The dust of the skirmish had settled. The collapsed mine entrance was still full of rocks and soil. The screams had mostly stopped. Replaced by the low moans of the injured. And the grim silence of the dead.
Jack Night shifted his weight. He felt the ache in his injuries. And fatigue in his bones. Something he didn't really feel in his specter and draugr state.
"Lucky, I was prepared for this." He grumbled.
He put down his spatial backpack. Reaching inside and pulling out two vials. Both were filled with glowing red liquid. healing potions. The ones he purchased just before the mission.
He tapped Big Bill's shoulder and handed him one.
"Thanks." Bill grunted and immediately uncorked it. "Cheers, Jack!" He downed the potion in one gulp. A faint light emanated from him for a moment before fading.
Jack drank his own potion. It tasted vaguely of copper and chili. But the soothing warmth spreading through his body was immediate and welcome.
The worst of the aches receded. Muscles were relaxing from the tension of battle.
Nearby, O.J. had already detached his damaged mechanical leg. Sparks sputtered from the exposed wires. And broken plating hung loose.
He pulled a compact toolkit from his waist bag. Both his human hand and mechanical one were already working on a makeshift repair.
Will looked pale but unharmed. He stood beside O.J. His eyes were wide as he surveyed the carnage. He had returned his borrowed handgun to Jack. Now, he only held his boltless crossbow.
Old Sam was leaning against a huge rock. He was checking his buckler and revolver. His face was as usual, grim yet calm.
A deep, resonant sound came from the winged-ape mecha. The cockpit hissed open. Big Boss Abe Lodegrey stepped out. He was a heavy-set man who was built like a brick wall. He looked imposing with his thick beard and grim face.
"Report!" Lodegrey bellowed. His voice reverberated across the clearing.
The closest surviving mercenaries stumbled forward. They recounted the attack, the collapsed mine, and the the mercenaries still trapped inside.
As they were speaking, another seismic thud was heard. It announced a new arrival of another mecha.
This one didn't fly. It was a bulky, humanoid shape. It was full of riveted steel and churning gears. Steam was hissing from vents as it leaped and lumbered across the ground. Each step was a minor earthquake.
"Lady Janette Gemrose." Big Bill informed Jack. Wiping sweat from his brow. "Vice President of the Union. Nasty piece of work, they say. But very strong."
The second mecha stopped beside the first. Lady Gemrose emerged from its cockpit. She was sharp-featured. And radiating a clear aura of authority.
She listened to the report intently. Her gaze was sweeping over the scene. Cold and assessing.
"Trapped, you say?" Lodegrey boomed. Turning towards the collapsed mine entrance. "How many?"
Nobody had a precise number. But it was easily half the original expedition force. Probably even three fourth.
Big Boss Lodegrey and Lady Gemrose wasted no time. They re-entered their mechas.
The winged-ape's massive clawed hands were powered by steam and hydraulics. They began tearing at the rubble of the collapsed entrance.
The humanoid mecha joined in. Its own enormous mechanical arms digging with surprising speed. The ground vibrated with their effort.
Slowly, painstakingly, they tore open a hole. A hole large enough for a man to exit. Or enter the mine.
A moment later, figures began to emerge from inside the cave. Not as many as they hoped. Just a handful of dirty, shaken mercenaries. Just six in total.
Among them, O.J. exclaimed. "Ria! You're alright!"
A young woman, dressed in engineer's overalls, stumbled towards him. It seemed that she was Ria. The one O.J. called his technician.
The other survivors coughed and choked on the dust. Gasping for fresh air. They told their story.
"It wasn't a cave-in everywhere." One mercenary explained. "Only the entrance. Most other shafts held strong. And down in H-01, there was this... space crack."
"A spatial tear." Another clarified. "An entrance to a mystic ruin. At least, that was how the Mystic Scholars called it. Most of the trapped teams decided it was safer to try the tear than wait to be dug out."
Lodegrey and Gemrose exchanged grim looks. A spatial crack discovered by accident. Deep in a mine that was being cleared by the Union. During a cultist attack. Nothing good could come of that.
