Chapter 9- The S.S. Rank

We reached the meeting point where Xavier, Mina, and Kala were waiting. They stood speaking to some other Tolu hunters I didn't recognize. . .They have weapons on their back, like Xavier.

Liza said that every Tolu hunter had someone who provided their weapon to kill Tolu. Xavier though, didn't seem to have one, and I have seen others without carriers.

Xavier stopped speaking to a Tolu hunter with white hair and blue eyes. He looked about my age and looked my height as well. Looking at him, I could tell he's been doing this for a while, confidence poured from his body.

Mina stood with Kala waiting for Xavier to return to us. Kala had the same timid, scared look she always has. . .I can't blame her, having to be Minas' carrier is tragic.

I took a second and examined the other Tolu hunters around me. . .So many at the base, all at once. . .Something has happened. I heard about rouges earlier but this looked different.

 A large number seemed to have recently returned from a mission. Blood leaked from their bodies to the floor. One was missing an arm and one had blood dripping from his skull.. . .These aren't sword gashes, possibly Tolu hunter abilities but, I've never seen one do this much damage.

Xavier returned to our group with information from the white-haired guy. The look on his face made it seem urgent. We wall awaited eagerly for his words.

" Clamon, Clamon City is under attack." He quickly spoke making it hard to understand him completely at first. He repeated his sentence slowly but with a sense of urgency as he checked his gear.

" Clamon," Liza muttered. . .Clamon, that's right next to Fithur. . .Our home city. " My parents are near there, the next city over," Liza spoke now with even greater urgency than Xavier.

" Then we need to hurry. . .Fithur could likely be next. . .This thing is on a rampage."

" Is it. . .?" Mina began to ask a question I too was wanting to no.

". . .It is. . .At least we believe. The readings are similar."

She was seemingly noticing someone. Mina turned to her right down a walkway. I looked down it to see a man with orange hair lying flat on his head and eyes that looked closed He had a white cloak on. . .I had asked Mina shortly after I arrived here. Who the white cloaks were. That was the one time she seemed to want to talk to me. In her sharp, powerful voice she answered, the knights. . .In other words, the captains. . .The strongest in T.H.

I've seen this man before, but the title " Knight" certainly suited him. He was tall and stood upright with perfect posture. You could perceive his strength from how he walked and stood. He had a sword on his hip. It was partially hidden under his cloak so I couldn't tell what it was exactly, but it seemed fitting for a Knight.

" No carrier." Liza turned and looked at me as my thoughts escaped my mouth. Mina quickly walked over to this man. They began a conversation, the way they looked at each other gave me the impression they knew each other.

" Tch." Xavier walked back and forth impatiently. " We need to go." I saw other Tolu hunters rushing around probably getting in positions to descend into the world below. 

" Xavier, do we have an exact position of the Tolu.?" Liza asked before I could, I heard footsteps from the captain's direction. Mina has already returned.

" No, we don't, this is a large search. . .Hence the increased population currently." Xavier nodded in a direction before sprinting, we followed moving as fast as we could. . .Xavier is the weakest in combat, but we all look to him as a commander of sorts. Even Mina, who doesn't seem to enjoy following people around followed him. . .Until we get into combat at least.

While we were running to our drop point. I passed Kala who seemed to be having trouble keeping up. . .While she always looked miserable and seemed unwilling to follow us, she still would. Out of the fear of Mina., she has never had trouble keeping up with us. . .Somethings wrong. I slowed down and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She seemed startled and quickly started picking up the pace. Noticing it was only me she slowed back down again.

" Nothing just uh. . ."

Looking at her made it obvious to tell she was nervous. She always was but today seemed a bit more severe. . .From my understanding, this is all of our first time going to face a S.S. rank Tolu, can't blame her for being nervous.

" We'll all be fine-"

" No." She cut me off with a quiet no I barely heard." Something's off. . .Everything feels strange."

" . . .Wha-"

" You two pick it up." Mina had noticed us lingering behind and wasn't happy.

" My fault." She won't do anything if I blame myself, but if she blamed Kala. . .Who knows., the people hear don't treat carriers kindly.

We picked up the pace catching the group as we made it to our drop point. Xavier stopped in front of a massive building that looked like a townhall. . .Five massive white pillars stood at the top of a set of pearl white stares leading into a pearl white building. . .This place needs more color.

We huddled up as Xavier initiated the descent, black smoke spun around us slowly blocking the pearl-white landscape from my vision.

A glint from something burnt my eye, I was surrounded by black smoke, there should be no light. . .I caught the glint again shining threw the smoke. Straining my vision I looked threw into the black smoke. Small holes were visible that revealed we were still in T.H

I looked to the glint and found a man, with the spinning black smoke I only got small glimpses but I could make out some features. Blond hair, jet-black hair, and glasses. I've never seen anyone like him before. He's sitting in a window on the upper floor of the town hall-like building.

The holes began to disappear quickly, the last few ones allowed me to see something strange. A drop of water crawled down his right cheek. . .Tears, he's crying.

The pearl white disappeared as the wind picked up along with the speed of the smoke. I felt Liza grab my shirt as it did catching me a bit off guard seeing as she's done this many times she shouldn't be scared or anything.

I looked to my left where she was standing and was met with a teasing smile, but a pleasant one also. This is our last mission, then we are gone, that's what Liza had pretty much said earlier. . .Still, a thought lingered in my head. Is that the right thing, when we have the ability to help people?

The wind speed died down and the black smoke began to disperse. I don't know what to expect but from how the others were acting and how urgent Xavier was acting earlier. I knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant sight.

The first thing I noticed wasn't a particular sight or sound, but a smell. The smell of smoke, and burning wood, mixed with the smell of rotting meat.

