Arold gasped as soon as Ryuzio and he entered the cave in which Hitryel was supposed to be. The army of cavelurkers that was supposed to help them in going up against the skyguards was already down, the Beasts scattered about ahead, lying on the ground, groaning softly.
"Who could've done this?" Arold said with a gulp. "More than a hundred cavelurkers…all defeated…"
Ryuzio shrugged.
Arold approached the big cavelurker that was flattened by the far wall, accompanied by Ryuzio. Seeing Arold, the defeated cavelurkers around them started getting back up, trying very hard to stand on their feet.
Arold helped the big cavelurker get up. This one and the one that had attacked Ryuzio previously were the only big ones among this entire bunch of Etherbeasts—the only two "normal" ones.
Soon as the big cavelurker got up and saw Ryuzio, it screamed. Not in fear. The other defeated cavelurkers joined in, screeching at Ryuzio, who stood confused, ears plugged.
"That confirms it," Arold said with a frown.
The defeated cavelurkers started communicating with the ones from the other cave, the ones that followed Ryuzio and Arold here. And then every cavelurker started screeching at Ryuzio in anger and frustration.
"What're they doing?" Ryuzio said with a frown as he kept his ears covered.
"They'd seen you with your friend, Zio," Arold said, wincing. "And it seems he was the one that defeated them. So…"
"Heh?"
Arold gulped. "If we interact anymore, Zio, they'll start associating me with you. And since they already associate you with your friend—the one who beat them—I think it's pretty clear that we can't let that happen."
Ryuzio scratched his chin in confusion. "So the problem is they'll think we're friends?"
"The problem is that they'll think of me as their foe if we stick together," Arold said quietly, not meeting Ryuzio's eyes purposefully. "But as long as at least one of us has their trust, they'll definitely help us in driving away the miners. And that's why…we're splitting."
Ryuzio thinned his eyes in suspicion. "Okay…I guess…"
"Why're you sounding like you don't trust me?" Arold said, walking forward, not looking directly at Ryuzio to deceive the angry cavelurkers. "Don't you get it, if we stick together, we'll only have more enemies?"
"Okay," Ryuzio said, walking past him. "You wait here while I take care of those miners."
"No," Arold said, not turning around. "Go find your friend. If he can take on a hundred cavelurkers at once, I'm sure he'll be of incredible help."
Ryuzio shook his head. "You go do that. I'm going straight to that Lexnal guy. I'll beat him up."
Arold exhaled harshly. "Please don't do it, Zio…!" he plead. "Lexnal won't be by himself in his office. He'll definitely have at least one of his captains by his side. Besides, even if I find your friend, he has no reason to trust my word."
"He does."
"Zio…!" Arold whispered loudly, clenching his fist. "Please listen to me! Please find your friend! The miners will soon take a break. It'll be hard to get past them. So while I do my best to distract them, find him. Why're you so adamant in NOT doing do?"
"Because it'll be much simpler to just find Lexnal and beat him up instead of finding Hit and then doing the same."
"You should've said so earlier," Arold said, dropping something to the ground. "Pick it up. It'll show you the way to your friend. Once you find him, go straight to the elevator. It's located in the center of Ezlus Mines and is pretty hard to miss. It'll take you up to Lexnal's office. If it's the two of you, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to do something about him. But that'll serve another purpose, because as you engage with the leaders, we'll engage with their subordinates."
"You've really thought it through, yeah," Ryuzio said, turning around and picking up what Arold had just dropped. It was a small pebble—smaller than the size of Ryuzio's eyeball—which looked like one half of a sphere that was cut clean into two equal parts. The flat inside of the stone glowed faintly with a greenish light. "What's this?"
"No further questions, the cavelurkers are starting to grow suspicious," Arold said quietly, walking away. "But let me tell you this much. You're holding a pairstone in your hand. It always leans in the direction of its other half. I use this to not lose the location of any outsider that comes here, so naturally, I used it on you and your friend as well."
"Heh?" Ryuzio said, looking at the smooth stone in his hand. "How do you USE a rock?"
Arold pulled over the hood of his cloak, the cavelurkers following him out of this space. "Check your pocket."
Ryuzio frowned as he shoved his hands into his pockets, scrambling inside them. "Why though—?" His eyes widened as he fished out a similar half-a-sphere pebble from his pocket. He returned his eyes to Arold, who was walking away, and found that he had raised a hand, holding yet another stone. "Wait!" Ryuzio examined the stone that he found in his pocket and noticed that its color matched closer to the stone held by Arold.
"When did you put this in my pocket, Aro!" Ryuzio said, amazed. He tried joining the flat sides of the two stones he held, connecting them to complete a sphere, and found them not being compatible in size and color.
"So the other half of this one is with Hit, yeah?" Ryuzio asked, referring to the stone Arold had dropped for him, and turned around.
"I won't lose your location as long as you keep the other half of this pairstone with you," Arold said from afar, referring to the one he held, gesturing as if telling the cavelurkers to follow him. "Albeit the light they hold don't go out."
"Okay," Ryuzio said, smiling. He shoved his own pairstone back into his pocket, and then brought his left palm to the front, putting Hitryel's pairstone on top of it, flat side up. The stone leaned forward and slightly to the left. "It moved!" Ryuzio looked up from his palm, noticing that when the stone had leaned, a cave was waiting for him. "So you went that way, yeah! I'm coming for you! Don't you think you're winning this race, Hit!"
