Calling the mission? While it was the smart thing - the easy thing - it meant they were abandoning a perfect opportunity to observe and understand the relationship dynamic between the two beasts. After all, the claimed reason for needing a sniper overwatch was to keep an eye out for if the lightning beast showed up. It was illogical - neigh, cowardly - to retreat just because the circumstances changed from handling just the one beast to also contending with the known threat as well. It was too...standard military operating procedure for him. Especially when the original job they accepted was the understand this very situation.
Actually, the more he focused on that - the quieter his world became. It was such a gradual thing that he barely noticed nature was no longer deafening. There was no longer that swell of pressure making even his heartbeat sound like a beating drum. All the easier to focus.
Of course the lightning beast would show. It proved it was a beast by doing so, made this all the more logical and important to study. There was unfamiliar energy - scents - in its territory. Any predator would investigate another predatory intrusion such that they posed. No, they couldn't just surrender this opportunity. It was all laid so properly at their feet. Except that just reinforced that retreat was the correct call. Adelyn was - well he wasn't actually sure what to classify her as at the moment, but he was certain she was not mentally up for the task he had doubted her physically capable of just half hour before. He had no intentions of needing to explain to Jenna how a lightning mage was killed by a lightning beast even if it was her own sheer stubbornness that befell her.
No, he had to accept the mission was a bust. There would be another time, another chance, even if he had to make it without a job.
Markovis was about to voice as much into the VOX until Kiba spoke up. The quiet swordsman would not make the request to track the lightning beast on a whim. While he wasn't sure what Kiba's skill at tracking was, he was confident in his survival skills. He was confident he could operate quietly and safely enough to do it alone. Because he had to. Adelyn's assistance with it would ruin the mission and that was more abhorrent than calling it off completely.
"Perhaps instead of calling the mission completely, altering it is better. If you have visual on the creatures, it will give us the opportunity to observe the dynamic. If the town is unaware of where the lightning beast dens, Kiba heading out to track the path it traveled to arrive here while it is preoccupied will provide invaluable information. If the VOX range is great enough to communicate if the beast disengages, that is." They had to give it a try to salvage the mission. Unfortunately, he wasn't in charge. If Sergeant demanded the return, then he had little room to push back; really, the little he was negotiating here was already a bit more effort than he really wanted to put in. They'd just head back, collect whatever they'd get for the job completed to the guardsman's instruction, and he'd take Kiba back out afterward. It would just be such a burden to make the travel out here twice.
"I suppose you would call that fun," Ria laughed softly. "Truth be told, I was hoping that was the job still available. But oh well. I'm sure we'll hear that we ended up having more fun!" Despite how taxing it was for her, she did enjoy this job a bit more than she assumed she'd like monster hunting. Well, unless it was monster hunting near the water but then an ash mage probably wouldn't like that too much. No, this was the best mix for them. She'd just tell herself that until it was true.
On the topic of rest, she had turned her attention to the guard and opened her mouth to turn the offer down, except Nolan got to the answer first. Resting if the others were ready to head back to Rembrandt seemed like it was an unnecessary burden on the guards. Surely they were interested in getting back to their original post to rest. Staying at the outpost wasn't exactly rest. Both had their minds made up that she needed to rest. They were right, but - why were men always so certain on what women should do? It was done out of concern. They were just trying to look out for her wellbeing. Someone needed to, and she had been ready to not be concerned about it at all.
Another smile accompanied a shrug. "Okay, yeah. Resting sounds like a good idea. Just a little bit. Okay? I'm sure everyone wants to get back on the road."