Jaildarn #AtoZChallenge 2025 fantasy

[Story scene post]

"You call that independence? Having to detract from your work, your purpose, to deal with food preparation? I suppose you don't have any Turquoise, either?" Reyrigo bites off a chunk of his bread. A piece of the baked-in tart fruit falls to the ground.

"Masters of Nesscesities?" Jaildarn shakes his head and chuckles. "No. We aren't so soft. The Opals did not pull an entire other classification from the Birth Place just to tend to our simple matters. Golds are far more capable than that."

"Capable? Soft?" Reyrigo points to his bowl. "The food goes in you. The remains will come out. We have people to deal with that inevitably."

Jaildarn drinks from his cup, then sets it down, turning it slowly, as if studying it. "You would drag such people across our world? To unknown places with dangers none have ever experienced?"

"What? No. They live in their quarters. I don't take them anywhere. I'm not sure when the last time I even saw a Turquoise was, but I know they're around, because all the necessities are taken care of, which is their purpose." Reyrigo looks to me. "Belp, have you seen any?"

I shrug. "They weren't in the mountain moving rocks. That's where I was for most of the day."

"Soft." Jaildarn shakes his head. 

"You think so," Reyrigo pops the last of his bread into his mouth and chews for a bit. "I'll be cleaned up and ready to return to that cavern after the morning meal. Will you?"

Jaildarn pushes his empty cup and bowl away from himself. "A Gold is always ready. Comforts like food, bathing supplies, and fresh clothing are not promised."

Reyrigo gathers his empty bowl and cups. "Sounds like you waste time doing the work of other specialties. Maybe the Masters of travel and discovery need to discover a better way to live." 

He stomps away from us. 

"Reyrigo can be difficult," I say as I break a nut from my bread. "But he excels in the mountain."

"It is of no consequence, Belp. I am a Gold, my mission is to discover whatever there is to know about this cavern. As that is not being done at the moment, I should go reserve and replenish my energy."

"Do you have a place to sleep? It wouldn't really be help for me to get you one, would it?"

"You would never survive as a Gold." Jaildarn shakes his head.

I gather my empty bowl and cup. "Good thing that isn't a possibility. Just a regular Brown, a Master of mountains, nothing else." I grin.

"Nothing else," Jaildarn repeats as he follows me, not cleaning up his mess.

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Key dramatic question that will take whole story to answer:

Could Belp have prevented all this death, how, and if so-- why didn't he?

And what led Jaildarn to become the cause of such annihilation? 

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QUESTION -- If you had to be one, would you rather be a Brown, a Gold, or a Turquoise? 

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My A to Z 2025 theme is a fantasy story. (And some of the process of writing it as well.) 🕮

- J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge

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