Fate's Slave - Shadow Slave X Honkai Star Rail

Along with Bronya, March, and Dan Heng, Sunny headed over to Seele at the Great Mine’s entrance... he had the sneaking suspicion that they were being followed, but he could have guessed who it was.

The area felt a few degrees warmer than the rest of Underworld — or rather, Belobog as a whole. Sunny thought that it was quite strange, since there were less heaters here than Boulder Town. Although he was curious, there were more important matters to attend to.

Sunny strolled over to the purple-haired girl, growing confused by the agitated expression on her face. Stopping in front of her, he tilted his head.

"...I don’t think I was that late, right?"

Bronya blinked.

"There was a specific meetup time?"

Staring at Bronya, Sunny just sighed. He wasn’t really prepared to explain this in front of Seele.

"Not a specific time... but when you keep a woman like Seele waiting..."

Sunny trailed off, eyes flickering between everyone present. Bronya and March both seemed confused, not understanding why he was hesitating. Dan Heng just sent him a look of pity, now knowing that Sunny had no choice but to answer Bronya’s question. As for Seele... she sent him an expectant glare, arms crossed over her chest.

"Well? What happens when you keep a... ’woman like Seele’ waiting?"

A few moments passed by without him speaking. Feeling the pressure of his Flaw, Sunny said:

"I’m not sure. Looks like the words slipped from my mind somehow..."

Sunny nervously laughed as everyone else stared at him strangely. He had been so nervous that he forgot what he was going to say in the first place. Who knew that he could be so lucky?

Seele scoffed, glancing at the rest of the group.

"This idiot aside, the situation in the mine isn’t looking pretty. Everything just keeps on escalating..."

At her words, Sunny cocked a brow.

"...What is Wildfire doing in the mine?"

For the past couple of days, he had simply heard that there was some sort of conflict in the Great Mine through the good old rumor mill as he brought supplies for Natasha. Sunny hadn’t believed that it was too important at the time, expecting a small brawl at most — but considering that this was where Wildfire was, it must have been more than that.

Seele frowned at his question, showing the expression of someone who didn’t want to give a long-winded explanation about something, but did so anyways.

"Didn’t I tell you? Long story short—"

This was a long story, and was certainly not short. Five paragraphs! That’s a lot for someone like Sunny, who spent most his life reading faces, not books.

Seele started to spout her five-paragraph essay on Wildfire and how they are much better than the Silvermane Guards and have replaced them. She closed her eyes, raising a finger as if she was giving a lecture.

"The underground used to have many mines. However, in recent years, some sort of corrosion called the ’Fragmentum’ started to spread. It’s ruined a lot of mines."

Groaning, Sunny sat on the floor and crossed his legs. He could tell that this was going to take a while. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"The one we’re heading into is relatively unaffected. A bunch of vagrants made it their home after their old turf was consumed by the Fragmentum. Actually, most of them are pretty honest folks..."

Sunny summoned the Endless Spring. Taking a swig, he turned towards Bronya.

"Want some?"

She shook her head.

"You literally just put your mouth on that."

Sunny shrugged. He offered the bottle to March and Dan Heng. The latter also declined, but the former simply waterfalled into her gaping mouth. Sunny was impressed.

"But with such a large group, it’s inevitable that troublemakers will find their way in. They’ve been stealing from the miners and picking fights. And that’s not the worst of it."

Sunny stared at the floor, watching as something he couldn’t quite discern tried to wriggle it’s way from under his shoe.

"Things are much more serious this time... For two days now, huge clashes have been breaking out between the miners and the vagrants. It isn’t pretty."

’Huh? They have worms down here?’

Staring at the pale invertebrate flailing around on the cobblestone road as it tried to escape from under his shoe, Sunny allowed the weak creature to release itself.

"Mines are our lifelines in the Underworld. We have to keep providing Geomarrow to the Overworld in exchange for supplies."

