Morning soon arrived. Kyros, Runa, and Sarra awoke when the sunlight crept over the hills and beamed down on them. Kyros gathered all the supplies and set up the carriage per usual. Meanwhile, Runa and Sarra started up another campfire and cooked some of the meat from the hunt the previous night. With the food prepared, everyone gathered around and ate their breakfast. Upon finishing, the team set out toward Anemone Town once again.

From what Runa had told Kyros, they'd reach the settlement by the end of the day. It felt exciting to Kyros to see the place where Runa and Sarra called home. They'd seen his country, so seeing their home was something nice for a change. Unlike Runa; Kyros would keep most of his complaints, if any, to himself. The woman's bluntness was on a whole other level at times.

Discretion wasn't her strong suit.

"Hey, what's that?" Sarra pointed toward a trail of smoke off in the distance. Kyros spotted the smoke and pulled on the reins, stopping the carriage.

"Smoke?" Kyros surmised. He squinted his eyes and tried to get a closer look. It was far too much smoke for comfort.

"Leave it alone," Runa waved it off. "Keep driving straight. We don't have time for detours."

"But it could be trouble," Sarra pleaded, not wanting to ignore the possible scene of danger. If something was happening off in that area, then she wanted to help.

"Trouble means danger. I don't wanna expose you to any more of it. Not when we're this close to home," Runa countered. 

"We should check it out," Kyros retook command of the reins and directed the carriage towards the trail of smoke despite Runa's demands to continue down the path ahead. They soon reached a village. However, unlike the ones they encountered before, it was burnt to the ground. 

Visible signs of a raid laid out before their eyes; fresh corpses, trails of blood, burning houses, and strewn across the ground were several miscellaneous items.

"What happened here?" Kyros jumped off the carriage and rushed ahead in search of any survivors. He called out for anyone, leaving intentional pauses between his shouts to listen for any responses.

Runa wasn't in any hurry to leave the carriage. It didn't take a genius to know the fate of the village or its residents.

"Runa, shouldn't we look for survivors?" Sarra asked with a shaky voice.

"Stay in the carriage," Runa ordered. She collected her weapon and left the carriage. "Have your weapon ready and call me if anything happens. I'll be right back."

"What? No, I want to help!" 

"It wasn't a request, Sarra." The blue-haired Huntress didn't bother turning around. Her harsh tone of voice was more than enough to force her companion to comply with her demands. From there, Sarra watched helplessly as her friends disappeared further into the distance.

"Hello?! Can anyone hear me?!" Kyros shouted for perhaps the twentieth time. No one responded once again. The military man closed his eyes and activated his Praus. If he couldn't find anyone by calling out to them, he'd resort to using his Praus to sense for any survivors. He extended his sensory range to cover the entire village.

He sensed, Runa, Sarra, and one other person. Fortunately, they were nearby. A wave of relief and yet terror washed over him. If someone else was alive in the village, why hadn't they answered his calls? Were they wounded? Were they an enemy waiting to ambush him?

"You about done wasting our time?" Runa called out to Kyros.

"I located someone," Kyros filled her in. The Huntress rolled her eye but gestured for him to lead the way. The pair wandered over the survivor's location, spotting a man pinned under a pile of rubble that was once a house. The wounded man weakly raised his head and looked at them. It was faint, but the man smiled at the two.

"Oh, thank goodness. You came…you came…to rescue us." The man said.

"What happened here?" Kyros asked.

"Bandits." He replied immediately. "They…raided the town…kidnapped the children. We tried to…fend them off. But, there were just so many of them. And then, the Varvara appeared."

When he finished his explanation, he went into a violent coughing fit. He stained the ground with his blood.

"Don’t talk anymore! Save your strength! We’ll get you out of there right now!" Kyros moved over to the man and started to lift the support beam that pinned the man to the ground.

"My daughter…did…did she getaway? Please…please tell me that she got away…" The man pleaded for an answer.

Kyros hesitated to answer. There were no other survivors in the village beside the man. He found no evidence to prove that anyone else even escaped. "I…I don’t…"

"Don’t worry; your daughter is safe." Runa interrupted Kyros.

A smile of relief plastered on the man’s face before he lowered his head to the ground and mumbled, "Oh, thank Goddess. Thank you…thank you…thank…you…"

"Runa! Help me get this off him!" Kyros desperately pleaded. But the woman didn't budge an inch.

"Why? He's dead," She solemnly pointed out. Unable to believe her at first, Kyros looked down at the man and called out to him.

No response.

He called again.

Still no response.

"Son of a bitch!" Kyros backed away from the scene and brought his hands up to his head. 

