...
"BRAAAAAT! THIS IS SCARY! BRING ME DOWN!"
King of the Hills, with his dwarf-like physique, is crying hysterically. It is quite pathetic to see a top Destructive-grade Hero with 93% tapped potential cry like this, but Sword Blue can't be excused either. To the hydrophobic King of the Hills, this is a nightmarish roller coaster.
For Sword Blue though, she doesn't give a damn.
"Shut up! You are a shame of all Destructive-grade Heroes. Furious Flames needs help, so suck it up."
"I hate piggybacks!!"
"Just suck it up! What? Do you want me to cuddle you?" Annoyed by the King of the Hills' antics, she loosened the dwarf's position. "Fuck you, kid! Don't drop me!! I'll fuck you!"
"Yuck, you're disgusting! I'll sue you for sexual harassment."
"You can't, I am a minor!"
"Minor? You? Look at the mirror, old dwarf!!"
Sword Blue isn't really running on water, it's more apt to describe it as skating as if the water surface is nothing but an ice floor. Sword Blue's powers allow her to sharpen anything she touches.
Through her shoes, she slashed the water's surface as if skating. And with her phenomenal movement coordination, she is able to cross large bodies of water like Venahama Lake.
"You fucking dwarf, toughen up!"
"It is easy for you to say! I want to ride a boat like Mind Link-CUTIE, kyah!~"
Sword Blue sped up as if escaping something, but… her efforts are proven futile. She can't escape Mind Link's rants from the telepathic connection.
'CUTIE MY ASS! YOU WERE PUKING ALL OVER THE DECK JUST A WHILE AGO! DON'T ACT CUTE ON ME, YOU DWARF! AND YOU, SWORD-FREAK-WOMAN? JUST BECAUSE I THINK YOU ARE CUTE, DON'T THINK YOU CAN SLACK OFF! FASTER!! RUN FASTER, OR ELSE, I'LL MAKE YOU MY BITCH!'
'Hik~!' The King of the Hills cowered.
'That woman doesn't really have a filter! But come on! I am running my hardest here, okay?' Meanwhile, Sword Blue inwardly complained. She doesn't really want to challenge Mind Link right now though.
"BLUE?! ARE YOU THINKING BADLY ABOUT ME!!? DO YOU WANT ME TO SPREAD YOUR DARK HISTORY TO THE WORLD?"
'Shit.' That is when Sword Blue remembered that Mind Link is a telepathy variant.
The once girlish voice is now talking like a thug. This is Mind Link and her two-faced personality. While she's incensed that the old kid of a dwarf is this immature, she chose to be more patient. She can just make fun of Sword Blue to release some of her stress.
The Iron Vessel is fast given the level of technology devoted to it, but Sword Blue is still faster. Even with Mind Link verbally bullying her, Sword Blue is able to maintain her top speed.
Venahama Lake is known for its enormity. And also for the water transportation that helps to contribute to the welfare of the common populace.
Sword Blue wears a cerulean robe matched with dark trousers and boots. This is her signature costume. Also known for being a sword master, her fame has spread renown despite her lackluster mutation potential. Unlike the King of the Hills who has impressive mutation potential, Sword Blue focused on sharpening her skills, thus explaining her masterful skating over water.
Meanwhile, the King of the Hills wears a leather brown jacket paired with orange pants and a shirt. He looks like the stereotypical dwarf in the fantasy genre, except he is not. This is simply the result of his mutation. The King of the Hills has a bushy beard and a stout figure. He looks like an old kid. It's a chaotic combination that perfectly describes his character. He doesn't have much fame compared to most destructive grades, but his skills are the real deal.
Since Sword Blue and the King of the Hills are recognizable enough to the fishermen, they made a path for the duo. The duo easily traversed the lake without any interference.
"Bring me down brat, we are already on land. Let me run by myself!"
"Your legs are too short, let me."
Sword Blue ignored the King of the Hills' request and continued to run on land as she carry the dwarf, like baggage.
"Is this how you treat a Destructive-grade Hero?!"
"I am running out of patience, Dwarf... How about you make yourself useful and make a road for me to run." Sword Blue made a scary face, which caused the King of the Hills to flinch.
"Argh!~ have it your way!"
With a single wave of his hand, the King of the Hills toppled trees and made the ground evenly flat.
"Be careful, dwarf! What if there are civilians?"
"It's fine, no one got hurt."
The orphanage is not so far from Venahama Lake. Sword Blue alerted Mind Link through the telepathic connection.
'Mind Link, the orphanage is already in our sight!'
'Hurry, have the dwarf improvise!'
The King of the Hills turned red for being called a 'Dwarf' again and again. He is way past the redness of a tomato at this point. But what can he do? His 'dwarfness' has long been established across the continent. 'Yeah, yeah... I know you don't have to tell me twice! And I am not a dwarf! I am the King of the Hills!'
Sword Blue released the King of the Hills from her grasp.
"Back away, you don't want to get caught in it."
