One of the most vital industries that never shuts down, no matter the weather, was the mana crystal mining industry. This was the main fuel source for most vehicles, especially steam engines. Instead of coal in the firebox, the fireman would heat up a mana crystal and toss it into the firebox, thus boiling the water. When this discovery was made, railways all across the Realms chose to use it as it takes an extremely long time for a mine to be exhausted, even when the mines employ Dwarves and Goblins as miners. Although, for such a vital industry, sadly, one of the mining operations on the northern edge of Wysper City, the Yaldem and Son Mine, was VERY inefficient. The reason for this was that the founder and manager, Mr. Yaldem, was something of a money hoarder. For some odd reason, he never looked at the long-term benefits of having a dedicated shunter to arrange the mine\u2019s inbound and outbound trains. Thus, he calculated it was cheaper to pay a shunting fee rather than have an onsite engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was an extremely poor arrangement as it left the two major rail companies, Imperial Rail and Northern Regional, to argue over who got to use the chutes first with the wagons being left everywhere. It got so bad that, when he took over a day before Lardeth\u2019s Tour\u2019s End Ceremony, Yaldem\u2019s son purchased an engine, much to the indignation of his father. This engine was a rail-type Mechanica, where an upper torso took the place of the smokebox and funnel. She looked and dressed sternly. The day she arrived, she found two more rail-type Mechanicas and their crews arguing at the chutes. Both of the engines were tank engines and they wore the liveries of their respective companies, Imperial Rail and Northern Regional. \u201cFor the last time, Golu, NO!\u201d shouted the Imperial Rail tank engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been holding up the wagons since I arrived, Jenmar!\u201d snapped the Norther Regional tank engine, Golu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because I need to fill a big order of mana crystals!\u201d argued the Imperial Rail tank engine, Jenmar. \u201cYou can check with Yaldem Jr.!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, get your pistons moving!\u201d barked Golu. \u201cI\u2019ve got a shipment of my own to take back to Endel Town or the others won\u2019t move come tomorrow!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI fail to see the issue!\u201d laughed Jenmar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow, just what\u2019s going on here?!\u201d barked the new engine as she steamed into the mine yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho are you?!\u201d demanded Golu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m Henthal, the new shunter,\u201d introduced the engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAn old lady like you?!\u201d protested Golu. \u201cYou\u2019re pulling my side rods!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLooking at you,\u201d remarked the new engine, Henthal, as she peered through her lorgnette, \u201cit\u2019s no wonder I\u2019m needed!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere do you get off making THAT comment?!\u201d demanded Golu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve been the mine\u2019s shunter,\u201d Henthal continued severely, \u201cI\u2019m amazed it hasn\u2019t closed! Just look at the state of the wagons! All over the place!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFirst off, I\u2019m not the shunter!\u201d snapped Golu. \u201cSecond, is that anyway for a lady to talk?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou tell me!\u201d declared Henthal. Jenmar laughed at that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cButton it, Pipsqueak!\u201d growled Golu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll right, I\u2019ve wasted enough time with you!\u201d hissed Henthal. \u201cClear off and let a REAL shunter do her work!\u201d Golu growled before he chuffed away. \u201cNow, to something more pleasant,\u201d mused Henthal as she peered less severely through her lorgnette at Jenmar. \u201cIs that you, Young Jenmar?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat it is!\u201d replied Jenmar. \u201cSo the board finally purchased an engine?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…\u2019Finally\u2019?\u201d asked Henthal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, the mine never had its own shunter,\u201d explained Jenmar. \u201cThat changed when the mine\u2019s owner took over the business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow I\u2019m REALLY amazed it hasn\u2019t closed!\u201d breathed Henthal as she folded her lorgnette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all are,\u201d called a man\u2019s voice. A Zephyr man then glided up to the two engines. \u201cWelcome to the Yaldem and Son Mine, Henthal. I\u2019m Yaldem Jr. the current owner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo you\u2019re the one in charge,\u201d realized Henthal. \u201cI have a feeling you\u2019ll make for an excellent manager.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad to hear you say that,\u201d replied Yaldem Jr. \u201cThis mine needs to be put in order on the double. According to the schedule, Jenmar needs to get his colleagues at their base of operations, the Financial North Sector.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen I may as well get started,\u201d declared Henthal. \u201cHow many wagons?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c13 and a brake-van,\u201d answered Yaldem Jr. \u201cIf you could arrange it on track 2, that would be excellent. After that, Golu needs a 12 wagon train for his people. Set that on track 1.