elysm

But you know those types, they won't stay in a backwater like this for long.

I'm getting grumpy just thinking about it. See you later.

...Sigh.

Can't blame them, though. The big cities pay much more than we can. No way for us to stop them.

Hmph! Who cares! We have Elysium.

He's given himself a codename. He says the first step to becoming a professional Messenger is having a cool codename. He seems serious about it.

I hope so!

Say, I'm getting a bad feeling...

Hey! Everybody!

Go outside! Look up at the sky!

Our Catastrophe Messenger predicts that a localized Catastrophe will take place southwest of the city in a few hours.

While the Catastrophe is not expected to present a threat to the city, citizens are advised to exercise caution when going outdoors for the next few days.

In particular, we strongly advise against traveling to the southwest until further notice.

Attention. Attention—

My supply routes don't come through the southwest.

It shouldn't affect your thing—

Here's the deposit! I'll be back; just get that item for me!

Hey! Where are you going?!

To race against a Catastrophe!

Going back now means taking a massive risk.

Elysium can't help but ask himself: Is he really that attached to the town?

Hard to say. Probably not so much that he should risk his life for it. He's only been there a few months.

But he also understands that he can't just stand by and watch, can't just wait for the storm to pass.

And there's no point in thinking about what he can't do.

He needs to focus on what he can do.

Mom, I'm scared of that big cloud in the sky...

D-Don't be scared! We'll go and find dad!

Was that an earthquake?! What do we do?

Help! I'm trapped under this frame! I can't move my leg!

I'm coming! Hang on!

What's going on?

Catastrophe! Catastrophe!

It was like this the last time! We need to run! As far and as fast as we can!

Aah!

Look out!

Whew...

That was a perfect rescue, wasn't it? A judge would've given that ten out of ten. What do you think?

Elysium! Y-You're hurt!

What are you doing here? Didn't you go into town?

That? Just a scratch.

I heard through the grapevine that someone needed my help—alright, I came back because I heard on the radio that this area might get hit by a Catastrophe.

How's that? Pretty selfless, if I do say so myself.

Y-You fool! Idiot! Why did you come back?!

Wait, why are you yelling at me?

Save the jokes, now's not the time.

Tell everyone to get ready to move... this sort type of Catastrophe will be on top of you before you know it. We don't have much time!

But where do we go?

Leave that to me.

I'm an expert at surviving in the wilderness.

Stay close to me! Don't get separated!

Originium levels in the atmosphere will increase sharply in the presence of a Catastrophe, and the wind might be carrying active Originium particles. Keep yourself covered, especially any wounds!

But you just got hurt...

Don't worry, I have a secret weapon.

(Well, how about that, those meds I got are gonna come in handy!)

(Let's hope they're the real deal.)

Just hold on!

We're almost... there!

Lock and bolt the door... alright, we'll be safe for now.

Is this an underground shelter?

Yes, an abandoned one.

I never knew about this place. How did you find it?

I'm rather adept at pathfinding. Let me tell you, I mapped this entire area with my own two feet.

There's nothing here I don't know about, including shelters that have been abandoned for years.

Now, please, shower me in praise.

Huh? Oh... you're amazing, Elysium!

Yup, keep going, I know you've got more in you!

Ahem... well, we definitely owe you one.

So we should just wait? We left in such a hurry that we didn't have time to bring a lot of supplies... how long will we be in here?

Until the Catastrophe passes and things return to normal outside, at least.

Sudden Catastrophes like this tend to go as quickly as they come.

I don't want to think about what might have happened if you didn't come back.

You're welcome.

But we should make a plan for future emergencies. This shelter is pretty old. It's taken a beating.

I wouldn't have picked it if there were crystal clusters growing from the ground, but fortunately that's not the case this time.

There's just nothing we can do about Catastrophes...

If we had some sort of advance warning, at least...

Don't get too down on me, bro.

That's exactly what I've been working on all this time.

That's good news. What are you fiddling with?

Just some machines... imagine that I'm yelling out in a radius of a few klicks that 'We need help here!'

It might not be useful right now, but it never hurts to be prepared.

The earth's shaking... how long is this gonna last?

Eek! What was that noise?

Sounds like something fell...

I'll go take a look.

The Liberi passes through the crowd of townsfolk crammed into this dark shelter.

A panicking mother holds her child tightly in her arms. The elderly sit in a corner, like a row of wrinkled statues.

Elysium can hear the occasional sob. There seems to be fewer people here than he thought there would be. He tries not to think about it.

He looks at the source of the sound. Above them is the door that they came in from. A little bit of dirt drops in with every vibration.

He gets a bad feeling.

The Liberi extends his hand.

Then he stops, stunned.

The door has been blocked by fallen rocks and can no longer be opened.

We can't get out?! How could this...

Don't panic! Just a little hitch in the plan. We'll dig our way out.

Relax, everyone. We still have my transceiver, and I've already sent out a distress signal. All we have to do is wait.

Really? That's great!

(The range is limited without an amplifier, though...)

(I need to think of a way.)

(I didn't manage to take the medicine either. Now my injured shoulder is starting to feel numb.)