Elias book was on the ground but had no fingers to grab it. His heart lurched in pain before he touched it with his stump. The book floated and magnetically attached to him.
Hunter Elias was gazing at the surroundings, his brows creased, hand twitching and he said, "Rank 2 Calamity Beast." His voice laced with fear.
Sasha ran at high speed, ignoring the sound she was making, but filled with fear of attracting a beast to her.
Her activated mark glowed and she almost smiled in rejoice when Hunter Elias arrived. She felt it—he was not normal. Wrapping his arm around her waist, they blurred.
His lightning created a force around them, dampening the air and inertia, his running speed leaving streaks of lightning in his wakes.
He weaved around the trees, rocks, and mounds of soil and he was sweating; they needed to hide, but this place didn't have effective hiding places.
Calamity Beasts are calamity incarnate, they destroy everything in their wake. Trees, rocks, ground, and everything that one can think of hiding behind.
Worse, they don't get tired, they don't have limits to their energy. They can wreak havoc for days, months non-stop until they become bored.
The only thing that can reduce their carnage was injury. When Calamity Beasts attack, Hunters and Explorers have one purpose: cause damage to it and it may back away.
If they couldn't, they are doomed.
Elias Thunderspark was running at the top of his speed but he felt it—the rising temperature, the red mist in the air, and the encroaching presence behind him.
'That damn Rank 1 beast pulled the boy toward the river on purpose!' Hunter Elias's heart went wild, as he saw it: the Rank 1 Calamity Beast was keeping pace with them at a distance.
Calamity Beasts are cruel and intelligent; they can devise ways to prey on their prey in ways that will baffle the human mind.
'I have no choice!'
Lightning crackled under his Hunter's suit toward his Platinum Badge and touched it.
'I can endure until they come!'
Hunter Elias was about to take a detour to shake away the Calamity Beast when the night became day. Tens of Kilometers away from them, deeper at the chasm, a flare rose.
The red mist pulled back, the Rank 1 Calamity Beast vanished too, and the world became silent and bright.
Elias halt and looked at the sky. A ginormous fireball graced the world. Bright, with yellow hue at the edge, beautiful and magnificent.
Hunter Elias stared in shock—another world-destroying talent sent here.
Elias stared at it with raised eyebrows. 'SSS Rank Talent!'
"House Solarin Scion!" Sasha exclaimed.
Hunter Elias turned and ran. The heat flare reached them with scorching heat. Tree leaves burned with bright colors; debris and weak bushes combusted, creating another flare.
Hunter Elias covered in lightning resisted the effects, but despite that, his skin singed, his hair catching fire but not burning.
'This place keeps spitting out world-ending geniuses!' He growled but didn't stop running until the fireball vanished and the heat waves stopped coming.
Hair burning, he dropped the two dead weights down. A bottle of water poured on the hair returned him back to normal.
"That can only be SSS Rank," Sasha said in awe.
"You talk too much, Sasha. For once, be silent!" Hunter Elias snapped in anger. He walked away from them, his cloak trailing behind with smoke, hand clenched, head looking at the night sky.
He was furious at himself. If he had known another SSS rank would show up, he wouldn't have used his Badge to call for help. It cost too much—it cost favors, it put him in debt, and also reduced his pocket weight.
"I'm sorry!" she whispered, which made him grunt more. He hated the apology because he preferred her being silent.
But she was so innocent; she didn't realized that.
A sound like a thick rubber band snapping into two came from a little distance away.
"Now. Get in here!" Hunter Elias released a box that expanded to accommodate two people.
Sasha stood and got in with no questions. She knew the drill, but Elias stared at the man.
"Can you stop me if I'm kidnapping you?" the man asked, still furious.
Elias sighed, made sure the book was with him, and crawled into the box.
"No speaking and no coughing. Sasha, I'm talking to you!"
She didn't answer, which meant she had understood his plight.
"Good!"
A ship, sleek, made of steel, appeared above them. Its door opened and a man in the same uniform as Hunter Elias peeked out.
"The great Thunderspark seeking extraction. Was it the ball of fire or Calamity Beast!"
Hunter Elias ignored him and jumped, the box in tow with him. He placed it in the cabin and sat back, leaning, eyes closed, ignoring the man's nagging.
The ship flew up and then vanished using Invisiblity Talent.
Sasha squirmed. She folded her hands and released them, uncomfortable having a man beside her in a small confined place. Not to mention, he smelled cooked.
Well, she didn't smell good either, but his scent was just overwhelming.
"What do you have inside the box? Some barbecued beast?" she heard someone ask. She wasn't the only one smelling that.
Elias, on the other hand, was still in crisis. No matter how he tried to calm himself and think of something positive, the grim realization that his arm was gone reverted him back to square zero.
He tried to enter into Internal Gravity Core but in constant failing, and the squirming of the girl beside him wasn't helping.
Heck, even he hated the smell of cooked meat he was emitting. It was too much, as if it had poison inside of it.
'I'm handicapped now. Will i heal?!'
'That red water attack, it still has its effect on me, right?'
'Focus. Internal G... what am I thinking?'
'I'm handicapped now. Will I ever heal?'
'That red... will kill me!'
His stump twitched, fear came. 'Will it kill me?' He trembled, even Sasha turned to look at him. His eyes were wide, fear trying to etch itself on his pale face, then he shook his head, bringing himself back to normal.
'He is struggling!' She moved her hand and gently grip his stump. He twitched hard but didn't move away.
'She is not disgusted at my handicap!'
The idea of not being alienated due to his stump made Elias calm and rethink his mental state. Why was he averse to losing a hand?
It's a phobia. One that raised another phobia of rejection from people around him.
It was this phobia of rejection that made him push himself to achieve academic excellence.
Sasha's act of acceptance gave him a peace of mind that allowed sleep to take over him.
Hopefully, nothing dangerous would happen on their journey.