"For the last time—I’m fine! Let me out of these things!" An orotund voice pierced through the soft fabric of the medical tents set up in the square of Eirene Town. Medical personnel rushed into the tent, only to find that the owner of the voice belonged to the Huntress, Elma Chloris.

The white-haired woman shouted on the top of her lungs, rigorously trying to break free from the many straps that kept her restrained to the medical bed. The doctors and nurses surrounded her bed and tried to calm her down, but their attempts proved futile. The Huntress remained stubborn as hell.

Hardly anything could keep her down—not even a stab wound to the stomach.

The medical officers turned their desperate gazes toward their only hope for salvation--the frantic woman's partner, Chayse Raleigh. The man occupied the other bed, unrestrained. Somehow, the woman's shouting didn't bother him. He lied there, motionless. His gaze affixed to the ceiling of the tent.

Eventually, his senses returned. He looked at his partner and said, "Quit causing a scene, Elma. Let the doctors help you. You're making their jobs difficult."

"If they're going to make our jobs difficult, then I'll return the favor." Elma childishly retorted.

"You're a grown woman. Stop acting childish." Chayse demanded.

"Tell these bastards to release me then," Elma spat. "Did you forget we've got a prisoner to transport?"

Chayse opened his mouth to respond—but someone interrupted him.

"Miss. Chloris, it's in your best interest to settle down," A middle-aged, portly man with a well-groomed mustache entered the medical tent with a smile that shined almost as bright as his armor. A red cloth draped over his shoulder, held together to his armor with a medallion that featured a dog with a fiery mane. "You can leave the transportation of that criminal to the War Dogs."

"So that you can take all the credit for yourself? Fuck that!" Elma shook her head. Her muscles strained as she resumed her attempts to escape.

"Neither you or your partner are in any shape to transport a dangerous criminal, especially an Exousia." The Captain retorted. "I've assembled my best men for this job. Rest assured knowing that the prisoner is now in more capable hands."

Ignoring the rantings of the infuriated Huntress, the military captain turned and left the tent. Chayse and Elma exchanged glances.

"After him," Elma ordered. "We're the ones that'll turn that bastard in. Not those War Mutts. I'll catch up."

"If you're sure," Chayse didn't offer any resistance. He got out of bed and clutched his ribs. Concern briefly washed over Elma's face. It'd been years since they suffered a defeat. However, like those other times, they would learn from the experience and grow stronger. 

Despite his injuries and the warnings of the doctors, Chayse hobbled out of the tent. He scanned the area; spotting dozens of military soldiers patrolling the streets. Thankfully, not many of them paid much attention to him as he continued down the road. 

He spotted the military captain addressing his soldiers lined up in front of Nemeans. Chained up on the ground next to them was their person of interest, Thelo. He shouted offensive language at the soldiers, only to get gagged moments later.

That brought satisfied smiles to the faces of Chayse and the soldiers.

"Listen up men!" The military captain instructed. His subordinates stood at attention and saluted their superior officer. "A handful of you are instructed to deliver this prisoner to the council. Things haven't been going our way recently, but bringing this Exousia to them should help settle some mistakes we've made."

"This won't be easy," Chayse complained as he allowed his imagination to run wild. Various scenarios played through his mind on how he'd approach the situation. Due to his injuries, he couldn't take his prisoner back by force; especially with about a dozen soldiers nearby. The idea in itself was suicide.

The War Dogs made it no secret about their plan to steal their prisoner. Bastards had no part in his capture, and they sought to take the credit.

His only shot was to steal Thelo back during their transport route.

Tension jolted through the hunter's body when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. He whipped around and raised his fist, only to find the owner of the hand was Elma.

"What do we got?" Elma asked.

"Prisoner's still locked up. War Dogs surrounding him," Chayse answered as he pointed down the road. Multiple soldiers forced the struggling prisoner into the back of the Nemean. "We can't get to him using force."

"Then stealth it is," Elma concluded.

"How're we gonna do that? We're not exactly dressed for this particular mission," Chayse said.

