Golden veins, small blossoms of ruby crystal and stalagmites of glimmering emerald surrounded them as they wound their way through the now deserted caves. As he monitored his visual input data on his fore screen, Vicks couldn�t help but feel a creeping sense of dread, as though this place was not what it appeared to be. There was an almost palpable essence of mystic forces that flowed through the very air, seeping into even his sealed compartment. He swiveled his main camera port to the rear, and zoomed in on Wedge�s face, visible through his now transparent front visor, and saw there a mirror of his own concern. Vicks swallowed uncomfortably.
The long trek through the mines was interrupted periodically by encounters with various monstrosities that aggressively lashed out at the Magitech Machines, though futilely. At no time did Vicks notice anything out of the ordinary and yet still his disquiet grew with each passing step deeper into the mine. Their triumphs against the dangers of the caves did not serve to assuage his fears.
At a final turn along the pathway, the three Magitech Machine-riding voyagers suddenly found themselves within a large, open atrium, which seemed to have been artificially carved into the structure of the overlying mountain. Impossible curves and unperceivable patterns created an almost dizzying effect throughout the chamber and the many stone pillars that rose to the ceiling above were strategically placed to guide any newcomers towards the very heart of the chamber. The brilliant headlights of their Magitech Machines could not pierce the blanket of darkness enveloping them and the columns of rock around them rose into blackness. Vicks halted his progress towards the center when he realized that Wedge had stopped short of the main entrance.
�What�s wrong, captain?� he asked, aware of the edge in his voice, but knowing that his captain felt the same. Sitting here in this sea of shadow, looking around at the insane fractals wrought of stone which hung about them, was easily the most disconcerting and disorienting experience of his short career.
�Something�s wrong here, soldier," the captain muttered, his Machine's upper body searching about the cavern for an, as yet, unseen foe, "and I think we both feel the same way. I don�t know what it is, but I�m getting a bad feeling here.� Just hearing the absolute fear in the captain�s voice, amplified by that within his own soul, was enough to push Vicks� heart into his throat, slamming away at a rate beyond its tolerance. The captain had to be brave for them both. How could he make his apprehension so evident, without any attempt to conceal it?
�Cap�� he swallowed noisily, clearing his throat and starting again. �Captain, what do we do? I don�t think I can move another step into this place.� Sweat began to pool slowly at the base of his spine, and cold chills began to creep up from the moisture towards his neck. He thought he could see movement in the depths of the caves just at the corner of his vision, a flash of gleaming red eyes in the dark, but when he frantically swung his Magitech Machine in the direction of the disturbance, only darkness greeted him.
In an attempt to retake control of the situation, convinced that all this was entirely a trick of whatever being was buried in these mines a long, long time ago, Wedge firmed his resolve, and pulled his Machine hard to stern, facing Vicks dead on.
�Belly up, soldier! It�s times like this that makes or breaks a man. You�ve got to learn to take charge once in a while, son, otherwise, you�ll always be the second-rate commander you are. Now come on.� And with that, he rotated the upper body of the Machine towards the chamber�s center, and careened forward with a sturdy, slow pace, his armor disappearing in the gloom.
Vicks knew that the speech wasn�t directed at him, but was the captain�s way of mustering his own courage and, taking solace in the strength of his superior, he strode forward to meet with whatever lay ahead, not looking back and no longer afraid of his destiny.
