Genometrics Concert Hall ~Mrgrgr!!!~

Working in the mines. It's exhausting work. It's amazing how fast I got the job once I said it was interested. Ten minutes after I said I was interested in getting a job I was already being handed a pickaxe and sent down to work with the rest of the miners. I've been working here since that and that was hours ago.

It's finally night time and they are letting us go, but not outside the facility, but rather to some place that looks suspiciously like some old barracks. It's pretty dangerous here. I almost got into a fight just trying to find a place to sleep. Not many places to sleep, but I managed to find a cot that wasn't occupied. People work here around the clock. From what I gather, there are 10 groups of workers here and 9 of those are working at all times while 1 of them rests. Which group does what is circulated and right now it's my group's turn to rest. There are about 1 thousand people per group and the barracks are unbelievably crowded.

One of the big guys tries to talk to me.
"Hey, little guy. I haven't seen you around here before. You new or are you just lost?"

Damn, I wish I had my weapons. I left my solar rifle on the ship and they took away my dagger, side arm, and Sun Marbles when I got contracted. I try my best to look tough and answer back.

"I'm here trying to tie up a few loose ends. I'll be gone in a week, so I don't want any trouble. Trust me, I've taken care of bigger guys than you." I probably shouldn't have said that. If I wasn't looking for trouble, that is the worst thing to say. I get ready for what I expect to be a fight, but the guy just laughs.

"Hahaha, don't need to worry little guy. Around here, people will mostly keep to themselves. You wont usually find someone who wants to kill you. Oh, there are some bad apples here and there, but any place has those. The name's Mart. Pleasure to meet you"
He outstretches an arm for me to shake it. His hand is huge and engulfs mine is a very uneven handshake.
"Straha. Nice to meet you."
"So what do you mean by tie a few loose ends? You can tell me. What happens in Carbo, stays in Carbo. I've heard it all. From looking for diamonds to running from the law. What's your story?"
He seems like an ok guy.
"I'm here looking for someone."
"To kill? I hope not. It might not look like it, but this place doesn't tolerate violence. It slows production"
"No no, not to kill. Far off in Ostia, there is a little girl that is waiting for the day she can see her dad again. I'm just here to help that day come a little faster"
"Hah! That's a good reason indeed. Do you know the guy?"
"No, but I have this picture of him." I let Mart see the picture of the guy.
"Mmm...doesn't look familiar. He might be in another group."
"When is it possible to talk to the other groups?" I ask
"You can try to find him during the feeding times. When they feed us the awful stuff they call food, they usually mix a some of the different groups. That's probably your best shot at finding him unless you see him in the mines. Not that you can see anything more than two feet ahead of you."
"Alright, thanks for the info...Say, you said something about diamonds earlier?"
"Yeah. It doesn't happen often, but once in a while someone will find a diamond among all the coal down there. The company doesn't let you keep it, but they do add a good bonus to your pay, usually double of what they usually pay you. If you find a BIG diamond, they usually pay you a good amount and terminate your contract with them if you wish, so you can retire early. The times when such diamonds are found are rarer, however and very few have ever actually done it before so I wouldn't put my hopes on it."
"I see. Thanks again for the info."
"No problem. Now go to sleep. Work begins again in 5 hours so you'd better sleep to regain your energy"

5 hours? Really? Damn. This is going to be one long week. I hope I get to find Stella's dad before the week is over.

Ugh, I didn't sleep enough. I'm also sore all over, but I have to keep working. I still haven't seen Stella's dad anywhere. He could be anywhere in this massive hole.

Since I'm new to this, Mart offered to show me the ropes. Apparently he's a pretty well known and respected guy around here. I saw a lot of people greet him on the way down.
"Alright, Straha, since you are only here for a week, the higher ups want to work you as hard as they can. Last time you were down here, you dug your way through here and there with your pickax. Today we are going to go deeper into the hole you'll be operating some machinery.

He hands me over what looks like a small jackhammer, but without a tip.
"How am I supposed to use this without a tip?"
"Tip? What do you mean tip? Anyway, you turn it on by holding it like if you are about to use it."
I do and it turns on. A tip appears and it's glowing. Magic.
"Now, today you'll be using that to help carve out a new tunnel for people to dig some more here."
"Geez, the hole is huge as it is and you want to make it bigger?!"
"Haha, those are the bosses orders, now get digging."

