Seele was rather sharp-tongued but softhearted. Since she had already said she would wait for the Trailblaze Squad at the mine entrance, Sampo was ready to take his leave as well.
Setting the stage, checking the script, guiding the actors, watching the finished production... Old Sampo had far too much to do. And now he also had to help his young colleague try to tame a Fragmentum creature that had mimicked a short-legged version of himself.
After pointing the Trailblaze Squad in the right direction, Sampo left, saying he had other things to do.
The Trailblaze Squad did not give it much thought. Whatever Sampo had to do, it could only involve petty theft and swindling...
Following Sampo's directions, they wound their way through Boulder Town's streets and eventually returned to the outside of Natasha's Clinic.
Once there, they only had to look up to see Seele standing in the corner piled with mine carts, minerals, tools, and supplies. The upward slope beside her was the road to the Great Mine Sampo had mentioned.
They walked over.
"Hey, you got here pretty fast!" Those were Seele's first words when she saw them.
Bronya was nowhere to be seen beside Seele. Perhaps the Silvermane Guards commander was already talking with Wildfire's leader?
"What's Wildfire doing in the mine?" Stelle asked.
"Didn't I tell you? Hmm, to make a long story short:
"There used to be lots of mines underground, but over the past few years, a kind of corrosion called the Fragmentum started spreading down here. Many mines were hit and couldn't be worked anymore.
"The mine we're heading to has stayed relatively intact, and the environment is still fairly clean. A group of vagrants whose homes were swallowed by the Fragmentum settled there. Most of them are actually... pretty decent...