"Be patient," demanded Elma as she leaned against the nearest structure. The Hunters waited in silence and kept a close eye on the War Dogs. Eventually, the military captain and a majority of his subordinates abandoned the area. 

Only two soldiers remained as they prepared the Nemean for departure. Elma and Chayse sprang into action the moment the opportunity presented itself. 

The soldiers wandered to the back of the Nemean to check on the prisoner, while Elma entered the vehicle and started the engine. The soldiers jumped and turned, only to find Chayse in front of them with a confident smirk.

"Yo," He gave them a quick wave before he rendered them both unconscious. He gently rested the soldiers outside of the vehicle, playing the situation off as if they were drunk. Afterward, he headed back into the Nemean.

"Done?" Elma asked.

"Done." Chayse nodded. "Although, I don't think this counts as stealth."

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"Suck it up," Elma shook her head and drove down the street, ignoring the demands to stop from the soldiers outside. Their destination--the capital city of Soteria.

"We're gonna get in trouble," Chayse complained.

"Not if we complete our mission," Elma assured. "I'll be damned if I let those mutts take credit for our work."

"Yeah, I get that." Chayse nodded and took a look at their prisoner. He reached into the back and removed the gag from his mouth. "You understand this is your last chance to cooperate, right? Once we bring you to the council, that's it. Whatever they decide will be outta our hands."

"Fuck you! I told you that I wouldn't help you!" Thelo spat. "Spare me your shit and let's get this over with."

Chayse shrugged his shoulders and looked onward. He had nothing else to say to that man. Thelo preferred death over cooperation. He made his decision. 

"Don't bother with him, Chayse," Elma said as she pulled out her Milo. She activated it, and seconds later a holographic image of Caz appeared above it.

"What do you want?" Caz yawned and scratched the back of his head.

"Is that any way to answer the Milo, Caz? Guess I need to re-educate you in respect when we get back." Elma said.

Caz looked back and forth between Chayse and Elma. "You two look like shit. What happened?"

"We fought a terrorist yesterday," Chayse answered. "He went by the name of Maur."

"He's an Exousia, and he uses orbs to turn people into Varvara." Elma continued to relay the information.

"That right? Well, guess this Maur guy isn't the only one. Reports came up all over the news about two other attacks last night." Caz mentioned.

"Two?!" Chayse exclaimed.

"How many casualties?" Elma wondered.

"It's in the hundreds. Those terrorists did a real number on those towns." Caz didn't pull any punches in answering the question. "Luckily enough some people stepped in and helped minimize the damage."

"Who were they?" Chayse asked.

Holographic images of Kyros, Runa, Sarra, Dire, and Gigas, appeared next to Caz.

"Spero Town was attacked by a Bull Beastia named Taurian. He was an occupant of Tartarus a long time ago." Caz revealed. "The ones that stopped him were a couple of criminals. Gigas Alcaeus and Dire."

The eyes of the hunters widened. They were well aware of those names and the heinous crimes attached to them. If they had to get ranked, they'd get put right up there with Exousia. 

It boggled their minds on why two infamous criminals would help fight off terrorists.

"Things just keep getting worse and worse," Chayse groaned. "Why're we only hearing about those getting into the country now?!"

"I've already received word from the guards at the wall. None of them reported spotting them." Caz answered. "They must've found another way inside. Does that make sense?"

Images of Dire and Gigas vanished. What replaced them was a picture of Melanie as a child.

"Who's that?"

"It's one of the terrorists that attacked Elpida Town. I did some digging around. She's one of the Last King's little bastards." 

Elma's eyes narrowed. "What's her name?"

"Melanie Elisavet," Caz said. "Council's given her a bounty of seventy million Axia."

Chayse let out a long whistle. "That's impressive. They're not messing around."

"Council's trying to keep the Last King's bloodline under control and contained. If not, they're more than willing to wipe it out." Caz said.

"Fuckers," Elma swore. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and clenched her teeth. "Anything else we need to know about the terrorists?"

"Council's assuming the terrorists are Exousia. It turns out Melanie can raise and control the dead." 

