Warbaden

Fortunately I was one of the last to enter the ship so it didn't take me too long to get out. Which helped me not to lose so much time unlike the thousands of people who were on board behind me.

The chaos didn't take long to start when people realized that the Melbore didn't care if they left in order or not so once they heard this news a small stampede started inside the ship.

Deducing that more than one person would be crushed and that many of them would be injured or even killed, I started to run taking advantage of my initial advantage of being one of the first to get out.

Running I chose a direction in which to try my luck, I went north in the opposite direction of where the ship had landed and realizing that I was not the only one with that idea I redirected myself to the west using the base direction I already had. However, I soon found out that even when I changed my course there was a person following me closely.

What, now what does he want?

I had been distracted by quickly seeing how the redhead from before was still following me and that was why I couldn't stop in time before falling down the ravine that I swear a few moments ago wasn't there.

I fell rolling sharply down the surprisingly soft blue earth of the planet until I finally ended up crashing into a natural rock-like structure, if rocks were cylindrical of course.

Punching myself in the stomach I could feel the air escaping my body as I struggled to breathe in between gasps.

Being in a fetal position from the blow I managed to see how the same figure that had taken information from me was approaching me, slowly and carefully descending the ravine so as not to suffer the same fate as me.

Wow, you're still alive after that, you're a tougher guy than I thought eh, hey you're still alive aren't you?

Shut up, I said in a voice that even I couldn't hear very well to the woman who spoke to me with a mocking tone.

Well, seriously speaking and not to mention your big fall, I'm sure.

Getting up slowly and still on my knees I looked at the woman who was looking at me over her shoulder trying not to smile.

Are you sure, sure of what?

From your reaction I imagine that you are too, aren't you, yes, there was no cliff here before and besides you should be more grateful, don't you think, if it hadn't been for this soft earth you would be dead.

Grateful, grateful for what?

Wait let me think a little, ah I remember, thankful for not dying after you made me turn my eyes to watch you chase me.

Getting up I used the strange rock I had crashed into, as a support feeling a strange texture on it just like on the ground I rolled on a few moments ago.

It was like…like plasticine, I thought seeing how the structure deformed with the grip my hand had exerted on it.

Seeing that scene a thought flashed through my mind like a ray of light in the darkness, I quickly pulled out the black cube I had tucked away in my coat pouch.

Well, how is this supposed to identify materials, holding back my desire to ask, I took my cube and pressed it with the cylindrical stone that once again took its original shape.

What are you doing, to identify a material wouldn't you first have to take a fragment and place it inside the cube?

And how am I supposed to know that? What did you tell me when you said you had told me everything you knew?

I'm telling you because I don't know either, the idiot soldier who gave the information didn't have the courtesy to mention how the cube is supposed to identify a useful material.

And how do you open it? This, you didn't say this thing would activate once it was off the ship-, I stopped talking when I saw a blue light in a circular shape blinking in the center of all the faces of the cube.

Instinctively I pressed on the center of one of the faces of the cube where I saw the blue light blinking intensely.

As I did so, four signs came into view, arranged in the shape of a cross. A knife, a rifle, a mask and a stone.

Seeing the minimalist signs I could imagine the meaning, pressing first on the small drawing of the knife to be sure that it was what I thought it was, by the position in which I held the contraption I saw how the face that was at the top of the cube sank and from it a weapon emerged releasing on its way a kind of liquid of the same color of the cube which returned to this to restore the remaining face of the cube.

The weapon I now held in my hands was a type of machete about a meter long whose design reminded me of the Barong, although it seemed to me that the blade of the machete was somewhat different from what it should normally be.

Sticking the machete into the moldable earth I quickly pressed the blue circle again, but this time I turned to the sign that I thought would help me discover whether this material was valuable or not.

Selecting the stone I witnessed the cube open another of its faces, this time being the front face in the direction of my face from which emerged a small branch of the same black liquid from which the machete had emerged.

Pointing at me like some kind of small open hand waiting to touch something with its outstretched desires.

But the branching stopped just a few inches before it reached out to touch my face, so I thought that if this was what would help me identify the material I was looking for then I would have to touch that material.

Turning the cube around so that the front face was facing the mysterious rock, bringing the cube closer I stopped as the branching continued to move forward again until it reached the rock on its own.

Touching it I quickly returned inside the bucket and the open face closed although this time it was different it did not fill in the liquid it simply closed with the lid that had been hanging below the branch of the bucket.

My initial impression was short lived when I saw red lights forming words coming from the bucket.

