When at last they reached the bottom, a great octagonal chamber opened up before them. In the centre was a raised platform that held an immense square construct made of interwoven stone and shining metal. Some sections of it were in pristine condition and others were crumbled and dilapidated. The Priest, obviously excited by this point, almost ran towards the centre of the room. Pale, bony legs made an appearance as he hiked his robe to leap up on the platform.

Caleb approached cautiously, eyeing the rest of the room. Eight segmented walls surrounded them, each with its own square opening that held absolute darkness. White half-orbs that were found in all ancient ruins ran in rows along the flat ceiling, casting bright harsh light. The Priest was ignoring him, already immersed in one of the many waist high panels on the great Relic construct. As Caleb ascended the few steps that led up to the platform, metallic screeching rang out from one of the dark holes, followed by an impossibly deep rhythmic thudding.

“What was that!” Caleb called out, obviously alarmed.

The priest turned to look at him. He didn't answer but seemed to be enjoying Caleb’s discomfort.

That made Caleb even more uncomfortable. All of Caleb’s attempts to manipulate or intimidate the Priest had totally failed. Not because the Priest fought back or resisted. Often he just didn't seem to understand what was going on. He would mumble out of context phrases as if was simply picking words out of a basket in the hope they might fit, leaving Caleb feeling like he might as well be trying to intimidate a loaf of bread. Even worse were the times he would simply stare in return, maintaining constant hard eye contact. Caleb found himself quickly dismayed from making any kind of conversation at all, and usually wanted to leave the room soon after.

Getting the Priest to do what he wanted was not hard, since the only thing the Priest cared about was getting new components and power crystals for the Relic. Caleb could dole them out piecemeal in exchange for activating expensive equipment for them to sell or making the Relic to do something useful. All the same, Caleb would not tolerate him if there was any other way to operate the Relic.

“So what have you got to show me,” Caleb said after the strange sounds had died away.

“Over here, look!”

The priest was gesturing towards the panel he’d been fidgeting with. Caleb saw a strange configuration of glowing lines, they seemed to be radiating out from a central point to a few randomly located nodes. Each node displayed a small panel of its own, with an ever shifting configuration of its own odd shapes.

“I have no idea what I’m looking at,” Caleb said flatly.

The Priest seemed a little bit frustrated at that.

“It's a map, obviously. These are… nearby farms. Or they were farms, in the days of the Ancients. Do you see how they are connected? This is us here in the centre, oh yes we must be at the core of it all here, fascinating.” He pointed towards the central node that all the others connected too.

“Yes, and that means…?”

“This Relic must have agricultural features; water production, crop boosting. That sort of thing. That's worth money isnt it? You like money right? It's connected to the entire surrounding area! Look! These connections are still there, after all this time they are still stable! This Relic must have been incredibly important to the Ancients. The self repair and maintenance functions alone to keep this all working must be vast. The farming features were necessary to sustain a major operation of some sort. The secrets this Relic holds would make the Fathers faint in their chairs. Oh, if I can just get some of these old connections to light up, who knows what it could be capable of. There are networks here that go miles underground, I need a way to map them… To trace the power signatures...”

The Priest began running his hand quickly across the panel, causing the light patterns to shift wildly. His voice had drifted off mid sentence as if the rest of his thought had been taken up by an inner monologue. Caleb had been completely forgotten.

“Back to the farms Priest. How do I know there are still farmlands where the old farms were a million years ago? They could all be overrun by forests by now,” Caleb said impatiently, sick of being ignored.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Million years? Not that long, the records are not clear bu..”

“GET BACK TO THE POINT PRIEST.” Caleb interrupted him, losing patience. “What good is water production or crop boosting on land that's been overrun by forest?”

“Um.. Well, why not go and take a look?”

“Can you make a map that we can use? Or if I get you a map can you mark the places where the Relics are?” Caleb said, pressing a knuckle to the bridge of his nose in an attempt to regain composure.

“Yes, yes I suppose. But the relics need to be dug up and cleared of debris wherever they are. And.. I need more power crystals!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll have someone bring them down, along with the Relic parts. But listen, you are to focus on getting these farming Relics working. You can do whatever you want with the crystals left over after you get those working, understood?” The Priest was just nodding, his attention already back on the panel. Caleb rubbed his temples for a moment, then walked back to the staircase.

The mercs were making last minute preparations to leave, checking over their weapons or strapping on armour. Caleb did a roll call in his head as he approached, checking to make sure everyone he had requested was present. Neb hadn't noticed Caleb yet. His bald head was shining in the sun as he paced back and forth, giving weighty silent stares to anyone who didn't look like they were in a rush.

Koro was there, sorting the contents of his backpack into orderly rows on the grass. Having the rare gift of a natural healing power made Koro extremely valuable. Healing powers only manifested in a certain kind of personality, one that was not very suitable for mercenary work. The armies of Noble Houses often had healers as support staff, but for a mercenary band it was truly a luxury.

Caleb looked around for Hestor, who was never far from Koro. It took a moment of careful scanning to find him. Hestor’s Aura was always invisible, which made spotting him like trying to find something you had lost even though it's right in front of your face. It was so natural to look for an Aura when trying to recognise someone. Without this one's eyes tended to simply slide over Hestor without noticing him. Caleb had worked with Hestor for a long time, but still didn't spot him until he approached Koro, talking quietly. Hestor was generally a sour bastard, but Caleb saw the warmth in his eyes as they talked. They had made some kind of warrior’s bond with each other before he had met them. They had joined the crew together and fought well as a team.

Caleb didn't know the details of the bond, but it was clear from their Auras that they had made some kind of oath to each other that could not be broken. Caleb had tried to figure out the details, as it could provide useful leverage on two of his most powerful assets. Hestor was an extremely dangerous man however, so any prying had to be done with the utmost caution.

Neb finally noticed Caleb and jogged over to meet him.

“The team is ready. But the gear… Do we need all of it? Just for one slave?”

Caleb walked past Neb to check the tools; A launchable grappling net, three large static discharge mines with power crystals, an Aura Sensor, a stun harpoon, and a crate of foot long hollow needles full of nerve toxin. They had kept some of the most valuable Relic tools for themselves since beginning the excavation, which had drastically increased their capabilities in recent months.

“I hope we don't. But we can't afford to come back empty handed,” Caleb replied, looking closely at one of the steel needles.

Neb made a doubtful grunt.

Caleb turned to Neb, putting down the needle.

“How many slaves have escaped after I've put a Seed in them?”

“Not many…” Neb said, rubbing his stubbly chin. “But he got lucky didn't he? Because of that Nyx cursed woman.”

“Luck? Maybe. Or maybe they were working together. That he seemed so defenceless is part of what worries me. He should never have survived in that part of The Old Forest for us to find him. Do you know how he managed to stay alive in that Arach infested cave Neb?”

“No…”

“Nor do I. What I do know is that he continues to defy the odds. Maybe it was luck that he got away from us or maybe there is more to him than meets the eye, either way we come prepared. He is out of that cave now, I can feel it. but, he isn't running. So, he knows we are coming, but has stopped to wait for us. Does that sound like the behaviour of helpless prey to you?”

Neb considered, but did not answer.

“We are hunting an enemy who is ready and waiting with unknown capabilities. That means we go in armed with a full array of tools. We need broad application to be ready for problems we didn't imagine. Understood?”

Neb thumped his chest with a fist and started dividing the extra gear amongst the team.