After the group leave the village, they decide to rest near a small clearing a fair distance from the elevated path. "This is dirty work if I've ever see it. Why couldn't they handle this themselves?"

"It was part of the agreement, Lux," Vern responds, even-tempered.

"No shit. I'm askin' why."

"Think of it like this. It is better when you have two enemies and turn the attention of one of them toward the other. Most are trained to deal with Abnormals, not Blightshades. It would be unwise to spend resources and manpower to deal with an entire sub force along with other communities."

"We've also got the Blightshades to think about, too."

"Yes. Mr. Caineman is correct. They are unpredictable. An unpredictable enemy is a dangerous one."

"Mr. Caineman," Joel contentedly repeats. Being the age that he refuses to disclose, he has never been called 'Mr' willingly before by a younger associate. Although, with the memories of his interactions with Vern, he's not so surprised his comrade was the first. Feeling like a child in a classroom, Lux waves off any other need for further explanation.

"'Ight, 'ight, you ain't have to talk my head off. Let's get this shit done. I want my pay."

"And that is a trait I will always appreciate about you, my friend," Vern replies, gently placing his hand on Lux's calloused shoulder before walking off.

The group travel southwest and explore the mountain passes in search of the mine. They encounter and eliminate small packs of Wolven Nocta, find scraps of items, and to their good fortune, short stacks of dirt faced cash. After some time of searching, the group finally enters an abandoned village.

When the compact party of four enters the village, they scan their environment. The entire area was surrounded by a wooden wall, or what's left of it. The village gate, along with most of the huts and tents have been burned down and left completely destroyed. Lux kicks off the conversation, not having a desire to keep his thoughts to himself. "Hell happened here?" Vern kneels down, sliding his fingers across the soot on the ground.
"It seems this village suffered a severe fire."

"Gee. Guess that's why it was abandoned, huh?"

"This place gives me the creeps..." Tora slides in after Lux's sarcastic comment. Walking about in her surveillance, Sakuro stops midway near a destroyed hut to inspect its ash-riddled material.

"Hm."

"If you've got something over there then spit it out," Lux exclaims, setting his sights on Sakuro.

"The fire. It was recent," she responds.

"What do you mean? How recent?"

"Days before we came here at least. Some of the wood is not fully burnt or worn down."

"May I ask what she is saying?" Vern courteously inserts his question into the dialogue.

"She said this shit was recent. Probably a few days before we came here."

"I'm going to have to agree with her, mate. Usually, if it was burned down weeks before, then in theory, a wildfire should have started too. I mean, there's healthy trees just over there, but they're not affected at all."

"Yes, I agree as well. I have an additional theory," Vern states, following up on Joel's words. Lux welcomes any thoughts with a simple gesture of his hand.

"Shoot."

"I believe this was intentional."

"Some of us didn't pass science class, so don't use stupid ass science words."

"What's a 'science word'?" Joel chuckles, amused by Lux's irritation.

"You know, like fault lines and geography. Stuff like that."

"So you're saying intentional is a science word?" Tora asks, making her way into the conversation.

"Shaddup in there."

"Do not worry." Vern finds his entry of amusement as well, joining in with Joel's laughter. "I will try to explain it as simply as I can for you. Look at the gate and structures surrounding us. Their destruction is pointed inward, like someone was trying to cut another off from leaving."

"So you're sayin' that people were trapped in here?"

"And most likely passed in the fire, yes."

"Alright. Makes sense. Where the bodies at, then? I don't see any."

"Excellent observation, my friend. It is quite odd, considering this was recent. So that could mean whoever did this knew someone would eventually find it and assume what any person with a moderate line of thought would assume. A simple fire burned down a village and was abandoned as a result."

"Hot bread in a toaster, he's so cool..."

"Wow. Aren't we a bunch of detectives."

"I've always wanted to be one when I was a young boy."

"You're weird for that."

"Yes, perhaps so." Vern laughs in response. "Moving on. I do believe this is the village Tahoma mentioned."

"So the mine shouldn't be too far from here, then," Joel says, glancing around for an exit that will lead them toward the right direction.

"Oui. We should find it and-"

Suddenly, a large, metal lined arrow with light orange feathers at the end pierces Vern's right shoulder. "Matthias!" Tora shouts from inside everyone's head.

