"The mission is to capture one of those Etherbeasts alive, Master Dwajo," Sylren said to the man with the insignia of "Legion Master" on his skyguard uniform and the patch of "L55" on its shoulder. "We want to test a certain theory we came up with."
The portly man with red hair stroked his beard with one hand, the other hidden behind, as he nodded with a smile. "And I'll personally do my best to assist you on this mission of yours. I am supposed to be the leader of a Resource Scout Force Legion, after all. Researching the surroundings of where useful resources are located is also part of my job."
The research team gathered together in the northern mines nodded. They'd come rather far in their research of finding more about the undiscovered Etherbeasts in these last 6 months, and this mission would either take them further on this path or change the direction of their approach completely. Either way, they had to do it.
The unaware miners around them kept going about their routine, the Legion Master overlooking their performance from the elevated ground formation they all stood upon. Every 6 months, the Legion Master would visit the several sites ran by the commanders under him to check if the process was going smoothly or not.
The original plan was to get Commander Befir on board with this mission of capturing one of those undiscovered Etherbeasts that Arold and Trixina had recorded 6 months back, but upon the arrival of the Master of Legion 55 himself for the supervision of the lucentum mining inside Ezlus Mines, Sylren had decided to go all out and get the Master himself on board.
And the man complied upon asking just now—the best possible outcome for the research team.
If they had done the calculations correctly, the Etherbeasts would launch another raid on the miners in a few hours. Only this time, the research team would be ready for the attack and capture one specimen for their tests. It was all to test Malaro's hypothesis.
According to the wildlife researcher, he found there to be a connection between this undiscovered species of Etherbeasts and another lesser known species of Etherbeasts. After going through the video of the creatures again and again, and seeing them in action a couple times during the Beasts' assault, Malaro had concluded a connection between them and cavelurkers, a species of critically endangered Etherbeasts.
This mission's success depended on this exciting revelation's validity. Discovering newer cousins of species bordering on extinction would a feat capable of launching the researchers' career through the Higher Skies. And to increase their odds, they had Master Dwajo on their side.
With a single command of his, the Legion Master had also assembled the commander and the captains for this mission, the miners growing apprehensive when they noticed all of their superiors gathering. Commander Befir, tall and tan-skinned with a clean face and a trimmed head with sides faded, gathered around his Legion Master with all of the three captains under him—the slick-haired Lexnal, the helmeted Ernash, and the brown-haired Celd.
"Thank you so much for doing this, Master Dwajo," Malaro said with a bow. "Even after knowing the variables involved in this mission, you're still contributing everything. We're all very grateful for that."
"Just doing my duty, like you all," Dwajo said, returning a little bow. "Even if this operation fails, we'll come out having a new experience to learn from." He turned to explain the details to the other skyguards.
"That's the spirit, Master Dwajo," Sylren said with a smile, showing him a fist. "Keep it up."
Malaro pulled her back into their group, the other two sighing.
"You're already making him regret his decision, Sylren," Prestris said quietly.
Lariz closed his notepad. "I think this mission's a failure."
Sylren turned to him.
Lariz realized it, tucking his chin and fixing his glasses. "Don't you dare, Sylren—!"
Sylren smiled. "Like your marriage—?"
Malaro kept Lariz from falling. "Stop with that already, Sylren! No one finds it funny!"
"Talk about you, man," Prestris said, hand clasped with the smiling team leader. "Because I sure do."
"Then you two're nothing but horrible friends!" Malaro said. "Do you think just because you find it amusing it doesn't affect him negatively? The way you say it may not be the issue, but the subject matter in itself is nothing to joke about. That's his son's mother you're talking about! Do you realize it?"
Sylren walked to Lariz. "Do you still like her, Lariz?"
Lariz, supported by Malaro, did not look her in the eyes. "Of course I do. Was I supposed to get over her in just 11 months?"
"But she's doing a much better job at that than you," Sylren said. "Why's that?"
"It's not like she's hasn't married anyone," Lariz said. "You're making it sound like it never meant anything to her from the very beginning."
"Why else would she refuse a second child?" Sylren said, making Lariz meet her eyes. "After your son's birth, she refused to join any expedition where the team also included you, as if she was finding more ways to stay apart. Tell me, Lariz, aside from a baby, has she ever given you anything?"
Lariz gulped, eyes watering. "You shouldn't talk where you know nothing, Sylren. You hadn't even met my son before this mission."
"But we know more about YOU than your flucking wife, Lariz," Sylren said. "Don't you find that odd?"
Lariz's brows furrowed and he blinked rapidly.
Malaro put out a hand forward. "I think that's enough, Sylren—"
"The feelings you had invested into her were so astronomical that I knew I couldn't help you move on with normal measures," Sylren said. "I had to use the methods that'd hurt. I had to normalize this breaking apart of you and Qira.
"Because one day, whenever it may come, you'll have to face reality and move past her. But on that day, I don't want you to take the hurt from a previous relationship to the next one, or you'll never be able to love again. What better way to reduce the seriousness of a situation than to joke about it?"
The four of them stood quietly for many moments, still.
Lexnal exhaled softly. "I get it. You were doing what you felt right. Just trying to help me, huh? But you should at least gauge the level of your jokes before you blurt them out. They're meant to reduce the seriousness of my divorce but only end up increasing my anxiety."
