Chapter Thirty
This time, the overwhelming sound of the drill was considerably abated… not due to any alterations to the machine, but merely a simple observation by one of the party.
"Ladies and Gentlemen… wouldn't it make sense to keep our distance from the drill as it is doing its work?" Coran had queried, in that tone of voice a person takes when he or she already knows the answer to the question being presented.
But perhaps in a way, the overpowering clash of sound might have been a welcome respite to Devona, since now her brain could operate on a level beyond, "Gods, that's loud."
Her pride and station demanded she take the front of the procession leading down into the unknown… but for the first time she could ever remember she wished she could be as planted as far back in the ranks as possible.
"Devona, are you okay?" Cynn quietly asked. "Are you hurt?"
"Hmm?" The warrior replied.
"You've been slowing down. Are you okay?"
"Oh!" Devona yelped, glad the increasing darkness of the freshly drilled tunnel cloaked the embarrassed flush in her cheeks. "I… I'm just getting a little uncertain of my footing."
Cynn was silent, oddly not feeling the compulsion to note that the earth beneath them was remarkably smooth from the drill boring ahead of them. The elementalist knew that Devona was starting to question being here… and she really couldn't blame the warrior either. Her eyes drifted down to her stomach, where she had noticed she was starting to develop a very distinctive bulge that was making her current clothing starting to fit uncomfortably.
"I'll scout ahead then." Aidan added, his voice level so as not to sound condescending. "Just follow my lead."
At that point, Devona released the breath she didn't even realized she was holding. As long as she had some warning as to what was coming, she'd be okay…
… Maybe.
She shook her head violently, as if doing so would physically fling the uncharacteristic fears and uncertainties from the inside of her skull. She needed to focus, if not for herself, for the rest of the party that needed her to be their wall against whatever dangers lied ahead.
Steeled by that resolve, and Coran's hand subtly slipping into hers and giving it a squeeze, she picked up her pace to catch with Aidan who had not wasted time progressing forward. But whatever phantom hand clutched her heart eventually even seemed to seize the ranger's. He abruptly stopped, and raised his hand.
He answered the party's silent question with a question. "Do you hear that?"
Yue blinked, and cut in, "Hear what?"
"Exactly. The drill has stopped."
A half minute later, Vekk intercepted the advancing party, and he wasn't exactly cheerful. "Headmaster, we have a problem."
* * * * *
The drill had come to a stop at its surveyed destination, and the drill had partially receded to allow any behind it to pass through, as it was designed to do.
"Okay, Vekk… I must say I can't really see what is the prob… oh."
Coran's quizzical note fell short as he looked around the corner of the drill cabin, and saw precisely what the problem was.
The front half of the drill wasn't there… like some invisible blade had sliced it clean off right at the point where the tunnel opened into the cavern.
"The moment I saw this phenomenon occur, I immediately initiated an emergency shutdown. I figured you'd want to see it."
"Does it vaporize anything that comes in contact with it?" The headmaster asked even as his mind wracked about possible solutions to work around such a barrier.
Vekk shook his head. "No… just watch… Gump, back it up three lengths."
The drill's treads grumbled to life, and slowly crept backwards, surprising Cynn and requiring she be quickly yanked to safety by Yue and Mhenlo before she was painfully introduced to the machine. Meanwhile, at the front, the upper portion of the drill began to appear into view.
"Well, isn't that a curious phenomenon." Coran stated, "It would appear that wherever this field connects to, it doesn't necessarily connect to the space on the other side."
"That was my theory as well. If the distance linked was great enough, it would also explain why we lost contact with our probes." Vekk agreed; relieved that another had come to the conclusion he had reached.
Yue rolled her eyes at the two. "So, you're saying that for all we know there could be a thousand Seers waiting for us on the other side of wherever in the Mist this leads?"
Devona cringed involuntarily at the thought then scowled upon recovery at the assassin, who was glancing back at her with a triumphant smirk, as if the words had precisely their intended effect.
"I hate you." The warrior whispered with a hiss at the still grinning assassin.
"I know." She mouthed back.
Devona might think later that Yue had planned her words precisely to embolden the warrior, because there was no way after that jab that Devona was going to back down when Coran addressed the party next.
"Contrary to what Lieutenant Yue would suggest, it is doubtful an army lies in wait at our destination, or else they would have attacked by now. However, there is no knowing what does await us. So, I offer you one more opportunity to turn away. I will not think less of you."
Devona responded with action rather than words, resolutely stomping forward past her betrothed, hands gripped her hammer resolutely and disappeared across the invisible boundary with an angry scowl.
"Or… you can…" Coran began, trying to gather his thoughts as the remainder followed Devona's lead, silently moving past and into the unknown, "… just do… Grenth take it all... wait for me!"