City Guild — Training Ground
Metal echoes.
Blades clash.Footsteps pound.Voices overlap.
Zodiac trains without urgency.
No sirens. Just them.
The Team Divides Naturally
Combat Circle A — Reva & Sain
Reva circles Sain slowly.
Reva:"You've never sparred with anyone, have you?"
Sain:"No. I only trained on monster-killing setups."
Reva raises an eyebrow.
Reva:"Still impressive. You defense is good"
Sain being overwhelmed from her barrage of attacks
"That's all I can do right now."
Reva:"You never thought about a sparring partner?"
Sain:"Killing monsters is different from fighting a person."
Reva nods thoughtfully.
Reva:"I usually spar with Fugu or Grim.But they're better suited for each other."
She smirks.
Reva:"You and I might actually be a good match."
Sain pauses.
Sain:"My sparring skills aren't much yet.But once I catch up to you… it'll be fun."
Reva smiles.
Reva:"I'll look forward to it."
Combat Circle B — Vyan vs Maru
Vyan swings aggressively.
Vyan:"See? I'm stronger than you."
Maru blocks, steady.
Maru:"You're definitely better at fighting."
Vyan grins.
Vyan:"Haha!"
Maru tilts his head.
Maru:"But I'm much stronger than you."
Vyan freezes.
Vyan:"…Huh?"
Maru:"Your attacks lack weight."
Vyan snarls.
Vyan:"Then take this, you slowpoke—YAAAH!!"
Combat Circle C — Bete & Anya
Bete glances at Maru and Vyan.
Bete:" A good match for Vyan."
Anya nods calmly.
Anya:"Maru's strength and precision balance Vyan's tenacity."
Lily watches quietly.
(thinking):They group instinctively.Similar temperaments gravitate together.
Grim stands beside Lily watching Maru.
"He hits better when he's in his usual enthusiastic mode."
Lily nods.
Fugu peeks from behind Grim.
Fugu:"That other guy learns very fast"
Grim doesn't look at him.
"We got some great talents to join our teams"
Later — Guild Conference Room
Screens glow.
Maps rotate.Data scrolls.
A Guild official addresses the hunters.
Official : "Let's skip the formality fellas and get to the point."
"As you all must be aware recently Zoo animals breached containment after mutation in all over the World"
Images change.
Official:"This is very different from the usual pattern where monsters attack resources ."
"Vines emerging in overcrowded residential zones.""Birds attacking signal towers and power lines."
"Worms originating from waste sites."
"Cockroaches attacking street food stall & restaurants for food"."Rats attacking general stores for food items"."Ants targeting places with sugary items."
He pauses.
Official:"It appears nature itself is pushing back.Our responsibility is to contain these threats quickly in the city and minimize disruption."
Murmurs ripple through the room.
Official:"Silence, please."
The room stills.
Official:"We are short-handed and actively recruiting.Until then, make full use of training facilities and instructors."
He scans the room.
Official:"We also welcome any observations that could help predict attacks—especially with communication disruptions increasing."
After the Briefing
Hunters disperse.
Bete:"It's basically nature teaching us a lesson."
Tara leans in.
"Or someone's behind all this."
Lily :"Ridiculous. That's not possible."
Fugu shrugs.
Fugu:"Worms are kind of useful too though."
Silence.
No one says anything.
Sain notices Lily & Bete pause.
Just for a moment.
Then move on.
Sain (thinking):They see it too.
But they don't say anything.
Neither does he.
Outside the Briefing Room
Reva and Kaal speak quietly.
Reva:"We need better coordination."
Kaal:"We need discipline."
Reva crosses her arms.
Reva:"We're not soldiers."
Kaal's jaw tightens.
Nothing more is said.
But the line is drawn.
No mission alert.No urgency.
Vyan laughing.Tara & Fugu recalling match highlights .Maru walking comfortably among them.
Sain follows slightly behind.
But closer than before.
Reva : Let's have a match