Renn, specifically.

None ever asked about Herra.

“Thanks Vim!” the older woman giggled as she stepped away, heading downs the stairs I had just walked up. We had bumped into each other as she carried a basket of clothes. Dirty laundry.

Sighing at her, I returned to my task.

There was little need to check this place. Like always it was… fine. The air was a little stale, thanks to the rocks and dirt, but nothing was in need of attention. Everything was fine. Everyone was safe. I wasn’t needed here, at least not in the way I usually was.

Like usual… the armadillo mines and home was safe. But such a thing wasn’t too surprising. This place was guarded by ravines and giant fissures. There was a village within a day’s trek from here, but I highly doubted any human would be able to find this place. And even if they did, it wasn’t like they’d find out about the stuff underneath the house above ground. It had been built nondescript as it was on purpose. As a decoy, to hide the truth.

Anyone who found it would just assume a small family lived out here alone. People who were poor and simple.

Add all of that to the fact that the armadillos are more than happy to never go above ground, for months if not years at a time… well…

Out of all the places in the Society, this was one of the few I didn’t ever really need to worry about. Not just thanks to its desolate location, but the people who lived here.

Though that might change now that humans had joined the bloodline… but I’d worry about that later, when I needed to.

For now I just needed to accept the fewer headaches whenever I could.

Speaking of headaches… where was Renn?

I hadn’t seen her in a few hours, which was odd. She for some odd reason kept seeking me out every so often, even though she never seemed to have a purpose for it. Maybe she was worried I’d leave her here or something.

An interesting thought, though also a sad one. For some reason I actually could see her worrying over such a thing, even if I’d never do so willingly.

Once I rounded the whole house, and checked all the important parts and floors… I decided it was fine to stop. So I changed my focus, and went to finding the odd woman who was likely going to be with me for years.

It didn’t take long to find her. Even without having to ask for her to the passing armadillos. Once I went to the upper floors, and walked down one of the main halls, I quickly heard Renn’s voice and it led me to her.

Peering into the large room, I found Renn surrounded by the many women of the armadillo family. Renn had a huge smile on her face as she was pestered with questions. The room was noisy, with multiple people talking at once. It seemed they were all focused on Renn, but at the same time having multiple conversations. Brianci and a few others near the outer circle were talking deeply, as if in a heated debate.

It was a typical sight, yet also a welcome one. Renn was a predator, after all, and although armadillo were not entirely prey… they had long lost whatever predator blood they had. Most didn’t even eat meat anymore, for crying out loud.

Stepping past the room, I was glad none of them noticed me as I left the noisy room behind. Although I’d not be too bothered, I knew from experience how long the armadillo’s could ask questions. Sometimes even repeating them.

They liked to play pranks, even if they were always harmless… they were sometimes grating on the nerves.

Like the one earlier. The tea made from the droppings of the worms they farmed and fed on.

Such a prank was right up their alley… yet I suppose it was enjoyable for me too. I had been the one to actually partake in that one.

As I walked, I found myself heading back downstairs. There was no real reason to head deeper into the house, yet I wasn’t in the mood to sit right now. So I simply walked.

And walked.

Until I ended up near the entrance to one of the mines. The one near the baths, where the coal was located.

I was about to round the hallway, and head back towards the center of the house and head upward… but I heard something. Something very particular.

Following the sounds, I quickly realized what they were… and didn’t like at all what I found as I opened the door to one of the rooms at the end of the hall.

Herra was sobbing.

Slowly entering the room, I glanced around to make sure she was not only alone… but there was nothing troubling. Or rather, more troubling than a crying woman.

Luckily there wasn’t. A few memories flashed through my mind as I looked around the room, expecting to find blood or bodies. Usually such a sobbing woman, one scorned and full of anger, was found with such things in my experience.

Especially when it came to family feuds.

“Herra,” I said her name, and did so gently but with enough firmness to make a point.

She startled, and slowly looked up from her crouched position. Her face was wrought with grief, and I realized this was serious. Far more serious than her typical family drama.

I didn’t smell blood or death… nor did she seem to have wounds or blood upon her, but…

“What happened?” I asked her softly.

“He’s already a man, Vim,” she barely got out between sobs.