At first I wonder how to get this thing started, but as soon as I touch the wall with the tip it starts to move. I can feel my whole body vibrating.
"Careful there, that thing has a good recoil. While you do that, I'll put in some steel supports so that the new tunnel you make doesn't cave in. You just keep diggin' and I'll keep putting them up"

I keep diggin'. This thing makes me shake so much that I have trouble keeping my hardhat in place. We keep this up for hours and I recon that we dug a good twenty feet in. After a while I feel a tap on my shoulder and I stop.
"It's break time"
"Does this mean we get to go back up again?" I ask
"No. You only get to go back up if you are in the upper sections of the hole. We are too deep and by the time we get up break time will already be over."
"I see" Damn, I guess I wont be finding Stella's dad today either." How are we going to eat, then?"
"For us who are in the lower levels, they send food ahead of time so that it gets here in time for the break. Come with me, I'll show you."
I follow him and we end up in a larger chamber within the tunnels. It's pretty big. About the size of a sports stadium. Huge steel ribs support the roof and keep it falling through. There is a bright ball of light near the center of the room that lights everything. I can see several large lines already forming and people eating from trays.
"All we have to do is line up and we'll get some chow."
After a while I get my food, which is basically some pasty gray gruel made of god knows what.
"It ain't much but it'll get you full"
I eat it up without even thinking about it twice. I'm very hungry.

He was right, though, it did fill me up.
"We were near the beginning of the line so we got our fill more quickly that most. There's still about twenty minutes worth of break left. How about trying to find that fellow that you are here looking for? I'll meet you back in the tunnels when break is over"

I set off to look for him here. I might find him, I might not. There are less people than there would be because they don't send a lot of people down here due to room shortage, but there are definitely people here from other groups. I walk around showing people Yeager's picture and asking if they have seen him. Break is almost about to be over when someone claims to have seen him.

"Yeager? Yeah I think he was with group four. They are currently a few levels higher that us working on tunnels for large machines to come through and dig.. There is no way of getting there right now though. If you want to see him you could wait until tomorrow since our group will be sent there to work with his group"

At last, a tip as to where he might be. I give thanks to the guy for the info and go back to the tunnels to keep working. Break is over and everyone is starting to do the same.

I find Mart setting up some support frames. He spots me ann asks
"Anything?"
"Yeah, I found a guy that said he was with group four"
"Group four? We'll be working with them tomorrow"
"Yeah, he told me that too. Looks like my work here is closer to being done."
"Maybe, but keep working. Remember that you still have a job to do till the end of the week."

I nod and keep digging.

「As I was walking back to Stella's place, I found out that the doll's name was Lila. Yula, Lila, sounds like a conventional big sister, little sister naming. When we arrived, I introduced her to the two ladies and we immediately prepared to sleep, they offered us a spare room that had two beds, how convenient! The beds are so comfy that I immediately fell asleep, so much running around today.」

「I woke up to a delicious smell, it must be Stella preparing breakfast. When I opened my eyes, I saw a face staring close at mine, it was Lila...」

"Uh... Good morning?"
"Yes, it is indeed good morning."
"Why... is your face so close?"
"I was checking if you had a good night sleep and if you had any irregularities in your health."
"....Yeah...."

「Talking to a monotone tone of voice like that is kind of disturbing, especially when the uh... doll looks like a cute little kid. I always expect a bit of cheeriness from her. Looks like she recovered, but how? No one poured magic into her.」

"How did you get your magic back? Dolls should have some other person pour their magic into them if I remember correctly."
"When I shut myself down, or sleep in other terms, my magic circuit is connected to mistress' and she pours magic into me that way."
".....Wait what? Long distance magic transfer?! You're that an advance doll?!"
"Yes, my mistress had access to the technologies. I have a long distance magic receiver."
"But isn't kind of risky? I mean, if a high-class mage intercepts it, both of you can be in quite a predicament..."
"Yes. But since we mainly do this during nighttime, mistress sends her magic in a low frequency, making it almost undetectable."
"I... I see..."

