It's been two dozen minutes.
Riley keeps on finding new things about this dead creature: A turtle with a layer of rocks on its back to replace the shell, as well as carved boulders serving as shoulder guards and knee pads. Unlike any other tortoise, it seemed to have enjoyed a better flow of movement even with its impressive size. Its legs being shaped like those of carnivore predators makes the scientist question its diet, attack patterns and traversal speeds. Those are not questions that can be answered, due to them lacking battle data.
Besides, there was bigger concerns: Food shortage.
Despite the non-consent from Riley, and especially Eylventh, with almost no rations and four out of five people dying of famine, Alister takes the responsibility to dissect as much meat from the creature as possible. An unfitting end for this mixture of a snapping turtle and a Komodo dragon. The assassin was able to extract enough flesh that they could feast for another week without complications.
Thanks to the flames of Zephyr's torch blade, they start a fire to cook the meat. It's looking like it will taste okay, but Eylventh resigned itself to eating some of the beans, refusing to perform acts of cannibalism. The reptile drops in tears for the way they decided to threat a fellow lizard kin. Zephyr caresses the small crocodile for comfort.
Alister is watching the cooking process and Riley is back at his research, now looking over his notes regarding the Bottomless Pit and currently pondering about things.
With food and more knowledge at their disposal, the tone of the journey is receiving some needed color.
It's none more apparent than when Zephyr, torch in right hand and Eylventh on left shoulder, walks toward the scientist mid-fascination. Despite his resistance begging and pushing the young blacksmith to refrain from conversation, he calms down.
He wants answers to some questions. Riley is the best to answer them.
"Riley.
"Oh, politely coming to me now?"
"Don't start this crap with me, okay? I'm just... That machine we just heard; you think it could be the one that killed Nil?"
Riley stops what he's doing in an abrupt fashion. Alister temporary let's go of his duty to witness the conversation. Eylventh and Urth turns to Zephyr, puzzled by the question, then to the scientist, who lets a long sigh breath out before answering the young man's question.
"It's a possibility. The problem is that the only data I have is that ear violating noise it projected. It's difficult to tell with just that, footprints, and such bizarre encounters, if this is the same beast. It's either that, or there are others like it with different properties... and this could mean the Bottomless Pit is more so ruled by machines then by organic wild life as we know it."
Zephyr's eyes start to spark with intrigue and bafflement.
"That... I mean, I'm trying to find the correlation here between technology and this place. So, bombs that falls on Manhattan one day, just packed with radiation, somehow creates a massive crater on the planet... Can atomic bombs even do that??"
Immediately, Riley gets up, almost picked up by a curious frenzy.
"See that's what people perceived them as, but you remember these rods that are just standing near the edge of the Bottomless Pit!?"
"Well, y-yeah?" Responds Zephyr.
"They were there since the start! There is no way this could be atomic bombs, unless they transfer that sort of energy downwards with these rods in some kind of explosion inside the earth, but we have been traveling thousands of feet already, over three thousand to be precise! The radiation should normally skyrocket the deeper we get! After all, radiation from one atomic bomb can stay for over half a century!"
"Yeah, that's cool, but pretty sure uranium shouldn't give me the ability to go faster than lightning, or Zeph the ability to turn into a bomb, or you the ability to transform dead creatures into overpowered beasts!" Chimes in Alister.
"Which is why I believe... There is no way this was caused by an atomic bomb!" Screams the scientist, stuck in his frenzy.
Both Alister and Zephyr look at each other for a second before looking back at the doctor.
"… Then again, there are too many unknown variables to confirm the presence of other types of energies, materials or anything that confirms my admittedly insane hypothesis. To have more answers, people had to dive deep into the pit itself to find such information. We know where that led them... We know where that's going to lead us."
Zephyr stops, looks down as if he's thinking about what he is about to say carefully, before looking at his partners.
"Rather than people not coming back from here because of how volatile it is, wouldn't it be that… Well, that something makes sure they don't come back, period?
"Well, something..." Alister hesitates. "T-That cannot be true. We've been blocked access to come back by a cloud of smoke! Who could have done such a fucking call anyway!?
"Obviously... Someone who can control this whole place by any means." As Riley states this, the hunter stares at him before proceeding to grab the scientist by the shoulders.
"RILEY, THAT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE! NO ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED JUMPING HERE!?"
"Yes I do Alister!"
"DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE AS TO WHAT IT MEANS THAT SOMEONE WITH THAT MUCH POWER WOULD HIDE SECRETS THIS GRANDIOSE BY KILLING EXPLORERS, LITTERALY SOMEONE AS IMPORTANT AS A BYSTANDER!?"
"Yes I-."
"DON'T SAY YOU DO WHEN YOU SPEW GARBAGE LIKE THAT!"
"Enough with the screaming, Alister! We get your point!"
Zephyr interjects, sensing a state of alertness he never discerned from the assassin so far in this trip.
"You said it yourself Alister! We have these overwhelming powers. Hell, Riley turned his own creation into an abomination because he couldn't control his sorrow. I exploded because I couldn't control my panic. You ran that fast because you couldn't control your… drive, I guess."
"Try and put it this way." Adds Riley to the blacksmith's point. "Let's say this theory is true. Let's say I was the one controlling the Bottomless Pit. If I had the power to shape this whole place as I see fit... And for that power to be obtained, I had to destroy a whole civilization, slaughter millions! I'm not sure I would want to kill people… But if that was the only way I could hide what's really going on and save face, then I wouldn't hesitate."
Alister is thinking about his father again.
He simply steps back, hiding his distraught. He doesn't want to believe it's what happened, but if this stupid hypothesis ends up being what is going on, then…
"I... I'm going to look after the food, yeah it shouldn't be staying on the fire for that long, I'll go check it out... L-Let me know if there's anything I... No, I'd rather not know anything, right now."
This sudden shift takes aback Zephyr and Riley, but understanding that something must have gone array, they simply let him go back to watching the fire.
"I'll check on the food too." Says Zephyr.
"R-right..." Responds Alister.
What seemed like a strange moment of bonding over knowledge has been brought to an end.
The awkwardness returns.
The only sound distinguishable now is the crisp of flames as it slowly renders the raw meat ready for consumption...