Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1298: Past the shroom

---Urth, West of Beta---

Passing through the mushroom forests, Mike and the others found that it had created a natural barrier between the rest of Beta and the unclaimed mountains. Once they snuck through with relative ease thanks to Ellenʼs slimes they had finally entered the lands of the cyber worms.

The moment they set foot into the mountains west of Beta, the start of the Unclaimed Mountains, they encountered beasts infected and controlled by the disturbing machines. Unlike during Mikeʼs travel, these things saw no worth in hiding what they were.

Creatures they faced had visible patches of metal skin or fully transformed limbs that resembled a mix of metal ore, flesh and puss. The mushroom beasts were nothing for a weak stomach, but these creatures were stomach churning and, to a point, sad to look at.

Truly, tragic existences. Strong and dangerous, but also tragic. This was not what Mike had expected to have turned to, but it seemed like their cybernetic nature had left them weak to the fungus, as any flesh was.

Mike was no magician or scientist, but the members from Urth, like Ray, Shay, and Ellen, had a theory. When getting infected with the fungal spore, most people died, becoming food to the mushroom kingdom. However, some also turned.

They had seen mushroom bests that had turned from normal ones, close to the border there were also some with signs of “cyberfication”. In those cases, the normal flesh and blood was most likely eaten away and replaced by fungus mycelium, which the structure of the cyber worms couldnʼt deal with. They needed a host of flesh and blood.

Knowing why beta was not overrun yet was interesting, but it didnʼt help them in their objective. Despite the danger, the governor and his party probably wasnʼt going to be stopped by the fungal barrier. Not for weeks.

“How far are we going to keep following their travel route?” Tekar finally asked on the second day after they crossed the mushroom belt.

“We stopped that 5 days ago,” Misto answered him in between bites of food. “Didnʼt you listen during the briefing? We followed the route for lack of a better clue, while I tried finding them with magic,” the demon reiterated what was said during the briefing for the expedition.
“So you found him five days ago?” Tekar asked surprised.

“Found is a big word,” Mike laughed. Misto gave him an unamused look. “The Scrying Mist Spell cannot pinpoint their location, but it gives us a direction, as long as we are close enough to the target,” the mist demon explained, putting away his empty plate.

“You would know that if you werenʼt always with your head in the clouds, thinking of Ruby,” Ellen teased Tekar for not listening at the briefing.

“So, can you give us an estimate of how far away they are?” Tekar asked, unbothered by the slime ranchersʼ tease. He didnʼt feel like there was anything wrong with thinking of Ruby, after al,l she was the greatest daughter in the world.

“At this point, we are probably still two days away from getting close to Adamʼs position,” the demon gave his professional estimate with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Tekar, if you think this will over as long as we find Adam quickly, you are wrong. This is just a side quest, we came out here for a different objective,” Mike reminded that tank, who could only think of getting back home to his daughter.

Their original mission was assessing the situation in Beta and the Unclaimed Mountain and looked for places where they could put the stone gates to use. At least the first part was going well, as they had gotten a good idea about the situation in Beta.

Once they found Adam, they would also find out the cause for Thresʼ silence, or rather Adamʼs absence from his post. But even after they finished their business with the governor, they still had to travel to the Unclaimed Mountains and find a good place for the stone gate to siphon away cyber beasts.

“I understand, Mike,” Tekar said with a sigh.

...

---Two days later---

Seated around a small campfire in a dark cave sat a tall, wide man who happened to be Adam, the governor of Thres, a short, goat-faced demon who happened to be Minas Marʼs exclusive Soul Trader, TanoʼMol, as well as about twenty of Adamʼs closest allies. The atmosphere was serious as they talked in lowered voices. The mood didnʼt seem great

“Thatʼs where they are,” Misto stated, showing the party the image of the Scrying Mist. They had finally reached the area the mist had indicated, but it didnʼt get any more accurate from here. They would have to find the exact location themselves.

“Itʼs my turn to shine again!” Ellen exclaimed, fired up, ready to flood the whole vicinity with slimes that would search every nook and cranny to find Adam and his companion, who were obviously hiding in some damp cave.

“Sit back, itʼs my turn,” Ray rained on her parade. As the saint of SolʼFiam, the god of dark magic, Ray was able to sense all sentient life, as everyone had some darkness in them. The dark shaman didnʼt even need to cast a life detection spell.

However, he was stumped to find that he was unable to make out the signs of Adamʼs party, as everything was overshadowed by a source of strong malice that covered the whole area. Something was properly messed up was going on in this place, to the point he wondered why he had not noticed earlier.

Faced with the the darkness that screwed up his reading, he was forced to cast a spell, to make out the life forms behind the signals, which allowed him to find the governorʼs group, but he also got an idea of what was going on.

“We will probably have to lend a helping hand, once we found the governor,” Ray stated and continued to share his findings. This place was not just a random mountain, but a hidden base. Stuff like hidden bunkers, military bases and secret laboratories were just a rumor during the normal days, but the apocalypse had quickly taught them differently, and such facilities did not become less since the fall.

The innocent-looking mountain at the northern tip of the valley they were in was actually hiding a structure with hundreds of people, many deeply depraved. The whole facility was oozing with the miasma of bad intentions and selfishness.

This was the source of darkness that filled Rayʼs senses. But there was not only evil, adding to this darkness, but also sadness and suffering, from another group of people present in this place. He couldnʼt know what exactly was happening here, but it was nothing good.

Adam was probably staying here to stop whatever was going on in this place. The governor himself was a victim of secret human experiments. it only made sense that he would go out of his way to stop such a place.

“Adam and his people are slightly up north. I can lead us there,” he added when he ended his explanation.

“Then letʼs go and meet them..,” Mike said grimly. He also wasnʼt the type of man to ignore such a tragedy. If Adam accepted it, he was sure to lend their help.