「Someone knocked on the door and came in, it was Stella, she told us to go downstairs and eat. When we got down, the table was set for 4 persons. Anne and Stella made some rice, fried eggs and broiled fish. It's delicious! These two are really great cooks! While eating, Lila suddenly jumped and panicked.」

"What's wrong? Is the food too good that your mechanism are going haywire?"
"No!! Mistress, mistress is in danger!"
"Hm? Calm down. What's wrong?"

「I put down my chopsticks and looked at Lila attentively.」

"Mistress... Mistress sent a distress signal!"
"How?"
"That long distance receiver, it includes a distress signal receiver in case my mistress' in danger!"

「I wanted to ask her "Then why didn't she use it when I was separated from my friends?" But I held back my tongue, this isn't the time to be a jerk.」

"Calm down Lila, it's surprising to see you suddenly worked up."
"Now is not th--"
"I said calm down! Once you're calm, we'll go to Yula's place as fast as we can."
"O...Ok..."
"Good. Stella, Anne, I'm going back to Ostia. I've put up a magical barrier around the house. So don't leave until I'm back or Straha comes back. Also, here."

「I gave them a scroll. It's a little summon scroll that will summon lesser creatures that are strong enough to take care of bandits and thugs. It's a one-time use though. I found this little treasure while exploring a dungeon.」

"Use it if there are any human bandits coming to attack you. They will listen to your every command."

「She nods and tells us to be careful. We ran out of the house and I activated Cantus Bellax.」

"Lila, if you run at high-speed, you'll lose magic faster right? Then let me carry you!"
"I don't want to impose."
"You're not, you'll be a burden if you suddenly run out of magic if we get attacked!"
".....Alright."

「Once she accepted, I gave her a piggy ride and started running full-speed towards Ostia. That girl better be alright!」

Valves...check. Drill bits...check. Sensors...che- wait, what's this? The sensors are picking up something. They aren't marking it as a hazardous material, but it's still there. What is that? If we keep drilling for a few more minutes we'll probably reach it. What could it be? I should probably contact the supervisor on this.

"HEY CHIEF!" I yell as hard as I can so that the supervisor can hear me over the roar of the machine. "CHIEF!"
He finally hears me and comes to me.
"What's up?"
"I'm not sure what, but there seems to be something just ahead of us. The sensors don't show it as dangerous, but it's huge. To big for the sensors to show all of it on screen."
"Let me take a look at that." I move aside so he can see the monitor image "Hmm... I think we'd better stop the rig and investigate"
He presses a glowing red button that is presumably connected to the driver somehow, because the rig stops moving after a few seconds. The driver sticks out his head.
"What's going on, why did you tell me to stop?"
"Straha here is picking up something funny on the sensors. We should probably check it out before going on"
The chief and a few others help me move the sensors closer to the front of the rig.

The image is slightly clearer now. I think I might now what it is...

"Could someone hand me a shovel?" Someone does and I go directly in front of the rig. I take a shovel full of dirt from ahead of the rig and touch it.

"It's wet. Not like mud, but it's wet. I think...there might be a large underwater lake just ahead of us."

"A lake?" the supervisor says. He touches the dirt that I took out, as does everyone else.
"I think you might be right...Good job Straha, if you hadn't stopped us, we'd probably be drowning by now."
"I didn't do much, the sensors pointed it out. So what are we going to do? We can't go any further from here."
"I'll talk it over with the higher ups. Break is in a few minutes so you guys just take the rest of the time off till then"

We do and soon break starts. I go to get some grub and look for Yeager. I don't have much time to look among all these people so I eat as I walk.

Then, there near the back of the line, I see him. He looks horrible. I barely recognize him from the photo given to me. He's a lot skinnier. He's been here for at least a year and working in a coal mine has really taken a toll on him. I approach him.

"Yeager? Are you Yeager, brother of Anne?" He looks at me in fear, probably thinking that I was sent to get the Drachma from him. He tries to run, but in his state he doesn't get very far before I catch up to him.

