Serial
106: Don’t fall into the pit
August 11th, 38 S.D. 19:33 Mandal Range, Angali
Losha whirled around, staring up out of the mine. That was the signal from Faima and Denze. Something was wrong, but exactly what remained unknown. Even so, Losha acted quickly. She scanned the area for seras frequencies. At first, she sensed nothing new, just the presence of the Angali. However, as she carefully focused, she detected something at the edge of the forest surrounding them. It seemed a fairly large group of people was coming in their direction, yet their frequencies appeared... unstable.
They flickered in and out, as if hiding one moment but not the other. More perplexing was the fact that they’d gotten so close without her realizing it. Ordinarily, she could catch even weak frequencies from several kilometers away. Losha didn’t like this unexplained and unexpected event one bit; her instinct was to retreat immediately until they could better observe what was going on.
“Out!” she whispered sharply, jerking her head towards the top of the pit. Here they were dangerously vulnerable and exposed. If they could reach the rim again, they could hide, wait, and watch. Swiftly, they stepped up the path of boards, making their way to the surface. At times they paused to monitor both the guards above and the approaching, mysterious group. Before Losha and her students reached the end, before they could safely exfiltrate the pit, the guards took notice of the coming visitors.
Suddenly, there was much movement towards the gate. All three serialists dropped to their stomachs, lying flat on the wood as people came by. Fortunately for the Wolf, they were still far enough in the pit to stay out of sight. More of the Angali came out from one particular building as names were called. A sort of gathering grew at the entrance, but eventually the bustle and excitement died down. It looked as if they were anticipating the group heading up the trail.
This was an opportunity for Losha and the rest to escape. Keeping their bodies low, they crawled out, pulling themselves along with their forearms. Continuing like so, the three of them made a hard turn, seeking the cover of some nearby structures. All they had to do was hit the wall of the outer ring, then climb up to the rim. They had gone quite a ways to their goal, yet all at once they noticed the glare of several lanterns pointing towards their vicinity. In a moment, Losha’s eyes darted to the right as she made her decision. Some of the buildings actually stood half a meter above ground. A narrow space beneath them offered sanctuary from the open.
“Roll!” Losha said urgently.
Like a log, she tumbled away. Virel and Jun obeyed without hesitation, following their master as soon as she started moving. A few seconds after that, they all stopped together. Something new was going on now; large, powerful, electric lights snapped on, bathing the mine in brightness. Losha frowned and sighed. They could have easily been spotted if they had not left the pit as fast as they had. With everything illuminated now, they’d have a harder time making their exit. Serialization would have proved most useful, but still, she wanted to keep it minimal. Just what was going on?
“Stay put,” she commanded, looking at Virel then Jun separately.
“Sa,” each mouthed.
By slight degrees, she shuffled close to the edge of the building, peering at the entrance. Squinting past the rain, Losha saw a crowd of Angali stepping back in an orderly fashion, parting into two rows. They snapped into a salute, crisply standing at attention as one of their own went to meet the arrivals. He appeared to be an officer of some sort. She narrowed her eyes as the group of outsiders finally came through.
Immediately, she zeroed in on a tall, Gandian-looking woman. She wore a tight, black vest under a riding jacket. Her pale, svelte pants clung closely to her legs. Stepping forward on ankle-high brown boots, she went straight for the Angali soldier. Long, sable, and wild, her hair swept behind her as she walked. Against the darkness, her small glasses flashed for but an instant.
Behind her, an entourage of armored soldiers followed. All of them were completely wrapped in battle-gear. They wore thin plates of metal fixed around their arms, legs, and torsos in addition to their face-masks and helmets. Each carried heavy rifles, the latest Gandian wares in terms of caliber. Losha cocked her head as she saw them. There was something about them that seemed... incorrect. At the time, she couldn’t quantify it precisely.
Losha glanced ahead, turning back to the Angali standing before the woman. The officer was an older man, judging by the color of his hair. He seemed to be of some notable rank, given his armband and uniform. He smiled at his guest and offered his hand. They shook as they met, and both sides started to talk. This conversation, however, remained off-limits to Losha. She was not in range to properly hear anything. She grumbled to herself; it appeared she’d have to resort to serialization.
Holding one hand forward, she curled it into a fist, raising only the index like an antenna. With the other hand, she plugged her pointer in her ear. Casting a complex kinetic series, she caught sounds from a distance using her extended finger, then transferred them into the second finger. Through micro-vibrations, she could amplify almost any noise, stimulating her aural senses. All she had to do was aim, and instantly words began to fill her head. Losha had spent a great deal of time practicing this particular series, so she emitted no light as it came to life, perfect for maintaining her stealth. Training herself solely on the woman and the officer, the Wolf eavesdropped on their discussion.
“We did not expect you back so soon, Ver Hart,” said the soldier, grinning. “But you could not have picked a better time.”
“I suppose you found the deposits?” the woman asked. She had a slow, husky voice and a very slight accent in her speech. Asten wasn’t her mother tongue, but she passed for a native speaker well enough. Only a few would have picked up on it. This “Hart” lady seemed Gandian in every other way, however, from her clothes and looks.
