Chapter 6: Chapter 6 – Down The Mines

Bo scrambled to his feet and rushed over to the gaping slit in the rockface. He stared down the tunnel with his head cocked slightly, peering with intense interest.

"Wha – what was that?" He stammered as his heart raced - The explosion had left his ears ringing slightly.

Gale hobbled over and patted Bo's shoulder, "That – is what happens when you try to mine Borealis,"

"Then how am I supposed to get you any?" Bo asked. He was stubborn and liked to take risks, but that didn't mean he would just die for the sake of it. As far as he could tell – this whole endeavour was doomed from the start.

"Do you remember the smaller rocks I threw?" Gale asked slowly. He was watching Bo with a distinct glimmer in his eyes.

Bo nodded, "Yeah, there were just a few sparks and…." He paused, thinking it over – and quickly coming to a sobering conclusion.

"You don't… you don't mean?" He turned to face Gale, "Are you seriously asking what I think you're asking?"

Another eerie smile split Gale's face, and he nodded. Without another word, he turned and walked to his backpack – which he had leant up against the outcrop further along the ridge. Bo motioned to follow him, but the old man said- "Stay right there!"

Thankfully, he returned in short order – carrying a collection of small tools in his arms. The metal the tools were made of was rough and irregular, making it easy to tell that they weren't made by some master craftsman – but rather an amateur.

He handed Bo the first tool. It was a small hand drill with a crank to turn the drill bit. Working on a system of shoddy gears – the drill looked like it could fall apart at any time.

Next, he handed Bo a thick metallic tube about the size of his forearm. It was made from some sort of black metal and covered in dents and scratches. Of course, Bo recognised this tube as the pipe in the drawing Gale had shown him the previous day.

Finally, Gale handed Bo a pair of strange shoes. They had soles that were both incredibly thick and wide, far wider than was reasonable. Bo had never seen anything like it himself, but he had an idea why they might be useful.

"Take these," Gale rasped, pushing the things into Bo's hands. He then hobbled over to the tunnel and leant in, squinting into the starry abyss. After he seemed satisfied, he returned. "Put those on," He gestured to the shoes. After that, he grabbed the tube and unscrewed one of its ends - revealing that it was hollow. "And fill this to about halfway,"

 "What…" Bo couldn't help himself, "Are you talking about?"

Gale sighed, "I know it's dangerous, but I've done my research, and these precautions should at least give you a fighting chance,"

"You're serious?" Bo couldn't believe what he was hearing. The acrid scent of gunpowder was still floating out of the cave and agitating his nose – but Gale was already trying to send him in.

"Deadly," Gale smiled in a way not dissimilar to a shark, "Would you like me to explain?"

"Please do," Bo replied coldly.

With a nod, Gale launched into his explanation, "My research on Borealis has brought me several findings – the initial one being that it is capable of exploding. Thus, I devised a weapon that would harness that explosion," He pointed at the tube in Bo's hand.

"But mining Borealis isn't easy," He seemed out of breath as he continued speaking, but that didn't slow him down, "It reacts to a certain amount of pressure and… Boom!"

Bo gulped, remembering the blast of flames that had shot out of the tunnel.

"So, I made the drill and the shoes. The drill is self-explanatory, and as long as you don't spin it too fast – it won't set off any explosions. Next are the shoes." Gale seemed to swell up with pride as he continued.

"These shoes may look ungainly, but I learned something key to exploiting Borealis resources. If you spread out your weight, then the pressure your body exerts on the rock decreases. These shoes take advantage of that and protect you somewhat against the danger taking each step poses."

Bo listened curiously. He thought the old man was crazy – that was without doubt - but appreciated his dedication and ingenuity. He could imagine how many hours the old man must have spent in caves like this one, risking his life just to learn a little more about the starry rock. It was crazy, sure – but brilliant also.

"And you're sure these shoes will work?" Bo asked nervously.

"… Fairly sure, yes," Gale rasped.

Clenching his jaw, Bo tried to be rational. He tried to talk himself out of doing what he was about to do, but nothing would stick. All he could think about was how easy it would be for him to kill a Sarpa if he filled the tube in his hands with Borealis. From there, he would get Qui's blessing and be able to explore the desert freely and without fear.

All of that was only possible if he did what he knew he definitely should not do.

"… Alright," Bo spat, batting his better judgement aside and linking arms with his impulses. "I'll do it,"

Gale handed Bo a leather blanket and then watched - with an almost giddy grin as Bo put on the shoes and slowly walked towards the cave. He had spent years theorising and planning – but all his ideas were useless if he couldn't get his hands… hand, on some Borealis.

