The team spread out slightly as they advanced.
Old Sam taking the lead. His revolver was drawn and ready to shoot.
His buckler held ready. He shook it a little. Gear turned with clanking sounds. And then, it was mechanically expanded. Turning the small buckler into a normal-sized round shield with sharp edges.
Big Bill followed. Grinning. Full of confidence. He held the huge mechanical hammer in one hand. And the huge handgun in the other.
O.J. moved with unsettling fluidity. Despite his mechanical limbs. His handguns were held loosely. Ready to snap into action.
Will stayed close to Big Bill. His crossbow was ready. But he still looked nervous and jumpy.
Jack brought up the rear. The heavy Steamrune Shotgun felt comfortable in his hands. He prepared the scatter shot mode for the upcoming encounter.
The first wave hit them exactly where Jack said it would be. Shambling figures, small and hunched, erupted from side passages and crevices.
They were grotesque caricatures of humanoids. Skin like grey, stretched leather. Draped directly over bones without any sign of flesh.
Jack noticed that their eyes were small and red-rimmed. Their mouths were filled with too many jagged teeth. Cave Ghouls.
They chittered and charged. Surprisingly fast as they surged forward.
The team reacted instantly. Sam's revolver spat fire. The slugs hitting with surprising force. Sending Ghouls spinning. Or tearing chunks out of them.
Big Bill's handgun roared. Its heavy rounds seemed to be an overkill. They punched through the creatures. Often collapsing them into mangled remains.
A rhythmic pattern of gunshots played out. A steady stream of lead stitching lines across the Ghoul advance. O.J.'s guns seemed to play an orchestra of massacre. Dropping multiple targets in quick succession.
Will, though hesitant, found his mark. A crossbow bolt powered by internal runes hissed past. Punching clean through a Ghoul's forehead. And pinning it to the tunnel wall with a wet thud.
Jack waited for a large group of Cave Ghouls to get closer. Letting the others thin the herd. When they were within effective range, he moved forward and raised the shotgun.
Gunshot, louder than any, rang. The sound was less a bang and more a violent explosion. It was like a miniature thunderclap in the confined space.
Jack's shotgun didn't just fire a shell. It fired a widespread burst of superheated steam and shrapnel. Propelled by runes etched into its barrel and firing mechanism.
A wave of metallic heat washed forward. And whatever Ghouls were in the cone of fire simply perished. Limbs, chunks of flesh, and acrid smoke filled the air.
They pushed forward. Clearing each section steadily. The Cave Ghouls came in sporadic waves. Sometimes there were just a few scuttling out. Other times, a dozen or more poured from a hidden opening.
They were relentless but fragile. The danger came from their numbers. And the cramped, uneven terrain.
A Ghoul lunged at Will from an alcove he hadn't noticed. Jack saw it on his Aura Detection.
"Will! Left!" he yelled. Simultaneously bringing up one of his handguns.
Will yelped. Startled. Raising his crossbow defensively. Before he could fire, O.J.'s left handgun, the organic-held one, snapped up and fired three precise shots.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The Ghoul's head disintegrated just inches from Will's face.
"Thanks, O.J.!" Will gasped, trembling.
O.J. just nodded. His eyes were scanning ahead. "Pay attention, Kid."
Sam was moving with surprising agility for his age. He used his round shield not just for defense. But also offense.
A Ghoul got too close. Trying to pounce over him. With a sharp, mechanical clang, he slammed the round shield's reinforced edge into its head. Crushing it instantly.
"Later, learn some melee combat, Kid!" He instructed Will. His voice was calm. "Often, even ranged fighters will get caught in close combat situation."
As if to provide example, Big Bill holstered his gun. He changed his fighting mode. Into simple brute force. He let Ghouls get close just to crush them with his massive hammer.
The rune-enhanced head glowed faintly on impact. Turning the creatures into a smear against the rock.
"Satisfying!" He boomed after striking many. Wiping gore from his goggles.
Jack continued to use his shotgun for mass extermination. Clearing paths and breaking up Cave Ghoul swarms. The weapon kicked hard. But his size absorbed the recoil easily.
For the Ghouls trying to flank or appearing in odd angles, he simply kicked them. Or struck them with the butt of his shotgun. He killed efficiently. Brutally. Without fanfare.