\u201d He handed her a map of the mines and she looked it over before setting to work. In the few days she worked, exportation soon increased as she implemented an efficient system that appeased both rail companies, getting all trains out in a timely manner. During the week, Queen Olmarfa, King Endram, Princess Vumfaf, Rellmeer, and Felfar visited the mines. Olmarfa had seen a report about the sudden spike in exportations from the mines and wanted to see the results. When the tour wound down, she asked that her party take a ride back to the Royal Sector. Jenmar returned as he needed to take another train to the Royal Sector and so his conductor offered to give them a ride in the brake-van. It was late in the afternoon when they finally set out and by the time they were passing by the old mountain path of the Great Northern Wysper Railway, night had fallen. Jenmar liked a good nighttime run. However, this particular run would take a turn for the odd. As he puffed down the line, he heard a far off whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, can anyone recognize that?\u201d he asked his crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNope,\u201d replied his driver as she checked the speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot me,\u201d confirmed his fireman. They then saw a pillar of something cloudy coming around the pass. \u201c…That line\u2019s closed, ain\u2019t it?\u201d asked the fireman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt should be,\u201d remarked the driver. Then, it happened! The source of the clouds, a steam engine, came flying off the path and plunged into the ravine! Everyone saw it fall and Jenmar applied his brakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood grief!\u201d he yelped. The brake-van\u2019s occupants saw the engine fall too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s never a good sign!\u201d yelped Vumfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat was a passenger train too!\u201d gulped Rellmeer. \u201cGet the emergency services! I\u2019ll fly over there to see what I can do!\u201d She flew out of the brake-van at top speed and dove into the ravine. What she saw, or rather, DIDN\u2019T see, defied her sense of logic. Her communicator rang, signaling that Felfar was calling. She picked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow bad is it, Mistress?\u201d asked Felfar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEr, Felfar, could you go on speaker?\u201d asked Rellmeer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…Sure,\u201d replied Felfar. After a few seconds, Felfar confirmed everyone was on speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGuys, I don\u2019t know how else to say this, but there\u2019s no train-wreck here,\u201d reported Rellmeer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…Tea rasamna roosmad, Faleemna,\u201d remarked Felfar in Ancient Fae. \u201cWe all saw it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome over here and then see if I need my eyes checked!\u201d challenged Rellmeer. The conductor traced the signal and teleported everyone to Rellmeer\u2019s location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat the?!\u201d spluttered Felfar. Rellmeer was right, there was nothing to indicate the remains of a train. \u201cWh…where is it?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m…not sure!\u201d gulped Olmarfa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou…did SEE the train fall, didn\u2019t you?\u201d asked Vumfaf to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI sure did,\u201d confirmed Endram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s…nothing here,\u201d muttered the conductor as he scratched his head. \u201cNo rubble at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe we saw wrong, or heard wrong,\u201d suggested Rellmeer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all saw or heard wrong a passenger train falling down a two and a half por ravine?\u201d asked Felfar. \u201cThat sounds unlikely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat other explanation is there?\u201d asked Olmarfa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait, that path was part of the old Great Northern Wysper Railway\u2019s mainline, right?\u201d asked Vumfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, but it was ripped up after…the railway…closed…\u201d Olmarfa trailed off as she remembered the aftermath. \u201c…How was a train going on that path with no rails?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…It has to be!\u201d guessed Vumfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHas to be what?\u201d asked Felfar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t!\u201d snapped Olmarfa as she shook her head and crossed her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut this is around the time that it\u2019s supposed to appear!\u201d insisted Vumfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVumfaf, your father\u2019s ghost can\u2019t manifest!\u201d argued Olmarfa. \u201cThere\u2019s another explanation and we\u2019ll find it!\u201d If only everyone else agreed with that statement, but the nearby townsfolk also heard the crash and came out in droves to see it. Much like Olmarfa\u2019s group, they were just as confused when they didn\u2019t see anything that indicated a crash. This event attracted the attention of a reporter who, after conducting interviews and research, published an article about the former King\u2019s death and the ghost story that followed. After the article made the papers, there was a spike in alleged sightings. Throughout this time, Lardeth remained a skeptic, fully under the impression that the sightings were nothing more than the power of suggestion. He held on to that view until he and his lovers had their own encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lardeth had taken his fianc\u00e9s to the theater in the northern suburbs of Wysper City. Because of weather conditions, the journey took two and a half hours. They still made it in time to see the Three Maidens, a comedy trio of Elf women that were…on the low end of the intelligence spectrum. Their names were Moru, Larima, and Curlandii. Moru was the one in charge with the short fuse, Larima was the straight-person of the group, and Curlandii was the childish one who usually starts the antics the three get into. The plot of the skit the six saw was that the Three Maidens tried to sell a flycatcher, but get caught up in a mob racket that results in them thinking that the window dummy they shot was a real person and so they tried to bury the dummy in the local pet cemetery. The six were still laughing at the whole thing as they waited at the station for the train back. \u201cMan, those three are still a riot, even after 50,000 years!