A deathly silence falls over José and his companions. The legendary, ancient Terran walks at the front, while Megla stays at the back. The shield protecting her body illuminates their rear, while José's glowing skin does the same for the path ahead. Between them, the two Kessu walk side by side, their tiny bodies protected by the Kraktol and Human shielding them.

José and Megla both clutch their long-barreled, 50th Era rifles to their chests, but unlike before, Admiral Rodriguez appears substantially more alert and focused.

"Still nothing," José mutters, his voice barely audible. "Not a single monster has attacked since we arrived. Before, I thought it might be a little worrying. Now I am almost certain something is watching us."

Before Megla can ask what he means, he continues.

"An intelligent creature of some sort. Undoubtedly an overlord of this domain. Baaru, do your people know of any... aberrants? Any unusual beasts that dwell within these caverns?"

Baaru's feet splash in a small puddle of water, created by a dripping stalactite from the ceiling above.

"No, Great Precursor. I'm afraid not," She says, shaking her head. "Hmm, nothing specific, anyway. Although, Nyoor did tell me once that we should only enter the mountain if the village's existence came under threat. He stressed it was extremely dangerous down here."

The Admiral ponders her words for a few moments. "Something evil might lurk within the darkness, but not necessarily. Perhaps the reason nothing has attacked us is because you came along; a Kessu. Maybe there's a... a guardian, down here. Some sort of protector for your people."

"Really?" Baaru asks, her tone skeptical, yet optimistic. "Is that possible?"

"It is," José answers. "But unlikely. If you did have some sort of divine protector, I imagine they might have shown themselves to you. No... it's much more likely to be an intelligent monster, a creature waiting for us to step into a trap."

José doesn't speak any further, but his gaze turns inward. Speaking of which... Nyoor warned us to watch out for hidden traps down here, but I've yet to find even one. This entire journey could be best described as a leisurely stroll. I expected arrows to come flying out of the walls, or spike pits to open up before me, yet not one such event has occurred. Either Nyoor's worries were unfounded, or something removed those dangers a long time ago.

After a few minutes of contemplation, José transmits a telepathic message to the Bloodbearer, far above. [Umi. Are you still able to send and receive transmissions?]

[Affirmative,] The Synthmind replies. [I cannot create detailed scans of the underground caverns, nor can I transport you back to the ship in the event of an emergency, but simple audio-visual transmissions and relative distance scanning are still within my range of capabilities.]

[Good. How far are we now from the surviving Kessu's bio-signs?]

[I am unable to pinpoint their exact location, and I am unable to map the tunnels around you with even the lowest degree of accuracy. However, in terms of relative distance, assuming there are no barriers blocking your path, you are within 1.2 kilometers of their position.]

The cave ahead of José curves slowly to the right. As they follow its natural path, he nods. [Alert me if you detect any... oddities. Any changes around us.]

[Orders received, Admiral.]

José falls silent for five more minutes. Neither he nor Megla says anything.

However, despite the silence, Admiral Rodriguez's mind moves at a hundred miles an hour.

If we're lucky, my little 'stunt' from earlier might have scared off whatever's stalking us.

He glances behind himself at Megla's glowing shield barrier.

Assuming it has a Class 3 intelligence or higher, it might be able to understand the idea of an 'invincible barrier.' At the least, it should exercise caution when dealing with prey of an unknown combat potential.

Of course, that's only one possibility. It may not know the meaning of fear. Whatever creature happens to be following us might only want us to reach a certain position before it attacks. Doubtless, somewhere advantageous to its chances of success.

The Admiral's eyes glow a little brighter than before as he fervently scrutinizes the path ahead, keeping an eye out for potential ambush locations.

The rocks up there on that little outcropping... or that shadowy crevasse in the wall. Hmm. Still nothing. No signs of movement, no infrared signatures, not even a bio-pulse. All the signs indicate that whatever rules this domain does so with absolute control... so if it's going to such great lengths not to attack us, it must have a reason.

[Admiral,] Umi says. [You have arrived within 200 meters of the Kessu survivors.]

As José walks, he begins to notice the faint, flickering movements of firelight in the distance. At the same time, his heavy bootsteps echo ahead, causing the Kessu around the corner to scramble around in a panic.

"Something's coming! Get ready!!"

"No, no, not again! It hasn't even been a day... sob..."

"Grab your spear, get over there! We can't go down without a fight!"

The sounds of meowing and hissing from the Kessu causes José's brows to raise. After his universal translator converts their words to comprehensible speech, he holds up his hand and slows the party behind him.