With the King of the Hills' words, Sword Blue reluctantly backed away.
Then… the earth shook. It was subtle, but it can't escape Sword Blue's heightened senses.
The King of the Hills squatted. From where his bum is pointed, an enormous force was rising. "What? Are you going to use fart to propel yourself?" Sword Blue doubtfully asked, almost believing that such shenanigans are possible if it were the King of the Hills.
"What the— What do you think of me? A cartoon character?"
A rough pole of rock was squeezed from the earth creating an impact strong enough to shatter bones— Sword Blue was surprised for a moment, she thought someone sneaked attack the poor dwarf.
~then… the King of the Hill flew in a parabola... It was like playing billiards and making a jump shot using the King of the Hills as the cue ball and the summoned pole of rock as a stick.
When Sword Blue saw the dwarf being catapulted, the thought finally registered to her.
"What the fuck!? Is he playing billiards?" Sword Blue scrutinized the rough pole of rock, she unconsciously thought if her bum can endure that pole of rock… or not.
Sword Blue is doing her best to resist facepalming. In the end, she just scratched her ass, imagining a slight itch. The King of the Hills' specs is monstrously superhuman. He deserves to be called a Destructive-grade Hero if not for his childish antics.
The King of the Hills can feel the wind in his cheeks.
He landed several distances from the orphanage. He felt the struggling Eron through the vibrations of the earth. According to Mind Link, Eron is already by the orphans' side, so he has to be very cautious in the extraction procedure. He must avoid harming the kids at all costs. With his powers, the King of the Hills dug to the ground. No, he more likely swam with speed as swift as a fish. He can't do this for long since he can't breathe in this state.
...
Eron is sweating bullets. He is far from tired of suppressing the flames, but seeing the state of the orphans is very mentally exhausting.
"Hey, kid! Just wait a second. Mind Link will tell you if you can stop the fire suppression. I will get these kids out of here."
Eron heard a vigorous voice just by his side. It was the King of the Hills. Eron is aware of his name. This guy is famous for his specialization— RESCUE!
The King of the Hills buried the orphans with his Special Ability, then swam with the orphans in tow of his earth control.
'Hey, fiery! The dwarf says you're clear, please return to the surface!'
Eron, with Mind Link's words, explosively escaped the orphanage. Eron is immune to fire to some extent. Though, if it is his teacher's flames, he might as well be toast.
Eron went after where the King of the Hills sent the orphans. It's on the side of the forest where the vegetation is the thickest. He saw Sword Blue performing CPR on the kids one by one.
The King of the Hills approached Eron.
"Furious Flames. Sword Blue will take care of this. She possesses professional medical knowledge, so we can trust her in this one. I want you to suppress the fire so that we can avoid more damage. We can't have forest fires at this juncture of the operation. I will get Mind Link, she has the ability that can restart the heart. I am not as fast as Sword Blue, but we desperately need her to stay here."
Eron felt conflict inside him. He watched as the King of the Hills fly away in a rock. He knows Sword Blue too.
Sword Blue with only 62% tapped potential is one of the most recognized fastest and better heroes in the Hero Society. But can Eron really trust a measly 62% hero? Eron felt bad that they don't have Mind Link right now.
Eron is tempted to get Mind Link himself.
"What are you dilly-dallying for?! Suppress the fire!" Sword Blue yelled at Eron. It's pretty obvious for her. Eron is not even looking at her, it's the arrogance of the higher percenters among heroes.
"What are you talking about? Just do your job. I will get Mind Link. As a Destructive-grade, the King of the Hills can definitely do something with the fire." Eron frowned, he doesn't have time to entertain a small percenter hero. Self-assured of his own judgment, Eron spurred his flames.
"How can you be so condescending?" Sword Blue gritted her teeth. She drew her sword and… aimed it at an orphan's heart.
"What are you doing?"
"I'll kill this kid if you leave."
"What?"
Eron stopped at the chilly gaze of Sword Blue. Is this person even a hero?
"You won't do it."
"Why?"
"Because you are a hero," Eron explained.
"Fucking great, why don't you just do your job? I may be just a 62 percenter unlike you who are above and beyond in terms of potential grade, but you can trust me! The fire is spreading, and more lives might be lost in the process. You can't be selfish, right? It's because you are a hero too."
Sword Blue continued to yell as she pump the kid's chest with her palms. She has long discarded the sword she used as an empty threat for Eron.
Eron found his reasoning amidst his chaotic emotions. He should save those he can reach, just like what his father taught him. He wanted to save the orphans' lives first and foremost since he has a special connection with them. There is nothing wrong with that. However, this kind of selfishness might bring more problems than one could bargain for.
Sword Blue felt irksome by Furious Flames's selfishness. She has seen too much of this side of humanity— good intentions born from desperation tend to bring more harm than the pure honest efforts of wanting to save lives.
With a heavy heart, Eron went to the flames to do his job, to suppress them and avoid a forest fire that would have claimed more lives than he could save.