As I was granted the right to look out onto the horrendous landscape. I couldn't believe it. A city that once stood so tall, with thousands of people, was turned to rubble. Rain began to fall but the fires that engulfed multiple buildings didn't waver.

" Oh my." Liza gripped my shirt tightly, looking at her I could tell she was shaken, this was a sight no one should see.

" Xavier. What's the plan."

Xavier stood also shaken, his eyes took in the horrific sights in front of him. . .You couldn't completely see them, but bodies and. . .Body parts were on the ground, buried in destroyed buildings.

" This is the worst. . .That I've ever seen."

" Ahhh!" A scream to my right slightly behind. Kala had fallen over, her eyes were locked onto something in the dirt.

" Kala, get up!" Mina ordered but Kala was still locked on an object lying on top of a patch of dirt. " Xavier!" Mina screamed for him requesting some course of action, but he was still gazing at a field of destruction.

I walked over to Kala and grabbed her arm, slowly lifting her on her feet. I looked at what she was staring at...A... Head! No body, a man's head lying on its own.

" What. . .What is it." Liza began to approach me from behind. Her eyes can't see this. . .I raised my hand and blocked her vision.

"What's wrong with you all!" Mina cried out. " Were Tolu hunters, we see this all the time." I was about to say something about her insensitive comment but I bit my young. Looking at her, I could tell she was shaken up too. Only she was better at hiding it.

" This is. . ." Xaviers' voice trembled. 

" Xavier!" Mina walked over and pulled his shoulder turning him to her. "You're currently in charge, what's the plan!?"

Xavier's hand was trembling, but Mina seemed to bring him back as he squeezed it into a fist and smacked her arm off his shoulder. He looked back onto the field of destruction. Taking a deep breath, he finally said something.

" We look for the Tolu that did this."

" What about survivors." Xavier paused and took a deep sigh after Liza asked this question. He opened his mouth once but no word exited, he took another breath cleared his throat, and spoke.

" They are not priority."

" Wha-Wait why-" 

" Because." Mina jumped in " IF this thing is still here, what good is pulling our survivors when that thing attacks again. . .You know it can sense Tolu hunters, and I'm sure it can sense our strength too. It will see us as lightweight."

" But still-" Liza tried to argue but Xavier shot her a stern but at the same time painful look. Knowing Xavier, I'm sure he wanted to same people too, but the current situation wouldn't allow that.

We began to walk threw the destroyed city, we stepped on the wreckage of homes people used to live in, and offices people used to work in. Blood was stained onto some of the concrete, the rain tried to wash it away but it was too pure.

I could hear the cries of some survivors from inside the buildings. I looked to Liza who had tears in her eyes as she ignored the pleas for help, Xavier too was struggling to hold back his tears as a baby cried in the distance.

Kala was in a daze, walking just to walk, following us because she had nothing else to do. The cries of the injured entered her ears but she knew she couldn't do anything, and accepted that fact.

" Momy! Please where are you? I'm scared!" A young child wales entered our ears, but not from within a collapsed building, but from the street ahead of us.

Xavier commanded us to stop, ahead was a boy with blood leaking from his mouth and arm. He stumbled on the road crying out for his mom. Xavier gritted his teeth.

" Xavier." Mina grabbed his shoulder again reminding him of the task.

" We can at least take him somewhere safer."

" Xavier!" 

" Mina!" Liza cut in next to me. " How can you be so heartless."

"Heartless. If we don't secure this area then everyone will die don't you understand that!"

" Of course I do but that kid needs help now!"

" They all need help!" 

" Guys! Calm down!" I placed myself in between Mina and Liza who were growing angrier with each other.

" RAAAAAAAWWWW"

A ground-shaking roar caused all arguments to halt. We all turned and looked past the kid. On the other side of a massive hill. . . That's where it came from.

Suddenly a figure was flying threw the air at a speed unimaginable. . .In our direction. Xavier pulled his sword, Mina summoned hers from Kala who was stuck in fear.

The figure was too far away to see completely, but it was coming fast. It looked human, but something about it struck fear straight threw me and the others.

" Shit!" Xaviers' eyes widened as the creature grew closer. He suddenly raced towards the kid in the middle of the road. " It's gonna land on him!!!"

" Xavier wait!!!" Mina tried to grab him but only grazed his arm

We watched as he raced for the kid. At the same time, the creature grew closer and closer to the floor.

"XAVIER!!" Me and Liza screamed in unison. . .He's not gonna make it in time.

He stretched out his hand for the kid in a pushing motion only inches from the kid who was looking on confused.

" CRASH!!!!"

" ..."

A dust cloud covered the area that Xavier and The kid were in.

" Xavier. . ." Mina muttered. Gripping her sword tightly.

" Buzz!"

A buzzing noise came from Mina. She reached up to her ear slowly. . .An earpiece, I hadn't noticed until now.

" Mina."

" Ca-Captain Telon." Captain Telon. . .Was that the man she spoke with right before this?

" We found the Tolu but it instantly changed course, leaving a hoard of Lower ranking Tolu for us to deal with. . .Looking at the map, It's going in your direction. . .Have you located it?

The dust cloud began to clear. Rasing from it was a massive figure. Its head was shaped like a human but with two horn-shapes at the corners. It had no face. Its skin was all one color, Pitch black.

It slowly rose, arms dangling in front. It was tall, muscular, and looked like a professional athlete. The skin began to pulsate a color, and every few seconds a dark purple would eliminate the skin.

The stronger the Tolu the more human it looks. The A rank I fought looked roughly human but much disfigured with its face and teeth. This thing, the S.S. Rank.

It has surpassed humanity and transcended to a superior state of being.