"C'mon, no use staying here anymore. We gotta move on," Runa ordered, already making her way back over to the carriage.

Kyros approached Runa and grabbed her arm to stop her. "Wait, we can't leave! We need to do something!"

"Like what? There’s nothing we can do. The bandits are long gone, and the people here are dead."

"We can at least gather all the bodies and bury them. They don’t deserve to sit out here and rot away."

Runa broke free from his grasp then turned to face me. "Look, if you wanna do that, then go ahead. I won’t stop you. But I’m taking Sarra as far away from this place as possible. We don’t have time to spend days burying people."

"This isn’t right. We shouldn’t leave the village like this."

“It’s not about what’s right or wrong out here. Things happen that are out of our control, and there’s nothing we can do about it. If you can’t deal with that, then you’re not ready to be out here.” Runa laid out the cold, hard facts, making direct eye contact with Kyros in the process.

 “Is it always like this? Calm and beautiful in the day, disorder, and chaos at night? Is this what you call paradise outside of the kingdoms?” Kyros raised his voice, not understanding the logic of it all. 

"It's just the way of the land. It may not be the ideal way of living, but everyone that lives out here chose to be here other than your country. They have the freedom to choose whatever lifestyle they want.”

“I understand that. They got their freedom, but at what cost? There was no one here to protect them from the bandits or Varvara.”

“As I said, it’s the choice they made. It’s not our faults that there wasn’t a guild stationed here to protect them. All we can do is mourn for them and move on with our lives.”

“Do you have to go through something like this every day? What does Sarra think about all this?”

“It’s not like she isn’t used to seeing stuff like this...” Runa responded.

"What does that mean?" Kyros pressed for more information. 

"It's not important. If you're done wasting time, we gotta go. We've burnt enough daylight," Runa turned her back to Kyros and walked back to the carriage with Kyros reluctantly following behind her. Every now and then his eyes wandered to the carnage of the village. 

He couldn't understand what the village did to deserve such a cruel fate. No doubt, things were very different when compared to Soteria. If people died out in the Gardens of Eden, chances of getting buried were slim. Kyros had no idea what the populace of Eden felt about being buried in the first place.

Burying someone was a sign of respect for the dead and hope for a better time in the afterlife in his country. Kyros didn't believe in the aspect of the afterlife.

It infuriated him to know that others would wander across the village in the future, only to encounter nothing but death and destruction. But as Runa mentioned, they didn’t have time to spend days burying the others. All Kyros could do was silently mourn for the fallen victims of the attack.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

No, there was more he could do. Quietly mourning wasn’t enough. Bandit raids and Varvara attacks were preventible with enough protection and security. Finding out an efficient way to provide that security would be an excellent way to complete his mission. If he could better the relationship between his country and the Gardens of Eden, perhaps the military could work something out. 

The military could construct outposts around the villages, daily patrol officers, and much more. The people outside the country could live their lives with freedom and protection. It was a win-win situation for both sides.

Kyros had to make both sides see that. His mission was of the utmost importance. No matter what Kyros had to do, he'd make sure to complete it. For the people of the entire continent.

When they returned to the carriage, Sarra didn’t bother to ask about what happened. The expressions on their faces said it all to her. They rode the rest of the way in complete silence. The day passed, and they finally reached their destination, Anemone Town.

The town was more than Kyros expected. From all Runa and Sarra told him; he imagined a community with a high wall or fence—something to protect it from invaders. But, there were none.

No gates.

No fences.

No walls.

Nothing seemed to protect the town other than the guards that occasionally patrolled through the place. The guards stopped the carriage and ordered Kyros to identify himself. Runa and Sarra watched in amusement as the guards harassed Kyros with several personal questions. They asked him where he was from, what he was doing entering the town, and so on. Kyros hadn’t expected to go through such a stern interrogation. But he answered their questions honestly and was eventually allowed to enter the town.

From roads of dirt and grass to one of bricks. A somewhat smooth transition.

The crowded street of the town moved aside as the carriage pulled through. The townspeople waved and cheered upon the return of Runa and Sarra—they were treated like celebrities. Nearly everyone Kyros saw carried around a weapon. From adults to children. Perhaps the community wasn't as defenseless as he initially thought.

The team continued through the town until they reached its center. There resided their destination—the Wild Hunt Guild. It was the most massive structure in the entire town, at least five or six stories high. The name of the guild displayed on an archway and statues lined the front of the building.

The first statue that drew in Kyros' attention was one of a man in a cartoonish looking dog mask that obscured his entire head.

“Who are those statues supposed to be?” Kyros asked.

