No one answered Sophie's question. The festive mood shattered as the dwarves extinguished the bonfires and dispersed, leaving only Sophie's family and Chief Gennar's household behind.
"Chief, what's going on?" Sophie asked, though her eyes flicked to Kennen. She knew he'd answer—he was too dutiful to let his father strain himself.
"Sigh... Even if I told you, you couldn't help." Kennen slumped beside his parents, his gaze fixed on the mine's entrance, where something massive struggled against its confines.
"How do you know I can't help unless you tell me? Even if I can't, at least I won't be left in the dark!" Sophie plopped down across from him, flanked by Charles and Agatha. The earlier tremor had rattled them too.
Kennen sighed. "It started a month ago..."
He explained how dwarves survived by mining, crafting, and trading with humans for food. Their ancestors had discovered a rich vein here, ensuring prosperity—until a monster invaded the mines. Without ore, the village would wither.
For Chief Gennar, this was a disgrace to his lineage. In a rage, he'd stormed the mine, only to be injured by flying shards. The wound festered, leaving him bedridden.
That night, Sophie lay awake in her tent (too tall for dwarf-sized beds, unlike Charles, whose feet dangled off his). By dawn, she'd resolved to investigate the mine. *"If we can't fight it, we'll flee—but we have to try."*
Meanwhile, deep in the mine, the trapped creature—**Aepri**, an enormous earthworm—writhed in agony. Days of starvation had shrunk her body, yet the jagged crystals embedded in her skin from frantic thrashing made escape impossible.
*"If only I'd stuck to roots like my kin..."* she lamented.
The next morning, Sophie entrusted Agatha to Eleanora and convinced Gennar to let her visit the mine by having Charles demonstrate his magic. The display drew the whole village, and Kennen insisted on accompanying them, along with several brave dwarven youths.
At the mine's entrance, Sophie peered into the abyss. *"No lights? Even human mines have those!"*
Kennen lit a glowstick and stepped inside, his expression grim. Sophie and Charles followed, trailed by the dwarves.
Aepri, half-delirious with hunger, perked up at the sounds. *"Visitors?"*
The last humans she'd seen had fled before she could speak. This time, she stayed still, waiting until they were close before greeting them gently:
**"Hello, humans!"**
**"AAAH—!"**
The dwarves bolted, leaving only Sophie, Charles, Little White, and a trembling Kennen.
Sophie's instincts screamed to run—the voice was thunderous—but hearing actual words steadied her. Taking the glowstick, she crept forward.
Ten steps later, the "monster" came into view: a gargantuan worm with glossy black eyes and a mouthful of needle-like teeth.
"Uh... hello? What brings you here?" Sophie asked, subtly signaling Charles to prepare a spell.
Aepri blinked. **"I'm Aepri, an earthworm. You... don't hate me?"**
Sophie frowned. "Why would I? You're unusual, but not hideous."
Tears welled in Aepri's eyes—each the size of a bucket. **"You're the kindest human I've ever met!"**
*"Oh no—"* Sophie braced as the first tear splashed, drenching the tunnel floor.
After calming Aepri, Sophie learned her story:
Originally a root-eater, Aepri had developed a taste for minerals after consuming something unknown. Her growth spurt exiled her underground to avoid humans, who despised her kind.
"You *talk*? Do all earthworms speak?" Sophie asked.
**"I learned by listening to humans under the moonlight,"** Aepri admitted.
Sophie's mind conjured the absurd image of a worm moon-gazing.
**"But now I'm stuck,"** Aepri whimpered. **"I was eating when I fell into this shaft. The crystals hurt, and I'm starving..."**
Sophie studied the glinting shards piercing Aepri's flesh. *"So she's not a monster—just a glutton in distress."*
**"Can you help me?"** Aepri pleaded.
Sophie exchanged glances with Charles.
**"We'll try,"** she said.
**But how do you free a creature too large to move—and what happens if it gets hungry again?**