Chapter 7- Intellegece

The following days since my introduction have been erratic. All Tolu hunters have been mobilized to hunt the S.S. rank and deal with base Tolu's increased strength.

I, Xavier, Mina, and Liza have been on many joint operations helping deal with Tolu. With plenty of close calls for me, and the others.

Xavier was right, all Tolu base intelligence has been increased due to the increased fear for them. Me and Kala have both been attacked, which under normal circumstances wouldn't happen according to Xavier.

It's been about three days and I have realized the strength differences among our group. Xavier ranks at the bottom of combat but is smart and utilizes his surroundings. Mina carries brute strength as her ally, and Liza is the best overall. Much to Mina's obvious distaste as she's been killing Tolu much longer.

Though, with the past few days being so busy. I haven't gotten much explanation as to what this place called T.H. headquarters exactly is.

We were currently in Limthoff, a city in the North of Valico district. It was. . .Cold, very cold, even during the summer, I was walking next to Liza as we were searching for the Tolu that had appeared on the T.H. scanners. I could see her breath in the cold wind as our feet made the snow crack.

" Hey." Might as well ask with the downtime. Liza turned to face me while breathing into her hands for warmth. " What exactly is T.H."

" How do you mean."

" Like how does it exist? It's like nothing I've ever seen before. . . It's like a different world.

" Because it is!"

" Huh?!!

Liza then broke out into a wild laugh that echoed off the currently abandoned building due to the Tolu siteing. Xavier paid no mind to the loud laughter, while Mina turned around with an annoyed look she had given me many times up to this point.

" Ha Ha Ha. . .You should see your face-Ha. . .You look so surprised and confused."

" Why wouldn't I be? I have no idea what that place is. . .Wait? Are you joking or not?"

She covered her mouth while the last bit of laughter left her smile. Her eyes were angled up at me due to her being shorter. Her nose and cheeks were red, whether or the laughter, I have no clue.

" I mean. . . I wasn't entirely joking, but kind of was at the same time." Well, how is that supposed to help me?

" Please explain a little better." 

". . .Fine I'll do my best." I must have sounded slightly annoyed because she finally got to the point. "It doesn't exist within this world. But it doesn't exist beyond it either."

". . .What?"

" It exists in between."

".Again. . . Explain a little better please."

She let out a tired sigh as if I was the one making this hard. . .It's not exactly an easy concept to grasp. Liza

" It's not amount the world of most people, but not a place like. . .I don't know heaven, I guess." I didn't completely understand, but I got what she was trying to say. I imagine it as a world that lives in between one of the layers of our atmosphere.

One of my questions was answered but I still had one more. One that I had been wanting to ask for a while.

" How do we-"

" Travel so quickly?" She took the words right out of my mouth. " Is that what you were going to ask?"

" Uh. . .Yea." 

" Hm. New it." Why does she seem so proud of that?

I have been on multiple missions with these people since I got here about 5 days ago, and one thing I have found fascinating is how we travel. We have jumped thousands of miles to reach our target destination, and all we do is walk around in the T.H and huddle up and after the black smoke, we're at our destination.

"The distance up in T.H works differently," Liza answered

". . . Why is this all so confusing."

" Is it. Seems simple to me."

" That's because you're also confusing."

" Huh. I don't know what you mean but I'm taking offense to that!"

" . . .Well, It's true."

" Do you want me to explain to you or not?"

" Yea yea go on." Please.

We walked through the abandoned city of Limthoff. A city that was usually booming with people and business, even during the cold. It amazed me people could live in such weather.

" SImply put." Liza continued to explain. " The distance in T.H covers a larger distance than here. . . Like one step up there is equal to a mile here." That does indeed explain it, how we travel so far so quickly.

" Makes sense, I guess."

" Hm. . . I'm amazing at explaining these things aren't I."

" No, you're not."

" Wha-"

" You two shut up!" Mina snapped around with a pissed look. I was about to say something back when I saw Xavier also telling us to be quiet with his hand.

 We were in a main street type of layout, an open space where an intersection was with shops and businesses on all sides. Xavier was peering into a big store, slightly smaller than a mall but still big enough to hold multiple stores in one.

The building's entrance was torn to pieces like a massive rabid animal had torn threw it, glass was shattered and even pieces of concrete were missing.