Vern looks down at his shoulder where the arrow pierced it. Unfazed, he instantly pulls the arrow out, and gazes at the blooded tip. "Hm. So they were waiting for us."

Multiple men in bright orange armor with a similar design to the AAF infantry, jump or crawl out from the huts and tents and aim large crossbows and odd firearms with grappling hooks as ammo at the group. "That's him! He's the leader!" One of the infantry shouts. The commanding officer, confident in his words, sends his orders to every soldier in sight.

"The Anti in that arrow should've slowed him down. We don't mind dealing with some Abnormal terrorists before we get rid of those Blightshades. Kill his men! We want the leader alive!"

As Vern throws the arrow away, the others assume their fighting stances. He then steps forward with his hands behind his back. "How unfortunate you did not aim for my head. A simple mistake that will yield a grave consequence."

To the group's surprise, the ABF fought much differently than AAF soldiers. They utilize different tools, weapons, and tactics during combat. There's soldiers shooting their crossbows from the rear, some fighting in the front with two short, metal like swords laced with poison, and some with grapple guns, firing and grabbing Lux and his squadmates to isolate them.

At the frontlines, Vern and Joel are combating with the swordsmen. After taking a few hits, Joel tosses a gravity grenade under the soldiers. Upon detonating, the blast propels the swordsmen into the air, keeping them in a stagnant space. Vern darts back and forth in the air, slicing the soldiers with his icy hand blade as he goes. To finish them off, he conjures a crystal longbow into his hands.

He aims, then fires a huge bolt of ice at the soldiers, creating a cryo induced explosion. Once Lux obliterates the soldiers with grappling hooks, another wave of ABF infantry enters the area, along with larger men with huge mechanical drill arms. "Watch out, y'all! More incoming!"

Sakuro leaps back a fair distance, shutting her eyes in concentration as she activates her heightened state. Thick streaks of blood begin to orbit around Sakuro, with a spirited silhouette of a fox appearing behind her. "Ichigo...Take their blood!"

When Sakuro opens her eyes, the shape and color are completely different. Her eyes are now a bright red with a horizontal shape. She laughs maniacally as she begins to swing Ichigo, cutting down multiple enemies all at once with every strike. "Die! Die...! DIE! DIE!"

"Umm...I-Is she okay?"

"I don't think you want to know the answer to that question, love."

"Eh, she's fine. Just let her get her shit off."

It takes no time at all for Sakuro to eliminate the surrounding enemies. She swings Ichigo as she turns her body, slowly sliding it in its sheath. As she reverts back to her original form, Sakuro speaks in a soft tone, looking back at the corpses with crazed eyes before licking her lips, her face completely painted with red liquid.  "Thank you for your sacrifice...Ichi and I haven't eaten all day."

"It seems we are clear for the moment."

"Are you alright, Matthias?"

"Worry not, Miss Zelterra. 'Tis but a wound."

"Those weirdos were just waitin' for us, huh? That's all they know how to do?"

"To their credit, they are meant for Blightshades. They fought a losing battle so I respect their efforts."

"We'll have to agree to disagree on that one, mate. How'd they get here before us, anyways?"

"A good question, Mr. Caineman. It seems we are not the only ones who know where the mine is located."

"So now we gotta deal with those fuckers and the Blightshades."

"Have patience my friend. There is more going on than meets the eye."

"How about I just fuck the eye up?"

"A task I willfully entrust to you." Vern turns his head to smile at Lux. "Come, let us finish our mission."

The group stride forward and exit the abandoned village. Their search for the mine takes them further southwest. They encounter and eliminate small packs of Wolven Nocta, as well as groups of ABF soldiers that suddenly ambush the group in certain areas. After a decent search, they now find themselves at the entrance of a hollow mine. Directly in front of it, are dead Wolven Nocta and ABF soldiers. Vern steps up, glancing down at the bodies for further inspection. "Hm, it seems they fought out here. Judging from the amount of bodies and their positioning, the ABF were able to fend them off."

"My best guess would be they went inside after they collected themselves," Joel deduces. Hearing his words, Lux shrugs and walks forward without hesitation, entering the wide, circular cave entrance.

"Hell we standin' here for?"

"Wait for me, Brother." Sakuro says, quickly following behind Lux.

"Shall we?"

"After you, mate."

