Threads of the Soul

Chapter 477 - 477: Prisoners with Jobs

'It can't be dangerous... If it was, then there is no way that Xander would keep it near his Capital City if it was. He might be a little eccentric, but he's not a complete moron.'That was the thought that Seth had to keep reminding himself off as they traversed deeper into the winding caves. Small torches and lanterns lit the way in some places, especially at important junctions, but for the most part it was Omelette's azure flames that kept their path illuminated.

As much as Seth had to keep his rational mind in charge, reminding himself of how illogical it would be for the American to keep such a dangerous thing nearby, his irrational monkey brain was also making a thousand suggestions.

What if it was like Prometheus, trapped and they couldn't kill it? What if they didn't want to kill it and they were instead trying to weaponize it? What if the reason he was being allowed down here was because it was like some kind of trap and he was going to be fed to the monster to fuel it?

What if Xander just didn't know about it? What if... What if... What if...

His irrational mind only spat out more theories the further down the delved, with each becoming more illogical and irrational than the last. At one point it even suggested that the entirety of the America had been taken over and this was, again, a trap. But that was beyond ridiculous.

Seth was not brainless enough to let these irrational thoughts take over, but he did have to distract himself from the source of his growing anxiety in an effort to make his stupid brain shut the hell up for two seconds.

First, he focused on the people that they passed. There were some in ragged clothing, with collars around their necks and shackles jangling around their limbs, just like those they had seen being burned outside, and some that were armoured and held weapons. The latter were clearly guards, while the former were busying themselves with mining away at the walls.

These miners were not just humans, but a variety of different of different races. There were the orcs that he had seen in the burning pyre, a surprising amount of Hemogoblins as well as a variety of mutated and mortal humans. It really was a who's who of slaves, or as Hunter preferred to call them, 'Prisoners with Jobs' , and there was also a peculiar race of shorter individuals.

They were 3 foot tall, with white shaggy hair covering their body and six arms. Each arm was tipped with shining claws that easily chipped away at the dirt. Hunter caught Seth's gaze as he inspected one of these strange creatures.

"One of the one's that came through the portals," The Hunter eagerly explained, "Most of them are. Don't worry about them though, we have them under control. We might not know what they are, but they are born miners and are one of the few that don't need discipline all that much."

Gorran. The name of this strange creature leapt into Seth's mind as soon as Hunter mentioned that the mystery of their origin. The only thing was... He had no idea where he had learned this name. He had never seen this creature before, nor had he heard of anything like it.

But sure as the sky was blue, he knew for a fact this thing was called a Gorran.

Shaking his head, so that his monkey brain didn't go wild with crazed theories on where he had learned the name, Seth shifted his focus once more.

He focused on the tunnels, noting that they were dug out in a more round fashion, giving them a dipping floor, instead of the flat bottomed arch that most humans would dig to give themselves proper support.

Naturally from that description alone, as well as the scratch marks and curious forms of reinforcing the dirt, it became clear that these were not human made. Worms, Moles, some kinds of badgers... or really anything that mutated enough to alter its behaviour and lead it into a digging lifestyle.

Any one of these could have dug these tunnels, and for a moment Seth considered that they could have been the owner of the mana source, but the Hunter quickly shut that theory down when he noticed Seth's curiosity.

In an effort to calm nerves, as well as display his knowledge in an effort to win the approval of this all-seeing God, the Hunter eagerly began to explain the origin of the tunnels.

As it turned out, it was a mixture of creatures that had created this underground labyrinth. Mixing into each others caves, some hunting and some fleeing, as they re-established the food chain.

The tunnel network was so vast that it spanned most of the length of the old national parks, and even extended into the golf courses. It wasn't just wide, it was deep too. The lowest point measured being over 11 football fields deep.

A measurement that Seth later rationalised into the more reasonable measurement of just over a kilometre. That was just what they had explored. Because they were a twisting maze, it was theorized that perhaps only 10% had been explored, and that was generous.

Naturally, considering how they originated and the lack of human presence throughout the majority of these tunnels, they were filled with all sorts of Abberations and beasts from beyond their world.

That explained the guards.

Eventually, after many hotdogs and football fields worth of walking, they came to a large open area within the mine. What could have been a nesting area for the beasts that previously occupied it, but was now occupied by hundreds of 'Prisoners with Jobs' and more than a few very strange, unnatural statues made of a jagged, crystalline substance.

Hunter glanced at those very same statues with a complicated, morbid look in his eyes. He glanced back at their group, especially the children, as he repeated his warning with a deadly serious tone.

"Watch your step, and remember. Don't touch anything. Not even the walls."