Emergency sirens blared throughout Pandora. Chaos and panic soon followed as military soldiers, and Varavara flooded the streets, turning it into a war zone. Out among the people in the war zone were Kyros and Runa. They ran out into the streets at the first sign of trouble and helped dispatch the creatures of destruction. They fought for what felt like hours. No matter how many Varavara they defeated, more would appear to replace their fallen comrades. 

"Goddess damn it! We're getting nowhere!" Runa complained. She raised her spear and struck down several approaching monsters. While her blade tore through the hides of the creatures with ease, their sheer amount of numbers would surely wear her down eventually.

Kyros kept his anger bottled up. He couldn't help but blame the situation on his refusal to act earlier. The leader of the acolytes sat directly in front of him moments ago, and he did nothing to stop her. 

Yes, she threatened to kill everyone in the restaurant if he didn't comply with her demands. However, he was aware that he could've stopped her. If everything went according to his plan, then he could've subdued her and possibly prevented the entire attack on the city.

But, that was the problem. If things went his way; if he managed to subdue her. No matter what the situation, there always lied the possibility of failure. Worrying about failure went against his teachings at the academy, but he couldn't help himself.

Kyros was human after all. He made mistakes like everyone else. All he could do was correct his error and atone for them later.

The military man stepped forward and ignited his gauntlets. He fired several fireballs and burnt any surrounding enemies to a crisp. His flames paled in comparison to the rage that flared in his body. 

Kyros and Runa continued to fight side by side, eliminating as many Varvara as they could. They settled down when a line of Nemeans appeared. Military soldiers jumped out of the vehicles and struck down the remaining enemies.

"About damn time more of 'em showed up," Runa rested her spear on her shoulder. A grimace crossed her face once she caught sight of the red sashes on the soldiers. "Oh great. They're War Dogs."

"Be grateful that they helped us," Kyros said. Although deep down, he doubted they came to save them specifically. But regardless of that fact, he was glad to be alive.

Out from the last Nemean came Lieutenant General Damia. She leisurely walked over to the group, eyeing them with a nonchalant expression on her face. Despite the chaos that enveloped the city, that woman remained unfazed by it all. Blood and corpses filled the streets, and she couldn't give two shits about it.

"Kyros. What the hell are you doing out here?" Damia questioned him; her hand rested on the handle of her sword. Kyros didn't think she would use it on him, but he kept his fists clenched just in case. "Pretty sure the council suspended you."

"I'm not here as a soldier," Kyros indicated to his civilian clothing. "I'm just an ordinary citizen, fighting to protect the country."

It was the soundest of logic. Damia couldn't find a single reason to deny Kyros of his right to defend his country. No matter how much she wanted to.

"Fine. Whatever." Damia shrugged her shoulders and turned her back to the group. She issued out orders to her subordinates to make a perimeter around the area. "Wanna explain what happened here then? We've gotten reports from all over about repeated Acolyte sightings."

"We haven't seen anything," Runa answered. "We just came outside and saw all these Varvara attacking."

Damia let out an annoyed sigh, followed up by a complaint, "How worthless. What's the point of having you Wild Landers in our country if you're not even useful?"

Runa's eye twitched. She didn't care about the woman's pathetic attempts at name-calling. But, she wouldn't allow that bitch to call her worthless.

"I don't wanna hear shit from someone that didn't even lift a finger to help clear this place out of Varvara," The venom in Runa's words reached the ears of those in range. Damia's subordinates shuddered. Not many have attempted to offend Damia and lived to tell the tale. "You wanna talk about being worthless; your men didn't even arrive until we cleared out most of them. Must be easy taking out a bunch of small fries."

Stolen story; please report.

Kyros couldn't explain how. But despite the city getting turned into a war zone, their area, in particular, remained deathly quiet as Damia, and Runa erupted into an intense staredown. Their hands gripped tightly on their respective weapons. It looked like at any moment; a fight would ensue.

Kyros quickly stepped in and separated the two. He couldn't allow them to fight. They were all on the same side--technically.

"Now isn't the time for this. We should deal with the Acolytes and the Varvara. Not each other." Kyros announced. While the women knew he was right, their contempt toward each other clouded their judgment. Thankfully, they took deep breaths and eased off each other.

"Whatever." Damia shook her head and went off to join her subordinates in setting up a perimeter.

"I hate her," Runa spat.

