It was all over. Two months of hard work had finally paid off for the Huntress duo of Runa das Meer and Sarra Zosime. No reported Varvara attacks reached their ears for a few weeks. As far as they were concerned, they could return home to the Gardens of Eden—paradise. 

No longer would they have to deal with Soteria and its corrupt politics and screwed up values. Runa internally hoped that the country's filth hadn't tainted her sweet partner. 

Their bags were already packed and ready to go. They only needed to get one last thing done. Collect their payment from their employer.

Their client was a wealthy man that offered five hundred thousand Axia for the completion of the mission. Runa was lucky enough to have been the one to accept the mission before anyone else at the guild. Five hundred thousand Axia could last the team for years.

Runa could sit back and relax. Of course, she'd have to take jobs now and then to keep her rank, but it was a small price to pay for a job well done.

Outside of their hotel, men in black suits waited for the Huntress. Behind them was their method of transportation, a black limo. Runa and Sarra got in and were taken to the central office of the Lambros Corporation building.

"Welcome to the Lambros Corporation building, well-esteemed Huntresses of Wild Hunt," Roditis announced. He then smiled and gestured for them to take a seat.

"Thanks for having us here." Sarra took a seat. However, Runa preferred to stand. She hadn't planned on staying there for too long. "But, why are we here?"

"Oh? Did your partner not tell you?" Roditis looked at Runa, then back at Sarra. "I am the one that requested for Huntresses to come here. I am your client, Miss. Zosime."

Sarra gasped in shock. She had looked at Roditis and Runa before she responded, "How come you didn’t tell me that back when we met at the weapon shop?"

"He wanted to keep his identity confidential. And as requested, I saw to that." Runa answered.

"But why did you have to keep it confidential from me?"

"What did it matter if you knew or not? The only thing you needed to know was that we were getting paid handsomely for our troubles."

"And you will be paid. You performed tremendously. You went above and beyond that of what ordinary Hunters would do," said Roditis. "Wild Hunt made the right choice in sending the both of you to complete this mission."

"Enough with the flattery. Give us the money so that we can go home." Runa demanded. Her outburst caused the secretary, Retsina, to snap her clipboard in half.

"How dare you speak to Mr. Lambros like that! Have you no respect?" She yelled at the Huntress. "You should be honored that he has decided to pay you at all!"

"Ungrateful," added Malvasia.

"You suck!" chided Amarantha.

"That is enough, you three. Calm yourselves." Roditis ordered. The three women immediately bowed their heads and responded with an immediate apology. "Please forgive them, Miss. Runa. They tend to lose their temper when they sense that I have been disrespected."

"Trust me; I’m not paying them any mind. As I said, I only want the money. As soon as I get it, I’ll leave." Runa said.

"Very well. Retsina, please go and fetch their reward money."

"Yes, sir!" Retsina quickly left the room with much eagerness.

"I have a question," announced Sarra, "I’m curious as to why you requested for Hunters to help deal with the Varvara in the country. Shouldn’t the army and police have been enough to take care of them?"

"Sarra, don’t stick your nose into business that doesn’t concern us." Runa scolded her. It didn’t matter why they were called to do our job. What only concerned Runa was completing the mission. Nothing more, nothing less.

A soft chuckle had come from Roditis before he replied, "It is quite alright. You see, I had full confidence in defense of the kingdom. However, I felt that it would be best if we requested for outside help."

"So, you called for Hunters." Runa assumed. "That was a risky move. Others could see that as a sign of weakness. Should anyone learn that someone as influential as you requested the help of mere Hunters to defend your country, I fear for what could happen somewhere down the line."

"Even more reason to keep my involvement in this matter a secret. This country likes to boast and showcase its power. Now, I have no problem with that. However, I would like others to know that Soteria is completely willing to form bonds and alliances with others outside of its borders."

"My, how noble of you." Runa sarcastically said, not trusting half the shit she assumed spewed from the man's mouth. She had a gut-wrenching feeling that Roditis was more involved in the situation than he gave himself credit for. But, it wasn't her business. So, she didn't bother calling him out on it.

As long as he paid, there wouldn't be a problem.