###
Hitryel folded his arms, standing inside the rising elevator that Tolin said would lead them to the Skybridge. 'I'm winning, Ryuzio!'
"Were those Etherbeasts hard to handle, Mr. Hystryk?" Tolin asked with a wide smile.
"They were pathetic, every single one," Hitryel said, expression unchanged. "And I'm saying this for the last time; just call me by my first name."
"I can't possible do that, sir," Tolin said. "I have too much respect for you." The man must've been close to 15 years senior of Hitryel's own 19, but he was spitting a little too much formality through his small lips.
The elevator finally stopped, the door sliding open. Tolin gestured for Hitryel to get out first, so he did. Hitryel looked straight ahead and found a hallway going to a room.
"Follow my lead, sir," Tolin said, still smiling widely. "We're almost there."
Hitryel shrugged, pocketing his hands. 'We're on the surface at least.'
Tolin rotated the knob and held the door until Hitryel stood in front. Then he pulled it open with a bow and Hitryel entered nonchalantly.
"Huh?" Hitryel said, raising a brow. "This is not the Skybridge." He was shortly joined by Tolin inside this room, a desk ahead of him, couches to either side, a fireplace on the left side of the far wall.
On the couch left of him, a helmeted man sat with his body leaned forward, hands joined, forearms pressed against his thighs. Opposite to this man sat another, this one with brown-hair and more laid back, legs crossed, arms flattened along the back of the couch he was leaning to.
Looking straight on, a man with slick black hair sat behind the desk, leaned back into his chair, hands pocketed, legs crossed on top of the desk, beside a strange-looking hammer.
He had an unlit smokestick in his mouth, the end of which he seemed to be licking. These men were dressed in very informal attire, but the ones on the couches wore coats much like Tolin's, the man behind the desk wearing an even higher end one. A high-ranked skyguard, perhaps?
Besides these four men and Hitryel, there was only one other person in the room. They were tied atop a stool beside the desk.
"Huh?" Hitryel said, pointing to the tied up person. "Do we know each other?"
"Hm?" the pink-haired girl said. "No…?"
"Hold on!" Hitryel said, eyes widening as he finally recognized her. "You're that healer girl who betrayed her captain. What in the smoke are you doing here?"
"Don't tell me you ACTUALLY didn't recognize me!" Joysaleen snapped. "I thought you were just faking to throw off these guys!"
"Why would I?" Hitryel said, raising a brow. "These guys will take us to the Skybrigde."
She sighed as the rest chuckled out for a bit.
"Why're you tied, by the way?"
"Read the room, moron!" Joysaleen shouted. "They caught me." Hitryel noticed that her Healmarks were out, her face mask not covering her face.
"Caught you?" Hitryel said, raising his chin at the man straight ahead. "And what's the reason for that?"
"You should worry about your own freedom, Mr. Fake ID," said the man from behind the desk. "Who knew the brawler turned criminal on loose would be hiding in some caves just outside Sonas District Five?"
"Cut the smoke," Hitryel said, approaching the desk. "You're taking me to the Skybridge or not?"
The slick-haired man rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? You're a criminal and I'm a skyguard, not from Hazard Combat Force, but still."
Hitryel shrugged, pocketing his hands as he turned around. "I appreciate the honesty."
"Hey!" Joysaleen shouted, shifting on the stool she was sitting on, making it rattle. "What about me!"
"Huh?" Hitryel looked ahead and found Tolin blocking the door. "What's your problem? I really want to look over the fact that you lied to me, but you're making it difficult for yourself."
Tolin smiled, bowing. "As I said, sir, I love to see people expressing themselves."
Hitryel exhaled to the side. "You're not giving me a choice here. Just get out of the way and I'll forgive you."
The helmeted man rose from his couch, towering over Hitryel from his right. "Why do you think you can get out of here?"
"Huh?" Hitryel raised his chin at the man. "Wanna find out?"
"Don't do it, Hitryel," Joysaleen warned. "Just get out! These guys have weird Etherskills."
"Even if he wanted to," the helmeted man said, "he can't do it. I just won't allow that."
"You think I need permission to smoke you up?" Hitryel said, clenching his fists. The other skyguard previously sitting on the couch rose, grabbing onto both of Hitryel's forearms. Hitryel rippled his Ethersurge throughout the body, enhancing his strength. "No help will save you!"
The man standing in front simply raised a palm to the front.
Hitryel looked at it with confusing, the grip on his forearms loosening.
The man stepped back, still facing forward and still holding up his palm, as if asking for something.
Hitryel freed his hands and stepped toward the backing skyguard—
His steps froze, because upon the next blink, Kelty's gloves appeared on top of the helmeted man's raised palm. The skyguard gripped them and put his hand near the fireplace.
"Step forward and I'll crisp these," he threatened.
Hitryel gritted his teeth after checking that his bag was empty. Those really were Kelty's gloves. How did that skyguard get them? WHEN?
"Now sit down," the man behind the desk said. "And tell me who else is with you."
Hitryel gritted his teeth, clenching his fist. 'Ryuzio…don't show up…'