“Hello?” Lily shouted, cupping her hands around her mutilated mouth only to wince in pain. Strips of skin had been torn away from her mouth, the flesh scarred and cracking with blood from the movement. She craned her neck, gazing upwards at the vast expanse of stone that stretched to pierce the sky. The wind whipped her short hair madly, and it obscured her vision of the little scrabbling figures that worked the mountain.

At least one seemed to have heard or seen her, for soon there were countless of those ant-like persons scrabbling and gesturing down towards her. They wore thick corded rope around their waists while standing on wooden platforms—small scaffolding that they used while boring new tunnels into the side of the mountain. These surface tunnels were used to facilitate the transfer of materials to and from the heart of the mountain, for the initial tunnels would be unable to handle the workflow once the mountain truly began to be excavated.

A simple metal elevator ran down the mountain, likely one on either side, powered by muscle with a crank system at the top. The diggers on the side facing the Outlands used it to haul their ores to the top of the mountain, where they could be processed. Once refined, the metals would be sent down the other side, where they would be sent off to traders. The clear delineation helped maintain a clear workflow and prevent any conflict from arising.

Unfortunately for her, Lily came to realize as some diggers rode the elevator down to the ground to meet her, it meant that all the linguistically adept diggers were on the other side of the mountain. None of the ones that worked the mines needed to be particularly skilled at common.

Isolated as they were, diggers were very much a different species, with a rougher physique and a rougher tongue. “Ouja haffa’ loo’, whan’now?” came a laughing bellow as three diggers came out of the groaning elevator. They all bore thick manes of coarse, reddish hair that stretched to cover their bodies. Simple rags covered their bodies, perhaps more for the sake of memory and tradition than actual purpose; some seemed to disdain the shirts and pants in favor of their more…natural attire. “Hoo’zi?” asked the digger in front—with pale white skin and curled hair—in what seemed to be a question. He peered at her with beady eyes, barely visible through the thicket that covered much of his face.

“H-hello.” she choked out, thrown off by their appearance, only to wince as the movement sent pain through her mouth. Whatever ointment the demon made to heal her, it stung like the devil. Hastily, she drew a small cloth up to cover her mouth, lest the cold wind lash that tender skin as well. The diggers before her seemed almost more beast than man, in both appearance and behavior. She had heard tell of these creatures, certainly, but their rather brutish mannerisms were still a shock. “My name is Lily, and I’ve come to ask—” she began, yet before she could even continue, one of the diggers cut her off.

Throwing his thick arms around her, he sank a set of craggy, yellowed teeth into her neck. While it was not enough to draw blood, the crushing force of his arms was enough to squeeze nearly all air from her lungs. When he finally let her go, she nearly fell over as she sucked in a deep breathe.

“Iss’a she, heh.” her assaulter chuckled, clapping the one with the curly hair on his back. Yet in a sudden, impassioned motion, the third struck him without warning on the back of the head, shouting out, “You’ka kill’d its, Boga. loo’zi kakkin”

“Ya shad ya mou’, Moga, innit’ fine? Jus loo’, zee?” he retorted, pointing at her with a thick finger. Lily was coughing, massaging her throat gently and rubbing the bite mark was a hand. Blood oozed from her mutilated lips, dripping slowly down her chin and splattering in drops on the grass. It took her three breaths before she recovered, and then her anger struck her.

“Five and three curses, what was that?” she howled, spittle flying in flecks from her mouth as she raged. She only had enough for that one outburst, before she threw a hand up to cup her stinging lips.

“Ou’sa, its mad.” the curly haired one chuckled, clapping her assailant on the back before all three of them let out a rippling laugh. Kekekekeke, it rang off the mountainside and echoed until even the laughter itself seemed to be laughing—at her. Lily did not dare to speak, instead clenching her jaw and trying to suppress the murderous instinct in her hands.

It was not long before the diggers calmed down, and her assaulter began to apologize. “Sa’sorry, yi didun mean ta’ hurt ya. Boga wus givin a goo’ welcome, but ya didun know ‘bout ‘sit. Boga sa’sorry.” he guffawed, clapping his stomach with a spadelike hand.

“You’re…Boga?” she asked nervously, still trying to fight the hysteria that threatened to sneak into her voice. The digger nodded, still chuckling, and his friends struck him good-naturedly.

“Iss’a Junga.” Boga replied, pointed to the one with curly hair. “An’ iss’a Moga.” he said as he gestured to the third. “Ya’sa?” he asked, pointing to her.

“I’m Lily.” she repeated, taking in a deep breath as she calmed herself. Oh how she wanted to sink some steel into the foolish digger’s arm, but she needed their permission to go through the mines first. After, she thought dimly, she could see about revenge. “I need to pass through the mountains with a friend, and we’d like to go through your mines.”

Boga scratched his stomach with yellowed nails. “Boga dun know ‘bout sa fren’, but Boga can sees.” he muttered, thinking perhaps a shade more deeply than the task required. His features darkened, or perhaps that was just the furrowing of his brows as his little-used mind whirred into action. Junga slapped him on the shoulder with a violent blow, yet it hardly seemed to faze him.

“Boga ya‘sa cran’er, no ‘sa miner. Ya cand let’sa go in sa mines.” Junga bellowed into Boga’s ear to the point that spittle flecked the digger’s hair, shaking Boga out of his reverie. “Ya dun know ou’sa doin.”

That last comment seemed to anger Boga, for he struck Junga square in the jaw with a hard punch. Junga went flying onto the ground with a puff of dirt, falling like a sack of meat. Lily felt her eyes fly wide open in surprise, unprepared for the casual violence. “Ya dun tell Boga ou’sa Boga do.” he howled, beating on his chest with that calloused fist. “Boga ou’sa go in sa mines. Boga ou’sa do anythin!”