"Baaru. It's your move, now."

"Y-yes."

The elderly Matriarch of her clan quickly walks past José while holding onto Lele. The two of them raise their voices.

"Hold on! Don't attack! It's me, the Matriarch!"

Her words echo around the corner. She and Lele both disappear, leaving Megla and José behind. After a few seconds, cries of joy spring up.

"Matriarch?! Is it really you?"

"Lele, you're alive! Uwah, I thought you... never mind, I'm glad to see you!"

After a few moments longer, Baaru's voice cries out. "Ah! No, my child! My baby boy... he's..."

Alarmed, José and Megla quickly run around the corner, only to see Baaru hugging her son, Ruuki, against her chest.

"No, no, my baby boy... he can't be dead! Hic... he can't be..."

Baaru sobs in anguish as she presses the cold, lifeless head of her son against her chest. The child's tiger-striped fur resembles a mixture of his father's panda-colored pattern and his mother's red fur. But what truly draws José's gaze is his still, lifeless body.

Several Kessu jump in alarm when they spot the huge, furless creatures running toward them. Their souls nearly leave their bodies in fright, right up until Lele runs toward José.

"B-big Baldy! It's terrible! My daddy, he's...!!"

Tears well up in the kitten's eyes, but the moment José draws within visual distance, his ocular implants shift spectrums, allowing him a full 3D spectroscopic visual of the 'deceased.' The unfamiliar Kessu jump out of the Terran's path, hissing at him in fright. Megla slows to a stop and watches, puzzled, as José drops to his knees beside Ruuki.

The Admiral's gaze sweeps across Ruuki's muscular body. Countless scratches, cuts, and gashes line his form. His fur, now covered in dried blood, lays matted against his skin. Not a hint of life breathes in the young male Kessu's countenance.

"He's alive," José says, startling everyone, especially Baaru. "Not by much, but even if it's only by a little, Terran medical science can perform miracles."

Baaru raises her head to look at José. Tears brim in her eyes. "Y-you... you can save him? You can save my baby boy?!"

"Maybe," José says, his eyes containing a deep restlessness. "I'm a soldier, not a doctor. I know some battlefield medical practices, but that might be enough to sustain him until we return to the ship."

Suddenly, the Terran swivels his gaze toward the nearest Kessu, an old cat with drooping hairs under his eyes. "You! Tell me what happened in detail! How did he suffer these injuries?"

The old cat shrinks back, terrified of the massive, furless giant. However, he still answers José's question.

"Th-the Black G-Ghost... it attacked... it tried to take the girls... but Ruuki, he wouldn't let the Ghost have its way. The Ghost punished him. It ripped him apart and l-left him to die... please forgive this worthless senior! If I hadn't been so cowardly, the clan leader might not-"

"I've heard enough," José says. The Admiral reaches into his pant pocket and pulls out a small black strap. He wraps it around his wrist, making Megla frown.

A wristband?

Unseen by Megla and all the Kessu, a holographic image suddenly springs to life above the wristband. José falls silent as his specially-tuned eyes allow him to see the image, a perfect representation of a medical storage area.

While José's right arm hovers in front of his chest, his left hand dances around in the air, manipulating the unseen holographic image. Seeing the strange, furless biped making his fingers dance for seemingly no reason, a few of the Kessu behind him give their 'savior' multiple strange looks.

"What the heck is that creature doing?"

"How should I know? Don't be rude. He looks like he could kill us with a glance."

One particularly fat Kessu boy speaks a little louder than the others. "Yeah. Wow, he's huge. Have you ever seen a mutant that big?"

The kitten's skinnier friend gasps. "A mutant?!"

"Haven't you heard? There are rumors that some Kessu can increase their size and power by shedding their fur. If you factor in that weirdly ugly face, the big muscles... he's probably a mutant."

"Dang, Skippy. You're so smart!"

The two Kessu boys chat with one another in whispers, certain the Terran won't notice them. However, even though José is actually able to hear every word, he ignores them. Their words matter far less to him than saving a dying kitty in urgent need of care.

Eventually, José navigates through the holographic room and opens a virtual medicine cabinet. With a tap of his finger, a light springs into existence above his wrist, making Baaru jump back in fright.

"W-what is that?!"

The light becomes a series of lasers, all of which trace out the elaborate image of a palm-sized medical device. Within seconds, the lasers complete the act of 'replicating' the device, and José snatches it out of midair.

Kssss.

A quiet hissing sound escapes the nozzle as Jose aims the device at Ruuki's most dangerous, gaping, badly infected wounds. A white, foam-like substance sprays onto the Kessu's fur, then seeps through his skin into his arteries.