Vern and Joel stride forward following behind Lux and Sakuro and enter the mine. The cave paths inside the mine are extensive, so much so that you could fit a small army or community into each of the tunnels. The ground and its adjacent walls are a soggy sandstone, mixed together with darkened dirt.

There are many broken down, rusted mechanical structures and machines. In the path in front of them, the group can see a trail of dead Wolven Nocta bodies, however when they walk forward to get a closer look, they see that they're still in a human-like form, only with certain fur spots embedded into their skin. "Oh, beans..."

"Hm. How curious," Vern says, using his sliver-blue eyes to scan the bodies.

"The hell is so curious about this? They're dead," Lux states bluntly.

"It is not that simple, Lux. When someone is infected, it does not take long until the mutation sets in. They become manic, even feral. However, it seems here that these Blightshades are able to keep their humane look."

"What does this mean? Some kind of resistance to the infection, maybe?" Joel asks, curious about how Einia works combined with his own knowledge.

"Possibly. That could also be why the ABF are not hesitating to kill them, rather than capturing them as per usual. We can only assume that same treatment is passed onto Abnormals."

"There would be no organization if someone found a way to resist Blightshade infection," Sakuro exclaims as she looks forward with a cold stare.

"Leave it to the blue skins to try and cover some shit up. Hate when things gets complicated."

"It seems our objective has been blurred the moment we left the village. Still, I believe we should see this through," Vern communicates with the desire that everyone is on the same page. Though it's been some time since the last one, Lux releases his third scoff of the mission.

"I could care less now. Complicated or not, I'm still getting paid."

"It does not matter to me. I go where Brother goes."

"We might as well continue at this point," Joel expresses, agreeing. "If they're not trying to help them, then they need to go."

"So it shall be. Come, my friends. I would be lying if I said I was not invested in this mystery."

"Damm weirdo," Lux says aloud, shaking his head as the group walk forward to delve deeper into the mine. They follow the trail of dead bodies consisting of both Blightshades and ABF soldiers. They find scraps of metal items, and lost cash covered in dirt. They soon enter an elevated area after some time, where they can hear faint voices coming from a clearing in front of them.

In the clearing, is a small army of ABF soldiers surrounding males and females who are all chained down or are on their knees with large handcuffs confining them. There's a young man with a brown fur outfit and a bear hiding over his head standing next to a tall man with unique, bright orange armor. The man walks forward then waves his hand in a signal, and the men behind the chained and handcuffed captives point their firearms to their heads. "Animals need to be put down. Especially feral ones. And we can't have people finding out there's a chance for a cure now can we?"

There's a young woman a fair distance from the man. She has long, ruffled brown hair wrapped in a short ponytail, wearing a worn, tan shirt and a brown colored, long sleeve jacket with tattered and slightly ripped shorts of similar color. Not wearing any footwear, you can clearly see the dirt and mud lodged between the gaps in her toes.

She also has noticeable fur spots and tattoos of various animals on her face, neck, and legs. The most noticeable tattoo is the one on her face, a purple lined design of a wolf's eyelids across her own. The young woman looks battered, yet she is still able to stand, holding a unique, fairly sized, one sided ax in her left hand, gripping it with murderous intent. She growls deeply, shouting an order at the man. "Let them go! We have not done harm to anyone!"

"Of course you would lie, freak. Not that we care. I will admit, you did a nice job hiding from us. But as with all Blightshades, we will hunt you down and kill you."

"Please...we only want to live in peace. We aren't with the Blightshades you're hunting down. Don't do this. Please."

The man smirks, soon releasing a laugh that echoes throughout the area. "Oh...Oh, what a good laugh. Your chief is the one who led us here in the first place."

"What...?"

"Guess he doesn't like you at all. Alright. I'm done speaking to animals. Kill them."

"NO!"

All the young woman can hear are the shots of the firearms going off as she sees her people fall to the ground with holes in their heads. She charges forward in complete anger with tears running down her cheeks. She lunges at the man and swings her ax, but is stopped by the young man with the bear hide. The young man takes her ax and boots her back to the ground. He looks at the young woman in complete disgust as he speaks in a native language.

"Takeda..." she pleads, gasping for air.

"It is over, Nekoma. All exiled tribesmen will be eliminated in Tahoma's name."