Having asserted his dominance over this strange little troupe, Boga once more turned to her. “Ya brin’ sa fren. Boga take ya to sa mines. Iss’a sorry, from Boga.” he replied, thumping over his heart. The entire scene was almost comical, to the point that she half-expected a lyre to start playing from behind her.

Not understanding, Lily shook her head. “We need to get through the mountains.” she repeated, afraid that Boga did not comprehend the words. She struggled to enunciate clearly, her mutilated mouth proving a pain to work with.

Yet Boga simply nodded, gesturing for her to come with him. “Ya brin’ sa fren. Ya ou’sa go in sa mines.”

“My what?” she repeated, furrowing her brows. The thing spoke like it had a rock in its mouth, like its tongue was too thick for the words.

“Sa fren.” Boga replied patiently. “Fren. Ya say iss’a has fren. Ya ou’sa brin’ sa fren. To sa mines.”

“My friend?” Lily asked, starting to understand. “I can bring my friend? We can go into the mines?” Her breath nearly caught in her throat. It could not possibly be this easy, could it? Some part of her mind nibbled away with doubt, yet she pushed it down forcefully.

Boga nodded cheerfully, ignoring Junga as he just got up from the blow. Junga was scowling, not at Boga but rather at her, and he clapped Moga on the back as if gesturing for them to talk. Lily did not notice this, for she had turned to wave at the demon to come out of the grass. When the lupine creature stood, the diggers fell quiet from shock.

As its tall form began to stride through the grass, Lily turned around and saw the diggers visibly taken aback. Of course, they had no idea that her “fren” was a demon, and she was certain that if she had told them, that passage would not have been so easily secured. With any luck, now that Boga had already promised her that she could go into the mines, he would be less likely to take back his word.

“Iss’a…” Moga gulped, his eyes wide. “Ya iss’a big fren.”

The demon loomed by her side, glaring imperiously with those mismatched eyes. Even slouched over as he was, he easily towered over the short diggers, and the fact that they were standing in his shadow did little to ease them of any fear. Junga’s jaw began to quiver, his hands clenched into fists.

“Boga, Junga, Moga,” she started, feeling a little ridiculous from saying their names, “this is—” She paused abruptly, realizing that for all their companionship, she did not even know the demon’s name. A name. “—my friend.” she finished, gesturing to the demon. Had it just never told her its name? That had to have been it; what kind of fool thing would not even have a name? Even these diggers had names, she remarked internally, watching a dim-witted Boga scratch his side lazily as he looked up at the demon.

“Ya no ou’sa brin’ zem, Boga!” Junga suddenly howled, and he struck Boga in the stomach with a fast blow. Boga keeled over, coughing violently as he fell onto the ground with a thud. The punch came suddenly, and Lily’s eyes went wide.

“Why ya sa dat?” Moga shrieked, punching Junga square in the nose. There was a loud crack as the cartilage broke, blood proceeding to gush out like a fountain. Lily gave a huff, half expecting this entire scene to devolve into complete violence. We'll never make it into the mines, she wailed, putting her face into her hands hopelessly before suddenly wincing. Clowns and fools, the lot of them. Her flesh was still raw from when her skin and lips had been torn off by the Skal’ai, and touching it made the scarring area burn with pain.

“Ya cand do dat.” Boga cried out all of a sudden, and to her surprise, he cuffed Moga in the chin. “Junga sa fren! Ya cand hit’sa fren!”

The irony of his statements was still decipherable through his words, if barely.

Yet as Junga prepared to punch Boga once more, the demon suddenly intervened. Striding forward like a black blur, it grabbed either digger in a clawed hand. Before anyone could react, it slammed the two together with a vicious blow, striking their foreheads against each other before letting them fall to the ground. The stunned diggers bled onto the soil, their foreheads and hair soaked with dark, brown blood. They were motionless, save for the flowing blood. Everything was motionless.

The demon stood over them silently, breathing calmly despite what it had just done. Moga stood stock still, his body seemingly made of stone, his expression unreadable. Lily could only watch in horror, silently cursing at the demon for preventing them from crossing the mountains. You crow-cursed fool! Now how do you expect us to get out of these thrice-damned Outlands?

Finally, there was movement as Boga and Junga sat up slowly with a groan.Yet as the two diggers slowly turned at looked at each other, the silence was broken by a sudden and unexpected sound.

Laughter.

Both Boga and Junga were overtaken by an irrepressible mirth, their shoulders heaving and tears streaming from their eyes as they howled and bellowed with boisterous laughter. Moga joined in heartily, stomping on Boga’s chest with a wide foot as he too nearly fell over.

“Ya sa—” Junga started, clapping his stomach as he struggled to even breathe. He pointed at the demon. “Ya sa good fren, ya ‘ere?” Then Boga cuffed him in the back of the head, screaming at him, “Iss’a Boga fren!” As the three diggers raved on the ground, the demon scratched its head with a claw, perhaps as confused as she was at the scene befalling them.

Once they finished punching each other onto their feet, Junga spoke up with a hand scratching his arse. “We brin ya to sa mines, den.” he decided, gesturing to the rusted elevator that lay waiting for them at the base of the mountain. The blood streaming from his squashed nose could not hide the toothy, cracked smile that covered his face. “Ou’sa go, fren.”

As the three of them made their way to the elevator, the demon loped after them with hardly a pause, leaving Lily by herself. Still stunned and confused by the whirlwind of events that had happened around her, she could only mutter to herself before following them up the mountain.

“Men.”