Countless nanites, each one a millionth the size of a human hair, burrow into the kitty cat's body. They flood through his dying, broken blood vessels and get to work stitching him together.

In less than a minute, José sprays dozens of bloody patches across Ruuki's body. He falls back and slumps to his butt with a smile.

"Whew. Baaru, you're one lucky mama. If it had been anyone but me who showed up, or if I'd shown up thirty minutes later, you'd be saying goodbye to your son right now."

Sparkles appear in Baaru's eyes. "You... you mean... my little Ruuki won't die?"

"I'll make sure he survives. I've infused eighteen billion nanites into his body, so, over the course of the next five hours, they will repair seventy percent of his injuries. Once we get him back to the Bloodbearer, Umi can do the rest of the work. She's performed a few hundred bioscans of healthy Kessu bodies, after all. This won't be a problem at all."

Baaru breaks down crying tears of happiness. She jumps over Ruuki's body to wrap her arms around José's shoulders. "Thank you, Great Precursor! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

José doesn't even flinch. He lightly pets the fur on Baaru's back and smiles. "You're welcome. Now, let's focus, okay? Ruuki will live, but that's only if we all successfully leave here alive."

Finally, José takes a moment to take in his surroundings. He sits inside a large chamber tucked out of the way from the main path. Scattered around the chamber, two dozen male Kessu either sit, stand, or crouch and look at him, their gazes containing traces of fear and curiosity. A fire crackles in the middle of the room, providing the only source of illumination.

The cavern's ceiling looms fifty meters in the air, while menacing stalactites hang down and drip water onto the cave floor. Several shabbily-made 'beds' sit at the back end of the cave, their materials mostly made from dirt or crumbled rocks.

As the Admiral looks at the Kessu survivors, his eyes turn frosty.

"Hm? Is this all of you? There aren't even thirty of you here. And where are the women? Don't tell me only you men survived your village's attack."

The expressions on the Kessu's faces become eerily downcast. One elderly Kessu sinks to the floor, shaking with fear and rage.

"F-forgive us... Matriarch... aaoouugh! It was awful... the Black Ghost came... it took the women away, one by one, every night!"

Another Kessu boy nods, his expression calm and sober. "A hundred of us made it here originally, but several weeks passed. We didn't have any food... any water. The Black Ghost came whenever we slept. It not only took the women, but it killed many men, too. We're all that's left."

His words cast a hazy shadow upon everyone present. Megla narrows her eyes as she wonders what sort of despicable creature could do such a thing.

While she ponders the Kessu's reported events, Admiral Rodriguez turns to the boy. "A ghost, you say? Did anyone here see it?"

The boy nods, but his movements appear hesitant. "We did, but... it was so hard to make out. It almost perfectly blended in with the darkness. It stretched out its claws and pulled whoever was closest into the shadows. One Kessu every night, without fail. Even... even my older sister."

The boy lowers his head. A deep sadness appears in his eyes.

"She screamed and begged for help... but I was so scared... I couldn't even... I watched as the Ghost dragged her away, but my legs... my stupid legs wouldn't work!"

The boy tries to suppress his tears, but he, too, ends up sobbing his heart out. Another boy nearby tries to comfort him, but it's clear he, too, has lost someone he loved.

"Tragic," Megla growls. "What sort of vicious monster..."

She turns to look at the Admiral. His brows furrow deeply, forming the shape of a 'v' as his mind swirls with chaotic thoughts.

"A shadow... takes people away... focuses on women... could it be?"

The Admiral's gaze turns as ugly as a stormy day at sea.

"No. They're all dead. It must be something else. It has to be."

With the Kessu all focusing on Ruuki and Baaru, none of them notice the Admiral's strange mutterings. However, Megla does. She doesn't hear his exact words, but she pieces together a few clues based on his reaction.

"Admiral? Do you know something about this 'Black Ghost?'"

She crouches down beside José, but he doesn't reply for a full minute.

"Mmm. These Kessu have been underground for a month or two. They're probably hallucinating a predator of some sort. Maybe it's a disease. Some sort of wandering sickness."

"A what?" Megla asks, disbelief buried in her eyes. "I'm no medical expert, but that sounds like gobbledy-gook."

"It probably is," José says, his expression solemn. "But... I don't want it to be the alternative. We exterminated them. Ages ago. Can't be them."

He returns to his ramblings, while occasionally shaking his head. After a few more minutes, he glances at Megla.