They were pests. Dangerous pests. But ultimately, they were weak.
Despite the easy and straightforward nature of the enemy, there were close calls. A section of ceiling was weakened by Cave Ghoul's tunneling. It gave way, showering debris down.
Sam's quick sense pulled the team back. Just before the complete collapse.
Then, there was a time when a Cave Ghoul pack rushed them from a narrow passage instead of the bigger tunnel. Faster than expected.
Big Bill used his bulk to momentarily block the gap with his hammer. While the others fired over his shoulder.
And then... O.J.'s mechanical arm briefly malfunctioned. After a heavy firing sequence. He slammed it against a rock wall. Roughly recalibrating it with a series of clicks and whirs. Before resuming his rapid-fire assault.
As he only hand a small number of bolts, Will emptied his quiver very soon. He fumbled awkwardly. Until Jack calmly tossed him his spare handgun and some magazines. And told him how to use it.
They moved deeper. The tunnels were twisting and turning. The air grew hotter. The musty smell was thicker.
But the presence of the Cave Ghouls thinned as they approached the designated boundary for their team. They reached a large cavern marked on their map.
No Cave Ghoul was found here. They swept the cavern, confirming it was clear.
"Alright!" Sam announced. Checking his mechanical chronometer. "That's our section. Looks clear."
Compared to the sounds of distant fighting echoing through the rock, their tunnel had gone quiet relatively quickly. Jack checked the conditions of his team. They were all fine. They had worked efficiently.
They began the trek back towards the entrance. Sam and O.J. took out Core Detector Devices. They hadn't got time to take care of the monster cores as they cleared the tunnel.
Now, as they returned, they paused often to loot monster cores. And to ensure no stragglers emerged. The journey back was mostly silent. Only their footsteps and the beeping sounds of the Core Detector Devices.
Emerging from the mine's mouth was a relief. The daylight, even filtered through dust, was bright after the oppressive darkness.
Several other teams were already outside. Each gathered in small groups. Cleaning weapons. Tending to minor injuries. Or, most importantly, counting their haul of monster cores.
The small, dark-grey, faintly pulsing cores harvested from the Cave Ghoul bodies were the reason they were all here.
Jack's team joined the others. Finding a relatively clear spot to tally their cores. They pooled their take. It wasn't a fortune. But it was a solid return for a few hours' work.
Will counted his share with a quiet intensity. His share was smallest. Only ten percent. Because he didn't bring enough ammos and had to borrow Jack's spare guns. But it was enough for his needs. A small but visible amount of worry easing from his face.
Big Bill let out a satisfied grunt at their total.
Old Sam nodded curtly. He got twenty five percent as he was the one leading the team.
O.J. simply bagged his shares with mechanical precision.
Jack's share was substantial. The same with Old Sam. He had been the most efficient killer in the group. Although he didn't flaunt it.
They finished their tally. Everyone was quite satisfied with the result. They prepared to head towards the temporary Mercenary Union station, set up nearby. To register their completion. And claim their pay.
But, suddenly, the ground shuddered violently.
It wasn't a natural tremor. There was a deep, concussive BOOM from the direction of the mine. It was followed by a horrifying series of grinding roars and tearing sounds.
Dust billowed from the entrance. The rock face above the opening fractured and groaned.
Panic erupted among the mercenaries outside. There were shouts. Curses. And the clang of dropped gear.
Jack spun towards the mine entrance. His instincts were screaming danger. Large sections of the cliff face above the entrance cracked. They began to break down.
The supports holding open the main tunnel buckled. And snapped with sickening finality. Another loud sound resounded.
In just moments, the entire upper portion of the mine entrance fell down. Tons of rock and earth, groaned, and collapsed inward.
A massive cloud of dust and pulverized rock erupted. Billowing outwards like a dark grey wave. The sound was deafening.
When the initial roar subsided, an unnatural silence fell. Broken only by the cries of the mercenaries outside. And the distant, muffled groans from within the mountain.
The entrance to Mine #34 was gone. Replaced by a chaotic, impassable wall of rubble. Large number of transcendent mercenaries were still inside.
Trapped.