Not suitable.

Read the words the woman standing behind me ha in a loud voice.

The small glimmer of hope died along with my assumption that I might have found a useful material.

Damn it…wait I still have that left.

I rushed to repeat the previous process this time with the soil only to end up just as disappointed as before.

If this is the right way to identify materials with the bucket then there is nothing else to do here. I thought letting out a small sigh.

It couldn't be that easy could it, right, why were you chasing me earlier?

Seeing you running like that I sensed you knew what you were doing and decided to try my luck with you, I thought you might have some information about where to go, I thought you knew what you were doing by heading in a specific direction.

And what were you planning to do? If so, were you planning to kill me so you could keep what you found or something like that?

No, I just wanted to form a…team just in case, it's clear that you have information that can be useful for this kind of places, so I'll help you if you do the same.

Ha, ha, well I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you because it's not that I knew where to go, I just took a random direction where no one was heading, why do you think I changed my course when I saw several people approaching my position, do you think I would leave a good position if I knew I would find something of value, no, I just wanted to have more chances to accomplish this mission especially on a planet like this one.

I don't know what you would have done but I do know that both you and I need help to finish this mission and survive. So, how about a little alliance so we don't die trying while we try to find something to help us leave this place and move on to the next phase of this "purgation".

That collaborating is pretty cool and all but… why do you want to team up with me, I thought you didn't like me because of our previous talk.

It's because you're the only one I know out of everyone we traveled with on that ship and well you don't exactly seem like the bad guy you know, and well as the saying goes, better bad known than good unknown.

Eh, I guess I wasn't and to say knowing me is a bit of an exaggeration, considering our short talks we had which weren't exactly very pleasant.

But if you're right, I could use your help and-

We both fell silent as we heard voices coming from the top of the ravine.

Directing our gazes we watched in astonishment as four men walked above the surface, where there was supposed to be no ground because that space was very marked by the beginning of the ravine, but upon closer inspection I noticed that the poses marked by the men stood out as if they were causing a disturbance in a body of water.

The ripples of water continued to expand with every footstep the men made, although judging by their noticeable lack of reaction it was obvious that they were unaware of what was happening.

As if the path continued after the ravine the men continued walking calmly while both my new companion and I watched in amazement as they seemed to move through the air making a strange invisible fluid move above us which we were only able to see because of the ripples it spread every time it was interrupted by the constant footsteps.

Both I and the red-haired woman stood in silence for several minutes watching the men disappear into the distance.

Before I could say anything, I felt an earthquake that shook the whole place making me lose my balance and knocking me over in the process.

The sound of metal colliding with metal caught my attention, opening my eyes I looked even more surprised than the previous time at my surroundings.

I don't understand, what just happened.

Hundreds of thoughts began to stick in my mind when I saw the big hole through which we had descended again, but unlike the previous occasion this time the water that seemed to be a ceiling flowed freely like a stream without the need to be interrupted by something external for us to be able to see it.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come with you.

Complained the woman still lying on the ground, trying to help her I stood up once again and walking over to where she was I offered her my hand.

Once she accepted the gesture of kindness I tried to pick him up but I slipped back down and hit my head but felt nothing.

At first I thought that the floor had turned a different color, a silver that reflected the sunlight intensely, having paid more attention to the fact that the roof was liquid I had not given too much importance to the sudden change in the color of the floor but looking at it more closely now I realized.

It was sand, not sand that I knew but it looked very similar, and unlike what I had seen before each gram of sand looked like a one of a kind pearl, its hardness made me question why I hadn't felt anything when I hit my head.

But the confusion filtered even more into me when I noticed my knees sinking into the coarse sand, it was similar to entering a ball pit, compare looking down into the sand, it was as if the were was ignoring my presence somehow.

Its hardness was there but I felt nothing every time I hit the sand, my fists were sinking contantly as if the sand was somehow pulling away from them which made no sense considering I had dug a small hole to make sure there was more of this sand below the one that ran all the way across the surface we were sitting on.

No, the sand wasn't separating it was something else but I had no idea what.

Thanks for nothing.

Ah yes sorry, I forgot.

I said looking up at my companion who had already stood up on her own.

So, what are you doing?

I don't know, investigating?

This is pretty strange, I wonder if this would have happened if I had decided not to come with you, this place doesn't seem to have an end. Wait, those aren't fireflies.

Following the direction in which my companion was pointing, I saw where most of the light reflecting off this beautiful arena was coming from. I looked at the strange animals that were moving through the vines that descended directly from the liquid ceiling.