Despite the seriousness of his situation, Nick decided to stop for a few minutes to take a closer look. In addition to being a prime spot to find a tool or other useful object, this was the first artifact of another civilization that he had seen with his own eyes. Not counting the random bits of garbage or decaying architecture that he had encountered thus far.
The body of the machine was cast from a pitted black metal that he couldn’t even begin to identify. Jutting out from a barrel shaped body as wide as two bulls standing shoulder-to-shoulder was a pair of long arms that ran parallel with the ground, like a person bent forward in an asana.
Connected to the end of each arm was a massive, adjustable drill. They had been hard to identify at first, because the drills’ bits and blades were so worn that they were smooth to the touch and nearly flat. They had clearly dug their last tunnel long ago and had been abandoned when the mining operation was shut down for good. It was propelled by a pair of massive metal treads, textured to provide traction when navigating a grade.
While part of him wanted to figure out how the machine worked, the practical piece of his brain informed him that there wasn’t enough time. Instead, he started searching for the control panel, which he thought might be inside a rounded section near the rear of the treads. He wasn’t sure what kind of tools were used to maintain the bulky device, but he was curious to find out.
He made a slow circuit around the decrepit behemoth, scanning its surfaces as he went. But try as he might, Nick found no point of entry that allowed him to access the inside. It must be piloted remotely or controlled by some other means beyond my understanding.
I haven’t come across many utility abilities yet, but there must be many that are used in labor, crafting, and other situations beyond combat and general survival. Maybe when we manage to win back the Earth, people will be able to assume roles that don’t center around battle and magic will become a part of everyday life.
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Despite striking out on uncovering the controls, he was eventually able to work his way into a pair of cylindrical chambers. They were designed to separate the desired ore from the rest of the bedrock the drills bit off as they dug. Perhaps if he was lucky, there might still be a few pieces of something valuable inside.
When Nick ducked below one arm and stuck his head inside the chamber, he found nothing but decades worth of dust residing within. Of course, they finished processing the last shipment before shutting the device down. Disappointed, he turned to leave… then went to examine the other cylinder just in case.
At first glance, the ancient storage drum looked just as empty as its twin. But then he noticed a faint yellow glow shining from the far corner of the receptacle. He reached inside, felt around, and pulled out a stone the size of his fist, which seemed to be formed from the same material as the surrounding bedrock.
When Nick turned the deposit over, he felt it rattle, catching another glimpse of gold shining through a crack in the surface.
It reminds me of a geode, he mused. Not really expecting it to work, he twisted the rock between his hands while pulling from both sides, trying to open it up to see what was trapped inside. To his surprise, the stone broke open cleanly, revealing a cavity hidden within the glowing teal rock.
Golden light washed over Nick’s smiling face. Resting within the recess was a bar of lemon-yellow metal the size of his thumb, its light bright compared to the dim glow suffusing the mine. With any luck, it would wind up being precious, given how much effort the miners had gone through to dig the stuff up.
After sizing the mineral up, in case it was radioactive or dangerous in general, he was ready to leave. Well look at that, Nick grinned as he put the blue-green rock shards that had encased the metal into his pack.
I found a fantasy-style glowstick. If it shines this brightly forever, I might have solved my light source issue. I won’t need to carry a torch ever again. It’s time to find Sophia and get the hell out of here.