The journey home and "The Oriole's Pursuit"
The Nineteenth Organization Department conducted a detailed, week-long investigation, cross-checking accounts from the other survivors as they gradually woke.
Their accounts were inconsistent, or rather, confused.
Some of those who woke later remembered nothing at all but suffered from severe anxiety and claustrophobia; others, like Baru, remembered that horrifying pain but could recall little of what followed; still others heard the torrential rain and the sounds of the "black-robed figures" fighting, but temporarily lost their sight at the time.
The other three people found in the same location as Baru also had differing memories. Some disagreed on the number of rescuers, while others recalled subtle differences in what had been said.
By comparison, Baru was the one who had managed to put his thoughts in the clearest order.
One thing, however, was certain: the mutated Mine Shaft had been destroyed by a mysterious force that had existed since ancient times.
They had very likely fought similar uncanny entities throughout history and remained prepared for them to this day.
It was an encouraging lead, but also a bewildering one.
Norton and his subordinates spent several days searching for every potentially relevant historical record.
It was not that they found nothing. They found too much!
Yes, humanity's rich imagination had helped make it what it was, but sometimes it was a real pain in the ass.
A casual search could turn up dozens or hundreds of heroic tales about saving the world or vanquishing evil. A thorough search could easily yield ten times as many.
Even after discarding the obviously implausible ones, it was still like looking for a needle in a haystack. Or perhaps standing helpless before a vast ocean was a better description.
Still, it was good news, wasn't it?
At least they