"Kyle, can you deal with the mission?" Selene asked. "You said it's done, right?"
"Eh, yeah, sure," Kyle said.
"Do you need help? The way back is dangerous," Michael asked.
"It's fine," Kyle said. "On my own, I'm quite a bit faster, and as you know, I've got a good sense for danger."
"He can handle himself," Selene said. "You've seen what he did to the Holy Paladin."
Silence.
"Okay, then," Michael said after some seconds.
"Alright, be right back!" Kyle said with a smile before he ran towards the south, pulling the heavy sword behind him.
As soon as Kyle left, several loud shouts came from the members of team Sandstorm.
They were the sounds of an argument.
However, Kyle didn't hear any of that since he was busy running back to base.
He ran up and down several mountains until he reached the Slicing Mantis' territory.
Kyle looked over at the spot where Silvester should be and just awkwardly waved.
'No idea if he's still here or not.'
Then, Kyle just kept running.
On his way, his instincts warned him of some dangerous areas, but he simply avoided them.
He arrived in the fortress without any incident.
As soon as Kyle arrived, he released a sigh of relief.
'No incidents, for once. Feels good, man.'
Kyle walked into the fortress itself after identifying himself.
"Hey, can you call Captain Halindrom?" he asked one of the guards. "I have no idea where he's staying."
"Sure, just wait here," the guard said before entering one of the hallways.
Some minutes later, the Captain walked back down.
When he saw the heavy sword in Kyle's hand and the sack, a smile appeared on his face.
"Let's talk in private," he said before his serious demeanor returned.
Kyle and the Captain walked into a meeting room.
"So, I take it you had some success?" the Captain asked.
"Yep," Kyle said as he pulled out the sack.
Then, he emptied all the contents onto the table.
The Captain's eyes immediately landed on the two Ether Crystals.
The required number for the mission.
"Only two?" he asked. "Are you sure you didn't forget anything? An Ether Essence spits out between five and ten Ether Crystals per year, you know?"
"What am I supposed to do?" Kyle asked with a shrug. "The Winterfire Kingdom was already mining there. I'm lucky that I got those two."
The Captain narrowed his eyes.
"The Winterfire Kingdom has a working mine?" he asked.
"Yep," Kyle said before lifting the heavy sword onto the table. "Where do you think I got this from? You ever seen someone in the Third Realm with an improved Soul die? Their loot just pops out. It's crazy!"
The Captain looked at the sword in detail.
"This was made by the Divine Duchy," the Captain said. "Only Holy Paladins carry those."
"Yeah, guess who popped like a pinata," Kyle said.
"Pinata?" the Captain asked in confusion.
"Never mind. It's some kind of loot horse. It's a local thing," Kyle said.
The Captain looked at the sword for a while longer.
"You're saying there was a Holy Paladin near the Ether Essence?" he asked.
"Yep," Kyle said.
"What happened to them?"
"Eh, the sword?" Kyle asked, pointing at it. "Where do you think I got that from? You think he just dropped it? I mean, technically, he did."
"You killed a Holy Paladin?" the Captain asked with raised brows.
"Yeah, took all of our power. Wasn't easy."
The Captain looked at Kyle with suspicion.
"What about their mine and your mine?" he asked.
"I collapsed the end of our mine to make it seem like a Metal Elemental got him. Their tunnel is still fine. If you want to kill more miners, you can break through the end of the tunnel in a couple of days or so. You gotta be careful, though. There's a bunch of Metal Elementals there," Kyle explained.
"I've heard," the Captain answered.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Kyle said. "You probably got an earful from the other Captains regarding the Metal Elemental."
"It's fine," the Captain said. "I'm in the same boat as you. I was just following orders."
"Huh," Kyle said. "I thought you gave the order."
"I just forwarded it," the Captain said.
"Who gave the order, then?" Kyle asked.
"You're not eligible to know," the Captain answered.
That was when Kyle remembered something.
"Wait, was it the Champion?" Kyle asked. "I had a small chat with him on my way to the frontline."
The Captain was good at keeping a straight face.
"Speaking of!" Kyle continued. "I was wondering how you knew about our mine. Yeah, you don't have to say anything. It was the Champion."
'The Chief probably talked to his father, and his father gave the mission,' Kyle thought.
The Captain neither confirmed nor denied.
"If you believe the Champion gave the order, you know that trying to give a false report will end with your execution," the Captain said.
"I didn't lie," Kyle said.
The Captain looked at Kyle for a while more.
"We will investigate," the Captain said. "If what you've said is true, you have contributed much more than anticipated."
"You've uncovered a secret mining operation, run by the enemy."
"You've created a way to ambush the enemy's frontlines."
"You've uncovered irrefutable proof that the Divine Duchy is involved in this war, which they are not supposed to be."
"These feats are no small matter, and if they turn out to be true, your team will receive ample compensation and acknowledgement."
"For now, leave everything you've found here. We will make a detailed inventory and compensate you for everything adequately."
"Your mission is done, but you still have to finish your shift. For the remaining time, you can essentially do whatever you want, as long as you are not getting in our way."
Kyle smiled brightly.
"Sounds great! Thanks!" he said.
The Captain nodded. "You may leave."
"Alright, see ya!" Kyle said with a wave before walking out the door.
For a while, the Captain looked at the door.
Then, his eyes fell on the sword on the table.
This sword was the most significant item that team Sandstorm had brought.
This would give the Skysand Kingdom a lot of power over the Divine Duchy.
The Divine Duchy had sworn that it would remain neutral.
Yet, if they had been harvesting Ether Crystals with the Winterfire Kingdom in secret…
The least they could do was to give half of what they got out of the mining operation to the Skysand Kingdom.
Otherwise, they couldn't be considered a neutral party anymore.
A team of Mid Second Realm people's actions would cause an international incident.
This sword would even reach the hands of King Skysand.
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