’Thank you for releasing me from under your great foot, lord Sunny! Your benevolence truly knows no bounds!’

Sunny snickered as he watched the worm wriggle around.

"In order to quell the situation, Chief Oleg brought Wildfire into the mine and left me in charge of security for the towns. But the situation in the mine is critical — I have to back him up."

Seele opened her eyes, her hand coming down to rest at her side. Looking down at Sunny, her face scrunched up in displeasure.

"...Did you listen to anything I just said?"

Realizing that she had finally finished talking, Sunny simply nodded. Standing up, he bid farewell to his worm friend...

He suddenly frowned. Why was he friends with a worm? That... should have never been a thought that would express itself within his mind.

Seele turned towards Bronya.

"Oh, as for you... the Chief will decide your fate when we see him."

Bronya confidently nodded.

"Good, I’ve been wanting to come face to face with the leader of the Underworld."

Seele seemed quite irked by her response.

"Hmph, you’re about to come face to face with reality."

The two girls glared at each other, nonexistent sparks flying between them.

***

The Great Mine was a sprawling labyrinth of rusted steel and ancient stone. Its cavernous expanse seemed to stretch endlessly, the hum of machinery echoing off the jagged rock walls. Flickering lights cast long shadows over the massive mining equipment, their dull glow illuminating a world caught between the pulse of industry and the ghost of something older, something buried deep within the earth.

Towering metal frameworks loomed like skeletal giants, their iron bones creaking under the strain of centuries of labor. The sounds of machinery in the background churned tirelessly, grinding through the layers of rock, scraping the earth’s secrets to the surface in an unrelenting rhythm. Everywhere, the air was thick with dust, and the sharp scent of oil and metal hung in the heavy, stagnant atmosphere. Beneath it all, the faintest tremor of something far more ancient thrummed through the ground — an unseen force pulsing, waiting.

That force... was Geomarrow, the lifeblood of the Belobog — both the Overworld and Underworld.

Some of the miscellaneous minecarts lying around were filled with the amber, luminescent ores, heat radiating from them. Geomarrow was a resource that practically everything ran on. More importantly, it was needed to power the outdoor heaters that kept the temperature up.

It wouldn’t have been a stretch to say that without Geomarrow, Belobog would have long-succumbed to the Eternal Freeze.

The five Awakened walked through what seemed to be an encampment, with many miners and other people littered around. They crowded around each other, their hushed whispers resounding across the mine.

March suddenly noticed something, instantly pointing her hand.

"Huh? Isn’t that the doctor lady?"

Natasha was sitting next to a stretcher, a first-aid kit next to her. She seemed to be bandaging a wounded man’s arm. How had she gotten here so quickly? They had left before her, and even if she had passed them at some point, Sunny was sure that someone would have noticed.

Sunny was mildly interested in such a trick.

The group walked over to Natasha, Seele calling out her name as the woman stood from next to the stretcher.

"Nat! I didn’t think you’d be here. Where’s Oleg?"

At her voice, Natasha’s head turned with a weak smile on her face.

"Hey Seele, and Sunny... ah, and you three as well."

Her eyes lingered on Bronya for a moment.

"I haven’t seen Oleg. The miners said they saw him take a group further in."

Sunny’s gaze surfed across all the Underworlders here. There weren’t any children younger than the age of twelve — most likely out of fear for the conflict reaching here. Worry was plastered across their faces, with varying levels of stress.

"Why is there so many people here?"

Natasha pursed her lips.

"Miners and their family members. They want an explanation from the instigators. This area up ahead is a vagrant dwelling, but they’ve sealed off the entrance. I guess they’re afraid that angry miners might try to take revenge."

She sighed.

"I heard that many were injured in the clashes, so I hurried over here to see if I could help."

Seele pressed her hand against her temple.

"How could the situation here become such a mess?"

Natasha replied:

"I heard that First Mining Team found a Geomarrow vein with incredible deposits... The initial estimate put it at the largest discovery in the last thirty years."