"I do too," Kyros quietly agreed. However, it wasn't the time to express his contempt toward Damia of all people, even though he wanted to. "But, we need to focus now."

"Yeah, finding the Acolytes," Runa agreed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her Milo. She pressed a series of holographic buttons and called her partner, Sarra. "Sarra? It's me. Are you at the hotel?"

"Y-Yes! I'm here! What's happening outside?! I hear a lot of screaming!" Sarra replied.

"It's the Acolytes. I want you to stay inside and don't come out until I come and get you myself. Do you understand? Don't open the door for anyone." Runa commanded. While aggressive, Kyros sensed the concern in her voice. It brought a soft smile to his face.

His smile faded immediately when he realized just how much more critical his mission was. People were dying left and right. He didn't want someone like Sarra to lose her life because of his inability to stop the Acolytes. He steeled himself and headed for a vehicle.

He commandeered it and let Runa inside. From there, he drove off down the road.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Runa asked. She noted the look of determination on the man's face. While admirable, it didn't mean much to her if Kyros didn't have a plan in mind.

"We're heading to the peak. That's where I know Melanie's going," Kyros answered.

"How do you know that?"

"When you left to call Sarra earlier, Melanie sat at my table. We had a chat,"

Runa blinked in confusion, not understanding how Kyros could make such jokes with a straight face. Oh, how she wanted it to be a joke. But, she knew deep down that it wasn't. That in itself infuriated her even more.

The leader of the Acolytes was there in the restaurant, and she couldn't even sense them. Why was that?

"What'd she tell you?" The Huntress tried her best to restrain her anger.

"Many things. She wanted me to join them," Kyros replied. The mere thought of it left a disgusting taste in his mouth. "But most of all, she told me where she was planning on going without her even realizing it."

"Oh?" Runa's eyebrow arched.

"We're going to try and beat her there. If Melanie plans to do what I think she is, then this could mean the end of Soteria." Kyros told her. 

His words weighed heavily on Runa's mind. She looked out the window and saw the carnage outside on the streets. What could Melanie do that would be more catastrophic than a Varvara invasion?

Kyros made a sharp turn and sped down the road. He plowed through several Varvara. The vehicle took heavy hits, but fortunately nothing that it couldn't handle. His eyes widened in he spotted two people standing out in the middle of the road. 

A large man wielding a large hammer, and another man with wolf ears and a tail.

Kyros swerved the vehicle out of the way and narrowly avoided running them over.

"Who were those guys?!" Kyros exclaimed.

"They're the least of our worries," Runa pointed ahead. Kyros noticed the scene and slammed on the brakes.

A large pack of Lycan's surrounded two familiar faces--Elma and Chayse. The Hunters stood back to back with their respective weapons drawn.

"Run those bastards over," Runa demanded. Like hell, she would sit back and watch fellow Hunters fall to the Varvara. Not on her watch. 

"Already on it!" Kyros slammed his foot on the gas pedal and raced down the road. They braced themselves for impact and plowed through the horde of monsters. He stopped the vehicle once they were close to the Hunters.

Runa opened the door for them. "Get in!" 

The Hunters wasted no time entering the vehicle. Afterward, they took off down the road, leaving the Varvara in their dust.

"Man, you two saved our asses!" said Chayse as he leaned back. His breathing was unsteady.

"Guess that means we owe you two now," Elma held up two fingers and smiled. She wasn't much of a religious person. But at that moment, she thanked as many Gods and Goddesses that she could think of. It was nothing short of a miracle that they got saved.

"How about a nice dinner date once all this is over?" Chayse suggested.

"Not now, Chayse!" Elma snapped.

"We're on our way to the Peak! That's where we believe the leader of the Acolytes is going," Kyros informed the Hunters.

"What a coincidence. That's exactly where Elma and I were heading," Chayse mentioned.

"Hope you two are ready for a fight then. Those Acolytes won't do down without a fight," Runa stated.

Chayse and Elma knew that more than anyone. They unconsciously placed their hands over the wounds they suffered at the hands of Maur. His laughing, arrogant face appeared in their minds, only fueling their desires to defeat them.

"Don't worry about us," Elma grinned. "We'll be fine. Just make sure to get us to the Peak as soon as possible." 

And with that, they headed toward their destination with great conviction and determination to put a stop to the terrorist attacks once and for all.