Crystal VII

"The beasts and transports have returned, Highness. And the Governor of Area Fifty brought what you asked for." said the captain of the Sentinels. He presented crisply in front of Crystal's desk, helm under his arm and eyes straight.

Crystal dropped the quill, rolling it on the letter she was writing to Marble. She had written at least a dozen letters in the past three cycles informing Marble of the situation. So far there hadn't been a response.

"What I asked for? I asked for many things."

"A Mauler, Highness."

Her spine tingled upon hearing about the Mauler. It was indeed her request having a gigantic beast, a necessary thing she hoped. Crystal stood up, patted her dress and stepped to the exit.

"Let's go then."

She flapped the tent. A busy sight met her. The Sentinels were gone, assisting with the wounded. Apparently the incident on Talavil wasn't a minor one. Cave-ins also rocked the neighboring mines. Thousands more of the wounded were hauled into The Cavern.

She made her way into the infirmary with the captain tailing. It was a sorry sight when she arrived. Sheets were lined in the streets, accommodating the influx of the wounded. Even the Sentinels helped with the stitches- and even the returning miners from the other mines.

To the other side of the street were carts hauling the dead and injured. She had commandeered all the carts she could find and stopped most of the mining operations. Letters were sent to the nearby areas for assistant but Crystal wouldn't bet on them arriving soon. The Mauler, as terrifying as it is, would be a great help.

The thing stood on four just a corner away. It towered taller than buildings, red eyes staring without flinch. It was shaped like a dog, the pets the commoners loved, but it wasn't a dog. It was something else. She even believed that the things were not living beings but forces tamed through whatever methods the Grand Consul employed.

"Why are we not using the Mauler yet?" She asked one of the miners who was helping with the crisis. The man was bloody and dusty from hair to foot.

"They are are afraid Highness. Only trained men ride on those things. And only fools would trust those large jaws."

It had indeed happen, Maulers attacking their riders. It was common with beasts. The things were not fully tamed after all. But beasts could be killed by several Sentinels. Maulers, on the other hand, would require a whole team of Sentinels once they go berserk. And even that would result in casualties.

"But we need it. Gather twenty people and lift the patients into the Mauler."

"But Highness..."

"That is my command." She flicked away and went to the Mauler.

The nearer she got, the more her legs trembled. The Mauler had this sound in it, a low grumbling hum, constant and loud. It gnarled to Crystal's approach and she jumped back.

"Easy" The rider on top slammed his stick on the thing's head. The Mauler didn't even wince.

"How many people can you fit?" She asked the rider, neck stretched up.

"Twenty Highness. Thirty if we stack it. But I don't recommend that Highness. Too dangerous. This one's a little moody with weight."

The men she sent soon arrived, carrying litters with the wounded rested on top. Their approach was slow, legs also trembling to the Mauler.

Who wouldn't tremble, Crystal thought. One bite would slash a person in half.

The rider mutter some command on the beast's ear. It shook, prompting some people to jump back. It then bent its knees and lowered it back.

The structure fastened on the Mauler's back was wooden. It looked like a platform of sorts with a flat surface and shallow rails. The litters were carried on the platform by shaken men. It didn't didn't took a while as everyone hurried to get it done as soon as possible.

The Mauler gave one last gnarl before rising. The rider flicked some heavy reins and it turned the other way.

"Area fifty" Crystal shouted. "And hurry."

The rider didn't respond and if he did, it was too high for Crystal to hear. She turned to the other people whose eyes were wide and mouths slightly open as they watched the Mauler stomp away.

"Yes, yes. Terrifying. Let's go back. Bring me to a surgeon."

The carts hauled away with several dozen of the patients but the streets were still crowded with litters. Crystal tiptoed through the bodies and went inside the infirmary. The rude surgeon greeted her with a smile now to which Crystal just looked away.

"Highness we appreciate your help. But we are still shorthanded. There are just too many of them to take care of. And one of our surgeons dared to go missing."

"Missing? You have suspicions on what happened to him?"

"Probably went back to Area Fifty. Slipped in the darkness after seeing that we have a lot to do. Damn that guy."

Crystal sighed. So nobody saw Breeze abducting that surgeon. Good.

"Let's not dally on the matter of a lost surgeon. Bring me to one of the wounded, a not too injured one."

"May I ask for your reason, Highness?"

"Questions. I need to know what happened in there."

"A cave-in happened. Things like that occur a lot. Never at this scale though."

"That is precisely what I want to know. Five mines had major cave-ins. Why? Just bring me to one of them."

The first miner she interviewed was probably on his descent to being senile. He was an old one with hair full white and skin cracked by years of mining.

"A rumble?" Crystal asked.

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Rumble. We be dwaddling like drunken lads. Them rocks be prancing lively."

"An earthquake?"

