16-12 Six Feet Under

Ahead is the tunnel where we first found Oka.

It should have been placed under lockdown soon after... but now, it looks completely abandoned.

The good news is that Originium particle activity has also dropped after work stopped. Infection risk should be minimal as long as you do not touch the deactivated Originium crystals.

I'm not detecting any other lifeforms. We should be able to get in without a fight.

Are you sure this is the right way, Ksenia?

I don't see anything.

Sorry. I've only been down here once before...

Let me find the emergency power switch.

Here it is.

Ok, looks like this is the right way. All we need to do is to go in the opposite direction from the mine carts.

Opposite direction? I thought we're going deeper.

It leads to somewhere other than the mine tunnels. I don't know what it's actually for, but the carts only carry goods, not people.

What about the cart? Can we use it?

There are no structural issues, but it's been abandoned for so long that there's only enough emergency power for the lights. I don't think it's a good idea.

Mm.

You two, get on the cart.

What?

Get on, Doctor. We can save time that way.

But it won't start—

I'll take care of it.

Do you need me to lift you up, Doctor?

Are you ready?

What are you planning—

—Whoa?!

It'll be fine. Just sit tight.

Here we go!

Thank goodness the tunnels look intact.

But we should have started a fire before coming down... it's a lot wetter than the outside. The difference is almost as great as the Iberian coast compared to inland Ursus.

Of course, there is a dramatic difference in temperature as well... are you alright?

I'm fine. What about you, Doctor?

I kept the speed steady.

Mon3tr is a very good cart driver. Or cart pusher.

Sounds like the problem's not on my end.

I'm not sure exactly when. The first sample arrived at the lab a month ago.

That was when I learned of the appearance of this heretofore unheard-of substance in the Originium mines.

Infected exposed to Oka in this tunnel were subject to unusual mutations.

Their infection readings soared, but their vital signs remained stable, 'healthy' even...

That sounds familiar.

Have you encountered other patients like this? Have they come into contact with Oka?

In any case... the Ursine government wanted to replicate the 'miracle'.

I suppose they wanted a docile labor force that did not fear illness or pain... perhaps even employ them in combat.

I think we're getting close.

This is as far as the rail goes. We'll have to proceed on foot.

You can tell?

Yes. Like an obsequent river, the Oka cannot flow outwards along the dip, so it can only flow backwards, until it lies 'still' like this.

But it continues to flow in a way, even without external forces acting on it. That's why they named it 'Oka'—river.

The liquid is everywhere.

It's like a natural karst cave. You can't even tell that it used to be a mine.

Even stranger, Oka itself is almost like water.

Well... in a manner of speaking.

Oka becomes highly stable after it is allowed to stand still for a while. It can even be used as a universal solvent.

Wait! We still shouldn't touch it with bare hands—

Oh...

You should not touch it directly—I have protective equipment. You can tell me if you want a sample, and I'll collect it!

(Whisper) Doctor... I know what this is.

What?

Oh, okay.

Wait here. I'll be back soon.

...Be careful.

This liquid that they call Oka... it's Originium.

It's complicated.

Do you remember the 'Transmitter' that Rhine Lab was studying, or the 'Corazonix' that is often mentioned in Iberian alchemy?

This is their prototype... or perhaps I should say, the original form.

Yes. A medium that reacts directly with the human body, or to store information.

I think so...

You understand, Doctor, that Originium is both a vehicle for information, and a vehicle for energy.

Both the Transmitter and Corazonix re-record Originium energy through specific means, in order to record different types of information.

The Oka here is the remnant of Originium, after its energy was extracted in an even more effective manner.

So it's really a form of 'universal solvent', and this explains why the Infected who came into contact with Oka became 'mutated'.

Because of its nature as drained Originium, Oka neutralizes the Originium activity inside the Infected, while creating the perfect conditions for the continued growth of Originium.

It allowed the Infected to retain their vital functions temporarily, but does not change the fact that death would inevitably follow soon.

Meanwhile, all the uninfected individuals injected with Oka died of severe rejection, due to the lack of active Originium in their bodies...

This is what we feared the most...

The Kolossal Prime Vein is drying up.

The rumors we heard, that Ursus is accelerating the extraction of Originium... it's all to hide the exhaustion of the ore vein.

It began here in the northmost parts of Ursus, and it will only accelerate.

Within four months, the Originium deposits in Ursus will drop to thirty percent of previous levels.

There's no one else.

The exhaustion of the ore vein cannot be stopped or reversed.

Ursus will collapse.

I have an idea!

Oka is also a relic of the old civilization... a by-product of your experiments.

If she caused the exhaustion of the ore vein, then there might be some useful information left within.

See if you can read it.

Our means are limited. You'll have to insert your hand, like I did when I collected the sample.

Don't worry, it won't harm you.

It's possible.

Mon3tr! Doctor!

Come! I found something!

There's a hole behind the waterfall. When I climbed up and stood there—

I heard a sound of an unusual frequency from the cave. It didn't seem natural—no, it definitely isn't natural!

It's like... it's trying to communicate some sort of information through audio waves!

Huh?

This is—

This space was hidden behind the waterfall?

Listen carefully to the sound of the liquid impacting the rocks! Some of the sounds are of a particular frequency, like it's trying to draw attention to itself. It's very different, and you can definitely tell.

I tried to decipher the ones I heard. It took a while to record the various pitches—

There! Did you hear that?

All I hear is the rain! I can't even hear you speak—

Doctor?

—Did you say you hear it—

I've copied it down...

It's just a hunch, but if we decipher it using the standard encoding for communication between nomadic cities...

I think it's referring to the same word, in many different languages. I could identify Ursine and Gaulish from it! I think they both mean—

What?

(Whisper) You think it's a message from Priestess?

We'll go back to the lab once Ksenia has gathered her samples.

We must try to contact Amiya...

What sound?

The waterfall is pretty loud.

Are you sure it's not just your ears ringing? Perhaps lingering effects from having to process too much information just now...

Wait.

Ksenia? Is that you?

What's... that—

I have the samples!

Why are you just standing there?

Run, Ksenia! Don't look back!

I'll get her. Go to the mine cart, Doctor, and we'll meet you there!

Go!

What—

Gosudar-batyushka—

What is that thing?!