"Remember what I told you. You're my First Officer. I'm depending on you, Megla. If something happens, you have to protect the Kessu."

Megla meets the Admiral's gaze. His oddly dark pupils cause an uneasiness to sprout in her heart. "What are you saying? Of course I will. Stop acting weird. I don't like it when you're... not yourself."

"This isn't about me anymore," José murmurs. "It's about my duty. My sworn oath to Ramma. If I should die, then I hope you will not do anything terrible to the Kessu. I hope you'll carry out my final wishes and... protect them."

José keeps his voice low. With the Kessu now focused entirely on Baaru, Ruuki, and Lele, none of them hear his words.

But Megla does.

"Why are you acting like you might die?" Megla asks. "Something's not right about you. You seem... scared."

"Not scared," José says, smiling. "Determined. It doesn't matter if I die. I'm only here by the grace of the gods. Maybe they kept me alive for a reason. Either way, I don't intend to-"

Before José can finish his sentence, Lele bounces over toward them. "Big Baldy! Are we ready to go, yet? It's dark and wet down here! Let's get Uncle Felabi to the surface, okay?"

The Admiral swallows his words. A huge, cheerful smile washes over his face as he turns to face the little girl. "Oh, yes, yes. That sounds like a good idea. How about you ride piggyback with Aunt Meggy this time? I don't want you wandering off, now, alright?"

Lele's smile morphs into a look of disgust. "Eww, you want me to ride with scale-breath?"

"Haha!" José laughs, his tone sounding unbelievably fake to Megla's ears. "That's right, squirt. You stay close to Aunt Meggy. Let's hurry up and get out of here. We've got a long walk back to the surface."

Megla's expression sinks. "Admiral..."

...

Thirty minutes pass.

José and the Kessu work together to build a stretcher for Ruuki. Despite the nanites having closed his wounds, the muscular Kessu warrior lays motionless, his breathing weak and languid. Four Kessu boys each grab one end of the stretcher and lift him up.

Likewise, after storing away his nanite-spraying tool, José synthesizes some light meals for all of the Kessu, each consisting of simple food pellets. While lacking in taste and satisfaction, the pellets explode inside of their stomachs and rapidly provide needed nutrients to keep them alive.

The Admiral does a once-over of his party of thirty and nods. "We'll leave now. Megla will guard the flank, and I'll take point. Everyone else stay between us, and don't stray."

"Yes, Precursor," Baaru says.

"As you command," The other Kessu add.

With the party saddled up and ready to go, José hefts his gun and begins walking forward at a moderately brisk pace. The uneasiness in his heart makes him move a bit quicker than he did when traveling into the caves originally.

Megla keeps an eye out behind them, as well as to the front. On her shoulders, a sullen Lele sits, annoyance etched into her pores.

The kitten curls up her mouth as she daintily sniffs the top of Megla's head, before pulling away and making a gagging noise. "Blech. This sucks."

"Quiet," Megla whispers. "No more talking until we reach the surface."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

In less than a minute, José arrives at the exit to the Kessu's hidden alcove. Despite its seemingly large size, it's still much smaller and more contained than the rest of the cavernous network.

As soon as the Admiral steps outside, he comes to a stop, falls to one knee, and aims his gun forward.

Megla's heart leaps into her throat. "Admiral?!"

A split-second of silence passes. Given her position at the rear of the party, she can't see what he sees, but the Admiral's words cause spiders to race up her spine.

"It's arrived. The Aberrant."

José, still kneeling on one knee, stares unblinkingly into the distance. Only half a kilometer ahead, a gigantic, unspeakably hideous monster, with blood-red eyes, a wolf-like head, and a look of famished hunger, sits crouched in the darkness. The beast stand forty meters tall, with blackened fur as dark at the night covering its head and body. Even with his enhanced senses, the Admiral can barely make out its form in the darkness.

The monster snarls quietly, causing its monstrous tongue to sneak out of its pointed mouth. The vicious look on its face deepens sevenfold.

But, most terrifyingly, behind it, hundreds of blood-red pinpricks of light also gaze at José from the shadows. All of them carry a deep, unyielding hunger as bottomless as the ocean's depths.

José smiles, but his face gives off more of a feeling of faint relief than one of happiness.

"So it wasn't them... Megla! Pull everyone back! Remember what I said!"

Megla nods. "Yes, Admiral!"

Without another word, she quickly beckons for the Kessu to retreat, leaving the Admiral alone to face off whatever threat he may have encountered.

Based on his expression, the odds seem high he won't walk away without suffering terrible injuries.