Parting Ways and New Foundations
"Oops, I already opened the vial. But I realized your wounds can be healed with my holy arts anyway. No need for disinfection, so I figured I'd just dispose of it... in my stomach."
"That silver tongue of yours. Even your excuses are half-baked."
"I'll prepare a different repertoire next time."
Shiba played it cool to the hilt before slipping back among the miners.
Taylor watched him for a moment, then called out to Allen.
"Let's activate the camp's defense system for now. We can hold out until Sion gets back."
"Already done."
"Uh... right."
A blue wave washed over the barrier before vanishing. It stayed in conservation mode normally, deploying only when someone approached or an impact registered.
This was why internal threats were the scariest. If they'd attacked from outside, the shield might still be holding; instead, their infiltration had already cleared the interior.
"Already bored. Should've just followed Sion up."
"Too dangerous."
"Copying Sion now? Yeah, the miners would be at risk."
Escorting a hundred miners up would be hard to control, and safety wasn't guaranteed. With the camp's defenses restored, they could last the few days until Sion returned with reinforcements.
The escort team sent for experiments had been dealt with by Sion, and the next mana stone convoy was still far off. Unless something unexpected happened, holing up here was far safer.
"Plus, we need to check the spoils."
"You're a full-fledged explorer now. Greed suits you."
"I've always been like this."
"Never mind."
Was it the influence of the animal-inspired automatons? Time flew by while investigating DT-10, the dragon turtle lookalike. There was plenty of other work too.
No incidents occurred. This was Lockhart's mine, after all, under their business rights.
On the fifth day since Sion left, she reappeared beyond the barrier with a group. Among them was someone Allen recognized.
Omar, the sleazy mage who acted like a thug, spotted Taylor and strode over.
"Well, look at you, still alive. You have no idea how worried I was."
"You cocky bastard. Who said anything about dying? Should've ground that mouth of yours into the dirt."
"Can't do that now, can you? Good to hear that salty tongue again. Thought you'd gone senile."
"..."
Taylor grabbed Allen and retreated. Omar didn't seem to have any real business anyway; he started barking orders at his subordinates.
"Talking to that guy just tires me out. Best to ignore him."
"Did you train Omar too?"
"Back then, it was the same as now. The training camp for agents..."
Taylor's lips clamped shut, forced by the rarely triggered gag order. The agent training camp was classified info, after all.
Taylor grimaced, stifling a sneeze. Frustrating, but what could he do? He couldn't speak.
There were plenty from other organizations besides Breaker. Uniforms made them easy to distinguish, but affiliations weren't clear.
Sion, who'd snuck up unnoticed, cleared up Allen's curiosity.
"Those are city hall inspectors."
"What about that group?"
"No idea."
As Taylor smirked like he had a quip ready, Sion cut in first.
"Wanna tour the lab?"
"Let's go."
Allen was more interested in research results than mana stones. He'd tried entering while Sion was gone, but security was tight, and the researchers threatened him with data logs, leaving him sucking his thumb.
The hidden lab inside the mine buzzed with people. A man blocking the entrance stopped Allen.
"Explorer? Affiliation? Reason for entry?"
"He has clearance."
"Understood. Please come in."
One word from Sion flipped the man's tone and attitude. Definitely Breaker.
The holed-up researchers were surprisingly cooperative. Conversations drifted over about sentences and leniency—plea bargains, no doubt.
The lab tour was just that: a tour. Trying to peek at mana cables or computer memory edits drew sharp glares.
Sion flashed an awkward smile, unable to push further.
"Sorry. If I get good intel, I'll let you know later."
Taylor, who'd flatly refused the tour claiming it gave him hives, wore an I knew it expression.
"Lockhart's name is on it, but it's not fully theirs. Can one corporation really monopolize a massive mana stone mine?"
"Shares are split, right? That's why you told us not to take flashy spoils."
This wasn't the wilds; it was civilized society. Survival of the fittest still applied, but you needed matching power to claim it.
Gangs like Green Blood were one thing, but Allen's group was too small to swallow all the battle loot. Corporations were just too big.
"Tell you one thing, and you figure out ten. Just think of us as working a Breaker commission."
"Disappointing."
"For now, corporate influence is a typhoon to us. We don't have the strength to weather it."
"When will it feel like a breeze?"
"Depth 6 at least. Then we can demand our share without groveling."
With forces arriving to escort the miners to the surface, it was time for Allen to head home too.
As he finished packing and stepped out of the tent, Sion slipped inside and pressed something into his arms.
"This is..."
"Turtle's mana furnace and soul stone. I caught it, remember?"
"Thanks..."
Before Allen could finish, Sion vanished. Someone was calling her desperately; she'd snuck out.
Taylor's eyes gleamed at the DT-10 mana furnace.