The young woman coughs violently, slowly standing herself up with hyperventilation. "Tahoma drove us away. He burned our own people alive. He hates what we are, you all do! Why couldn't you just leave us alone...? I have done nothing to betray our tribe...!"

"You are a demon born from Annihalation. Demons don't belong in Eyanosa."

"Let's hurry this execution up. Bring on the rest of them." The tall man once again waves his hands in a signal. "I told my superiors we'd be done by this afternoon."

"Stop it...STOP IT!"

"What the...?"

The young woman lowers her head, suddenly releasing a deep growl, saliva drooling from her mouth. As she puts her hands over her face, her body starts to transform. Her entire physique is slowly becoming covered in grayish purple fur. Her legs, arms and hands immensely increase in size, along with her nails and teeth enlarging into sharp claws and fangs.

Takeda steps back when he sees her full transformation, a humongous, Wolven Nocta standing on her back legs, staring down at him with bright golden eyes. The Wolven Nocta howls loudly, the sound echoing throughout the cave areas. Suddenly, the people who were chained down and handcuffed start to transform as well. When they're finished, they break out and start attacking the soldiers. "Spirits, help me..."

"She's the pack leader?! Shoot her down!"

The clearing is filled with the sounds of gunfire, screaming, and howling. The tall man pulls out a light orange colored beam sword with a small pistol, and effortlessly begins killing his attackers. The young woman who is now a Wolven Nocta howls once again then runs forward after Takeda, who quickly flees the scene. She charges through the clearing with a deathly snarl. Each soldier she snatches up is completely torn apart by her razor-sharp fangs, killing the ones remaining in her way with feral swipes of her claws.

                                                                       ~

Back to the group, who've now jumped down from an elevated area, begin to walk forward into a wider space towards the chaos. "I can't believe they just killed all those people," Tora begins. "I know Blightshades are dangerous but...they weren't even at the threatening stages of mutation."

"It is best not to fret over them, Miss Zelterra. Though it may be diffcult to swallow, you will eventually have to accept how the Federation sees the world in its entirety."

"Yes, sir..."

"They're really going at it further ahead," Joel mentions as the group continue toward their objective.

"At a guess, I would say they've found where the Blightshades were hiding."

"All I hear is ABF soldiers getting fucked up," Lux exclaims. "Guess they can't handle a few Blightshades."

The group hears footsteps in front of them and promptly look forward. They see Takeda running towards them with his eyes widened in fear. "Spirits, protect me!"

"Who the hell is that?"

Suddenly, an enormous Wolven Nocta growls and jumps on top of Takeda. He screams loudly in pain as its claws pierce his back, his shouts of mercy echoing throughout the area. Takeda's screams suddenly come to a halt. The Wolven Nocta doesn't hesitate to gnaw on his head, immediately ripping it off with ease. It tosses Takeda's head into the air, allowing it to drop straight into its throat. Not a moment later, the Wolven Nocta slowly turns its attention to the group.

"The wolf hungers for its prey..." Sakuro utters as she prepares her weapon.

"I think what you meant to ask is what the hell is that?!" Joel delivers, his voice charged with shock from seeing a creature he's never encountered before.

The Wolven Nocta releases a piercing howl as it begins its charge towards the group. It snatches Joel as its stampede comes to an end and begins to tighten its grip around his body. "Jo! Hang on, pumpkin!"

"Gah...! Can't exactly hang on to anything, love...!" Joel screams back in panic.

While holding onto Joel with one hand, the Wolven Nocta begins to swipe its free claw at the others, responding with attacks of its own as they begin to clash. Vern leaps backward to avoid a harmful slash, then conjures huge ice shards behind him, and hurls towards the Nocta's upper body. Once they make an impact, the Nocta staggers backward.

Lux and Sakuro take advantage of this opportunity, while Sakuro begins to severely damage it's back legs with rapid slashes, Lux leaps forward and smashes it's wrist with an extending punch. The Nocta roars in irritation, loosening its grip on Joel. In the same motion, it rams Lux with a swift headbutt, knocking him a fair distance away, and swings it's free arm to force Sakuro in the same direction.