We could hear something stumbling around in there, we all knew what it was. The only question was what rank it was.

"Only one way to find out." Mina walked over to a wall that looked weaker than the others, listening closely, you could hear crashing on the other side.

She walked up to the wall placing her palm along it. The wind seemed to bend around her and concentrate in her palm. The next moment, a powerful impact struck the wall, smashing it and making it crumble.

Not even a second went by when a long arm came shooting out at Mina. 

Mina flipped backward dodging the sudden attack. The Tolu then came shooting our sliding in the snow outside. It stopped in between Mina and the store's new entrance.

It was lopsided. Its right side was bigger than its left. Its right arm was longer, same with its right foot. It was standing on all fours its head tilted to the left.

It turned its head me and Kalas way, its right eye was also bigger and utterly disgusting to look at. For a moment I locked eyes with the thing. . .Next, Liza was standing in front of me cutting threw its outstretched hand.

I almost gagged as blood smacked me on the face as the creature roared out in pain.

' Again! Attacking the carriers."

" Why do we have to protect them."

"They are our allies, Mina."

" Shut it, Xavier!"

Mina and Xavier both dashed at it, Mina launched herself into the air while Xavier formed water under his feet, which in the cold turned to ice, giving him more speed.

Mina came crashing down where the Tolu was standing before she could cut its head, however. It jumped back like a sider, healed its arm, and dashed back into the store.

Xavier attempted to pursue but it had already vanished into the darkness of the store.

" Dam It. Is this how smart they've become. . .A dam B rank now is smarter than an A rank was less than a week ago." Me and Liza stood a little surprised as we had never really heard Xavier mad.

" It still doesn't have the power of an A rank though," Liza commented having felt its power head-on.

" That's the weird part." Xavier stared into the store " Only their intelligence seems to be improving."

We stood in silence for a moment, listening for any movement throughout the store. A cold wind blew against the back of my exposed neck. My thick coat didn't dew much, which made me feel much worse for Liza as she was only wearing the clothes she had at school that day, made for summer.

I may have been starring but no one seemed to notice, I wasn't starring for any inappropriate reason, I had only remembered that I had gotten her a scarf one year for her birthday which is during the winter. I haven't seen that scarf since I bought it. 

" Dam. Now we're going to have to wait this thing out."

"Can't we just go in there?" I asked Xavier.

" Don't be stupid." Mina being rude, as usual. " If that thing is smart enough to hide, then it is probably waiting for us in there. If we go in, one of us will die." You wouldn't mind if it was me.

Ironically, that thought allowed me to come up with a suicidal plan, one that Liza nor Xavier would like. If the Tolus were now so keen on taking out carriers then. . .

" Hey Liza.""

" What."

" Cover me." I took off sprinting for the main entrance

"Huh? Wait what are you doing."

" Cash! What the hell!" Xavier and Mina cried out to me but I didn't stop. I looked back and saw them start after me, but luckily.

" Wait." Mina caught on to my plan of all people, holding them both back.

I heard crashing inside the building as the Tolu raced to meet me at the main entrance. I could see shelves go flying and the creature roar as it got closer.

It reached the entrance at the same time I did. Its right arm shot at me, but I had expected this to be the case and had focused my mind on dodging it.

The arm was coming closer but I had already started leaning back as far as possible. This is where baseball comes in handy, we were expected to do lots of stretching exercises as it would be needed for catching awkwardly hit or thrown balls.

The Tolu's arm shot over me, allowing one of them to land a strike as its momentum carried it over me.

Blue bloodshot from its arm as Liza once again carved straight threw it, this time though, she cut its arm clean off. With the Tolu still off balance, she turned her blade and cut its head right down the middle.

It didn't even have time to scream before it turned to dust at the hands of Liza, who stood before me again, like a goddess.

I fell to the snow, I gasped for air as I had been holding my breath without knowing it. I looked up and saw Liza offering me a hand.

I grabbed it and she squeezed hard as she picked me up. The look in her eyes said she was pissed and I couldn't blame her. I would be too.

" Uh, sorr-" Before I could finish my sentence she embraced me. She squeezed me tightly causing me to fight for air.

" Don't ever! Do that again." Her head was pressed into my chest. . . For the first time since we were kids. I saw her cry.