Tales of Aria | Piercing Lightning

XI: Operation Harpoon

Outside Orcal's sandstorm.
One hour later...

"Well, boys and girls; We're here."

The teams had arrived on top of a long slope overlooking a large bed of rocky sand plain. Lyria could feel the rusty, crudely made pick-up truck's suspension gradually rising up after several members of the team dropped off the back. She wore her cloak back after she felt a gradual change in the air; the sweating heat cooling off. Was it because of the sandstorm? Or Orcal?
As Lyria turned to face the sandy plain behind her, she was amazed to see the giant sandstorm up close. What Jona said was right; it was no normal sandstorm. The swirling sand was too dark in colour compared to the great desert itself, and that the sky above them darkened, with no sun in sight. As if Orcal had already devoured it.

She gazed down the rocky slope she was on top of. At the foot of the slope, she saw a small sinkhole leading deep into the ground below them.

"Wooow...!" Miko, mouths agape. "So Orcal is flying in there?"
"Yeah..." Mavin nodded slowly. "We'll fish 'em out in no time."
"Can I see it now?!" Miko tugged Lyria by her cloak. "Hey Lyria, let's go and take a closer look!"

"M..Miko... You're not going there." She sighed in reply, chuckling.
"Eeeh... Oh well, it's no big deal anyway." She grinned innocently.

Looking to her sides, Lyria saw a friendly face.

Lo Herla sing Rannafel; The Rebellion of the Ruined City.
It was not much, but there were a number of them there. They looked busy tinkering with cannons and ballistae, lined up, and anchored to the rocky sand hill. There were also gazebo-like tents set on site, which housed all the fancy-looking military munitions. It was clear that they went ahead and set up a perimeter before the holders arrive, probably Jona's doing.

Not long after that, Jona came out of the truck. His bold boots thumped the sandy surface as he closed the door, putting on his aviator and hat to max out that cowboy style.

The gunslinger walked ahead of the holders, silently instructing them to follow. Soon, a clumsy looking man trotted over to greet them. Looking at the young face and short blonde hair, he was young in appearance, despite, upon second glance, already being on his twenties. His ragged uniform with sand-filled pockets on his vest told the otherwise though.

"C..commander Wilber...!" His high-pitched voice stuttered with nervousness upon seeing Jona. "Thank you for joining us on this large-scale operation!"
"Of course, Elliot. At ease." He paused for a short bit after instructing the young fighter. "How's the preparation going?"

"Yessir! Everything's going according to plan. Ballistae and cannons' well anchored to the ground, and their ammo topped-off and secured so that we can maintain constant firepower for longer than we've ever been." He reported. "We've also confirmed the harpoons' rope strength, although we still need the holders to tenderize the rock-hard skin and impale it from up close."

"Anything else to report?"
"No sir."

"Alright, good work." Jona smiled, sharp nod as he walked ahead. "We'll begin the operation soon enough."

"You must be the shard holders Jona has been talking about." He turned his attention to the group, slightly bowing his head even though most of them were younger than him. "A pleasure to meet you, my name is Elliot, Elliot Marche. We'll be counting on you guys for this operation!"

"Nice to meet you too, Elliot. My name's Lyria!"
"I've heard about you guys from Jona. B..but don't worry! All your information are safe here in Lo Herla."