Chapter 30: Angry Ray

"My first time on a foreign planet, and I just so happened to be used?"

Rayleigh’s heart raced, not from fear or worry, but from an uncontrolled rage aimed at Jax’ulkan.

"That alien made me run around the wasteland for hours, busting my ass to hunt beasts, only for him to end up stealing from me!"

All of Rayleigh’s findings were mere speculations, yet to be proven, but Rayleigh was never wrong; his instincts never lied.

Still, he needed to prove that Jax was nothing but a liar before he took any drastic action.

He dashed out of the inn, the wind carrying against his face, and halted just outside the front door.

A young Mulkan was walking by with a basket of fresh fruits when Rayleigh reached for his arm, pulling him without warning.

Startled, the young Mulkan immediately lowered his head.

"Oh, spare me the theatrics," Rayleigh sneered. He believed that all the Mulkans were probably the same; good at putting up an act.

"Answer me this," Rayleigh began, the urgency in his voice as clear as the sky. "Is there a transport vessel that comes here every two days and goes to the city?"

The Mulkan looked genuinely confused. "Transport vessel? City?"

Rayleigh cursed. He was right after all. There was no city, and there was no transport vessel.

Rayleigh proceeded with the next question on his mind. "Where is Jax’ulkan?" he asked, suppressing his desire to break something.

The young Mulkan looked at him for a moment before answering.

"Jax has already left the settlement. Did you not know?"

Rayleigh’s eyes narrowed. He asked, "Where did he go?"

The young Mulkan pointed in a direction before speaking again. "He left not long ago. What you did for Jax was a good thing. You truly were sent by our god."

Rayleigh stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The Mulkan’s expression brightened. "You saved us from the beast. That can only mean the gods sent you to us."

Rayleigh shook his head. "No, not that. What do you mean by what I did for Jax?"

The Mulkan’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "You hunted beasts for Jax and gathered enough crystals for him to finally get inside!"

He looked at Rayleigh as if he were some sort of hero.

"Finally, Jax will be able to leave this settlement and live safely inside."

Rayleigh paused for a second. Why did that phrase sound so familiar?

The answer clicked almost instantly.

That was the same thing another Mulkan had said yesterday after Rayleigh killed the Intermediate Beast.

"Get inside."

But get inside where?

Where did someone need to get inside that required twenty-one Lesser Beast Crystals and one Intermediate Beast Crystal?

"Get inside where?" Rayleigh pressed the young Mulkan before him.

"Get inside the wall."

’The wall?’

Rayleigh’s expression changed.

’What the hell is the wall?’

Rayleigh didn’t have much time left. He needed to find Jax immediately and retrieve his crystals.

Once again, he asked the Mulkan how to get to the wall and the young Mulkan pointed toward a certain direction behind the settlement.

Rayleigh took off, running.

Jax had left not long ago, and if Rayleigh maintained enough speed, he would catch up with him before he entered whatever wall that Mulkan was talking about.

◇◇◇

The wind was a bit wild today, which was strange for a desert.

The desert seemed to stretch forever. Nothing could be seen as far as the eye could see. A person who was not familiar with the land might panic and think they were lost.

But Jax’ulkan was not worried.

Up ahead, Jax walked through the desert with steady steps. Every now and then, he stopped and looked behind him, checking his surroundings before continuing.

"The settlement is out of sight," Jax said to himself. "That means I’m getting closer to the wall."

His voice was filled with hope.

Once he reached the wall, he would never have to step foot on this wasteland again.

He continued walking and not long after, he came across an inclined slope. It was not easy to climb, but Jax refused to give up. He pushed himself up the slope until he finally reached the top.

His eyes widened; followed by a gasped. "The wall!

A massive metal structure stood in the distance.

It stretched for miles to the left and right. From where Jax stood, he could not see either end but that was not even the most shocking part.

The wall was incredibly tall. It rose so high that it almost touched the clouds.

Jax stared at it with wonder.

The machines built into the wall were strange and impossible to understand, but Jax did not care about any of that.

All he cared about was getting there. He took a step forward when suddenly, the ground beneath his feet began to rumble.

Jax froze, his heart pounding as the rumbling grew louder.

Then a loud clacking sound came from underneath the desert sand.

Jax’s eyes widened. He knew that sound.

A beast!

"Damn it!"

Jax quickly turned around and started running.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but the leather bag hanging over his shoulder slowed him down.

The rumbling behind him became louder, then, the beast burst out of the sand.

It looked similar to a giant crab. Its body was covered in a hard shell, and two large pincers snapped wildly in the air.

Jax screamed. "AHHH!"

He ran even faster, but it was useless because the beast was much faster than him and it was getting closer.

Jax looked behind him and saw the beast only a short distance away.

"Please! Not now!"

He pushed his legs harder, but the beast was already preparing to attack.

Then, something strange happened. A loud burning sound came from the sky.

Jax looked up to see burning rock falling toward the ground. It was about the size of a large boulder, and it was moving incredibly fast.

The rock smashed into the desert.

BOOM!

The explosion shook the ground, the meteor struck the beast directly, killing it in one attack.

A powerful shock wave spread across the desert, sending Jax into the air as if he weighed nothing.

"AHHH!" He flew through the air before crashing face-first into the sand.

He lay there for a moment; weveral small cuts covered his body, but Jax barely noticed them. He was more worried about the figure walking toward him through the dust.

Someone was coming.

Jax slowly lifted his head. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"Rayleigh!"

Rayleigh walked through the dust and stopped in front of him.

Jax’s body began to shake. "I can explain! Please, do not kill me! I—"

His words were cut short when Rayleigh reached down and grabbed him by the throat.

Jax’s eyes widened as Rayleigh lifted him from the ground.

His feet no longer touched the sand. He struggled to breathe as Rayleigh stared directly into his eyes.

"Give me one good reason why you still deserve to keep your head."