Chapter 7: The First Reconnaissance
The route from the hololithic cartograph was clearly projected onto Joric's visual interface, every turn and potential danger zone meticulously annotated.
He strode from the manufactorum, his crimson robes shifting in the dry, hot wind. His precision-machined pedes left deep imprints in the sand, which were swiftly erased by the ceaseless wind.
A seven-kilometer trek was not a significant distance for Joric's augmetic limbs, but the soft, shifting sands drastically increased motive resistance. He periodically adjusted his pace and sensor sensitivity, seeking the optimal balance between vigilance and energy expenditure.
The landscape was monotonous and oppressive. Beyond the endless dunes and sparse, weathered rock formations, there was only the occasional piece of rusted metallic detritus. Joric's multi-spectral optical augurs continuously scanned the environment, flagging several rock clusters suitable for cover and patches of unstable, shifting sand.
After more than an hour of trekking, the entrance to the derelict mine finally appeared. It gaped like a black maw set into a weathered cliff face. Rusted rails, the debris of overturned ore carts, and several bone-white skeletons, half-buried in the sand, littered the entrance.
Joric paused at the cave mouth. The sensor array on his wrist emitted a near-inaudible hum as multiple scan-litanies initiated at once.
++Thermal Scan: Multiple small heat signatures clustered within.++
++Bio-Scan: Confirmed mutant life-signs.++
++Geo-Penetrating Auspex: Mapped basic tunnel structure. Faint energy signature confirmed at depth.++
He adjusted his optical sensors to low-light mode and stepped into the mine.
Cool, damp air, thick with the stench of mildew and the foul reek of a vermin lair, washed over him. The tunnel branched several times, but the main shaft was clear.
He hadn't gone far before a skittering sound echoed from the darkness ahead. A moment later, more than a dozen pairs of tiny, crimson eyes ignited in the gloom.
It was the same species of mutant vermin, but in greater numbers and
slightly larger, their bared fangs dripping with caustic saliva.
Joric did not break his stride. The mechadendrites on his back shot forward like living killing machines. Precise stabs punctured craniums, and swift, whipping strikes shattered spines, accompanied by the wet crunch of bone and brief, dying squeals. One by one, the crimson lights went out.
The further he descended, the more absolute the darkness became. Guided by the real-time structural map from his sensors, he navigated the branching paths without hesitation, steadily closing in on the energy signature.
The source of the signal was a small side chamber containing several rusted-out drilling machines and what appeared to be a large, industrial backup generator.
Just as Joric approached the generator to inspect it for a usable power cell, a rough voice shouted from another tunnel.
"Hey! You, the tin can! That's our scrap!"
Eight figures emerged from the darkness, blocking his path of retreat. They were clad in patched-together rags, their cybernetic modifications were low-grade and clearly secondhand junk. They carried old-world projectile firearms and even crude, self-made axes and pipes.
Joric's threat-assessment cogitator completed its scan instantly: ++Targets: Eight, human. Armament: Sub-par. Threat Level: Minimal.++
Joric turned slowly, the cold red light of his optical lenses standing out in the gloom. His silence and inhuman appearance created a palpable pressure.
The leader, a large brute, hefted his iron pipe. "You deaf, chrome-dome? We saw it first! Drop the scrap and walk away!"
Joric offered no reply, turning back to his work on the generator. This blatant dismissal enraged the scavengers.
"Scrap him!" the brute roared, raising his weapon.
In the instant the first scavenger pulled the trigger, Joric was already moving, the bullet tearing through the air where he had been.
The ensuing combat was brief and brutally efficient.
Two mechadendrites lashed out, their tips discharging focused laser beams. One beam lanced through the first shooter's eye socket. The other vaporized the throat of a second man raising his rifle.
Simultaneously, the Bolt Pistol was in Joric's hand. He fired without seeming to aim. The roar of the .50 caliber shells was deafening in the confined space. The first bolt struck the brute in the chest, detonating and flinging him backward. The second caught a scavenger charging with an axe, obliterating his shoulder and the arm attached to it. The third round hit an enemy diving for cover, vaporizing his head.
In seconds, three were dead. The remaining five stared, frozen in terror at the mangled corpses and the unharmed, crimson-robed monster. Their bravado evaporated.
"Don't! Don't kill us!" a younger scavenger dropped his weapon, falling to his knees with his hands raised. The others quickly followed, throwing down their arms in surrender.
Joric's sensors confirmed they no longer posed a threat. He holstered his bolt pistol, though his mechadendrites remained poised.
"Leave," the cold, synthesized voice echoed from his grille.
As if granted a reprieve, the survivors scrambled away, crawling over each other to escape the mine, not even sparing a glance for their dead.
Joric calmly assessed the scene, confirmed no further threats, and returned his attention to the generator. He used his laser cutter to carefully excise the outer casing, revealing a massive, heavy, high-capacity power cell block—its label identified it as a 'Thunder-7' industrial-grade battery. It still held a faint charge.
He also salvaged several lengths of heavy-gauge cabling and a voltage regulator.
++Primary Objective: Energy Source Acquired. Secondary Gain: Recyclable Bio-matter.++ Joric noted, his gaze falling on the three relatively intact corpses. "Carcass integrity is acceptable. Nervous systems should be minimally responsive. They will be returned to the manufactorum and converted into basic servitors for guard duty and repetitive labor."
A mechadendrite deftly bundled the three corpses, securing them to his back harness. The heavy battery pack was lifted by another.
Before departing, he quickly searched the scavengers' possessions, finding a crude, hand-drawn map of the surrounding area. It marked, with shaky script, the locations of several other scavenger camps, mutant lairs, and 'danger zones'.
Carrying the battery pack and the corpses, Joric emerged from the mine. He performed a full environmental scan at the entrance, confirming the survivors had fled and no other threats were lurking, before beginning the trek back to his sanctum.
The first foray had been more fruitful than anticipated. The battery, though old, would provide a significant energy boost after re-consecration. The cabling and regulator were useful parts. And the three bodies... they would become a source of labor, and perhaps, a window into the state of this world's flesh.