Role

Chapter 3

The deep earth is beautiful and unforgiving. One wrong step, one wrong turn
and death is waiting...or in my case, something worse. There is magic in the
deep earth that eats at the very flesh upon and in bones. It destroys the
mind and body. I am familiar with it. I took the wrong turn and my flesh
and mind paid a heavy price. His name was Mremrisl. They are known as the
Rooglek to my people. They are not many, but, they are powerful. It is
only by luck that the faintest hint of bright light burns them. The opening
of our world to the surface has kept them only in the deepest, farthest
reaches of the earth. But, like I stated...one wrong step or turn.

I looked up from my searching for a good place to harvest and work with the
earth and realized that I had made a wrong turn somewhere. It was then that
my muscles froze. The agony was unspeakable. The fire in my muscles made me
wish I were dead. I was ready to give up on life that quickly. Unfortunately,
that was just the beginning. I knew that I would eventually be dead, because
no one ever came back from the Rooglek. We only know of them because of the
stories we are told as children to make us more wary of what we were doing.
But, here was Mremrisl, right in front of me just looking at me with intense
malevolence. It wasn't hate. No, it was a longing. A longing to force me
to do things against my will and into servitude. I was to become a harvester
of the earth for him. Gems, he wanted gems. He used those of my race for
eons because those of the topside do not see the gems for what they are.
They see them as trinkets to be traded and worn as ornaments. They don't
see them for the function as things to be used and worked. Clothes, tools,
furniture, light and so much more. But, Mremrisl wanted them to trade
with those from above. He preyed upon their wants and needs to grow in
power so that he may overcome the pain of the light from above. This was
his mistake. It was also many years of pain before I could make use of the
mistake he was making.