Bo paused at the tunnel entrance, feeling an intense static charge. It was as though he were trapped in the eye of a storm, with chaos and danger swirling around him. His throat felt tight and his legs shaky, but he had come this far.

With a single step, he crossed the threshold and entered the tunnel. As his foot hit the ground – small sparks flew. But thankfully, nothing more came of it.

When he realised he hadn't died, Bo let himself breathe again. Before taking another step and another. It felt like he was walking a tightrope, and, at any moment, he might lose his balance and – bam, he would be dead.

He stopped a few metres from the entrance and slowly shuffled over to the tunnel wall, peering closely at the glittering rock. It was barely half a foot from his face, and he could make out all the individual twinkling stars in the black stone.

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"Remember," Gale's voice came from over his shoulder, "go slowly,"

Bo nodded and licked his dry lips. He could feel his arms shaking, and his eye kept twitching uncontrollably. But once again, ignoring his better judgement, he lifted up the drill and slowly pushed it towards the tunnel wall.

With the utmost care, Bo pressed the drill tip gently against the Borealis - wincing as a single spark flew from the impact. He then carefully placed the thick leather blanket on the ground - so as to catch any falling pieces of rock.

"Okay… I'm going to start," He mumbled - trying to encourage himself more than anything else.

His hand trembled as he reached for the drill crank, "I'm really going to start,"

He gripped the crank handle and clenched his teeth, "I'm starting…." His voice quavered as he began to turn the handle.

The sound of grinding rock filled the tunnel and became Bo's entire world. He had never been so focused on anything in his entire life. Without breathing, without blinking, without thinking, he turned the crank once.

Within the drill, gears clicked and turned, and the drill bit spun. A tiny dusting of loosened rock drifted down towards the leather mat at Bo's feet, but that was all. The few grains of Borealis were barely even visible in the dim glow of the cavern.

Bo's breathing sped up, and he turned the crank again and again. Every time a spark flew – his heart stopped entirely. It only dared resume beating when he was 100% certain that the tunnel wasn't about to explode.

Bo had no idea how long he spent in the tunnel because each second felt like a year had passed. His whole body was tensed at every moment, and he couldn't relax his attention for even a second. Eventually, his trembling hands became too much of a hindrance, and for fear of making a costly mistake – he picked up the blanket and left the tunnel.

Outside, Gale hadn't left his spot at the tunnel mouth. In fact, it looked like he hadn't moved an inch since Bo entered the tunnel. He stood there like a statue - analysing Bo's every move.

The second Bo left the tunnel – he collapsed on the ground, panting for air. The tension had left his body all at once, and an unstoppable wave of exhaustion took its place.

He lay on his back - staring up at the night sky and wheezing for air.

"H-how long was I?" He managed to ask.

"Two hours," Gale replied. The old man was too busy pouring the thin film of Borealis from the blanket into the tube to care about Bo.

"Did I get enough?" Bo asked hopefully.

"… No. Not even close."

"Oh." Bo didn't know if he could do that again. He didn't know if his body or mind could take the stress. "How much more do you need?"

Gale squinted into the tube, muttering to himself, "about six times the amount you just got," He finally said.

"Six…" Bo echoed, "Holy mother of god,"

He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. But his heart wouldn't stop racing. It was jackhammering in his chest so hard that he wouldn't be surprised if it broke free at some point.

"I'm going to take a walk," Bo muttered, crawling to his feet and swaying slightly. Before leaving, he paused to switch to his old shoes – at which point Gale said:

"Be careful; the explosion earlier riled up a bunch of desert critters. Don't make too much noise, and watch your step."

With a nod, Bo began to walk shakily around the ridge. He had no idea where he was going, but as long it wasn't anywhere near the tunnel mouth – it was perfect.

He wandered around the rocky outcrop until Gale and the tunnel were out of sight, and then he began to climb.

Hand over hand, foot over foot, he climbed up the side of the rocky ridge. It wasn't a particularly difficult climb – as the ridge wasn't steep, and there were plenty of convenient foot and hand holds for him to use.

And this is exactly what made it such a welcome distraction.

As he climbed, he wasn't thinking about Ethron or the Sarpa or the Borealis. The only thing on his mind was the next handhold and then the next. It was almost therapeutic, and before Bo knew it, he had reached halfway up the ridge.

He paused on a rocky shelf and sat there, catching his breath. Beneath him, the rolling dunes stretched out for endless miles, and dark shadows scuttled in the faint starlight. There were far more creatures awake than usual – owing to the earlier explosion, most likely.

Bo could see everything from his perch on the ridge, and as he watched the huge black shadows drift across the sands - his eyes widened.

Without pause, he turned and scrambled back down the ridge, racing for the tunnel mouth.

Bo had a plan.

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