“Sa! The serastone was here after all, and in quite an abundance. We have found that thanks to you, and more.”
“And more?” Hart asked, placing her hands on her hips and shifting to the side. “Something interesting, perhaps?”
“Interesting to us, sa. Very much so. But I want to know what you make of it. I believe you would best be able to judge what it is and what it means for us.”
“Well then, Range Lead, please lead the way.”
Hart and the officer walked away from the entrance, leaving the Angali stationed there. Hart’s armed personnel went with her though. Who was she? Losha could only wonder. The woman seemed like a foreigner. She’d also told the Angali where to find serastone? Was she some sort of scientist or scholar? These questions ran around her mind without answer. The only thing she could be sure of was that neither she nor Sventa had the whole picture of what was going on.
Losha traced her finger along the mine, tailing after Hart and the Range Lead. They went straight for the pit. Thanks to the strong lights beaming down into the hole, darkness abandoned the night while under these lamps. Hart descended, guided by her Angali host. Eventually, Losha could see nothing but their heads, then even those disappeared. The guards dispersed, going about their patrols once more. Losha saw a pair chatting with each other off to one side. There was a chance they’d enlighten her on the situation, so she listened in.
“Sa, so that is the woman everyone talks about?” one asked, turning over his shoulder and glancing at the pit. “The one who makes stops around these parts?”
“Sa,” the other replied, leaning against one building to avoid the rain. “Simona Hart, or something like that. I told you, she is a scientist interested in those stones we have to dig up here.”
“You did not tell me she had such great legs.”
“Ksh! You want me to look at her when she has those nasty bodyguards around? I like my head without bullet holes.”
“Yeah, but those pants... so shapely... Do Gandians really wear stuff like that? On horseback too?”
“Like I would know!”
“Is she really a scientist though? I mean...”
“Sa, she does not look like one. I thought so too when we all met her half a year back, but what does that matter? How many scientists have you and I seen or met? Feh! They could look like anyone for all I know, so I do not question whether she is or is not one. She says so, so that is that. Plus, she has told us about this place before we even knew it. Her info and knowledge checkout.”
“So, if I remember correctly, she came to us right? Wanted to do some research on these stones? But why that kind of protective detail? Those guys and those guns look like they want to storm a fort. Why all of them just for her? The Central Plains are not that dangerous...”
“Look, I know you were just transferred recently, but do we have to play trivia like this?” the second one asked.
“Sorry, I just...”
“Sa, whatever. Just know that those stones will make our clan great. The head elders, in turn, have agreed to do anything to acquire them, even if it means working with Hart under her conditions. Sa, with the stone in our possession, we can stand against any clan. No one will attack us, and we can finally live in peace. Also, we will not have to form an alliance like others are doing. We can be truly independent. I am telling you, these little rocks are our future.”
“I hope so.”
Losha withdrew her hand and sighed to herself. So Hart had come here to study serastone, and she had in fact been the one to lead the Angali to the Mandal Range... But why did her seras frequency fade in and out? And her bodyguards as well? Above all, just what did the Range Lead hope to show her? Although the Wolf had gathered some intel, many things remained a puzzle to her. She knew of only one way to crack it, however. Yet again she’d have to use serialization; she felt she had no option but that.
“Stay here until I come back,” Losha said, turning her head back at Virel and Jun. They nodded obediantly in response.
Gradually, Losha crawled from under the building. As she left, she began casting a series around her body. It was the same one she’d famously used against Avil the Noven Hawk, light manipulation that essentially turned her invisible. From any given angle, she took in light as it touched her, then passed it on the other side. This effectively allowed her to edit herself out of any scene no matter who viewed it. She was not a perfect ghost however. Her sounds were not suppressed, and she revealed a weak seras frequency in this mode. Hiding her seratic presence was infeasible now that she performed such an intricate series. Naturally, as she used some seras, a bit leaked from her being. Only other serialists would possibly notice, at least she hoped.
Out in the mine, Losha stood up but quickly crouched. She realized that while she was completely transparent, the rain might outline her. To someone else, it would appear as if the drops were bouncing off an unseen construct. Caution dictated she proceed using her wits in every way possible. She made it back to pit and gingerly stepped over the boards once more. If she placed her feet down, heel-first, little by little, she could silently move along. Nothing creaked as she stalked Hart. Their lot was already more than halfway down when Losha started shadowing them, but they were still within earshot.
“We stumbled upon this a fortnight ago, soon after you left us last time. Ever since, we have been working diligently to unearth it. A few days prior, we finally managed to free it from these depths,” the Range Lead said, walking in front of Hart the whole time. Though her guards were imposing, the Angali officer didn’t seem to mind. He’d been around them long enough to grow accustomed to them. In any case, he didn’t have much choice. When his superiors gave him orders, it was never his place to question something. If they wanted it, he had to oblige. So much was at stake, quite possibly future of their entire clan. For that, he’d deal with anything.
“At first,” he continued. “We had no idea what this thing was. Well, technically, we still do not, but we originally thought it was less significant than we later realized.”