\u201d giggled Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m surprised Curlandii came back,\u201d mused Gorfanth. \u201cI thought she had retired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI guess actors don\u2019t take retirement all too well,\u201d guessed Malnar. Just then, they heard a train whistle in the distance. \u201cThat\u2019s quick,\u201d muttered Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t have arrived this early,\u201d remarked Arsha. Just then, the Zephyr stationmaster came out of her office. \u201cExcuse me,\u201d called Arsha, \u201cI thought the last train\u2019s not due for another 10 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t,\u201d replied the stationmaster. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t any whistle I recognize.\u201d That was when the mystery train steamed in. It carried coaches behind it and the engine\u2019s crew consisted of a male human and a female Frostik. The stationmaster approached the engine\u2019s cab and spoke to the crew. \u201cExcuse me, you\u2019re not on the schedule,\u201d she called. \u201cWho gave you clearance to stop here?\u201d The crew didn\u2019t say a word. \u201cI\u2019m talking to you two!\u201d snapped the stationmaster. She tried to get them to talk for a good 10 minutes as a crowd gathered around her. She finally made her decision. \u201cAll right, I\u2019m ordering you two to get out of your engine!\u201d They didn\u2019t move. \u201cI warn you,\u201d growled the stationmaster as she prepared to cast a lightning spell, \u201cfailure to comply with a railway official will result in…\u201d That was when a chilling scream of terror tore through everyone\u2019s ears. The reason for such a scream was because an elderly Zephyr woman dared to press her face against the window of the coach. The scream made everyone on the platform to jump back. Whatever she saw inside, she became hysterical. Unfortunately, some cruel trick of fate made the situation worse as another whistle announced another train\u2019s approach. \u201cOh no!\u201d yelped the stationmaster. \u201cThat\u2019s the last train!\u201d She pulled out a whistle and blew hard, causing a few passengers to hold their ears. The noise of brakes trying to stop the train then followed, but, thanks to icy rails, the train skidded closer and closer to the mystery train. Everyone cleared the area in case of a crash, which didn\u2019t happen. The mystery train just vanished out of existence, allowing the last passenger train to skid just a little further before finally stopping. A few doctors that were among the passengers checked everyone over. Once they were cleared, Arsha, her fianc\u00e9s, and the stationmaster dashed towards the engine with a doctor in tow. The crew, a pair of middle-aged Zephyr women, stood in the engine\u2019s cab in fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMs. Yanfar?\u201d asked Lardeth. The firewoman then turned her head slowly, her face plastered with fear. \u201cMs. Yanfar, are you all right?\u201d quizzed Lardeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was…a train…at the platform…wasn\u2019t there?\u201d asked Ms. Yanfar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was,\u201d replied Lardeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then…there wasn\u2019t?\u201d stammered Ms. Yanfar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight again, Ma\u2019am,\u201d confirmed Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cH…how…?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know,\u201d replied the stationmaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do,\u201d interjected Malnar. \u201cWhen you\u2019ve lived as long as I have in the Belsnath citadel, you tend to pick up on some things, SPECTRAL things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…Are you saying…?\u201d gulped Ms. Yanfar as the doctor checked her over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat train was a ghost train,\u201d confirmed Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen it IS true!\u201d yelped Falnii. \u201cLardeth\u2019s dad haunts the old line on a ghost train!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBu…but…!\u201d protested Lardeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLardeth, I\u2019m sorry, but your dad\u2019s ghost HAS manifested here,\u201d insisted Malnar. Lardeth sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI owe my sisters an apology,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the most vital industries that never shuts down, no matter the weather, was the mana crystal mining industry. This was the main fuel source for most vehicles, especially steam engines. Instead of coal in the firebox, the fireman would heat up a mana crystal and toss it into the firebox, thus boiling the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,95],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-2776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-2-the-rise-of-living-metal","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2776"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2779,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2776\/revisions\/2779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}