The group said goodbye to Fritz, who just like since they arrived, did not acknowledge them in the slightest, and was still focused on analyzing the large red crystal. He probably wasn’t going to damage or misplace it, so Rosario decided to leave it with him.

They went up two floors and walked into the recreation area, where they sat on old but comfortable couches and chairs around a center table near the bowling alley; in a different time, they could have been a group of friends or coworkers sharing drinks as they waited for their turn to play.

Over the next hour, Rosario and the siblings told the smiths about the tunnel where they found the crystals, as well as the situation of the forest nearby, the monster inside the power plant, and the attack as they attempted to leave.

Everyone agreed that the incubating monsters were the main problem; once the swarm crawlers were out, getting to the tunnel would be impossible. Even if the creatures had a limited lifespan, for a number that large, it could take months for all of them to expire. The time could stretch even longer if the hatching wasn’t synchronous, or if new cocoons began developing after the first batch hatched. It was critical that they made it back to the tunnel during the next day or two.

The situation of the power plant, on the other hand, was puzzling for the smiths.

“They started working on that facility earlier this year,” said Emilia. “It’s not a critical work, but a group has been going there regularly since early spring. With the monster forest so close, it’s impossible they didn’t see the cocoons.”

“Looks pretty clear to me what’s happening,” Noah looked disgusted. “They’re hiding it.”

“Who are the people who go to work there?” inquired Rosario. “Is it always the same team?”

“Yeah, it’s a group from the town’s engineering team.”

The topic seemed to irritate Noah, who stood up and walked around, trying to calm his anger. “That kind of nonsense always ends with innocent people dying!”

“Perhaps they had good intentions and didn’t want to alarm the town,” suggested Carlo. “I think there is a chance the authorities know about it and are trying to avoid causing a mass panic.”

“I would believe you one hundred percent if it weren’t for their pet monster,” replied Noah. “Also, why didn’t they tell us? We are the ones who make the weapons for the town’s defense. We should be stockpiling crystal bombs if there is even a small possibility of a swarm!”

He would have continued if Emilia had not gestured for him to stop. “Regardless, our priority is to get to the tunnel. We can let the town authorities deal with the monster enthusiasts.”

“Traitors like that should be hanged.”

“Noah, just stop!”

During the last part of the conversation, Stefan and Fatima had sneaked away and turned on one of the arcade machines, while Franziska had fallen asleep in Rosario’s arms. Emilia took the lead again.

“Time is critical. I suggest we depart tomorrow; we have vehicles and light machinery we can take with us. It’s not supposed to rain, and Rosario knows the way, so getting there shouldn’t be a problem. Now, since the safety of the town is at play, I believe it’s our duty to warn the mayor about it. We’ll send a note to him in the morning and then prepare for the expedition; the apprentices can help as well, but I assume everyone agrees they should stay here, and the same goes for my father.” Rosario nodded in agreement; the children wouldn’t take it well, but she was sure they would cooperate. “The rest of us should be ready to depart no later than noon. We have to make the most of our time, so I suggest we get as much rest as we can before morning.”

“Hold on!” intervened Noah. “With traitors in this town, I’m not trusting any note to reach the mayor. I’ll go tell him in person; besides, I have my share to say about having an engineering team who also likes to keep monsters as pets.”

“My God, Noah…” Emilia pinched the bridge of her nose. “By tomorrow morning, you’ll be convinced that every single person in the town is secretly an extinctionist. If you’re that set on going in person, I’ll accompany you as well.”

“Geez, I can speak for myself, you know?”

“Oh, I know you do. But I don’t trust you to keep a civilized conversation.”

Noah scoffed.

“I’ll go with you as well,” interrupted Rosario. “I saw the forest firsthand; I believe I should be there to explain the situation.”

Emilia sighed. “OK, fine. The three of us will go see the mayor. Carlo, I need you to prepare everything for the trip during that time, and also to write a letter for the coterie in the City of Thun and deliver it at the station, so it can depart on the next train; they have better analysis equipment than we do, so we will need their assistance later. As for us, we’ll still be leaving no later than noon. I suggest we rest now. Rosario, you and your apprentices can stay here with us.”

She had been pondering about it. Stefan was now playing at a pool table with the smith apprentice. Franziska still slept, but Rosario knew she would wake up soon; she always had an interrupted sleep after a stressful day. “About that. I think we’ll spend the night in town. The kids seemed so excited to visit when we arrived, and from here on, things will only get more complicated.” She lowered her voice. “Besides, we may not have another chance like this to visit.” No one said a word, but everyone understood; there was a real chance of this mission going very wrong and some or perhaps all of them not returning.

They discussed some last details for the next day, Franziska woke up shortly after, and the group went back to the atrium.

The sky visible through the glass ceiling was already dark, but the multicolored crystals adorning the place kept everything illuminated. The light particles that detached from the crystals placed on the mezzanines of the upper floors descended slowly, sticking onto the tree in the center of the atrium, making it look as if it were covered in fireflies.

“It’s getting late,” said Carlo to Rosario. “If you want to make it to town and find a place to stay, you should go soon before you miss the last cable car.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us?” Emilia insisted, but Rosario shook her head.

“Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but we’ll be fine.”

“You guys enjoy yourselves,” Carlo smiled kindly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” was Emilia’s response.

“Eight thirty in front of the castle gate!” pointed out Noah.

In the back, Fatima waved goodbye at the three hunters as they walked out of the mall. 

*****

As they went through the park and towards the cable car station, the cool air of the night felt refreshing, and Rosario realized her worries about the broken camper didn’t feel that important anymore.

“Do you think we can really defeat the monsters with the red crystals?” asked Stefan.

“There is still a lot of work to be done before we can give the red crystal a serious use.” Rosario used her fingers to count. “First, we need to find the behemoth that grows them, then expand the behemoth in a controlled environment like the vats we saw in the underground, and tweak the conditions until the trees produce crystals. If this works out, then we collect a lot of crystal and hope the smiths can find a way to make it into weapons. We’ll have to do a lot of parallel work for that, like analyzing the behemoths, the soil where they grow, and then the weapons themselves need to be tested for their effectivity, safety, and what’s the best way to use them all things considered.”

Stefan looked overwhelmed. “We should have stayed at the smithy. Going out for fun seems wrong.”

“I’m nervous,” said Franziska at last, holding onto Rosario’s arm. “What if you don’t come back?”

Rosario got to her knees and gave both a hug. She felt nervous too, although it was mixed in with excitement; perhaps it was wrong, and the hope of finding the source of this crystal that could help humanity win the fight against monsters was blinding her. But even so, for the sake of tomorrow’s task, she would let it be that way. She told herself that if something catastrophic were to happen to her, at least the children, as official crystal hunter apprentices, would be well taken care of by the hunter’s association. And as she had done many times before, she stopped herself from any further thoughts.

“You know that the smiths and I have been in this for many years and have experience in dealing with monsters and crystals.” Rosario said at last. “We won’t expose ourselves to any unnecessary danger. Also, remember that you will still be helping us; you have to assist Fatima in preparing everything for when we come back with the behemoth samples.”

“Can we really not go with you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely not.”

They arrived at the cable car terminal, where a gondola with room for about ten people waited for its departure time. The operator stood nearby by himself, with a cup of some warm drink in his hands, and greeted them.

The three hunters ended up being the only passengers, and the children kept the operator occupied, asking him about the different buttons and switches on the control panel. Other passengers joined them on the three stops they made before reaching the lower station by the docks. Before descending, the cable car operator gave Rosario directions to find an inn, and they walked out and into the lively and colorful streets of Spiez.

*****