“Less significant?” Hart asked quizzically. “This whole mine is worth more than gold. Everything in here should be utterly invaluable. Did you think I had you digging up junk all of this time?”
“Of course not, Ver Hart,” he laughed. “You see, it is just that when we looked at this, it was just another rock, not even looking like the other black stones. But when we started chipping away at it... Well, you will just have to behold it yourself.”
They pressed on, diving deeper and deeper into the pit, at last reaching the muddy bottom. By now the place was like a filling cup. The standing water came up to their shins. Losha moved along a dozen or so meters in their wake. When they stopped at the last board, hesitating at the growing pond in front of them, so too did Losha pause.
“So, where is it?” Hart inquired, looking around. “I hope you do not expect me to muck about this place.”
“You need not worry. Let me take care of things. Sa, let me ask you something. Can you feel it yet? Any tingling like usual?”
“Not any more than I would normally expect. I can feel the serastone around me, but there is not much that has been mined.”
“Very well,” the Range Lead said. Cupping his hands, he hollered up back to the surface. One soldier above yelled in reply, and then a great spectacle came to life. At that moment, several lights were redirected down into the pit. Their rays fell near the center, overlapping each other as they shined upon the large puddle. Afterwards, four men on the upper level tackled two wheels covered in spokes. Doubling up, the miners began turning these contraptions. Long, heavy ropes were attached to both wheels, dropping down into the pit’s pool.
As men pulled, the rope grew taut. From below, a hard, stubborn groaning echoed. Hart leaned in closer as the noise became ever louder, narrowing her eyes at the pit’s core. To her amazement, the water started draining. A slit opened up, like the ground was parting ways. A rectangular cavity soon spread before them as the rains quickly flooded into this new hole. It was only after the pit had cleared that Hart saw a sort of door had been installed in the floor, something Losha and the others had missed. Two separate, moveable sheets of metal went in opposite directions.
“Feel anything yet?” the Range Lead asked.
“What is down there?” Hart wondered breathlessly, holding herself. He could see the excitement she was trying to temper. The officer merely smiled to himself.
“Come, let me show you.”
They stepped into the bottom, not minding the mud at all. Losha went to the last board, but she halted at the oozy earth. If she stepped onto that, her footprints would certainly become evident. She could have cast a kinetic force-field beneath her feet; that way she’d have a suspended surface to walk on. The technique was nothing new to her; she’d done it several times before, including her battle with Avil. In the end, however, she decided against it. Instead, she sneaked along the wall of the pit. Here it was rock rather than dirt. Dropping to one knee, the Wolf watched Hart and the others stand in front of the opening.
A large crane moved into position, extending over the pit from the main level. A long chain and hook dangled from its end, lowering slowly before hovering a few meters from the doors. A pair of miners ambled across the pit’s path of boards, making their way down to join the Range Lead. After receiving a brief series of instructions, the miners went to task. Both jumped onto the hook then shouted to their colleagues up top. Bit by bit, the men disappeared into the darkness of the gap. Sounds of metal clinking and clacking rung for a while, then the men abruptly stopped and yelled back. A moment later, they climbed up and left.
The crane began its work as a team of horses above began to pull. With the combined strength of four of these animals, the chain rose, and so too did its load. Centimeter by centimeter it seemed, a great, black object was hoisted into the air. As it towered high, Hart took a step forward. Her mouth was all but open as she stared widely at what was revealed. Her hands fell limply to the side. Even while the rain pelted her glasses, she kept her gaze firmly locked on the item. Eventually, the miners finished bringing it out into the pit. They locked the crane as the strange, ominous thing sat a mere meter over the doors it had come from.
Whatever the Angali had found, it was huge, about three-quarters as tall as the pit was deep. Overall, it had no easily defined shape; it looked like a gnarled hunk of stone branching out with wayward tendrils on all sides, with some points jutting out randomly like spires. It had a core of a sort if one could call it that, a vague diamond-like form in the center.
Losha gripped her hands tightly within themselves. It was all she could do to stop herself from swearing out loud. That whole thing was almost entirely composed of serastone. Furthermore, the seras within it must have been incredibly dense, nearly five times as potent as what the Henron had put into their serasword. And there was so much...
“Haa...” Hart cooed.
“You like it?” The Range Lead asked.
“This is, unequivocally, the most astounding thing I have ever laid my eyes on!” She threw her arms to either side as if to embrace it. “Sa... Sa! I can feel it, resonating with the serastone in my body. So powerful, so immense. Ah!” She started walking around it, looking it all over.
“Oh, it stirs the blood, even to the touch,” she said, wiping a hand across the object’s surface. She grabbed one part that extended and felt its length. “Incredible in every way. It is more than I was told, more than I imagined.”
The Range Lead paid no mind to Hart’s sudden eccentricity. She was the expert, and if she was excited, so too was he.
“You know what this is? We know it is serastone, but is it more than that?”
“Sa, Range Lead,” Hart smiled, pushing back her glasses as she looked all the way up, then back at the officer. “Much more. What you have here is something special, I should say. Something, in a sense, from another world.”
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