Lux and Sakuro's efforts were not in vain. Joel manages to free his left arm, he grips Ace, and in a quick draw, slashes the same wrist Lux decided to attack. The Wolven Nocta snarls in pain, releasing its grip onto Joel. Vern acts with a certain haste, he quickly conjures a snowy bedding to cushion Joel's fall, then dashes forward. He creates a wide icicle battering ram that he commands forward.

The ram hits the Nocta with a powerful force causing it to stagger. Vern rapidly transforms the ram in a huge, crystal mallet. With a devastating onslaught, he commands the mallet to strike the Nocta's head. Immediately after the multitude of attacks is over, he hurls a wave of ice shards at its body. Once the upper body of the Nocta is completely covered in ice, Vern doesn't finish it off. Instead, he sways to his right so that he can allow Lux, who's already bursting past him to deal the final strike. Lux charges his right fist, and forces the Wolven Nocta to the ground with a powerful body blow, shattering the ice in the process.

After falling on its back, the Nocta begins reverting to a human form. When the reverting is finished, the group sees an unconscious young woman wearing a torn shirt and shorts. Lux places his foot over her head to stomp it in, but Vern stops him by speaking up. "Wait."

"What the hell do you wanna say? She attacked us so now she's dying. Simple."

"Normally, I would agree with you. However, I am asking you not to."

This task warrants a forth scoff from Lux. Despite how he feels, he backs away, hoping deep down that Vern's head will be torn straight off his body before it's eaten. "'Ight. She bites your head off, I ain't gonna feel bad for you."

The young woman groans as she awakens, beginning to open her eyes. "Leave...them...alone..." she sits up and scans her surroundings. When she sees the group, she's forced into a panic. "Who are you...?!"

"Do not fear. We mean you no harm."

"Well, she sure as hell did, mate," Joel throws in from the background.

"You are the pack leader of the Blightshades that are here, are you not?"

The young woman stands up suddenly and backs away with the same speed. "How do you know about that? Did Tahoma send you to find me as well?"

"In a way, yes. Though our intentions soon changed during our search. I am Matthias Vern. My people and I came to strike a bargain with Tahoma, but it seems he had ulterior motives per our agreement."

"Vern...? You're the man leading that Abnormal group."

"Yes, that is correct. I would like to strike a deal with you as well, if you are willing to listen."

She lowers her head, her mind locked by the many things going on in there. "I...I..." A firing of a pistol can be heard from the path behind the group. The young woman quickly rolls out of the way as a bullet flies past her.

The group look in the direction the bullet came from, and see a tall man with long, brown hair wearing unique, bright orange armor with the logo ABF on his chest. The man has a noticeable scratch across his face, most likely from a Wolven Nocta attack. The firing of guns, growling and yelling can still be heard in the background as the man aims his sword forward at the group.

"That's all I needed to hear. I get to kill a terrorist and a Blightshade leader? I'm sure to get a promotion after this. Everyone will know the name Captain Lanes of the Anti-Blightshade Federation."

"I'm sick of all these interruptions," Lux states. Happy to get a long look at his next target, the hothead cracks and knuckles and his neck. "Good for me that you're here, 'cause I need somethin' to take my anger out on."

"I would agree," Vern verbalizes, stepping forward. "Captain Lanes, was it? Unfortunately, that name will be forgotten."

"Wait...Let me fight with you. I will send this man to his maker."

Vern sends the woman an understanding nod. She glances down and sees her ax in the right hand of the headless Takeda. When she picks it up, she stares into its silver metal with pride. "Kiba...Aid my thirst for vengeance."

Both the group and Lanes assume their fighting stances. After a powered swing, the young woman does the same and the engagement between Captain Lanes and the group begins. Everyone rushes forward except Vern, who hangs back to fire icy projectiles in support. Captain Lanes confronts the group without fear, easily dodging their individual attacks and instantly counter striking. Lux and the young woman get a few hits in, and before Lux can damage Lane's armor beyond repair with a destructive punch, he leaps back into safety. "Haha! And people are afraid of Abnormals? Don't make me laugh."

"Talking a lot of shit for a dead man."

Lanes pulls a small, metal layered needle from his waist. He stabs a damaged area of his armor, and quickly self repairs itself. Afterwards, Lanes and the group clash once again. Lanes is constantly leaping back and forth towards different areas, ensuring that the group don't overwhelm him with their coordinated attacks.

