Recon Korps 3

Inside the crawler-transporter. Damon and Mei performed maintenance over their vibrant blades. Mei takes her blade and applied the needed maintenance, such as replacing the gyro inside that vibrates the blade to cut through a solid object. Damon shifted his eyes on her.

"Your ether alone can do far more damage than a vibrant blade. Don't see why you insist on using a vibrant blade."

"I already told you the reason, Damon. If I don't use a weapon like this, it would be the same as cupping water with my palms instead of a ladle. Why should I make it hard for myself?"

She inserted the gyro mechanism inside the vibrant blade's hilt. She thumbed the switch. The vibrant blade hummed. Damon rested his back on the chair. He eyed the dangling light bulb on the ceiling.

"Two hundred in this crawler alone. Mei, you think they are really going to hold down Gharasu?"

"I don't know," she muttered. "I heard that they are going to take the vein. Hey, do you want to join that Union they are talking about?"

"Hopefully, you will not recruit me into this Union. You buying it?"

"No, I don't. Have you seen the rules they are to implement? They have been pushing this ever since two years ago. Who would want to serve under them when we the Etherians have their freedom? People fear us, they don't mess with us, and they do nothing to us other than the occasional fear when our skin glow. Damon, don't tell me you are falling for their etherian supremacy garbage?"

"I am not, I don't fall into that kind of thinking. We grew disciplined by human mentors who treated us like soldiers. We can protect ourself because they taught us how to fight. I understand that there is a difference in physique and abilities, but it doesn't mean that they are lesser than us. I understand that very well now. But not everyone shares this sentiment."

"Cannot blame them when we do most of the work," she pointed out. "I have no qualms working to earn a living. But if they think a few words could convince the etherians to work under them, then are insane. Not when we all got a wake up call."

"Yeah," Damon agreed. "Do you think your opinion would have changed if you didn't see that?"

"I think it changed some of my views. I was hoping to join that organization to prove that we aren't mere soldiers. We aren't tools that they can just use and spend while they sit on their asses watching us work. I had thoughts like that inside my head, and I will not lie that it made me want to seek the comfort. Who doesn't want good things? Then that happened, we got saved by someone who wasn't even an etherian. Showing us how weak we are when they have someone like that. We have forgotten our roots, and we almost took a step into that path."

Damon nodded. It also helped him came to the same conclusion after witnessing the accident that happened to the star of Aured. They realized there is someone trying to ruin the relationship of the humans and etherians. In fact, the appearance of the Ghost had softened the organization in fear that the government would use this Ghost to silence them. If the same Ghost could face an etherian in the third layer of ether, then how could they go against that? If that Ghost could murder his way through a legion of Cultists and even a machine that could face beluas, then what about them?

The world was enormous despite the closing in terror that is the belua. They only needed an obvious truth to understand that before there were etherians, there were only the humans who had brought the world to a heel. Not to mention that there are various organizations around them that would put a blade into their heart if given the chance.

"But it doesn't help that there are many who are considering it," Damon said.

"There are benefits, but thankfully your common etherian has the discipline to see through it," Mei raised a finger. "One way to make us obey is to have someone we respect and let him take control of this organization. Only Blackwells could command us freely."

Damon agreed. He opened his communication channel. Scrolling down the thread where the command was happening. Damon wondered if there was going to any engagement soon. The alarm of the crawler-transported rang out. Damon took his vibrant blade and left with Mei to the deck of the crawler. From the distance, behind the veil of rain and fogs they saw a spire made of roots.

"This should be the Fields of Gharasu," Damon said. "What the hell happened here?"

Damon heard of the beauty of Gharasu. The field unstained by the corruption of the belua that had been killing the land. The steppe of the mid-western domain had become a gray patch of land filled with root spires, the hives that the belua treat as home.

"A Gigant-type," Damon furrowed his brows. The crawler-transported lowered their anchors, the defensive walls puncturing on the ground. The five crawlers set up a defensive wall, every armament equipped on the mobile fortresses pointing their weapons on the spires.

The humans hurried to cover while the etherians stood to watch as they rained down artillery fire on the spires. When the smoke cleared they saw the belua appearing from their holes like bees targeting those who shook their hive. 5m belua's appeared from the gaps on the land. Artillery fire rained down again, tearing the steppes of Gharasu to shreds. As the battlefield became a smoky mess. They gave an order to all the Etherians waiting for the signal.

Their ether skin glowed as they took a leap of faith down to the fray. Brandishing their blades, flourishing their powers at the bane of all of humanity. Though they may have different views upon the matter in which their society stands. They know too well who the true enemy was. And against these abominations, they don't have to feel sorry for them.