"And Maur can disintegrate anything he touches," Chayse informed. He grimaced at the memory of his knife turning to dust before his very eyes.

"Add their powers to their ability to control Varvara; we're looking at something humanity's never encountered before," Elma stated. Dread spread throughout their bodies as they let that information sink in.

"How'd they manage that trick?" Caz inquired.

"They carried around some strange orbs. They must've invented some technology that alters the DNA of human beings into those monsters." Elma voiced her hypothesis.

It was something that Chayse wished he'd never seen. Over his years of experience as a hunter, he'd seen many horrible things. But, seeing a human, getting transformed into a monster through extraordinary means was something else.

"There are far too many problems to deal with at once," Chayse stated, knowing the severe weight of the situation. "We need to persuade the council to tighten the defenses around the entire country."

"Evacuating the people from Soteria city should also be a priority. We can't afford to suffer severe losses there." Elma added.

Caz closed his eyes and brought his hand to his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face, trying to weigh his options. "That ain't gonna be easy. The army would have to split up into multiple units and move to each town and city. That alone could take days, and it would also reduce security in the capital. Does that make sense?"

Chayse rolled his eyes and sighed, already knowing the outcome of the request. "The council would never agree to do that. But, they can at least evacuate the city."

"Where would they even evacuate them? The Gardens of Eden are too dangerous for the people. And moving them out to sea would be just as dangerous and time-consuming." Elma pointed out the holes in her partner's suggestion.

"What about Tartarus then? It would only be temporary until we have the situation under control."

Elma narrowed her eyes and jeered at Chayse before she responded, "You want to move them underground with the other prisoners? Tartarus isn't a safe place either, Chayse."

"Hold on a second," Caz raised his hand. "I'm cool with that idea. I'm more than willing to move out and find a new place. Does that make sense?"

"Shut up," Elma demanded. Caz rolled his eyes and closed his mouth.

"Well, anyone else got any plans? If the people stay in the capital, it's gonna get attacked sooner or later."

"Let's start off small. First, we gotta try and figure out what exactly we're dealing with here." Elma said.

"What do you mean?" Chayse asked.

"I didn't want to come to this conclusion, but the way Maur talked last night, his actions and mannerisms, I think we're up against Jaya Acolytes." 

Silence.

It wasn't the first time the hunters heard about them—Jaya Acolytes. They were an infamous organization, or rather a cult of fanatic worshippers of the Goddess of Destruction, Jaya.

It was rumored that they could control the Varvara and that they gained that ability by entering the Varvara Realm, forfeiting their humanity in exchange for eternal, destructive power. Since the beginning of time, people feared them for their radical tendencies.

Extreme with their beliefs and their crimes throughout history had been heinous enough that all members of the organization are often ordered to be executed on the spot rather than captured. Those guys were just as bad as the Exousia—if not worse.

They showed no mercy towards anyone that didn’t believe in what they did. They would attack villages, towns, countries—it didn’t matter to them. Everything that they did was always in the name of their Mother. Complete insanity.

When the hunters first heard about, they considered them nothing but a rumor—a myth. Parents would tell their children ghost stories about the Acolytes to get them to behave. No one believed them to exist.

But, they couldn't deny it anymore. The Acolytes of Jaya existed. They were there, in their country, seeking to destroy it.

They didn't believe in most of the ghost stories told to them throughout their lives. The hunters saw the Acolytes at work firsthand. The only mystical thing about them was their ability to control the Varvara. However, even that had to rely on the dependence of technology.

It frightened the hunters to think about why the Acolytes would target the Soteria Kingdom, the most influential country in the entire world. Soteria had a very extensive history when it came to warfare. Being attacked within their walls was nothing new. However, the fact that three people decided to attack by themselves meant that they had something up their sleeves. 

Something devious enough that they believed that they could destroy the nation with so little numbers.

That arrogance infuriated Elma. Her anger made her determined to end it one way or the other. If the Acolytes wished to add the country up on their walls of victories, then they would have to come at them with everything the had and then some. Because she and Chayse planned to do the same. If they wanted to go to war, then that's what the hunters were going to give them.