"You may not care for this country, but I do. I care for all countries, their people, and those outside of them. I care for humanity." He continued with his insistent preaching. "My dream is to help humanity evolve. The best way for that to happen is by having humanity work together. This is just the first step in our evolution."

"Rodi is so kind! You should be grateful!" Amarantha pointed at Runa.

"Grateful," Malvasia said.

"So basically, you want to create stronger bonds with us?" Runa concluded. "It'll never work. But, I don’t care. It’s your money. Feel free to waste it as much as you want."

"All bonds have to start from somewhere. It just so happened that ours began with the promise of money." Roditis nonchalantly stated. "As I said, this is just a small step. Sooner or later, humanity will come together again just like in ancient times."

That man was a strange one. 

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Runa didn’t see why he was so fascinated by the evolution of humanity. But, she didn’t care. If Roditis thought that the mission could strengthen the bond between them, who was Runa to correct him? He could believe whatever he wanted. The truth of the matter was that all Runa wanted was the money.

She didn’t care for the country or its people. Should a request for another mission in the country come by, she'd immediately refuse. She was through with nations and their corrupt, sick, and twisted politics. In her experiences, humanity would never come together. She didn’t believe that it even happened in the first place.

Humanity coming together? Nothing but ravings of a madman. It wasn’t as simple as Roditis made it out to be. Whatever his goal was, it wouldn’t come true. Humans were complex beings that could never truly compromise.

"Mr. Lambros, I have returned with the reward money." Retsina entered the room with a sack of money. The satisfying sound of the jingling of coins brought a smile to Runa's face.

"Once again, I would like to thank you for your hard work. May we someday meet again soon." Roditis stood up from his seat then came around from his desk to shake Runa and Sarra's hands. While Sarra shook his hand, Runa took the money from the secretary.

"Hopefully not. Let’s go, Sarra." Runa turned her back to the group then left the building with Sarra.

"Now, onto our other guest," Roditis casually approached a bookcase to the nearest wall. He removed a single book, which activated the secret passage in his office. Out from the secret entrance stepped out a wounded Melanie. She limped over to the nearest chair and took a seat, not minding the blood she shed on the beautiful floor.

"So, I guess the operation didn't go so well, huh?" Amarantha taunted the beaten Acolyte. Usually, Roditis or Retsina would've criticized the girl on her rude behavior. But no attempt was made. It was a rare moment for them to see their "partner" look so defeated.

Melanie instinctively reached for her sword. Her intent to silence the arrogant girl was clear as day. Despite her recent failure, she was still a Goddess of Destruction in the making. She'd make an example out of the entire Lambros Corporation if she needed to. Even in her weak condition, a little girl was an easy kill.

However, Roditis, Retsina, and Malvasia had no plans to lose one of their comrades. They didn't care who or what Melanie was; if she intended to harm one of their own, they'd make sure there'd be hell to pay.

"Keep that girl silent," Melanie demanded and let her hand hang loosely to her side. It took too much effort to move her body, so she tried to spare as much energy as she could. She replayed her plans through her head over and over, trying to find out where she went wrong.

It would've been a pure massacre if the body of her father remained intact. But, of course, the citizens of the vile country had to destroy it. They wanted to erase him from history. Well, that notion was impossible. For as long as members of his family continued to exist, then so would the man's memory.

"Would you like us to escort you to the medical floor?" Roditis inquired.

"No," Melanie refused treatment. "Not yet. There's something we need to discuss."

"And that is?" Retsina asked.

"How my plan could've failed," Melanie glared daggers at the Lambros employees. Her plan was far too well thought out and precise for it to fail. She nearly had everything in the palm of her hand. There were other forces at work that sought her demise.

"Are you insinuating that we had something to do with this?" Roditis asked. "We provided you and your subordinates dozens of our man-made Vitalis for this operation. The problem was not with us, but rather your execution."

"Execution?" Melanie repeated in a low tone. She didn't expect the businessman to grow a backbone suddenly. If she didn't know better, she assumed it was because of her weakened state. If not for that, she'd have the man's tongue. "You lived here for so long, yet you refused to inform me of the condition of my father's body!"

The Acolyte shot out from the chair and unsheathed her sword. Amarantha, Malvasia, and Retsina already moved in front of their boss, ready to lay down their lives to protect him from the vile woman. All someone needed to do was make a single move and a fight would break out.