The coot laughed. It turned into a raging cough. He then spitted yellow phlegm to the floor. "That be right missy. Earthquake. Buried me mates alive and screaming. Yours truly kissed by lady luck, always has been."

An accident then, she thought. It was possible but there was something about this that didn't add up. Why didn't they run? She was told that most bodies were found where they stood, still pick in hand as if nobody was aware of the earthquake.

"And you ran?"

"Scamper? No missy. I stilled."

"Why?"

The coot smiled and shrugged. He closed his eyes and snored fakely. Crystal didn't prod deeper despite her terrible frown. She went to the next patient. This one had both legs broken, a youth with a thin body and hairy arms.

"Why didn't you run after you felt the earthquake?" She asked after uncovering the same tale from the youth.

He scratched his head and smiled shyly to Crystal. He was blushing.

"Stop acting like a giggling girl" Crystal said.

"Ah of course. I don't know Highness."

"You don't know?" Crystal leaned closer and the boy blushed again. Perhaps she should just question this one with a terrible-looking Sentinel by her side.

"I promise! The land quaked and my natural reaction is to run. But I blacked out. The next thing I knew, the whole mine has collapsed and both my legs are broken."

"So there is a gap in your memory?"

He nodded. "I hope I could help you more Highness but I just can't remember anything. It was strange."

The next patients she interviewed also had the same statements. Apparently there was an earthquake but nobody thought to run. All of them blacked out and the next thing they knew, the mine had collapsed. What made it more strange is that all patients from the neighboring mines also experienced the same phenomenon- earthquake and then a lost of memory. Crystal had more questions now than when she began.

The next miner she went to had a bandage on his arm. He lay, stubby face turning to the ceiling, languid to her approach.

She squatted beside the miner. He tilted his head slightly to her and went back to looking at the ceiling.

"What do you want missy? Lost your father or something?"

Crystal grabbed the glowing Red Stone necklace on under the collar of her dress and showed it to the miner.

"I am Highness Marble's assistant, the one in-charge of the mines for now."

"Right. I can see the semblance. Here's to hoping you won't work us to death like she does."

Crystal frowned to that comment, an expression the miner took with levity.

"I apologize Highness." The miner said. "How may this one serve you?"

"I am here to ask questions."

"Questions huh? About what happened. Yes, figures. Well the mine collapsed, Highness. That's what happened."

"And you are from?"

"Talavil.

"The first mine to collapse. Now tell me of this earthquake."

"Earthquake?" The miner's thick brows tangled.

"Earthquake, yes. I heard a series of earthquakes downed the mines."

"Is that what they told you? No. That's not what happened. There was indeed an earthquake but it only lasted a short while. The miners themselves collapsed the mine."

It took a few blinks for Crystal to compose her thoughts. "What? Why would they do that? Tell me what you saw. Everything."

"Well," he began, stumbling on his tongue first. "It was a normal mining operation. Marble just upped the quota of Talavil and so everybody is working extra time. Everybody is pissed of course, the job is tiring enough and yet Marble is working as like beasts."

"Skip to the important parts."

"Yes. I was getting there so don't interrupt me." He rolled his eyes. "As what I was saying, it was a normal day. Teams were assigned to various tunnels. My team was digging fine and we were close on our tunnels' quota when the ground trembled. I ran just like what a normal person would do. There is a portion of the tunnels reserved for hiding. I hid there and waited until the quaking stopped. But you know what? I was the only one who hid. And so I went back to check on the others and they were there, standing and staring at nothing. It was like they had become rocks. Now this is the most outrageous part, my mates turned their picks on the supporting columns."

"That is absurd. Why would they do that?"

"Right!? Why in the deepest arses would they do that? The supporting columns are flimsy enough. But they rammed the columns with their picks. I hurried to stop them but they wouldn't. It is as if they couldn't hear me, as if they were lost or something. I hadn't seen anything like it in my life. And that's how our tunnel collapsed. I bet the same thing happened to the other tunnels and the other mines."

Crystal was speechless. Her mouth trembled, her wits fled. A chilling touch gripped her heart. "Are you..." she said through stutters. "Are you saying that the miners themselves collapsed the mines?"

"Hey that's what I said earlier right?"

Crystal's butt hit the floor. Her eyes were blank as she stared at the miner. Her jaw soon dropped and she paled. She looked around at the pitiful patients. The miner's tale could be a lie but it could explain the lost of memory.

Her spine turned cold with the thought. Why? Why would they do that? More importantly, what caused them to do that? Questions without answers brought an eerie feeling.

"Highness!" Someone jarred her trance. It was a Sentinel beckoning to her.

She heaved one last look at the miner and trotted to the Sentinel. His face was a sheet of worry, eyes dancing and lips quivering.

"What is it?"

"The Flameguards have returned." The Sentinel forced a response. "At least some of them. They are all bloody and they bring terrible news"

"Terrible news? Tell me."

The Sentinel nodded slowly. "Highness Marble has gone missing."