A… “A man?” I asked, wondering what the heck she…

Oh. The boy. Her nephew. Her sister’s son. The one born between her and a human.

A man though?

I thought of the young lad in my mind. He was just barely Renn’s height… and was stocky. He had a lot of weight to him, somehow. Their diet here really shouldn’t have let it happen, but it had. Yet his size wasn’t necessarily enough to call him a man. Especially when his face had more baby fat than not. His voice was just being broken into as well. It squeaked and cracked something fierce when he talked and laughed. I could see what Herra meant, but only distantly.

He was becoming a man. Not one yet.

Yet to Herra… well…

To her that was probably a man already. Especially since her letter, that had just gotten to her a month ago, had informed her of not just her sister’s marriage but his birth.

Herra had the image of a newborn baby in her mind, and came home to find a grown man.

“Humans grow quickly, Herra. You know that,” I said softly as I stepped over to her.

She had knelt down and broke on the ground. Not even on one of the little pillow things they all sat on around here. She was sitting on the dirty and dusty ground, in a rather bright and fresh dress. It was going to get ruined.

Glancing behind me at the open door, I wondered if I should shut it. Last thing I needed was for the family to come here and notice.

Why had she broken here…? Why not in her own room, or somewhere more private? We weren’t exactly near the main hallway or the living areas, but we weren’t far either. Just a few hallways away. Why didn’t she choose elsewhere to do this?

Looking around the room again, this time for another reason, I realized where we were.

The morgue. Or well, the place where they burnt the bodies.

An oven was built into the wall nearby. There was nothing else really in the room, other than the few tables and pillow things on the ground. It was obviously empty so they could hold funerals here, and they didn’t do much else here.

Such an odd place to pick. Maybe it meant something important to her. Had she come here to remember a family member she held dear? One now long gone? I could remember several who have died since she was born. It could have been any of them.

“What do I do Vim? He’s already grown. And his father… he’s…” Herra hiccuped, and I realized the real reason she was despairing.

It wasn’t just the fact that her nephew was growing so fast… it was also the very obvious fact that if the son was already almost a man, then now too the father was growing older.

And he was. He had grey in his hair, on the sides. Though he didn’t look too old yet, I’d place him in his late thirties or so.

Stepping over to Herra, I slowly sat down next to her. She curled up a little, as if to shy away from me… but after a moment she reached over and wrapped her arms around my waist. Half a moment later, she was sobbing in my lap.

Patting her back, I let out the tiniest sigh I could. “I know, Herra. I know,” I said.

And I did. After all, I felt the same thing… and thought the same thoughts, all the time. And not just about the humans either.

“If I blink… she’ll be gone…!” Herra sobbed.

Yes. She will be.

Her sister may not have much longer to live.

If her love for her husband and her children is strong enough. If she’s not strong enough to overcome it. Then their deaths, either by age or something crueler… will result in her life being short too.

So few could survive it. It was why so many ran away from any human they felt even an inkling of affection towards. Because they knew what could happen. They feared it. Something fierce.

“Love hurts,” I said gently.

Odds are if Herra left, as planned, to escort this package of gems… by the time she returned, not only would the boy and his father be long dead… so too might her sister be.

A blink of an eye for those like Herra. For those like us.

“Ah… my poor little sister…!” Herra cried.

“I know,” I said.

Letting Herra’s heart spill all over my lap, I gently held her.

I was used to this. It’s been some time since this last happened… but I knew it’d happen again. And again.

And again.

“Why Vim…! Why…?” Herra begged me for answers I didn’t have. But I knew she really didn’t want to hear them. She wouldn’t even acknowledge me if I said the perfect answer. Her heart wouldn’t care even if I gave her a reason that quenched all the fiery emotions within it.

Herra hated her family. Despised them, even.

Yet… that hate. That disgust. At the end of the day, meant nothing.

They were still her family. They were still her sisters.

“No…” she sobbed.

They were still her precious gems. Worth more than all the gold in the world.

And she just realized those gems would fade to dust, far faster than she ever thought possible.

Such a thing made things like hate fizzle away, like a candle in a storm.

“Argh…!” Herra wept, clinging to me.

“I know,” I said again, gentler.

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