"Stop! I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to take you back to your daughter, Stella"
"Stella? What do you mean take me back? I can't go back until I pay off my debts."
"You don't have to anymore. That has been taken care of so you can just return to your daughter. She's waiting for you."
"Taken care of? But how?"
"That's not important, what's important is that we have to get you back home."
"But how? My contract doesn't end until another month"
"Another month? Jeez"

I wont be around in a month. At least, I don't want to be.

"Ok...I'll talk to the higher ups. I'll see if I can get both of us out of here early"

That's easier said than done I know tomorrow I'll be working closer to the surface so I'll be able to visit the town during my break, but how will I convince the boss to let us go?

「Damn... I have to calm down and empty my mind, if I let myself panic, then I'm as good as dead. Lila is incapacitated, but not unconscious but still, I can't count on her to help me. Yula is lying on the floor unconscious... No good either, but the good part is that the taller enemy stopped moving and is observing the little clash that just happened between me and their partner. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly... There... Calm down... Think things through...」

"Hey! Are you going to sit there and wait for me to rip your head off?!"

「I can't tell from the voice if it's a girl or a guy. My head is still ringing from the impact. Ugh... Calm down, think!」

"Haaaa.... Phew..."

「Alright, now I've calmed down and emptied my mind. There's no use thinking out a thorough plan in this situation, both Lila and Yula are far from their reach and they seem focused on me. Alright. Time to get more serious. As my mind was set, the dust cloud started to form a spiral around me and in a matter of seconds, the cloud dispersed and my mind was clear.」

"Oh ho, getting serious now aren't you?"
"...."

「I leapt towards my assailant and they did the same. They tried to throw a punch at me, it was fast, but I can see it coming now that my mind is clear, I dodged it by a hair's length and threw a punch right back but they also evaded it. The exchange of extremely fast punches kept going for a while, until I saw an opening. I blocked their punch, pushing it away, pushed my palm on their abdomen, here goes nothing.」

"Emittam!! Aer Capturae!!"
"Wha-?!"

「As I cast my Capturing Wind spell that I delayed before leaping, my opponent was surprised and it was caught in my trap. Now!」

"Flow of strength, current of guidance! Oh divine wind that lifts the accursed of the land of your beloved, with thine current, sweep away thine wounds! Zephyr Storm!!"

「As I finished the chant to my spell, I concentrated the release point of the spell onto my fist and aimed it at my opponent's chest, with the Capturing Wind spell, they won't be able to escape this. What more, at point blank, this blow will be more or less fatal!」

"Shit!!"

「As they cursed at their fate, my fist landed perfectly onto their chest, at first, a huge blow went through their body, making them cough up blood, from that impact, they were pushed back a bit, the hood of their cape came off. There, I saw a face a young woman with short blue hair. Right after that, a severe tornado blasted from the point of contact and sent the woman flying towards the other culprit. I expect them to catch her but they just stepped aside, letting her crashed onto the wall... How cruel...」

"....."

「I can feel it, they're staring at me. Are they angry? Are they contemplating on killing me? I don't know... I can only feel their gaze... It makes me feel uneasy... Like they were trying to look deep into my soul. Yet, how? I'm more than 20 feet away from them, but it feels like they are right in front of me, looking right into me! As I felt uneasy, the woman limps slowly towards the tall one...」

"Ha... I messed up..."

「And she falls unconscious. The tall one doesn't move an inch at all, when I blinked, they weren't in my field of vision anymore... Where are they?! As I was asking myself that, I felt a presence behind me.」

"SHIT!!"

「As I cursed, I felt an intense pain through my abdomen, he just punched me... I... couldn't even see it coming... He then grabbed me by the neck and threw me towards the wall on the opposite side of the room. Damn it! I can't move at all!! I couldn't do anything to slow down and reduce the impact force on the wall. I fell down to the floor. My body, it hurts so bad. How can one simple punch and throw put me into this kind of predicament?! I lifted my head up and saw them walking towards me, crap... I'm going to die right?」

"Wait a minute!"

「They stopped and turned to see who just yelled at them. There, stood Lila, holding her left arm with her right hand. She can hardly stand up, she shouldn't have gotten up! Damn it, Lila, run! They completely forget about me and they are now headed towards her. RUN! I want to scream, but my voice won't come out! RUN!!」

"Ugh... V...Vis..."

「.....」