"We're going in!" Lodegrey announced. Stepping away from his mecha. "Lady Gemrose?"
"Agreed." She replied. Locking her machine into what looked like a box shaped iron pile. "We need to assess the situation and find the others."
They led the way towards the newly opened, narrow passage. Directly into the collapsed mine. Some of the surviving mercenaries quickly followed. Including the teenage youth Jack suspected to be the target of the cultists.
"My brother Danny was in there." Big Bill said. His massive frame was tense. "I'm going."
Jack glanced at Old Sam. Old Sam just gave a curt nod.
"I'm going with him." Jack said. Confirming the unspoken agreement.
Old Sam chimed in. "Wouldn't miss it."
"We'll go too!" Will piped up. Looking eager. O.J. also made a move to follow. Despite his limping leg.
Old Sam turned. His expression was blunt. "No, you won't," he said flatly.
"O.J.! Your damaged leg's held together by flimsy whatever-it-is. You won't be able to keep up with our speed. Or run away from danger in there. Will, you don't have any bolt for your crossbow. Do you want to borrow a gun from Jack again? Wait out here. Help the injured. Someone needs to secure this side."
Old Sam didn't wait for their response. He turned and followed Big Bill and Jack. Who had already entered the dark maw of the mine.
Inside, the air was thick with dust. And the smell of rock. And damp earth. The sounds of the world outside vanished. Replaced by the unnerving silence of the deep mine. Broken only by their own ragged breathing.
The three scrambled through the rubble. Following the dim light of the leaders' lamps ahead.
They soon reached the end of tunnel H-01. It looked much like the other cleared ghoul tunnels. Except for one thing.
At the far end, the rock face should have been solid. However, here, it shimmered and twisted. It wasn't a physical opening. Nor a solid object. It was like looking through heat haze.
This was a rip in the fabric of reality. A spatial crack.
Big Boss Lodegrey and Lady Gemrose were approaching it. Accompanied by the other mercenaries. There was no hesitation. They stepped into the shimmering distortion and vanished.
Big Bill paused only for a second. Then, he plunged through.
Jack followed him closely. He felt a strange tingling sensation as he passed through the crack. Like static electricity washing over him. And then, the sense of disorientation.
It was similar to whenever he entered the Mirror World. Or when he got caught into the Webmother's Trial Maze.
He stepped through.
He found himself not in a dark cave. Or a ruined structure. But in a world of vibrant, overwhelming green.
The air here was very different. It was fresh. Thick with humidity. And the scent of wet earth. As well as the fragrance of unfamiliar blossoms.
Towering trees clawed at the sky. It was far larger than any tree Jack had ever seen. Their leaves were a riot of many shades of greens.
Giant ferns formed a dense, tangled undergrowth. Along with strange, broad-leafed plants. And wild grass.
Enormous, colorful insects buzzed and chirped. The noisr they made sounded alien to his ears.
"Look above!" Old Sam suddenly said.
Big Bill and Jack looked up. Above, in the very blue sky, dark shapes soared on leathery wings. Letting out piercing cries. They seemed like the prehistoric animals. Pterosaurs.
Jack looked down. The ground beneath his feet was soft soil. It was covered in fallen leaves and vines.
This wasn't the world he knew anymore. Not the one he knew before he died. And certainly not the Industrial Revolution world he'd been reborn into.
This was something ancient. Primordial. A prehistoric world.
Big Boss Lodegrey and Lady Gemrose were gathering the other mercenaries near the tear. Which, in this world, was a shimmering giant tree trunk.
The two leaders quickly conferred. Then pointed towards a distant landmark. A smoking volcano was rising above the tree line on the horizon. That, apparently, was their destination.
It was a logical choice. The volcano was obviously a significant landmark in this world. Most explorers would move to such kind of location. It would make mapping much easier at least.
But Big Bill wasn't heading that way. He stood still for a moment. His eyes closed as his hand held the pendant of his necklace tight.
"This way." He stated afterward. Pointing off into the dense jungle. Away from the volcano. "I feel my brother. Danny. He's this way."