Quickly catching onto his rhythm, Joel begins throwing net traps onto the ground, mathematically predicting where Lanes will land next. Sakuro and the young woman deal immense damage from grueling slashes of their weapons, forcing Lanes to leap backward to repair his armor.

Joel's calculations were correct. Sure enough, Lanes lands his feet right on top of a net trap, and is instantly shocked. Seeing that Lanes is immobilized by the pain, Lux quickly follows up. He unleashes a flurry of punches, then strikes him with a rising knee to the chest. Ending the combo with a clothesline, Lux jumps into the air and comes crashing down onto Lanes with a piercing elbow. Lanes' armor is now completely broken, he struggles to stand up, yet continues to fight.

With a weak and desperate swing, Lanes attempts to attack the young woman, who easily dodges the strike with a backward leap. The young woman throws her ax at Lanes and when it makes contact. She follows up by transforming into a smaller version of her Blightshade form. She jumps onto his shoulders, beginning to bite and gnaw into his skin. When she's finished, she leaps back and reverts, leaving Lanes poisoned from the bites.

Lanes is completely weakened and defeated. Sakuro swiftly cuts his legs and he falls to his knees yelling in pain. Assured that the captain has no fight left in him, the young woman then steps up to Lanes and stares him down with her golden eyes. "This is for the blood you needlessly spilled from my people...!"

"W-Wait! Sto-"

The young woman swings her ax right into Lanes' neck, causing blood to splatter everywhere. The young woman dislodges her ax, and swings it again, and again until Lanes' head falls off completely. When Lanes' disembodied head drops onto the ground, the young woman enlarges her foot and stomps on it with full force, shattering it into multiple pieces. The young woman starts to breathe heavily as her foot shrinks back to normal size. Once she's calmed herself down, she glances back at the group and nods in thanks.  "Thank you for allowing me to do that."

"You're welcome," Vern responds, once again communicating a certain understanding by dipping his head ever so slightly.

"I don't know what the fucker did to piss you off. Goddamm," Lux expresses. He can tell by the speed and the velocity of the decapitation that this isn't the first time the young woman has done this.

"Glad to know you feel better," Joel adds, collecting any leftover tools or traps that weren't used. "Everyone needs to get out somehow. And judging from what I just saw, it's better he was the target of that anger rather than us."

The young woman looks towards the clearing, and sees the remainder of her people emerge from the dirt shrouded path. She smiles as a light steam of tears falls from her eyes. "You're all okay..." she says, relieved. After a moment passes, her smile disappears when she realizes that their den has been found. No matter what, they will never stop being hunted. "We have nowhere to go now...They will always find ways to track us down."

"Nah. I get that feeling. But you're wrong about having nowhere to go."

"What do you mean...?" She asks Lux, her eyes filled with sadness and confusion.

"Pretty sure Vern was already gonna say this, but whatever. You and your people can join us. We've got a place for you as long as you don't do any dumb shit."

"Oui. We will take in any who will support our cause. That includes you and your people. And since Abnormals are technically already 'infected' it will be easier for you all, yes? My only condition is that you work with me and fight with us."

The young woman glances down, then back towards her pack. She thinks for a moment, then looks at Vern and Lux to give her answer. "Alright. My pack and I will join you. Since humans will never understand what it's like to be us...It's time to stop hiding and fight."

"'Ight, good shit. We done here?"

"Yes, I believe so," Vern confirms.

"I'm out, then. Meet you back at the rendezvous. Oh, yeah. I almost forgot to ask. The hell is your name?" Lux inquires, pointing his index finger.

"My name? Awin...Wa-Ya. My name is Wa-Ya."

"See you back at Atlacall, Wa-La."

As Lux walks away, Sakuro and Joel follow behind, with Joel snickering. Vern glances at Wa-Ya and nods in affirmation. "I am glad you accepted our offer. There is one more matter, however."

"What is it?"

"Chief Tahoma. He attempted to get rid of me and my friends. I am very upset by this discovery. I have my own punishment in mind, however, I will leave his fate in your hands."

"...Tahoma exiled us because he was afraid. He does not understand what we are and hates us because of it. I don't believe he deserves to be chief any longer, but I don't believe he deserves to die either. Sparing him will spare his people."

"Very well. He shall be spared. If only he knew that your wise and simple choice spared him from a worse fate. Come, we have ways of transportation."