"Those are the top strongest members of the guild," answered Sarra, "like Varvara, members of guilds are ranked. The ranks are from E to S."

"What are your ranks in the guild?"

"I’m a D-Rank Huntress. Runa’s a B-Rank." Sarra proudly announced. 

"That’s impressive."

"Before we enter, let me warn you," Runa stopped in front of the door then turned to face Kyros. "Always be on your guard while in Wild Hunt. It’s a matter of life and death here. One mistake could cost you your life."

Kyros didn't doubt her words. The stern expression on the woman's face opted the military man to steel himself for whatever lied beyond the wooden double doors.

Without hesitation, Runa kicked the doors. They swung open and collided against the walls, gathering everyone's attention on the ground floor. 

All eyes turned to the three-person team as they entered the building. It appeared to be the main hall that doubled as a pub and entertainment center. Dozens of round tables spread out across the room, nearly all of them filled with unsavory looking characters with gruesome scars and well-made equipment. To the far left of the room was a small stage. Loud music played, and female dancers performed for the drunk onlookers.

Along the walls of the establishment lined the various heads of creatures. Wild Hunt indeed held its name as Hunter's Guild in high regard. As Kyros and the others continued to move forward to the front, the music and loud people all seemed to quiet down as they passed. Kyros felt the gazes from the hunters burned through him as if they could see into his very souls.

The trio eventually reached the front of the building where the receptionist desk lied. A gruff woman with a muscular build and one, large eye came to the window and looked at Runa. Kyros' eyebrows slightly raised at the sight of the woman. It wasn't every day he'd come across someone belonging to the Mono Race. 

"Runa? Still alive, I see," The woman crossed her arms over her broad chest.

"Yeah," Runa answered quickly and placed her mission form on the desk along with a sack of money. The receptionist rummaged through the bag and pulled out a single coin.

She held it up in the light. It sparkled. But, despite its magnificent shine, the woman appeared unimpressed and skeptical. She brought the coin close to her lips then bit down on it. The currency remained unharmed. However, the same couldn’t have been said for the poor woman’s tooth.

Her eyes widened, and a groan of frustration leaked past her lips as she raised her fist. Held in said fist was a stamp, which she then used to mark the mission form as completed.

"Listen up you bastards!" The receptionist called out to everyone.

"That was a swear, Cailey," Sarra informed her.

"Ah, my bad. Forgive me." Cailey immediately apologized before her gaze returned to the others. "Anyway, Runa’s completed the Varvara extermination mission! Drinks are all on her tonight!"

Followed immediately by the announcement, roars echoed throughout the entire building, perhaps even the town. Dozens of people raised their mugs in celebration then rushed over to the bar area. The only ones that didn’t seem to celebrate were Kyros and the others. 

Too stunned to move from his spot, Kyros couldn't understand the workings of the guild. Runa and Sarra, on the other hand, seemed right at home. Sarra wandered off and found herself a table while Runa loudly objected to wasting her money buying everyone else alcohol. She collected her sack of money and set in front of Sarra before rushing off to make sure no one tried to make a bar tab in her name.

Kyros eventually regained his composure and joined Sarra at the table.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting a Hunter Guild to be this rowdy," He commented.

"Really? This is rowdy to you?" Sarra seemed surprised by my comment. To her, it was an average day at the guild. She'd find it strange if a brawl didn't break out soon enough. "Most of the time, things escalate into fights. This is lukewarm at best."

"You’re very familiar with this place, aren’t you?"

"Yes. I’ve been a member of Wild Hunt for a little over a year."

"What about Runa?"

"Not sure. But, since she’s a B-Rank in the guild, I’d assume somewhere around six or seven years."

"Is it that hard to become a B-Rank?"

"It all depends on the person. Usually, Hunters are ranked on their level of strength and their number of mission completions. When they’re confident that they can rank up, the issue must be brought to the Guild Master. If the master approves, then they must take a test," Sarra explained. "For example, if Runa wanted to become an A-Rank Huntress, she’d have to complete an A-Rank mission and then defeat an A-Rank Hunter from the guild."

"Okay, I have a basic understanding of how it works. So, the mission she took in Soteria, what rank was it?" Kyros inquired.

"B-Rank," Sarra answered.

"How do you determine the rank of a mission?"

"By their level of threat, just like with the Varvara. S-Rank for a global threat, A-Rank for continental threat, B-Rank for national threat, C-Rank for citywide threat, D-Rank for town threat, and E-Rank for Village threat."

"Wow, this place is far more organized than I thought," Kyros mentioned.