"Settle down, Melanie," Roditis calmly pleaded. Last thing he wanted was a fight to break out in his headquarters. "You made it clear yourself that your operation was a need to know basis. Had you informed me of your plan to ressurect your father, I would have told you about what happened to him. It was a mistake on your part that cost you success in your mission. Do not make another by choosing to vent your anger out on me."

Melanie bit down on her lip, resisting the urge to shed tears in front of them. Years of planning down the drain because of her arrogance. She'd never hear the end of it from the others. She had to turn things around somehow. But no plans came to her mind. She bet everything on this one conquest.

With her beaten and her subordinates either dead or captured, what was more for her to do than flee the country?

The woman lowered her sword and muttered, "I'm leaving."

"Just like that?" Amarantha asked.

"It's clear there's nothing more for me to do here. Staying would be a constant reminder of my failure. I don't want to wallow in my pain here," The Acolyte sheathed her sword and limped over to the secret passage. "I'll stay in contact."

"Good luck on your journey, Melanie. Perhaps we can try this again in the future," Roditis suggested. Had it come from anyone else, Melanie would've taken it as an insult. The woman nodded and left the room.

Meanwhile, with their bags packed and money secured, Runa and Sarra headed off to leave the country once and for all. They reached the familiar gates. Beyond them was paradise—the Gardens of Eden. Home sweet home. Runa and Sarra collected their horse and carriage, then placed their bags on the vehicle.

Unfortunately for Runa, a familiar young man in armor stood by the gate with a large backpack. It was Kyros Aleister. A bright smile plastered on his face when he spotted the Huntresses.

"Mr. Kyros!" Sarra called out to him. She smiled as well and returned his friendly gesture with a wave of her own. "Have you come to see us off?"

"How thoughtful of you," Runa said.

"Well, not exactly." Kyros sheepishly responded while scratching the back of his head. Something about that gesture alarmed Runa. The feeling in her gut returned and alerted her to the potential danger. "You see, I've been ordered by the council to accompany the both of you on your journey back to your guild."

"What? Really?" Sarra’s eyes beamed. And there it was, the culprit behind the feeling in Runa's stomach. Would her suffering never end? Why had the council suddenly decided to have Kyros join them? The old hags hadn’t even the slightest amount of common courtesy or decency to ask their permission.

Perhaps they figured that she'd say no. But no matter, Runa refused to have that man tag along with them. It was just going to be Sarra and her traveling back home. Like hell, she would agree to have that military man join them. Runa had no idea what the country had planned for them, but she wasn’t going to play along.

As far as she was concerned, her ties with Soteria were severed. She had no obligation to adhere to their wishes.

"I've only been outside of my country once. So, it'll be fun to head out and explore the Gardens of Eden with you two." Kyros nonchalantly approached the carriage. He had the full intention of getting on.

"Did you hear that, Runa? Mr. Kyros is going to come with us to Wild Hunt! Isn’t that great?" Sarra placed her hands on Runa's shoulders then eagerly shook her. Having Kyros come along was far from exceptional. It was a nightmare — the thought of him coming with them to their home brought up mixed emotions—those of which Runa made sure to keep bottled up.

All Runa could do at that moment was laugh. Sarra and Kyros joined her. However, when compared to theirs, Runa's was forced. She had made up her mind. She directed the horses to move onward with the reins. With great haste, they took off down the road into the wilderness, leaving Kyros behind in a trail of dust.

Despite having traveled a few meters away from the gates, Runa could hear his voice in the distance. She looked over her shoulder and grimaced at the sight of him desperately chasing after them. How idiotic could he get? Four legs against two couldn’t even be considered a fair match up. He had no hopes of catching up to them anytime soon.

At times, Sarra and Kyros’ voices synced together as they called out Runa's name. She had no intention of listening to them. She wouldn’t stop the carriage until that idiot was miles behind them. She didn’t care if he came to Wild Hunt, but he wasn’t coming with them. That was for sure.

Kyros was all on his own. Whatever happened to him out in the Gardens of Eden wasn’t any concern of hers. Should he somehow get himself killed, it would be his damn fault. His country hadn’t asked her permission to bring him along with them. So, no fault lied with her. It was all on them.