Mines, Magic and Manuscripts
Harry had been meaning to visit a library to research Eluned the Fortunate, really, he had. But then he encountered a mine, and he’d never actually met a cave faery, so who was he to say no to exploring one? Standing outside the mine entrance, he turned around, hearing Artorius whining.
“What’s wrong boy?”
In response, Artorius began whining and pawing the ground.
“Do you not want to go in the mines Artorius?” Harry asked, watching as the canine whined even more. “You don’t have to follow me into the mines. I know we’re companions, but you’re free to wait outside.”
In response, Artorius growled before standing back on all fours instead of sitting and walking to Harry’s side.
“Alright, guess you don’t want to leave me.”
Walking into the mines, Harry whistled a small flame into his open palm and gave the supports a critical look. They looked stable enough. Heading into the actual shaft, Harry ignored the echoing noise of his staff striking the ground, instead keeping an ear out for any knocking noises coming from the walls. As he wandered deeper into the mines, Artorius drew his attention, snuffling at a crack in the rock.
“You find something?” Harry asked, wandering over to where Artorius stood and squatting down on his haunches.
Taking a look at the crack, Harry dug a finger into it, feeling around the inside, eventually finding resistance that gave way with a click. Stepping back, Harry watched as a section of the wall slid back and to the side. Walking more cautiously, Harry entered the hidden tunnel, still keeping an ear out for any knocking. Just as he was about to give up, he heard a faint noise that he knew he wasn’t responsible for. Holding out hope, he knocked a fist against the rock face of the wall.
And received a more audible knock in return. Following the noise, while knocking in kind with the other being in the mines, Harry navigated his way through the tunnel, eventually coming across a small, just under a foot and a half really, faery bedecked in a miner’s outfit.
“You aren’t a coblyn.” The short figure commented.
“No, I’m not! I’m a bard.” Harry replied. “I was wandering in the woods near your mines and was hoping to encounter one of your kind.”
“And what were ya expecting?”
“Well, nothing in particular, but now that you mention it, perhaps we could barter?”
“And what do ya think you could offer me? And what would you want in exchange?”
“Well, what might you need help with? As for what I’d like in return, a simple answer to a question.”
“There’s this damn varmint that’s been infesting the tunnels. You able to deal with it?”
“If you have something with it’s scent, then yes.”
In response, the coblyn dug through its overalls, pulling a bit of a tail out. In response, Harry took it and went to Artorius, letting him catch the scent, and asking if he’d deal with it. After he had run off, Harry turned back to the coblyn, handing the tailpiece back over.
“Now, as for what I’d like, have you ever heard of a ring that belonged to one Eluned the Fortunate?”
“Sounds like one of them Treasures of Britain that you mortals went buck wild over a few centuries back.”
Question answered, it was a simple endeavor of waiting for Artorius to return with the limp body of something distinctly rat-like, but was, nevertheless, not a rat.
-{╣ ҉ ╠}-
“Okay Harry, you can do this.” Harry muttered to himself, smoothing the front of his tunic as he did.
In front of him was the town library for the latest place he had traveled to. Bereft of his staff, which had hidden in a safe space, Harry felt rather unsafe, unable to properly form any method of defense without it being obvious, but the staff simply stood out too much. Hearing a series of rhythmic huffs, Harry turned his head to Artorius, who looked like a service dog thanks to a slight glamor he had painstakingly worked onto a charm currently on his collar.
“Really Artorius? Everything will be fine.” Harry said to the hellhound. Artorius somehow managed to look unimpressed in response.
Walking into the library, Harry made his way to the librarian’s desk. It wasn’t that he couldn’t navigate his way through a library, he had done so plenty of times. It was more so that he wanted to expedite his research endeavor. Thus, the librarian.
“Excuse me, Sir?”
“Oh, hello there.” The well-dressed man at the counter replied. “What can I help you with?”
“I was wondering if you had any books on the Treasures of Britain?
“Well, that’s a request we don’t get very often. Follow me.”
As he led Harry about, the librarian spoke.
“We don’t tend to get people asking about artifact information when it comes to Arthurian tradition, most people prefer the battles or the tales of magical excellence. Or the romance parts.”
“I’m doing a research project for my history class.” Harry lied. “It’s going to be part of my presentation on historical literary traditions.”
“Good to see young people applying themselves properly.” The librarian replied, picking up a book off of a shelf. “This should be helpful. I’ll be back at the front desk if you need any more help.”
Sitting down, Harry opened the book. Reading it through, ignoring Artorius who had lain his head in Harry’s lap, Harry quickly skimmed the initial chapters, unrelated to the descriptions of the actual Treasures as they were. As he had expected, a majority of them were only really useful for the era they had been in use or were plain ostentatious, such as Dyrnwyn, or White-Hilt, the sword used by Rhydderch Hael which burst aflame when a well-born or worthy man wielded it. Eventually, he came to find what he was looking for.
The Stone and Ring of Eluned the Fortunate. Having reportedly belonged to Saint Eluned in the fifth to the sixth century, it was a singular artifact. A ring, with an attached stone. When worn with the stone facing the palm, if one clenched their hand, thus covering the stone, the wearer would become as visible as the stone they were hiding. Looking around himself, Harry noticed no one watching him. Placing the book in his satchel, Harry twisted the ring around and closed his hand Raising it to his eyes, he saw nothing. Having achieved what he came for, he left the library, taking the book with him, in case he stumbled across any other such Treasures.