However, that sentiment changed when a body crashed down on their table. The man split the damn thing in half. Kyros' eyes quickly glanced over to the direction where he came—it was the bar.

It was a brawl. About a dozen, maybe more combatants participated in a pure slugfest. However, only one proved to be the most dominating force—Runa. Men of all shapes and sizes stepped up to challenge her, but one by one, they were all crushed beneath her heel. Surprisingly, everyone laughed as they fought. No one harbored any ill feelings as they beat the hell out of each other.

The guild certainly possessed an odd form of comradery. But, it wasn’t Kyros' place to judge. All he could do was watch in amazement and laugh along with the others. About an hour passed until things settled down. Runa joined the others at their new table, and they all ate together.

Eventually, Cailey approached and then snaked her arm around Kyros' shoulder.

"So, Runa. Who's your new friend?" Cailey wondered. She brought her hand up to Kyros' chin, gently caressing his jawline. "Never seen this man around town before."

"Who, him? He’s…" Runa glanced over to Kyros, then back at her guildmate. "A souvenir from the Soteria Kingdom. The council wrapped him up in a box and tossed him in my carriage when I wasn’t looking. So, if you want him, go ahead and take him."

Rowdy laughter erupted inside of the building once again. Her words were harmful as usual, but Kyros kept a straight face—or at least he believed he did.

"Soteria kingdom, huh?" Cailey moved her face closer to Kyros. She stared straight into his eyes as if scanning for something. "He looks kinda tough. But why is he here?"

"Good question," Runa responded. "Why are you here?" She rested her elbows on the table then glared at him.

"My council sent me out here as their envoy. They’d like me to strengthen the relationship between the Gardens of Eden and Soteria." Kyros answered respectfully and honestly. Many glances traded around the room, as were skeptical murmurs and whispers.

"Gardens of Eden, huh? You sure you don’t want to call this place the Wild Lands?" Cailey took a seat next to Kyros. Her face was still as close as ever. She had the smirk of a trouble-maker. "You’ve seen it, haven’t you? The difference between this place and your birdcage of a country. It’s ruthless and cut-throat out here. And yet, this place is believed to be paradise by most."

"No rules or regulations are restricting others. It’s complete anarchy out here. People are free to do as they please without having to worry about consequences coming from official police or military force." Kyros surmised. "I can understand how this place would entice people. However, this land also has its disadvantages."

"Oh yeah?"

"Crime rate must be through the roof. Plus, with no forms of defenses such as walls or gates, most settlements must be under frequent attacks from bandits and monsters."

"Yeah, you’re right about that." The woman pulled her face away. "Every place has its ups and downs. Can’t expect a utopia to exist. But anyway, how’re you hoping to strengthen the relationship between your country and this massive place of paradise?"

"Well, for starters I’ve considered the thought of joining your guild," Kyros answered. Almost immediately, Runa choked on her drink then saved herself by spraying it all over his face. Sarra grabbed napkins and cleared Kyros' face from the substance.

"Don’t let him join!" Runa quickly protested the idea.

"Such fierce protest from Runa. Haven’t seen that in a while," commented Cailey. Her eyes glanced over to Kyros. "What did you do to make Runa hate you so much?"

"That’s a good question." Kyros nervously replied.

He knew the answer. Runa's hatred towards him came from her learning about her existence as an Exousia. Kyros kept his word and hadn't mentioned it to anyone. But, the Huntress continued to hold that over his head.

"I don’t see the problem with letting him join, Runa. Mr. Kyros was beneficial, acting as our tour guide in Soteria, and he’s strong too." Sarra came to Kyros' defense. "He’s a lower B-Rank if not an upper C."

"So, you can handle yourself in a fight?" Cailey asked.

"I’m a Captain of my unit in the Soterian army," Kyros proudly announced.

"Captain, huh? You must be tough then. I don’t see any problem letting you join. But, I don’t have the authority to let you in."

"Oh, then who does?"

"The guild master, and guild members ranging from S to A. However, before we can even talk about letting you join. There’s a test that you need to pass first."

At that moment, Kyros felt his blood run cold. Dangerous glints appeared in the eyes of everyone around him. What followed up after was a series of synchronized chuckles from the Hunters. Even though every fiber of his being warned him against it, he opened his mouth and responded, "What kind of test?"

Once again, Cailey’s face drew exceedingly close to the man's. Kyros swore that woman never knew the meaning of the personal space.

"I’m glad that you asked! Let’s take this outside!"

With no effort at all, the woman lifted Kyros from the chair and dragged him outside. Nearly all members of the guild left the building to join them. Whatever the people had planned for him, it wasn’t going to be good.