Sylren nodded. "I also understand. And now that you know they weren't meant as mean remarks, I'd also like to apologize. I thought going all out would help you better. But I guess some theories are wrong."
"Next time," Lariz said, looking at her through his silver-rimmed glasses. "Try to take it slow."
Sylren smiled.
Lariz opened his notes and stepped away from the group, turning his back against them.
"Now you've done it, Sylren," Malaro said, stepping closer. "I get you were trying to help, but you failed to consider who you were trying it on."
Prestris put a hand on Sylren's shoulder. "It's not your fault. You've always been that way. But all three of us also know how Lariz is. We should've let him open up first instead of taking it in our hands."
"What about Qira?" Sylren said flatly. "How much did Lariz contribute in their falling? We know what Lariz is like. Did she not? I can't see one of my friends suffering like this. He deserves better, Prestris. Better than Qira. Someone who actually understands him…" She trailed off, he eyes moving to Lariz's back due to the sound coming from his way.
The sound of sobbing.
All three of them moved closer to Lariz.
Malaro put a hand on his shoulder. "Lariz…"
Lariz wiped the tears underneath his glasses. "It's just… It doesn't feel right, you guys. I just…don't know what I did wrong." He looked up at the team leader with his teary eyes. "Yes, Sylren, Qira did give me more than Korven. She left me with doubt and loneliness—"
Sylren embraced him and soon, Prestris and Malaro did the same. "You're not lonely, Lariz. We're always here. And doubt…the answers are only as worthwhile as the questions. You never did anything wrong to begin with, Lariz. And deep down, you know it. That's why you can't move on. You're looking for closure—answers. But there are none. The questions are not worth your wit. Don't waste your time on them. Start onward.
"We're here."
Lariz burst into tears, keeping his sobbing down. The skyguards standing nearby gave looks of confusion. Captain Celd tried approaching but was stopped by Master Dwajo.
"I loved her," Lariz sobbed, tears rolling down his eyes. "And she left me for another man. They had a child together 10 years back. Korven was 8 back then. She should've never agreed to marry me. Leaving now only left me with a sinking heart."
"But it'll heal," Sylren said. "The human body is surprisingly good at healing itself. We just have to help it in the process. And help, you have a lot of it, Lariz. But it starts from within."
Lariz nodded. "Right…" He wiped his tears.
"Is everything alright?" Dwajo asked. "Can I be of any help?"
Lariz shook his head, tucking his head. "Thanks, Master. I'm fine. I'll be." Malaro and he went off a bit after Dwajo nodded in agreement with a smile. Sylren and Prestris kept their eyes on their teammates.
"So I have a question for you guys," Lexnal said, bringing their eyes to him. "If we already know that the assaulters are about to attack our busine— I mean operation, why shouldn't we just eliminate them to secure the safety of our miners…skyguards for the future?"
Sylren's brows rose at the absurdity of what this captain just said. "Killing an undiscovered species? Are you playing?"
"Don't even think about it, Captain Marseth," Master Dwajo said in his calm voice. "We, the Resource Scout Force, devote our lives into providing the citizens across all of Highplexia with the power necessary to keep a skyreacher functioning. It is our duty to not exploit any living being while doing so—human or otherwise."
Lexnal hissed, backing away. "Seems counterproductive." He turned to the other captains. "To maximize our production—to fulfill our duty with utmost diligence—we should simply crush whatever stands in our way."
Sylren gulped, sweat forming on the end of her left brow. She was baffled at the thought process of this individual. But before the Master of Legion 55 could lecture his subordinate and say words that Sylren also wanted to say, Arold appeared from one of the tunnels leading to the east, making his mother turn toward him. Soon, Trixina, Korven and Ulana appeared too.
"They're here, mom," Arold said nervously. "A lot of them."
Sylren nodded, turning toward the working miners. "It's time, Master Dwajo. We must protect the miners from any damage."
"Yes, we have to," Lexnal said from afar. "They can't leave Ezlus Mines, after all."
"And why is that, Captain Marseth?" Master Dwajo asked calmly.
"Because they all got rock lungs."
"Rock lungs?" Dwajo said with a soft snort. "That's a myth, skyguard."
Sylren agreed with the Legion Master. Rock lungs was an ancient disease that had zero recorded cases in the modern history of medicine. The myth had supposedly originated from the Ultima Labyrinth because of the other side of Highplexia's mysterious and dangerous nature—it was under the Higher Skies, after all.
"You clearly haven't been down here too long, Master," Lexnal said, still looking down at the miners. "Being near lucentums does something to a man. Someone scary."
Dwajo dismissed him with a wave. "I don't believe in fairy tales, skyguard, but I also don't judge those who do."
A thundering noise echoed throughout the caves below them, the ground underneath shaking.
"Rock lungs is real, Master," Lexnal said. "And I'd advice against staying here long or it may get you too." He jumped down to the tunnel five miners ran out of.
"Etherbeasts!" one of them yelled. "Run!"
The other captains followed behind Lexnal, Dwajo and Befir walking slowly toward the thundering noise.
The research team gave each other a nod and followed behind the skyguards, Arold and Trixina tagging along.
"Start filming, Korven," Sylren said, getting a nod from the teenager in return. "Nothing will be the same after this."