As we continue down I am surprised that we don't encounter another bird-thing, maybe I was wrong and they got in somewhere else. But when we reach the end of the shaft, I find a section of floor that has collapsed down into a natural tunnel, so I was right after all. I draw Blitz and hold it at the ready, then I drop down into the tunnel.
Despite my expectations, nothing attacks me when I land in the tunnel, Bones quickly joins me. The tunnel is a bit smaller than the mine shaft and there is a trickle of water running down the middle of it. I decide to go up the tunnel first and look for the source of the water.
The tunnel ends at a stream, which is where the water is coming from, there is no room for anything big to come from the stream. So I turn around and head the other direction with Bones following close behind me. The tunnel continues to slope down and after a few minutes I start seeing light ahead.
The light worries me, if there is light down here then that means the bird-things will be able to adapt to sunlight easier. Now it is even more important that I find and kill all of them before they move outside permanently. If they manage to move outside and breed they will cause endless trouble for Illium.
As I continue down the tunnel moving closer to the light a reflection in the left wall catches my eye. When I take a closer look I am excited to see that there is a very small vein of Armatite in the wall. I have been wanting more Armatite ever since I finished forging Blitz, the noise will probably attract attention though.
"Bones, I am going to mine this wall for a bit, be ready for something to attack."
Bones moves past me and takes up a position facing the light as I pull the pickaxe that Mitch made me out of my pouch. Each time I strike the rock the sounds echos down the tunnel and goes who knows how far. I keep expecting something to attack after each strike but for the first few minutes nothing happens.
The vein isn't very big, maybe a few pounds of metal at most, it is only going to take me ten to fifteen minutes to get it all. I have gotten most of it out when I hear a different sound from the echos, and the sound is getting closer. I stop swinging so the echos stop and I can hear the new sounds more clearly, I can hear four distinct steps approaching.
So I am expecting two of the bird-things and get ready to help Bones fight them. What comes into view is totally different, it looks like a cross between a badger and a turtle. It is alone but it has four legs, which explains the footsteps, the head, neck, and legs are covered in fur.
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Its main body is covered in shell-like armor and all four feet have massive claws that look like they will chew through anything. It is moving towards us at a decent pace, but nothing like the speed of the bird-things. I have plenty of time to analyze the thing as it charges forward, it looks familiar for some reason.
Bones moves ahead of me and takes the charge head on with his shield, the impact slides him back ten feet before the turtle thing stops. When it opens its mouth and roars I finally figure out why it looks familiar, except for the fur it looks like Gamera. It brings back memories of watching really old monster movies, and now I get to fight it, like a hero.
Of course it is nothing like the size of Gamera and hopefully it isn't going to breath radioactive flames, but I still feel like I am going to fight a serious monster. As I move in to strike it seems to sense my movement and draws its head back under the shell just like a turtle. Just out of curiosity I swing Blitz at the shell but it bounces off without leaving a scratch.
That shell is impressive and now I want to take it back to Mitch and see what he can make with it. However first I have to figure out how to kill this thing, Bones attacks several times but has no better luck hurting it. Anytime either of us gets close the thing flails around with its front claws forcing us to dodge back.
The thing is making it very difficult to get close, but at the same time it isn't really a threat to us. It is a standoff and it is getting on my nerves, so I move in front of it and focus on dodging the claws. I find a gap to move forward a little after every second attack, it is too heavy to keep its weight off its front legs for long.
After dodging the eighth attack I move close enough to strike, but hitting the shell won't do any good. So I dodge another pair of attacks and then crouch down with Blitz held ready to thrust. Crouching down lets me see under the shell and as soon as I see the things eyes it reacts.
The thing opens its mouth and its head shoots forward like it was spring loaded. It is a surprisingly fast move, but not fast enough, my thrust with Blitz moves much faster. Blitz goes into its mouth, through the roof of its mouth, and out the back of its skull.
It freezes for half a second and then drops to the floor twitching, Bones and I move back until the twitching stops. This thing indicates a serious problem, it is not just the bird-things down here. Meaning that there is a lot more going on down here than I expected, possibly things even worse than these.
With the turtle's body blocking the tunnel I figure it is safe enough to finish my mining. While I swing the pickaxe I try to think through all the implications of two large predators in a confined area. It is obvious the bird things couldn't hunt the turtle, and the turtle can't catch the bird-things, so what do they both eat?