"Sion must've claimed it for herself. Lucky break for us."
"She didn't have to give it."
"Take it when offered. Too selfless looks bad."
Allen silently pointed to the cart. Taylor peeled back the automaton's outer armor to reveal it stuffed with mana stones.
"No way?"
A nearby crate's drawer was crammed full too.
"You really raked these in. How much is this worth?"
Allen just shrugged. He'd honed the skill scavenging parts to escape Nobak Clinic.
"A siphoning expert in our midst. Did you cut corners on my magitechwear too?"
"..."
"Why the silence? Hey, Allen?"
Taylor trailed him anxiously, while Allen's lips twitched into a smirk behind his mask.
*
The miners reached the surface safely. Before they headed to the hospital, Allen sought out Hashy.
"Do you remember what Abdul told me back then?"
"...?"
"'If my boy snoops around the labyrinth, give him a beating and talk some sense into him.'"
"Uh... I'd probably die if you hit me now..."
Allen threw a punch anyway. A sloppy jab, but the powered exoskeleton delivered a solid hit to Hashy's nose.
"Argh!"
Shiba healed Hashy's gushing nosebleed. Talk about giving the disease and the cure. Hashy, with a bright red philtrum, grinned and boarded the ambulance.
Now it was just Allen, Taylor, and Shiba. Walking together, they stopped as if by agreement in a deserted spot.
"Time to part ways. Brother Taylor, I have a question. Did you really join the mine investigation out of pure goodwill?"
"That'd make me a liar. We're after the labyrinth depths, and we need a reliable priest for that."
"To impress us?"
Allen met Shiba's eyes squarely.
"Partly, but we also wanted to observe and judge. We had to know if you're worth teaming up with. Not all priests are saints, right?"
"Well... no."
Mother God Church holy power came from specialized mana training, altering its nature. Growth depended on aptitude and effort, not character.
Good upbringing meant more decent folk, but the church was still a gathering of humans.
"So think of it as mutual evaluation for choosing each other."
"Mutual... I was arrogant. I thought priests were in demand, so I was the interviewer. You're right—no hierarchy among comrades who face trials together, only differences in skill."
Taylor gave Allen an approving look.
"I have a mission to purify the poor souls trapped in the labyrinth. I'd love to do it alongside brothers like you."
Taylor clasped Shiba's hand and asked,
"Weren't you thinking of joining Breaker, hanging with Sion?"
"Just a brief stint at the High Priestess's invitation—no pressure."
"Corporate life means doing jobs you hate."
"True. Corporations feud constantly. You're independents, so fewer entanglements."
End
The mana stones Allen thriftily pocketed turned out to be a fortune, letting them upgrade from their old place to a bigger building back home.
The new nest was another warehouse. Spacious, perfect for gear, and forgiving if roughed up. Ideal for a magitech engineer like Allen.
In a decent neighborhood security-wise, he splurged on proper magitech equipment: the Rune Printer. Far more precise than a rune pen for etching rune letters or circuit magic.
If you could handle the mana field interference from the runes, you could pack several times more into the same space.
Downside: too bulky to carry, so it stayed in the warehouse. But the pros outweighed that flaw.
Next gain: new knowledge. After poring over the Star Letters primer and basic interpretations, Allen finally had a fresh book.
Taylor watched his prosthetic arm disassemble in real-time under Allen's care, then glanced at the nearby book cover.
"'Star Letters Intermediate Interpretation Vol. 1'. What's with the number?"
"Means volume 1, obviously."
"A ten-million-coin book? How many volumes?"
"Ten."
"Holy... That's aimed at you, not the publisher. Know that? What book costs that much? Buy used."
As if Allen hadn't considered it.
"Used prices are jacked up too. New theories mean revisions, so content shifts slightly. Bought new. Plus, no way to verify tampering in used ones."
For instance, Star Letters changed meaning with tiny angle or position shifts. Tough field.
What if someone tampered with a bought book? Swap 'Protection' for 'Attack'? Or ambiguous meanings to confuse?
"Anyway, Allen, you'd trial-and-error your way through it. Just admit you prefer new."
"That's part of it. Scavenging dumps as a kid made me crave intact possessions. And the price is fair."
Magitech let normals wield magic. Priceless knowledge in a magic-born world—high cost was understandable.
Buyers would pay regardless. Especially curiosity-driven ones like Allen.
Taylor beamed at Allen's earnestness, then blanched at the brick-thick tome.
"You prefer books over ramen?"
"Stating the obvious so obviously."
"Worried."
"About what?"
"That you'll bore a girlfriend on a date with magitech lectures. 'That streetlamp's gorgeous, right? It's from so-and-so company; they stripped the old circuits and layered [Radiance] instead...'"
"Sounds plausible."
"No. This