41: Taking Control

The reasoning behind his answer was very simple. Two kinds of people were likely to give an answer similar to his own. One, young men and women who still held on to the values of old religions, the ones that had been nearly replaced by the twelve churches of the cosmic architects over the last century. 

The second type of people to come up with a similar answer were those who had a kinder disposition, and morals that could be respected in most situations. Either way, Mir would be safer around them than any other group of explorers. Unless–

Almost as if his head was jolted violently, Mir lost his perception for a moment. When it returned, he found himself standing with one foot in the air, frozen in the motion of taking a cautious step forward. 

Mir placed his foot down and looked at all six directions very carefully. Above his head, there was a concrete roof supported by thick pillars and steel beams which curled down to form a tight, compact semi-circular tunnel around him. Again, no source of light could be seen anywhere nearby, but his visual perception wasn't really impaired. He could easily see the small, rusted signboard hanging thirty feet overhead, displaying: 100 Meters To Destin...

Was it destination? The last few alphabets appeared to have come off at some point. Regardless, Mir realized how the other transcenders had managed to keep track of their progress inside the Philosophy Corridor. There were conveniently placed signboards to measure that.

The tunnel was about 40 feet wide, and the floor appeared to be heavily damaged. Chasm-like holes, caved-in pits of bricks and cement, and pitch-black puddles of water covered the entirety of it, stretching as far as he could see ahead, perhaps the whole one-hundred-meter length of the tunnel. 

But of course, these were of secondary importance at the moment, because he was not alone in this corridor. He realized that the moment he turned around to look behind him. Five others were here, none familiar to him except one, a trainee deacon of Sunbreaker's Church. They were examining him with an equally intense look of scrutiny. 

The vast corridor was silent, save for the faint echoes of dripping water and cold wind whipping past his eardrums from seemingly every direction. Mir took a long few seconds to compile a preliminary presumption of his new teammates. 

Two of them, a boy and a girl who looked about the same age as him, were standing very close to each other, maintaining a much larger distance from the other four members, giving off the impression that they were acquainted. The tension in their posture and the bold confidence in their gazes made Mir think that these guys weren't total rookies. They had been here before, and they had worked together. The fact that they had ended up on the same team might not just be a coincidence. 

Among the other three, two were clearly lone rookies, appearing fidgety and maintaining equal distance from everyone. Their eyes flickered rapidly, focusing on a different member every two seconds. They were trying to hide their nervousness, but it leaked through their mannerisms. 

The remaining member of the team, the trainee deacon from the Church, had focused all of his attention on Mir. He definitely recognized him. Mir had been able to mask his appearance only till the station. Past the preparation hall and inside the cavern, many of them had seen Murray and him sticking together. It was an oversight on Mir's part. He just hadn't known what to expect here.

"Alright, so you're probably the last one here," the trainee said loudly, becoming the center of attention. "I'm Harren, a deacon in training under the Church of Sunbreaker. This isn't my first time here, so I can be considered somewhat experienced. Who else among us six has visited the Philosophy Corridor before?"

Harren's declaration was honest, carrying a positive note. But the response he received was disheartening. The couple standing away from the other four members of the team ignored his question. Among the remaining three, only one guy raised his hand tentatively. 

It seemed that cooperation within the team might be possible, but to exert full control over the team was a pipe dream. Harren recovered from his moment of awkwardness and continued with his way of handling the affairs.

"Have you hunted any mutant creatures here on your previous visits?" He asked the responder, who nodded back without a word.

"Then we can divide ourselves into three units. Each experienced explorer with one newbie. As for them..." His eyes drifted back to the couple, this time carrying a more authoritative emphasis as he shouted, "Are you two willing to form a team or not? If you don't cooperate, don't expect us to let you take a bite out of the kill."

Mir had to hide a impressed chuckle. Harren was a lot smarter than he had assumed. The moment he had seen a dissidence in the group, he had cornered the problematic party by imposing an artificial structure on the members. This was not only a testament to his wisdom, but also a proof of valuable experience of exploring the sacred ground. 

"We can kill the creatures by ourselves just fine," the girl said in an unusual accent. It took Mir a couple of seconds to pin down where the accent was from, but when he did, their behavior made sense.

The boy and the girl were definitely followers of Sheth, a tribal deity in local mythologies. It was a small religion, almost cult-like. Most of its members lived in a small, gated community at the western border of Enet district. The only reason Mir knew about them was a recent piece of news, where it had been highlighted that this community was producing powerful transcenders at a higher rate compared to ordinary colonies in the district. 

"Sure you can, but do you expect us to stand still and watch you do so?" Harren was relentless in his approach. "This is only the first phase of the exploration. There will be two mutant creatures coming at us, at most. Any of us with a little experience can handle them, not just you."

The implicit threat in his words eventually did the job. The girl grimaced after surveying them all and realizing that the competition might not be easy. 

"If two come, we will take one," she said. Harren looked satisfied with the compromise. 

"Then let's proceed forward. Hey, you," he beckoned at Mir. "You'll be my partner. Come stand behind me."

The others didn't look like they suspected anything as Mir cautiously approached Harren and took the position as ordered. Now divided into three distinct teams, they began to walk forward. Harren kept making silent gestures at everyone whenever they came across a hole in the floor, or a caved-in pit filled with mud. Of course, they'd have avoided these spots in the corridor with or without his guidance. There were some unverified rumors online about these phenomena making curious explorers disappear forever. 

A doubt soon rose in Mir's mind. The information he had gathered on the Philosophy Corridor mentioned that it was only 100 meters in length. And when he had appeared under the signboard a minute ago, the data matched the surroundings. But now, they had walked at least thirty steps, crossing more than a dozen meters. Why weren't there any mutant beasts jumping out of the shadows like they were supposed to?

A few steps more, and they'd have to cross a wide puddle that stretched to both sides of the tunnel. It was unclear how much water they were looking at. The concrete floor here seemed slightly sunken, although barely noticeable. It couldn't be considered a pit.

There was no way except to get their feet wet if they wanted to proceed further. Mir noticed Harren tensing up while placing a foot ankle-deep into the water. The couple nearby had also come to a halt, staring fixedly at the puddle. The other team didn't even approach so close, far too nervous. 

He was about to nudge Harren to ask about it, but at that second, he heard a slithering sound approaching them from below.